KZ Carol - Castor Bass' Wireless Sister with ANC

[@Barthol1]

Thanks for the review. How does the bass compare to something like DQ6? I really liked their sound stage when I got them a while back because they weren't that bass heavy. Thank you.

[@PaulWasabii]

Castor is a bit of a banger compared to DQ6. KZ put quite a bit of bass energy into it and Carol is very similar. Not for the bass shy

[@Barthol1]

@@PaulWasabii Thank you.

[@m_yy_m]

Thanks for the review. 👍👍 Another good candidate for 11.11. 👌

[@DigitalPlaygroundTV]

I’m a big KZ fan so I just ordered them.

[@PaulWasabii]

Sweet, enjoy

[@dreadlock17]

Just got the Castor bass and I love them. Would you think I'd be pleased with these?

[@PaulWasabii]

Actually yes. You might want to wait a bit, hopefully they go on sale again

[@tacticalsavage]

Good to see its FR this early, thank you very much!

[@PaulWasabii]

I also do not know why KZ typically does not show graphs of their TWS.

[@amamoyoi6504]

Now I'm really conflicted. Saw a deal in my region for 40$ for the Soundpeats Air 4 Pro, but the 20$ Carol seems hard to beat! Ya think it's worth double the price or nah? I'm guessing yes for the features but the Carols look like they have a really fun sound behind em 🎉

[@PaulWasabii]

Soundpeats is usually better on features but Carol gives you a really fun sound and ANC. You don't get the higher res codecs that I think you get on Soundpeats. No app support also.

[@amamoyoi6504]

@@PaulWasabii Thanks! Really leaning towards the Carol rn since I value sound over anything

[@seanvideoediting]

Would you say this is the best KZ tws out right now? Im looking to replace my old S1D. Do you also recommend I go for other tws brands instead of KZ?

[@PaulWasabii]

Yeah its the best unless you really want AptX on KZ Xtra. There are a ton of tws which makes it super confusing. Three popular recent TWS compared here: x.com/kzhifi/status/1831993585920880997

[@Jack-hv7ik]

great review ! But how are these when compared to the CERAMICS X ?

[@PaulWasabii]

Same idea, Carol is a minimal feature set, affordable price. Ceramcs X has more features, higher price. Ceramics X also has sound profiles which are decent. If you are fine with a big, fun bassy sound in this design, Carol is great. Save some money for another set down the road

[@washish1000]

Hey Paul, How would you compare them against the Moondrop Space Travel and the Ultrasonic? Trying to decide on a TWS.

[@PaulWasabii]

I never heard any Moondrop tws. I'd say if bass or a lot of bass is in your preference, that is Carol. If you like less bass or have other Moondrop sets, then that will be a better choice.

[@washish1000]

@@PaulWasabii Thanks for the response, Paul. Appreciate your help !

[@brokenjessssssssus]

Are they better than the KZ XTRA in terms of sound quality?

[@PaulWasabii]

The two are closer than they appear. KZ tends to have a DSP tuning they use so that is why they will sound more similar than the price suggests. With Xtra, you are paying for AptX and the nicer shells more than a jump in sound quality

[@Mehrdad_rad]

hi Paul . which model is louder with heavier bass . xtra or carol ?

[@PaulWasabii]

Xtra has more subbass, Carol more midbass like Castor. Xtra is more of the boom style bass which some people prefer.

[@Mehrdad_rad]

@@PaulWasabii thanks bro

[@samehsamnia8008]

Fix latency?

[@samratdatta7765]

I was confused between the castor and the carol. Just want something with good sound, this is my first chi-fi purchase. I enjoy bass, but would like something with good sound signature. Which one would you recommend around the $15-$25 price point?

[@PaulWasabii]

The KZ EDC Pro is a good starter set. The new KZ Saga Bass version is similar, just more bass.

[@ReverendDr.Thomas]

Paul, thank you for another wonderful wireless earphone review! 👌 Reverend Dr. Thomas, ✝️ The Vegan Vicar 🌱

[@sldjremix4732]

I don't like tws without app support😢. Will there be an app for this in the future?And Is the anc here good when viewed with the qcy ht05?

[@PaulWasabii]

KZ has not jumped into app support, everything by touch. This was a simpler design, high quality sound and ANC.

[@tacticalsavage]

as far as i know, they already announced no app, i forgot where i read.

[@GadgetActivated]

Versus Xtra?

[@PaulWasabii]

I actually prefer the cheaper Carol unless you really want the IEM style shells. I tend to go for more fun with my tws as I use them outside.

[@GadgetActivated]

​@@PaulWasabii Sound-wise? Sorry if I ask too many questions...

[@RKZX2]

Souncores have some great bass. I wonder how they compare.

[@PaulWasabii]

Not sure, but KZ's driver is quite good despite the low price.

[@dgjm7129]

Hey umm.. are you considering reviewing the sgor Luna? Their graphs on their marketing material looks nice... Maybe it'll be interesting for you to review and graph them with ur own

[@PaulWasabii]

I saw it pop up, but I agree, no graphs or impressions yet. I have also been busy so not paying close attention.

