• Jan 09, 2026
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KZ ZS12 Pro 2: As Fast As Lightning

Pros:ย 
-Excellent soundstage for its price.
-Fun tuning
-Good instrumental separation.
-Fast and clean bass impact.
-Really good comfort and fit.
Cons:ย 
-Mids somewhat hidden.
-Sub-bass not very present for some.
-Accessories not in accordance with the price.
-Treble can become annoying.

๐‡๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ ๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ

Letโ€™s take a look at one of the latest hybrids from this prolific brand: the KZ ZS12 Pro 2, a revision of the previous model, which I did not have the chance to test.

ย Price: ๐Ÿ“๐Ÿ“โ‚ฌโ€“๐Ÿ”๐ŸŽ$

Purchase link KEEPHIFI

โœ” ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฌ:
-Excellent soundstage for its price.
-Fun tuning
-Good instrumental separation.
-Fast and clean bass impact.
-Really good comfort and fit.

โœ˜ ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐ฌ:
-Mids somewhat hidden.
-Sub-bass not very present for some.
-Accessories not in accordance with the price.
-Treble can become annoying.
ย ๐ˆ๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง:

๐Š๐™ is a brand that keeps a very fast pace of releases throughout the year. For me, it is impossible to keep up with its current lineup. Nevertheless, it offers very interesting configurations, tunings, and prices, suitable for all audiences. That versatility makes it one of the favorite brands among consumers worldwide. This ๐™๐’๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐๐ซ๐จ ๐Ÿ comes to improve its original version.

๐™ƒ๐™–๐™จ ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™–๐™˜๐™๐™ž๐™š๐™ซ๐™š๐™™ ๐™ž๐™ฉ



ย ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ž๐ฌ:

-Two shells
-A set of ear tips sizes SML.
-Cable with 0.78 mm terminations and 3.5 mm connection. USB-C option.

๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ, ๐๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ ๐›๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐:

Starting with the worst part, which is its accessories, the cable already deserves an update that matches the price of the IEM. It feels low quality, stiff, and sometimes adopts uncomfortable shapes.

The same can be said about its ear tips: they need improvement. They are not very elastic and sometimes may not help to prevent sound from leaking, even so, they hold the monitor correctly inside your ear. It is recommended to change the tips if you do not feel this way.

Nevertheless, I stayed with the stock accessories during all my sessions.

Comfort is excellent. It favors ergonomics thanks to careful shapes and a medium size. They also feel light.

The nozzle is long, favoring insertion into your ear canal and preventing it from coming out.
As for build quality, it is at the level of other products from the brand, but below what we usually find in its competitors. I did not find imperfections, but the materials used (resin and plastic) are typical of lower ranges.

As for the design, it has openings on the front plate, which does not protect you from outside sounds, but it does give it a modern and attractive aesthetic.

๐“๐ž๐œ๐ก๐ง๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐š๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ฌ:

-Configuration of 1DD of 10 mm + 5BA.
-Impedance 35 ohms.
-Sensitivity 109 dB/mW.
-Response 20 Hzโ€“40 kHz.

๐๐š๐ข๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ :

I particularly liked it with ๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ฆ-๐ง๐ž๐ฎ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ, to slow down the sibilance at high volumes, which is how I listen to music or video games.

The ๐ ๐š๐ข๐ง ๐ข๐ง ๐ฆ๐ข๐ was enough to be able to enjoy dynamics and reveal details and resolution correctly.

The ear tips used were the ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐œ๐ค ones.

ย ๐’๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž:

The KZ ZS12 Pro 2 has a marked V-shaped profile, with present bass and bright treble that add energy. The mids are slightly recessed. The sense of impact and clarity is one of its virtues, making listening entertaining and immersive.

  • ๐•Š๐•ฆ๐•“-๐•“๐•’๐•ค๐•ค: It is not extremely deep, but it is firm, it adds a feeling of ephemeral envelopment and convincing width, but without muddying the other ranges.

  • ๐”น๐•’๐•ค๐•ค: Powerful and with good fast punch, it provides pleasant and technical impact, adding rhythm without saturating due to its agile decay.

  • ๐•ƒ๐• ๐•จ ๐•ž๐•š๐••๐•ค: Recessed, but with enough weight to support the base of instruments. They are not tremendously textured.

  • ๐•„๐•š๐••๐•ค:ย Slightly back, but clear and defined, they do not dominate the mix since they prefer not to be the protagonists. Even so, their presence is pleasant.

  • ๐•Œ๐•ก๐•ก๐•–๐•ฃ ๐•ž๐•š๐••๐•ค:ย Boosted and crisp, they give clarity to the instrumentation and provide a sufficient amount of detail, adding presence without losing definition.

