The KZ Taurus is a dual dynamic driver IEM priced at about 25 USD. It comes in three colors: clear, white, and black with bronze accents. You can buy it with or without a microphone, and it can be upgraded with KZ’s behind-the-ear Bluetooth adapters. The shells are plastic, very light, and quite compact. The packaging is extremely simple, but hey, it’s 25 USD.
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Disclaimer: The review unit was sent us for an honest review.
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Calle 7 by Vincius Cantuaria
The Taurus sound crisp and clear, with surprisingly good instrument separation and solid dynamics. If you prefer a smooth, laid-back presentation these are probably not for you, yet they are still easy to listen to and not fatiguing. The bass is polite in quantity but tight, controlled, and detailed.
Woodpecker by Tingvall Trio
The Taurus is very snappy and quite crisp, with bass that is definitely on the lighter side. Overall it sounds energetic and dynamic, with surprisingly good detail retrieval.
Blessed Feet by Tord Gustavsen Trio
The drums in the intro are tight and snappy, the soundstage feels wide, and the imaging is precise. Once again it sounds crisp, but not in an overly sharp way.
Dancing in the Dark – The Voice by J.D. Moe
This is a beautiful version of the classic Bruce Springsteen song. However, it does not sound very good on the Taurus. The vocals become too sharp, and the presentation is too crisp and forward for me to enjoy at my normal listening level, so I have to turn the volume down.
Take On Me MTV Unplugged by a-ha
This is another wonderful male vocal track, and the Taurus works better here. Morten Harket’s silky voice sounds textured and clear.
Seven Nation Army Live (…Northern Lights) by The White Stripes
This works surprisingly well. It is crisp, tight, and bright, with not a lot of bass, yet it is not fatiguing and remains quite engaging.
Mango Drive by Rhythm and Sound
This bass driven track is difficult for many earphones to handle, but the Taurus keeps it tight and fairly clean. I am quite impressed.
Rambling Man by Laura Marling
The female vocals sound bright and clear, with nice articulation of detail and a well-defined sense of space between the instruments.
Limit to Your Love by James Blake
Blake’s vocals are crisper and brighter than I am used to, but it still works. The bass is noticeably lighter in quantity than I am used to, yet it is tight and quite clean.
Young Vivaldi by Modo Antiquo
The string timbre is very nice, with a crisp character full of texture. They have bite and a sharp attack, but they are not harsh or piercing.
Summer 3 Vivaldi Recomposed by Max Richter
The strings have the same bright and crisp timbre as before, but this track is much more complex, and I am impressed by how well the Taurus handles it.
It Could Be Sweet by Portishead
The bass is very lacking in terms of quantity. The vocals are bright but not sibilant, which is surprising given that sibilance can be an issue with many earphones here.
Jambi by Tool
The bass again lacks presence, but the vocals are very clear, sounding clean and free of sibilance. Also on this track, sibilance can be an issue with other earphones.
Sound Signature
The KZ Taurus is a bright, midrange-focused earphone with a very polite but tight bass.
Treble
Although the Taurus clearly leans bright, the treble is not overly sharp or aggressive; it feels surprisingly smooth.
Midrange
The midrange is very forward, with more energy in the upper mids than the lower. Vocals are clear, bright, and detailed.
Bass
The bass is very light in presence but extends well. In other words, do not expect a full-bodied low end. On the positive side, it is tight and textured, offering good detail.
Soundstage and Imaging
The bright sound signature creates a very open-sounding soundstage. Instrument separation is impressive, and each instrument is well articulated, resulting in excellent imaging, especially for the price.
Detail, Dynamics, and Timbre
The detail level is generally quite high for a 25 USD earphone, and the dynamics are strong, with an important exception for the bass. The main weakness of the Taurus is the timbre, which I find unnatural — it’s too bright and crisp.
I’m not a huge gamer, but these earphones have a sound profile that could work well for gaming, especially if you want enhanced speech and detail. I tried some light gaming, and they are promising, revealing more detail relevant in gaming than many other earphones.
I did most of the listening for this review on my desktop rig. For portable use, I first tried the Taurus on my phone, a Poco F5, but it did not perform very well—even at maximum volume, it was somewhat lacking in loudness on much of my music.
The tiny Jade/FiiO JA11 dongle, however, has no problem with the volume and it sounds quite close to my desktop rig with the Taurus. The just as tiny, silver coloured Letshuoer USB dongle DT01 Pro, also has plenty of power and might sound even better than the JA11. Finally, Fosi Audio’s new dongle, the Fosi DS3 also does the job very well but honestly I don’t find it to perform much better with the Taurus than the DT01.
The IEMs I have on hand in the same price range are the Kiwi Ears Cadenza (35 USD) and the Kiwi Ears Belle (29 USD). Both are extremely capable and are, in my opinion, better options for general music listening than the Taurus.
They are not only clear and detailed for their price, but also deliver a well-balanced sound with a punchy and solid bass, unlike the Taurus.
However, if you are after a specific tuning where the midrange and treble are especially clear, and you do not want much bass quantity – but still good bass quality and extension, the Taurus might be for you.
In terms of sound signature, the KZ Taurus reminds me quite a bit of the (much more expensive) Etymotic ER-series IEMs, which are single balanced armature designs with a similar bass-light tuning. The Etymotic sound has many fans, so I am well aware that my preference is not the only valid one.
The KZ Taurus does a lot of things right for the money. The midrange is crisp, bright, and clear, making vocals especially easy to follow. The treble is also bright but does not become harsh or aggressive. Imaging and instrument separation are impressive at this price point.
On the downside, the Taurus has a very modest bass presence, which can make it sound quite tame with certain music.
For gaming, if you do not need much bass rumble, this could be an excellent choice thanks to its focus on the midrange and treble and its overall clarity.
For music, it depends heavily on your preferences and/or the genres you listen to. At times it sounds great, but other times it falls short for my taste, lacking warmth and low-end energy.
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