inline79
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 27, 2012
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So you've heard and read lots about the KZ ATE. But like me you were still sort of on the fence about letting go of that $10US. Well, unlike you, one day I woke up and said "it's $10, I gotta stop losing sleep over $10 and get my new IEM fix". And about 3-4 weeks later I had it. Now I offer you my comparisons so you don't have to dig through the Impressions thread.
KZ ATE Baseline Impression: I gotta say, these are probably the best single dynamic driver IEM I've ever listened too. That's not saying THAT much, but you'll see some of my collection I felt worth challenging it with. It has excellent bass extension, and maybe a touch too much bass, but it matches it with mids that sing good and treble detail you don't normally get in a dynamic. In short, it's easily worth 10x what you pay for it!
KZ ED Special Edition: The first KZ ATE I ordered arrived but was actually an ED-SE. These are OK. For $5 they are pretty typical of a $5-$20 IEM - lots of bass, not much detail. For the backup pocket. A side note.
Shure SE-215: First up was my trusty SE-215s. My go-to travel IEM. I know these aren't the best to begin with, but these were formerly my "best" dynamic IEMs. These still beat just about everything for isolation + comfort. But vs the KZ ATE, the mids sounded muddled and the highs were weak. The KZ ATE really put the SE-215 to shame for sound quality. But for movies on the plane, the SE-215s still won't get dethroned.
Shure SE-530: So I decided to jump way up next. I know the SE-530 is imperfect in many ways, and I'm now comparing a triple-BA to a dynamic. But the SE-530 has always had way too much sibilance at the high end. However, the mids of the SE530 really reveal what the KZ ATE is lacking - the detail of a BA. But the ATE's bass is far more enjoyable than the SE-530's which sort of fall off.
TDK BA-200: Sorry, I stopped the test after this. My all-time favourite all-round IEM, the BA-200, just cannot be beat. The BA-200 just makes the KZ ATE sound too bass heavy, make the KZ ATE's mids way too distant, and KZ ATE's highs sound almost lost. The BA-200 puts you right there in the music, the KZ ATE sends you to the back of the arena. It is night and day here.
And I ended it there. The KZ ATE is probably one of the best dynamics out there, but it's no match for some well-tuned multi-BAs. But hey, at $10, everyone should own one to experience just how good a dynamic driver IEM can be.
Hope that helped some people part with a few bucks!
KZ ATE Baseline Impression: I gotta say, these are probably the best single dynamic driver IEM I've ever listened too. That's not saying THAT much, but you'll see some of my collection I felt worth challenging it with. It has excellent bass extension, and maybe a touch too much bass, but it matches it with mids that sing good and treble detail you don't normally get in a dynamic. In short, it's easily worth 10x what you pay for it!
KZ ED Special Edition: The first KZ ATE I ordered arrived but was actually an ED-SE. These are OK. For $5 they are pretty typical of a $5-$20 IEM - lots of bass, not much detail. For the backup pocket. A side note.
Shure SE-215: First up was my trusty SE-215s. My go-to travel IEM. I know these aren't the best to begin with, but these were formerly my "best" dynamic IEMs. These still beat just about everything for isolation + comfort. But vs the KZ ATE, the mids sounded muddled and the highs were weak. The KZ ATE really put the SE-215 to shame for sound quality. But for movies on the plane, the SE-215s still won't get dethroned.
Shure SE-530: So I decided to jump way up next. I know the SE-530 is imperfect in many ways, and I'm now comparing a triple-BA to a dynamic. But the SE-530 has always had way too much sibilance at the high end. However, the mids of the SE530 really reveal what the KZ ATE is lacking - the detail of a BA. But the ATE's bass is far more enjoyable than the SE-530's which sort of fall off.
TDK BA-200: Sorry, I stopped the test after this. My all-time favourite all-round IEM, the BA-200, just cannot be beat. The BA-200 just makes the KZ ATE sound too bass heavy, make the KZ ATE's mids way too distant, and KZ ATE's highs sound almost lost. The BA-200 puts you right there in the music, the KZ ATE sends you to the back of the arena. It is night and day here.
And I ended it there. The KZ ATE is probably one of the best dynamics out there, but it's no match for some well-tuned multi-BAs. But hey, at $10, everyone should own one to experience just how good a dynamic driver IEM can be.
Hope that helped some people part with a few bucks!