  • ๐•‹๐•ฃ๐•–๐•“๐•๐•–: Correct extension and bright, they add air and resolution to the sounds, although they can become tiring if you are very exposed to tracks with these characteristics or are sensitive.

  • ๐•๐• ๐•”๐•’๐•๐•ค: Deep male voices are perceived with body, but somewhat far away and thin, mid male voices are clear and female voices stand out for brightness and detail, standing out in the mix without losing clarity.

  • ๐•Š๐• ๐•ฆ๐•Ÿ๐••๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•’๐•˜๐•–: Spacious and open, with good lateral perception and good depth. It caught my attention before any other characteristic.

  • ๐•€๐•ž๐•’๐•˜๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜: Precise and defined, it allows sounds to be located easily within the space. Very accurate and intelligent.

  • ๐•ƒ๐•’๐•ช๐•–๐•ฃ๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜: Layers correctly separated; in complex scenes it can feel a bit saturated but I do not think more can be demanded for this price.

  • ๐”ป๐•–๐•ฅ๐•’๐•š๐• ๐•ฃ๐•–๐•ฅ๐•ฃ๐•š๐•–๐•ง๐•’๐•: Really high, it reveals nuances and textures in treble and transients, making small details perceptible.

๐’๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ž-๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ž๐จ ๐ ๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ฌ:

Always seeking the most cinematic experience possible, testing narrative and action-intensive titles.ย Check my blog to see the specific gamesย and the conditions of audio analysis in video games. Source used FiiO K11 with filter No. 5 (neutral) and mid gain.

  • ๐”ธ๐•”๐•ฅ๐•š๐• ๐•Ÿ: Explosions and gunshots feel powerful, but not very enveloping, with bass that hits fast and highlights each impact, but without an overwhelming rumble that favors adrenaline-charged moments.


  • ๐”ป๐•š๐•’๐•๐• ๐•˜๐•ฆ๐•–๐•ค: Clear and distinguishable voices, although with a bright touch that makes them stand out more than natural.


  • ๐•€๐•ž๐•ž๐•–๐•ฃ๐•ค๐•š๐• ๐•Ÿ: Environmental sounds and minor effects are captured easily, creating a sense of a living world, full of layers, but without reaching a cozy feeling, rather a cold one.


  • ๐•ƒ๐•’๐•ช๐•–๐•ฃ ๐•ค๐•–๐•ก๐•’๐•ฃ๐•’๐•ฅ๐•š๐• ๐•Ÿ: Music, voices and effects keep some distance between them. It is easy to identify each element even in not too complex moments.


  • ๐•Š๐•ฅ๐•’๐•˜๐•–: Wide and enveloping, it helps to perceive large and detailed environments within the game. An experience that turned out to be quite above its competition sector.


  • ๐•Š๐•š๐•“๐•š๐•๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•”๐•–: It is noticeable in intense high-frequency sounds, and can be somewhat incisive. Careful here: lower the volume.


  • โ„™๐• ๐•ค๐•š๐•ฅ๐•š๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜: Clear directionality; sounds are located precisely, making it easier to follow the action. Static sound elements satisfactorily revealed their position.

๐‚๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ž๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐ฉ๐ฅ๐š๐ฒ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ž๐จ ๐ ๐š๐ฆ๐ž๐ฌ:

The video games used to draw these conclusions were: ๐‘ช๐’๐’–๐’๐’•๐’†๐’“ ๐‘บ๐’•๐’“๐’Š๐’Œ๐’† 2, ๐‘จ๐’‘๐’†๐’™ ๐‘ณ๐’†๐’ˆ๐’†๐’๐’…๐’”, ๐‘ช๐’‚๐’๐’ ๐’๐’‡ ๐‘ซ๐’–๐’•๐’š ๐‘พ๐’‚๐’“๐’›๐’๐’๐’† ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐‘ฉ๐’‚๐’•๐’•๐’๐’†๐’‡๐’Š๐’†๐’๐’… 6.ย The source used was Fiio K11 with filter No. 5 (neutral) and mid gain.

  • โ„‚๐• ๐•ฆ๐•Ÿ๐•ฅ๐•–๐•ฃ ๐•Š๐•ฅ๐•ฃ๐•š๐•œ๐•– ๐Ÿš: Enemy footsteps are very clear, even on noisy surfaces, and gunshots are placed with great three-dimensional precision. Thanks to layer separation, weapons and reloads can be distinguished from sounds produced by allies or enemies, both near and far, allowing you to anticipate positions and plan your tactics. The treble boost helps detect movements at a distance without losing the impact of nearby explosions.


