All I want for Christmas is BASS (for cheap) - KZ Castor Black vs Hidizs MS1 Galaxy - IEM Comparison

#rumblebells #punchypresents
0:00 Intro
2:23 Build quality and design - Castor
4:52 Build quality and design - MS1 Galaxy
6:28 Comfort - Castor
7:18 Comfort - MS1 Galaxy
7:54 Sound - Castor overview and explaining the switches
9:45 Sound - Castor Bass
10:47 Sound - MS1 Galaxy Bass
12:02 Sound - Castor Midrange
13:33 Sound - MS1 Galaxy Midrange
15:37 Sound - Castor Treble
16:28 Sound - Galaxy Treble
17:39 Short comparison of the technicalities
18:18 Conclusion - Who should buy what?
19:29 Outro

[@Cardinal_Prime]

U r totally me brother. Just my preference and how I would go about these things. Great review. SUBBED

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

Thanks dude! Really appreciate it.

[@honeyblunt5150]

Been looking forward to this review, really enjoyed it. It seems to be the consensus that the KZ Castor's value for the money at only $10 cant be beat. Did you ever think about trying it with a few different impedance adapters to get different sounds? Since they are a Dual DD IEM like the Truthear Zero, it stands to reason that it may have a similar effect.

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

Thank you! Yeah the Castor seems to be really worth the money, it is absurdly cheap. Especially the black one is a good bassy IEM that throws in enough clarity so it works for most stuff. Also seems like these Dual Dynamic drivers are everywhere now haha. I mean I have heard about impendence adapters and looking at some graphs it really does make a difference, especially in the bass sections. I think it just a little inconvinient, but maybe I will take a look.

[@kamrankambang7953]

Oh man you need to get the cca rhapsody. You will love it.

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

Haha thanks I already saw that one and yeah you're possibly right, it looks pretty good to me. Do you have it? If so then what do you like about the Rhapsody?

[@kamrankambang7953]

@@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews i have. Rhapsody is better than the castor in term of tuning, bass quality, clean sounding, detail, resolution and imaging. Its a direct upgrade to the rhapsody without spending too much money

[@tunewavetamil]

Thanks for all your detailed reviews and comparisons 👍👍 Is Castor bass better than 7hz zero 2 ? Under 50$ which iems do you think is the best.

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

Castor Bass has a really nice punch and clarity in its bass. Zero 2 has a more natural and present midrange with a really safe tuning, works well for most music. Castor though is great with electronic stuff, also with the rest but could sound a bit thin with guitars or harsh if you boost the highs with the switch. Both are really good though. Best under 50 depends, my comparison of the CCA Trio and KZ Vader is coming up soon and both are pretty good (very similar), also the Truthear Gate and TRN Medusa just came in and I have to listen to these too. Really difficult to answer with so many IEMs out there haha. What music do you like?

[@tunewavetamil]

I love listening to hiphop, classical & edm. I've been using ultra budget iems like kz linglong, 7hz zero og, kz zstx. And wanted to upgrade and try the nxt level iems preferably close to 50$. Bit confused between kefine delci, em200, artti R2, 7hz sonus, hexa, KZ zs10 pro 2 etc etc.. i prefer a balanced tuning overall, kindly suggest. Also please try to review kefine delci, artti R2, EPZ Q1 Pro and KZ Libra. Soo many asks 😁

[@iamwoteveriwanttobe]

I'm not an IEM guy but I still enjoy your reviews of them. I went down a headphone rabbit hole and I'm not about to do the same with IEMs.

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

Glad you like my videos! And your wallet will thank you for that haha. I really want to do another Over Ear Review and it is either gonna be the Moondrop Para or the Fiio FT3, but I can buy alot of IEMs to review for one of these, so I keep postponing that.

[@iamwoteveriwanttobe]

​@@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews Yeah there are so many budget IEMs. It's overwhelming but I am tempted every now and then as my amazon basket saved items will testify. I'll look forward to a future Moondrop or Fiio over ear review!

