Who’s that pokemon? It’s Vader! KZ’s latest 3DD set for $30. They seemed to have found a solid footing on the 3DD craze, so let’s see how this performs! 

Unboxing wise, it’s your usual KZ unboxing that comes with starline eartips, paperwork and the tuning fork. 

I can’t believe I’m saying this but, KZ seems to have stepped up their build game with the Vader because the Vader genuinely feels so premium in the hand. It could be the clean matte faceplate or the thick, high-quality inner shell. Whatever it may be, it feels great and I hope KZ keeps this kind of build quality in their future sets. Fit wise, it reminds me of the KZ Castor with a rather thick overall shape that might be a hit or miss depending on your ear anatomy. It’s definitely my least favorite shape from KZ, but I also know that it’s the smallest shell that 3DDs could fit in

Sound wise, however, I found the Vader a little thin out of the box. It features a bright neutral tuning that emphasizes the treble quite a lot. The all-up configuration sounded very bright with very little bass and lower mids to properly contrast the sound. This made the Vader a certified treblehead set with sparkle for days! It also sounds quite resolving, and not just because it’s bright! It keeps the brightness rather consistent and I didn’t experience any graininess or an unrefined sound that often plagues brighter budget IEMs and even KZ’s own IEMs in the past. This would be a treble-sensitives worst nightmare as it can get so bright that it brings out the little imperfections in the mix quite easily and induce edginess or sibilance on some tracks.

But arguably the best tuning mode is the UUDD or the bassiest configuration. This reminds me of the CCA Pianist but with better timbre and tonal balance. It brings up the bass quite a lot that it makes the treble region sound tame compared to the UUUU while keeping the resolving ability. Talk about the switches actually working! I liked this configuration a lot and loved listening to jazz and vocal pop. However, it still exhibits a rather thin and occasionally distant-sounding midrange due to the emphasis in the upper mids to treble. It can also get quite fatiguing over long listening sessions which might be a problem for some people I honestly think the UUDD should have been the stock tuning mode with option to add more midbass and lower mids rather than the stock bright as heck kind of sound. But this would be perfect for trebleheads who want a sparkly but not necessarily rough or grainy.

Thank you for reading my impressions on the KZ Vader! If you would like to order one, consider using this non-affiliated link below: https://www.kztws.com/products/kz-vader