  • ๐”ธ๐•ก๐•–๐•ฉ ๐•ƒ๐•–๐•˜๐•–๐•Ÿ๐••๐•ค: The wide and detailed soundstage allows you to locate mobile enemies and teammates easily. The effects of abilities, shields and gunshots stand out without masking stealthy footsteps behind obstacles or at height. This facilitates tactical decision-making and strategic positioning in chaotic combat.


  • โ„‚๐•’๐•๐• ๐• ๐•— ๐”ป๐•ฆ๐•ฅ๐•ช ๐•Ž๐•’๐•ฃ๐•ซ๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•–: The conditions of this KZ highlight important gunshots and explosions while keeping footsteps and minor noises perceptible, crucial for detecting hidden enemies. Spatial coherence and precise positioning allow you to calculate distances and directions quickly, obtaining a really superior experience to react to surprise attacks or changes in cover.


  • ๐”น๐•’๐•ฅ๐•ฅ๐•๐•–๐•—๐•š๐•–๐•๐•• ๐Ÿž:ย On large and open maps, vehicles, distant gunshots and explosions and enemy movements are clearly perceived. Layer separation and directional definition allow you to mentally organize the information of the environment, facilitating defensive and offensive strategies, and maximizing the advantage in combat at any scale of depth or laterality.

๐…๐ข๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐œ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ :

๐™๐’๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐๐ซ๐จ ๐Ÿ is a monitor with a fast character and good energy at both ends. Particularly, for my personal tastes, it is somewhat far from my preferences: a more marked presence in the sub-bass and mids in a more forward position would have made it a more refined product, especially for electronic music.

Nevertheless, in my favorite genres, such as ๐‘ช๐’๐’‚๐’”๐’”๐’Š๐’„ ๐‘น๐’๐’„๐’Œ, ๐‘ด๐’†๐’•๐’‚๐’ ๐’๐’“ ๐‘ต๐’–-๐‘ด๐’†๐’•๐’‚๐’, ๐‘ฐ ๐’๐’ƒ๐’•๐’‚๐’Š๐’๐’†๐’… ๐’‚ ๐’‡๐’‚๐’๐’•๐’‚๐’”๐’•๐’Š๐’„ ๐’†๐’™๐’‘๐’†๐’“๐’Š๐’†๐’๐’„๐’†, where I only needed more presence of voices in sung tracks and it never stopped showing very gratifying technical capabilities in terms of stage, positioning and details.

As for ๐’—๐’Š๐’…๐’†๐’ ๐’ˆ๐’‚๐’Ž๐’†๐’”, in single player, it would not be an IEM that I would use, it lacks body in the sub-bass to impress or in very dense scenes I evidenced a lack of clarity, as well as somewhat recessed dialogues.

As for ๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’‘๐’†๐’•๐’Š๐’•๐’Š๐’—๐’† ๐’—๐’Š๐’…๐’†๐’ ๐’ˆ๐’‚๐’Ž๐’†๐’”, I think they perform very well, being a great option due to the excellent three-dimensionality when representing the stage and the almost perfect placement of every sound element that is happening.



๐‘น๐’†๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’Ž๐’†๐’๐’…๐’†๐’… ๐’‡๐’๐’“: rhythmic instrumental tracks and/or with little or no vocal presence, competitive online video games.

๐‘ต๐’๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’๐’Ž๐’Ž๐’†๐’๐’…๐’†๐’… ๐’‡๐’๐’“: vocal tracks, classical, electronic and single-player video games where you need powerful effects or have a large amount of dialogue.



If you have made it this far, ๐ญ๐ก๐š๐ง๐ค๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ซ๐ž๐š๐๐ข๐ง๐ .
More reviews on my blog.
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๐’๐ž๐ž ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ง๐ž๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฏ๐ข๐ž๐ฐ



ย ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฌ๐œ๐ฅ๐š๐ข๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ:

This set of monitors has been sent by ๐Š๐ž๐ž๐ฉ๐‡๐ข๐Ÿ๐ข. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to be able to test one of their products at no cost and that no conditions were imposed when making this analysis.

Despite this, my priority is to be as impartial as possible within the subjectivity that analyzing an audio product entails. My opinion belongs only to me and I develop it around the perception of my ears. If you have a different one, it is just as valid. Please feel free to share it.



ย ๐Œ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ:

-FiiO K11 for music and video games on the main PC.
-FiiO KA13 while I work.
-FiiO BTA30 Pro + FiiO BTR13 for LDAC wireless listening at home.
-FiiO BTR13 + iPhone 16 Pro Max for wireless listening on the street.
-FiiO KA11.
-FiiO JA11.
-BQEYZ Lin.
-Shanling M0 Pro.
-Amazon Music Ultimate.
-Local FLAC and MP3 files.

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