KZ ATE In-Ear Monitors

Veredict

Years after its release, KZ ATE still one of the best budget IEMs on the market, offering a very satisfactory mild V-shaped sound with great detailing and energy that beats many hyped budget pieces we see today.

Lows: 7,0
Mid-bass: 7,0
Mids: 6,5
Treble: 7,0
Soundstage: 6,5
Resolution: 7,0
Fit and comfort: 9,0
Sound isolation: 6,5
Build quality: 7,0

KZ is one of the most popular Chinese brands producing earphones at the moment. One of the main reasons why KZ became such a popular brand, was because of their release of the KZ ATE. They released a $10 dollar pair of earphones producing amazing sound quality. The most outstanding feature of the KZ ATE is the ridiculous amount of bass it produces, which I will elaborate more on in this review.

Sound
With the release of the KZ ATE, KZ claimed its place in the earphone market, which was the start of becoming one of the most popular Chinese earphone brands. The KZ ATE is known for its ridiculous bass it produces, which is like a sub-woofer in your ear. This pair of earphones is a wet dream for bass-heads. The bass is very deep, punchy and comes with an incredible sub-bass. When I started listening to the KZ ATE, I liked the sound quality on medium volume, but not blown away. The trick of the KZ ATE is in opposite to other earphones, that the sound quality of the KZ ATE increases if you increase the volume. At the moment you pump up the volume, you get this amazing sound experience where all frequencies sound better, as well as it’s providing you an amazing soundstage. As well the mid tones are getting really forward on this higher volume, which provides clarity in the voices of artists. The highs are clear and detailed and of good quality. They maybe could a little bit higher, which could the extra provide you the sparkling effect. However, this is not something that I miss in the sound. All in all, the KZ ATE provides an amazing sound experience for an incredible low price, especially for music that contains a lot of bass.

Design & Build Quality
The design of the KZ ATE look really fancy, to me they look like expensive earphones, which is cool if you keep in mind they cost less than $10. I also like the over-ear design, which makes the KZ ATE fit really secure. The L-shaped earphone jack prevents the cable from damaging in the end. The outside of the cable is stiff, which I dislike because in general they may pull the earphones out of my ears (which probably won’t happen with the KZ ATE). The build quality of the earphones seems solid overall, the earbuds seems build by good materials as well as other components. The components are also in general well finished off.

Comfort
The KZ ATE are sitting very comfortable, which I didn’t expect with the over-ear design. Because of the over-ear design the cables are around your ears, which provides a great secure fit of the earphones. This makes the earphones perfect for working out or running, without having to use any special clips to prevent the earphones from falling out. The sound quality is also pleasant for longer listening sessions, since they highs are also not that edgy high.

Conclusion
The KZ ATE has become very popular for a good reason. These are absolutely the best bass earphones you can you get for your money in this price range. But not only bass-heads will love them, since the other frequencies like the mid’s and high’s are also of excellent quality. The KZ ATE is a valuable addition to everyone’s collection, and therefore absolutely highly recommended. You’ll get drown away in the amazing bass, together with the forward mid’s and their subtle high’s. The fit of the KZ ATE are great, since they are very secure.

Gearbest link: https://www.gearbest.com/earphones/pp_216375.html?lkid=11970045

This review was originally posted on EarphoneKing.com.

I have number of IEM's and over ear headphones with me. None of them are super expensive models. All of them are below 80$. I already own the KZ ZS5 but i still prefer this ATE over all of these i own because of its relaxing, laid back warm sound signature with ample bass. I like listening to lot of vocal based music and this is my favorite pair when it comes to that. If you like non fatiguing casual listening which will not break the bank. Go for these. I don't think there is any IEM out there that can beat this with it's price tag and sound quality.