【KZ Taurus】Horizontal Dual Dynamic Drivers in ear Monitor IEM Headphones HD Dual-Microphone HIFI Gaming Earbuds(40% OFF at Checkout)

I received an email from KeepHiFi asking if I would be interested in reviewing the KZ Audio Taurus. I was intrigued by the KZ Taurus since it has a budget dual dynamic driver configuration, which I’ve never seen in the sub $30 (USD) price range. I was glad I said yes as I have enjoyed my time with the Taurus very much. The KZ Audio Taurus was sent to me free of charge (my thanks to KZ & KeepHiFi) but I will be honest with what I’m hearing for my review.

The packaging and accessories are sparse to say the least. There’s the small utilitarian cardboard box containing the earphones, wire, and a complement of small medium and large ear-tips in a throwaway plastic pouch. Anything more would have certainly been a welcome surprise, but I don’t expect there to be more in this price bracket.

The build quality of the Taurus is wholly adequate. It doesn't have most refined shell, but it's not poorly built either. There are obvious seems on the shell that I could get a fingernail under, and edges on the shell connector pins, but nothing jagged and the fit in my ear is above average and comfortable.

The cable reminds me of old lamp wire, two distinct straight lines with a deep ridge between the two wires. It works fine and transmits minimal noise while moving about. This is a pet peeve of mine, but there should be clear L & R makings on cables. The 2 pin connectors are sheathed, so after market cables might work, but the end result would be the ends hanging out of the connector. Style is objective but I like the look. The gold color of the drivers and the silver buttons on the face plate, even the subtle KZ logo on the side strikes me as an attractive design.

The included ear-tips did not work well for me. The fit was fine, but even after burning in these the balance was too bass light and treble heavy. This may be what some might look for, but I found that the Dunu S&S ear-tips had a better balance for my tastes. The Dunu tips added a bit more warmth without sacrificing detail.

I’ll admit that I had preconceived notions of what a dual dynamic driver earphone would sound like. My fear was that the bass would overpower other frequencies but I was surprised . The KZ Taurus is a fairly neutral sounding IEM with a bright leaning sound. This is not my usual preferred sound yet I found myself enjoying what the Taurus brought to the table.

Once the S&S tips were used, I found that there was good bass extension but not much in the way of punch or slam. Very good texture and definition. The bass never intruded on the mids in any way. For something like EDM where I crave a bit more punch these weren't great but I found that the Taurus reached low enough to make a genuinely satisfying experience for classical music and jazz.

The upper mids are a touch overdone for my tastes. I found that many recordings that are mixed ‘hot’ could cause fatigue in a short time, but this was the exception rather than the rule. I did enjoy many singer/songwriter type albums and even the KZ still sounded musical overall.

Treble energy is more relaxed but there are a few peaks so the sound signature sound does appear to be more on the bright side of neutral. The peaks never irritated me during my listening but there were times where I noticed a little extra energy up top. For the most part this was more of a pleasant highlight and not an aggressive spike for my tastes. Treble isn’t my strong suit due to aging ears and tinnitus, but what I heard came across mostly balanced and fairly well detailed.

While not a giant killer by any means, the drivers used here are very capable overall and I never felt I was missing out on details I’m familiar with the songs I listened to. Headstage was wholly adequate and never really drew attention to itself. Which means it never felt overly closed in nor exaggerated in size. I found the Taurus to be relatively easy to drive, being a little more demanding than most of my current earphones but not coming close to maxing out any source I used. I paired them mostly with my HiBy M300 and the volume was mostly in the neighborhood of 50%, whereas some of my more sensitive IEMs would be closer to 40% overall. I did use these with my Schiit Jotunheim2/ Bifrost 2 (not NOS) and though there was a little improvement I wouldn’t say that these scale up too much with better gear.

The budget level IEMs have come a very long way. I think every set will have some flaws, and there is a huge challenge in tuning on a budget and I feel KZ has created a worthwhile addition here. Whereas my tastes lean more towards the Crinacle/7hz Zero 2, I found that the KZ Taurus had a lot to offer and was more engaging than I thought it would be. If your tastes lean toward the neutral/bright end of the spectrum, I think these are an excellent budget option. However even if, like me, you prefer a warmer tuning overall, the KZ Taurus might still surprise you. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Good sound. Love the design

The Taurus is a unique kz in that it vocally focused and while the bass is very punchy it doesn't affect the vocals. Treble has good air and sparkle , soundstage is wide and overall it is a bright and enjoyable IEM

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Muy comodos, excelente sonido. Los uso principalmente para tocar guitarra !