Yinyoo KZ AS16 Headphones Over Ear Wired Earbuds IEM HiFi Earphones with 8BA Balanced Armature Driver 3.5mm Audio Plug Cable (Without mic, Black)

I’d tried a friends before I bought them so knew what I was getting. Worth every cent

First a little background. Years ago, I purchased some Etymotics ER4p’s and have been quite happy with them. Even when the plastic ear tubes degraded and crumbled (I’m not kidding), Etymotics repaired them at no cost, even out of warranty. Soon after I had custom ear tips made for my ears, which was a brilliant upgrade. However, the Ety’s are flat EQ, and not much bass as many will attest (I’m not a bass head, more of a treble head perhaps). After over 10 years of reliable service, and trying units with more drivers really appealed to my ears, but not the $2000+ price point.

Balanced Armatures (BA) provide speed, and if you don’t know what that means, then you may be in need of some learning. For someone who owns electrostatic speakers like myself, will likely desire their headphones to attempt the same, or similar. Dynamic drivers (found in > 99% of headphones out there) won’t cut it, way too flabby. Planars are likely the best option (electrostatic being the best option again) but are often difficult to drive by a portable unit. BA’s can sooth that niche.

So the search began, and I tried various units with a combination of drivers. The 5 BA units I tried sounded good, a fuller sound than my Etys but didn’t possess the resolution. I then tried some 8 BA units, this is when the magic really took hold. That was until I saw the price tag ($1500 USD and up). I almost purchased the Westone 8’s but my wallet wouldn’t open. So back to my Etys and off I went.

I started digging around and stumbled across various Chi-Fi units. Trying to get my hands on some highly regarded ones was a bit of a challenge, but the KZs are well represented on Amazon, and generally well regarded. I started with the 5 BA version known as the AS 10’s. As I half expected, the sound was not *quite* as revealing as my Etys, but they worked very well and exceeded the Etys in many areas, and were “fun”. The brand had proved itself, so I eyed these AS16 units, and some googling of reviews convinced me to give them a shot.

Well, as others will note, the manufacturer makes some pretty wild claims. Sorry KZ, you aren’t (yet?) at the level of even Westone 8’s but…… you aren’t close on their ~$2000 CAD price either. So, is that bad… a definitive no!

Considering their price, they are as “fun” as the AS 10s but have much more resolution. As noted, I’m not a bass head, but I certainly appreciate “good” base, this is where fast comes in. To recite a quote from the Austin Powers move Goldmember: Tight like a tiger. The treble to me is good. I agree with some of the reviewers that they could be bright or reveal silence, is perhaps somewhat true but it’s not the headphone’s fault from my experience. Treble is needed to get good resolution, so it’s a hard line to walk. These seem to pull it off quite well.

If there’s a complaint, it’s the mid-range. There could be a bit more “air”, but this is subjective, mainly to the music being listened to. I’m not saying there’s anything particularly wrong, but I “feel” there could be a bit more air or space in the mids, likely a tuning issue. However, this also depends on what you are listening, and some music shines, really shines.

However, there’s nothing inherently wrong. You can sense the audio engineer laying and mixing the tracks (which some won’t like this level of resolution). I am hearing things in the music that I’ve not heard before, which is what I’m looking for. There is no particular issue with balance for me.

Comfort, I’m good with them. I wore them for 4 hours today and no complaints (arguably more comfortable than the Etys with the custom mold). Some complain about their weight, they don’t seem heavy to me, and I may suggest rolling ear-tips to better grab. Style, the least of my worries, I actually like them.

So why 5 stars? If these were in the $1000 range, they would lose a star, -2 stars if in the $2000 range. These units are remarkably good for the price. One note is I’m comparing my Etys in a balanced configuration, not single ended (as I am doing with the KZs) so this may be a factor in what I’m not hearing. I have a balanced cable coming, so I may find a drastic change, and if so, I’ll update this review.

Final opinion, if you are a fan of BA headphones, like good/excellent resolution, and don’t want to empty your wallet of $2000+, then you really need to try these, they won’t disappoint. Well done KZ!

Update Aug 2021: Just looking over my reviews and realized I promised to update this when I got the balanced cable. Well, the difference is a brilliant improvement with balanced over single ended, as expected. The cable is also far nicer than the included cable. There are complaints from many about the included cable, which I never spent any significant time with, the balanced cable was installed, and has never left. These are my go-to headphones and have had no itch to upgrade them (but a new DAC is coming in a couple of days as my source is time for an overhaul).

If anyone is wondering what cable to get, look at these (should be under 30$ for the 2.5mm 2 pin version):

https://www.amazon.ca/Linsoul-Tripowin-Silver-Earphone-QDC-2-5mm/dp/B07ZQC1FS2/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Linsoul+Tripowin+Zonie+16+Core+Silver+Plated+Cable+SPC+Earphone+Cable+%28QDC-2.5mm%2C+Gold%29&qid=1629339685&sr=8-1

It would be difficult to find anything of this quality at a similar price. Only reason it is not five stars is the lack of a cable wire slider to keep the wires firmly against the head/neck when using in a live environment. The company could solve this very quickly by adding one at almost no cost. There are ways to solve the issue yourself but almost all brands have these so not sure why there were left out of the design. The buds themselves are large but they have a lot packed into them. I do intend to have custom moulds made which will secure the weight in my ear a lot better. Mine were purchased as in-ear monitors in a live playing environment. Certainly recommended.