KZ AS10

Crazy detailed sound for under $60, but it's a wired, plasticky IEM with some of the worst call quality we've ever tested. If you love dissecting music and never use a headset for calls, it's a fun niche pickup. For anyone needing a daily all-rounder, look elsewhere.

That 5-driver array does what it promises in the detail department. You'll hear little textures and background elements in tracks that cheaper single-driver buds completely gloss over. The soundstage is indeed wide, making it easy to place instruments. But the tuning is a mixed bag. The bass has decent punch and speed, better than you'd expect from pure armatures, but the mids can get shouty and the treble occasionally tips into sharp, fatiguing territory. The biggest letdowns are the build quality, which feels flimsy, and the call quality, which sits at a measly 5/100 in our database. You will sound like you're talking through a tin can on the other end. Anyone calling this a headset is being generous.

Put the AS10 next to modern true wireless buds, and the gaps become canyons. The Google Pixel Buds Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro absolutely demolish it in comfort, features, and overall polish. They have ANC, transparency modes, and are actually usable for a phone call. Even the budget-friendly Soundcore P31i or EarFun Air Pro 4+ deliver a much more complete experience with wireless freedom and competent apps. The Sony WF-C700N also trades detail for a much more pleasant, warm tuning that's easier to live with day-to-day. The KINBOOFI wins on raw analytical detail in its price bracket, but it's a hollow victory when you're tethered by a wire and can't take a call to save your life.

Pricing is a circus on this one, with a wild spread across vendors from a reasonable $56 all the way up to an inexplicable $10,125. At the low end, you're getting a level of analytical detail that's hard to find for the money. But you have to really, really want that specific thing and be willing to sacrifice everything else. The build, the mic, and the complete lack of modern features like ANC or wireless connectivity mean it's a one-trick pony. If you can snag it near that $56 mark and you want a dedicated pair of wired IEMs just for dissecting your music library, it's an interesting pickup. Anything more, and you're getting fleeced.

The KINBOOFI AS10 is a weird little IEM. Five balanced armature drivers stuffed into each earpiece for under sixty bucks sounds like a steal on paper, and if all you care about is pulling details out of a mix, it delivers. But everything around that core experience is bare-bones, and the overall package feels held together with good intentions and cheap plastic. You get a wired-only connection, a detachable 2-pin cable that's nice to have at this price, and a sound signature that's detailed but definitely not for everyone. It's a specialist tool, not a daily driver.

Skip these immediately if you need to take any calls. The microphone performance is brutally bad. Also look elsewhere if you want a durable, premium-feeling product, as the plastic build here is underwhelming. And if you're not willing to futz with cables, the complete lack of wireless connectivity is a dealbreaker.

The KINBOOFI AS10 is for a very specific type of listener. If you're a detail-obsessed music nerd on a tight budget who already owns a decent dongle DAC and just wants a wired pair of IEMs to sit on a desk and pick apart FLAC files, you'll be astonished by what five balanced armatures can do for this little cash. For literally anyone else looking for a pair of headphones to use with their phone, commute with, or take calls on, this is an easy pass.