[@dalarcoin6851]

Which eartips did you use with them?

[@RobinJesba]

for bass guitarist do you recommend the castor bass version or should i look for some other balanced ones? Does the treble too hash for ears? castor or tangzu waner?

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

I think the Castor would be better here, has less lower midrange so things do not get muddied up so fast especially when youre playing live and hearing different instruments. Fundamental bass guitar range is around 80hz-200hz, where the Castor has a boost and then a cut afterwards. Also you can boost frequencies with the switches which is very helpful with monitoring yourself I think. Also the Castor has more energy in the upper registers which is important because you need the upper midrange and lower treble for clarity even with bass guitars (the castor may has too much deeper bass which is unwanted in monitoring or live situations, too much rumbling, so you can boost the upper freqs with the last switch). The Waner will work for the job as well, you will maybe even able to hear more upper bass (because of the emphasis in the lower midrange) but again this also the region where things get mushed together fast. Both IEM do not sound harsh. The Castor maybe if you only boost the higher frequencies with the switch. Not a professional, but this is how I would look at these two.

[@RobinJesba]

@@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews much thanks. Appreciate your time for explaining!

[@namle3742]

Can you provide options to help me choose which headphones to use for listening to music? The genres I often listen to are pop ballads and sometimes a bit of EDM.

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

You mean Over Ear headphones or IEMs? :) and at which price point?

[@namle3742]

@@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews I am unsure whether to choose the Hidisz MS1, Harman version of Castor, Tangu Waner, Polaris, Libra, or Krila. I need a decent IEM within the price range of about 10-20 dollars.

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

I have not heard the new Libra so I cannot say much about that one (not available where I am living, but from the graphs both version seem to be similar to the Castors with a thicker lower midrange and more lower bass focus, which makes it a very good option too). The MS1 is very warm sounding and could be too veiled for pop music. Do you really want to choose the Harman Version and not the Bass version of the Castor? That one could fit really well with your music I think. Otherwise the Polaris is a nice and safe "in-between" both castors. Nice bass but not too much, balanced and present midrange and good treble thats not harsh. Seems the best option here (again, besides the hifi/balanced Libra which I have not heard).

[@namle3742]

@@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews Yes, I feel that the Harman version has a higher impedance, and my source is the LG V50, so I want to try if high impedance is really the best. Libra also has quite few reviews, so I’m quite worried.

[@anatol1204]

Castor is confusing.Tbe Harman has switches too don t they boost the bass on the Harman edition?

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

Yeah the different versions are a little confusing, so let me explain: The switches basically do the same on both versions. 1+2 boosting bass, 3+4 boosting upper mids/treble. The difference is in the stock tuning. The silver one (the "Harman Castor") is tuned closer to a not so bassy version of the harman target. The black one ("Bass enhanced") is similar in midrange and treble, but with more and deeper bass.

[@anatol1204]

@@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews thanks for the answer..I guess with that price you buy both and keep the one you like more or both ...😃Crazy China times ..

[@SANTIAGO_green]

What mouse are you using?

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

In this video it is a Razer Viper V3 Hyperspeed. :)

[@SANTIAGO_green]

@@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews nice mouse and thanks for telling me bro

[@dennisthemenace4288]

Late review but ok. ❤ This KZ seems good but the cable is as usual very bad (own edx pro).

[@absolutelyaverageaudioreviews]

Better late than never. :D And yes you are right, it is just the typical KZ cable. Most other IEM manufacturers finally sell their IEMs with better cables, but KZ apparently does not see the need for that.

[@tdtdtd1826]

Kz is more than decent compared to nonsense overpriced,overrated brands

[@beepover]

You want cheap, buy KZ, bottom of barrel of the chifi sound.

[@Bass_no_Treble]

I agree, but the castors are really that good. Seems like engineers of castor, polaris, trio and rhapsody are really talented.