[@Helmond2017]

That seems like a good value IEM 😮

[@tacticalsavage]

Bought already, but i wonder about this KZ Carol vs KZ Xtra, over price/performance factor

[@PaulWasabii]

Xtra does have a couple extras like the shell build and AptX. Carol was along the lines of EDC Pro, keep the price low and deliver good sound quality

[@FamiliOfficeDotCom]

How good is KZ Carol mic quality when doing phone call & whatapp call for telesales & call center jobs ? Please give score between 0 - 10. 0 is the worst. 10 is the best

[@JosephFlemming]

Again since I have the AirPods Pro 2 I don’t see the need for any other KZ TWS… especially since I already have 2 of their Bluetooth ear hook adapters. I love the transparent look though!

[@PaulWasabii]

Right, these are not Airpod Pro 2 killers, more like competition for Moondrop tws sets.

[@Redwooffff]

Did kz Castor still good to buy

[@PaulWasabii]

Yeah it is or CCA Trio

[@wahid-lg1kk]

Do you happen to know which dac chip is used? Is it the cx?

[@PaulWasabii]

I don't and KZ was quiet on this point. Xtra uses Qualcomm

[@wahid-lg1kk]

@@PaulWasabii If it's the qc3040 it's decent, Bluetooth 5.2, aptx

[@AronAddams7]

Highly unlikely, cx dongles sells for $8-12 .

[@wahid-lg1kk]

@@AronAddams7 as a finished dongle, which bears little relation to its wholesale cost on its own.

[@AronAddams7]

@@wahid-lg1kk yeah, that's a good point.

[@MikeHerbosa]

so this is a step below the KZ Xtra?

[@PaulWasabii]

In features it is. Carol was meant to do two things sound good and be affordable so the feature set other than ANC is minimal. Xtra has ANC and AptX adaptive. I think the shell design allowed them to take Carol in a different direction, more aligned to the tws market and a departure from nearly all their previous tws models. Some chance they will continue both designs.

[@MikeHerbosa]

@@PaulWasabii does the Carol have the qualcom chip? And its only Bluetooth 5.3

[@MZRTMusic254]

Hi P! Could you try the Soundcore P20i/R50i TWS?

[@PaulWasabii]

I need to reach out to them. Most tws brands ignore wired communities except Soundpeats

[@je-kun]

How do this stack up againts qcy melobuds pro?

[@dan13l77]

X2 👍

[@PaulWasabii]

Melobuds are ok, mainly a feature based model where Carol is the opposite, minimal features, good sound. If you can live with just ANC and fun sound, Carol will do. As I said, the KZ shells also fit slightly different than typical TWS shells, I think they got that right but when I say that, usually someone pops up and says they don't fit at all.

[@benmacdhui]

It's really too bad there's no volume control on these. I don't use 'Siri' and don't know anyone that does lol.. guess I'll stick with Xtra which doesn't have volume either

[@PaulWasabii]

I was literally trying to find that earlier in the user guide as my PC dongle has bad volume controls.

[@tunglinhvu3730]

Which one is better, this one or the Ceramics X?

[@PaulWasabii]

If you want a more feature packed set with app support, LDAC support, that is Ceramics X. If you just care about sound, save some money and get Carol.

[@jaimeaugusto5538]

Worth pay more for this carol than the moonsdrop space travel ?

[@PaulWasabii]

I never heard Space Traveler, but here is a biased sound demo with Ultrasonic: x.com/kzhifi/status/1831993585920880997

[@ragecandy]

Are these better than the Xtra?

[@PaulWasabii]

Just on sound and price, I like them more than Xtra. Xtra has better codecs and a traditional in ear shell which is appealing to some people. x.com/kzhifi/status/1831993585920880997

[@Ceeboey]

​@@PaulWasabii What about ANC VS Ceramics X?

[@rubenviegas6358]

Nothing Ear's little cousin!!

[@PaulWasabii]

I wonder if they borrowed the shell shape. Its slightly modified, perhaps inspired by another design

[@readistreet9383]

It fit better than iems?

[@PaulWasabii]

It is better than a lot of IEMs, but there are a ton of bad IEMs. As I said, for people who have tried Castor or Trio, that sound signature is attractive for bass fans.

[@marlonharrison8428]

I've been using the KZ SKS for a few years now and I'm extremely impressed by its sound quality. I am thinking of either getting the VXS or the Carol ANC. Not sure which to go with. Sound quality is the most important for me.

[@PaulWasabii]

Carol is hard to beat as long as you like that design. Some people do prefer the IEM shell style on KZ tws

[@JosephFlemming]

So I guess the sound signature isn’t really the best for … carols aha.

[@ashinysucrose1034]

Lol, could work for pop-style christmas songs though! Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas" might sound great on these

[@PaulWasabii]

Well it will work but maybe not optimal. I never know how much that bass shelf is going to annoy someone who just likes a bit of bass with their carols.

[@TheVeganVicar]

What about "Little DRUMMER Boy", by Bob Seger? 🥁

[@philipm.4738]

My favourite Christmas song is Jingle Bell Rock by Thousand Foot Krutch. As bangin' a Christmas song as you'll find! I'm sure it would sound great on these 😊

[@johntrajano6937]

i found in other reviews kz is stupid loud and i bought this for that volume is normal. bit disappointed but either way it's a good tws but claims of stupid loud sound is overrated

[@PaulWasabii]

I feel like my phone limits stupid loud on most tws, not specific to Carol.