KZ Taurus Review by lotusdarkrose

The KZ Taurus is a new dual 8mm dynamic driver set from KZ, with the drivers in a horizontal configuration and an independent bass driver with electronic crossover. It takes a bit to drive at 32 ohms, but I didn't have any issues with any of my DACs. It's available with or without KZ's new mic cable in 3.5mm in black, crystal, and white. It's a very lightweight set and has a minimalist design with a gold circle on the faceplate with a vent, and "Taurus" written on it. I think it works, and personally like the design. I already have KZ Gale and KZ EDX Pro 2, so I was curious if I would like it more, given that it's a new dual DD set.

This IEM was provided to me by KeepHiFi for review, and I want to thank them for including me on Taurus. KeepHiFi's communication has been great and they have been very pleasant to talk to.

If you want to pick up your own KZ Taurus from KeepHiFi, it's available for $22.99 USD without mic, and $23.99 USD with mic. There's also currently a 40% coupon going on right now. Feel free to use the link below:

https://keephifi.com/products/kz-taurus-horizontal-dual-dynamic-drivers-in-ear-monitor-iem-headphones-hd-dual-microphone-hifi-gaming-earbuds

~Pros~

-Good resolution for the price.

-Comfy fit and lightweight. Great noise isolation.

-Nice bass note weight. Despite being lower, the quality is there.

-Clear and very present vocals.

-Takes EQ quite well.

~Cons~

-Bass is more complementary. Works well enough with rock/alternative, but bass heavy genres will be lacking.

-High end is also pushed up at the same time as bass being lowered, so certain louder/busier songs can have issues with this and come across as harsh.

-Normal lackluster KZ cable and tips.

~Impressions~

To start off, I threw some Penon Orange Liqueur tips on this set which are working very well, along with a NiceHCK black/gold 4.4mm cable, plugged into my SoncieMeory SA500 DAC. The first song I played through Taurus after I opened it, was Phantogram - In My Head (feat. Whethan). Despite the lower bass, this song responded very well, and bass seemed sufficient. Vocals nice and clear, and wasn't detecting much for sibilance or harshness. Very good experience with this song. When I switched it up to rap/hip-hop and played Grieves - Trial By Fire, I was missing the bass that some of my other sets provide. It's clean and a little punchy, but just wasn't feeling the bass hits as much as I would like. It's going to greatly depend on the song/genre with this one. Rock/metal performs pretty well, but sometimes a bit harsh with high notes/cymbals.

Resolution and soundstage seem good for the price to my ears. Don't expect anything super wide, but it's pretty decent. I'm not really getting any graininess to the sound, and it comes through clean without really distorting any. For about half of my library, I can enjoy the stock tuning on Taurus, but there's a lot of songs where I simply want more low end/bass to compensate for the high end being up pretty high in general. That's not saying Taurus isn't a good set, but it's more of an analytical listen out of the box.

All my favorite sets have more bass than Taurus, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it. This set takes EQ well and I was able to make one on Squig in a few minutes that raised the bass shelf and lowered the high end including the treble peaks, and it's much more versatile with all genres. I essentially just EQ'd it closer to the KZ Gale target using EnemySpider's Squig. There's even less sibilance, and volume can go higher as well. Really enjoying how this set sounds overall now, and will be using it frequently. These drivers are putting out some good quality sound without harshness.

~Conclusion~

If you're looking for a clean presentation of your music that isn't very bass heavy and emphasizes vocals, Taurus is a pretty good option, especially if you're into EQing. The resolution is good, and it's a comfortable light set that accepts many different ear tips. I think though, that for the price without EQ involved, KZ Gale and EDX Pro 2 are much better served as all-arounders for music. The tuning on those 2 sets is incredibly good for their low cost with more bass and smoother high end than Taurus, and I really don't need to touch EQ with them to fully enjoy my music library. That being said, I'm kind of enjoying Taurus more than those after adjusting it to my preference.

I'd like to again thank KeepHiFi for sending the KZ Taurus. Always fun to try out a new set. And thanks for reading!