KZ EDA Balanced Edition Earphones Review – The Best Of Two IEMs

First Impressions

The KZ EDA came packaged in a white-sleeve box, which is typical KZ packaging – nothing special. 

Apart from the earphones and their detachable cable, you get the usual extra ear tips and an instruction manual. Priced from $16 to $20, depending on where you get it, I found the inclusions disappointing since other brands offer more accessories in this price range.

Out of the box, the KZ EDA is coming in strong with its design aesthetics. It looks very sleek and it has a premium feel.

This IEM can compete with visuals alone, but you pair it with great tuning? Oh boy, you’re in for a treat.

Build Quality

The KZ EDA Balanced Edition isn’t lacking in terms of visuals. 

Its transparent resin shell mixed with metal accents worked well together, resulting in a simple yet sleek look. They feel durable and could withstand heavy usage.

Since it has a resin shell, this IEM is lightweight, and you’ll have no problem using them even for extended periods.

The KZ EDA Balanced Edition comes with a detachable silver-plated cable with a gold-plated 2-pin connector which looks quite nice. I appreciate the fact that this type of cable is becoming more common even for budget sets. 

The ear tips are, yet again, like the ones on most budget IEMs – they look and feel cheap. Although they get the job done, I’d recommend swapping them out for higher-quality ear tips.

Fit and Comfort

The size of the KZ EDA Balanced Edition is pretty average and since it follows a typical IEM design with a few changes in shape, it would fit most ear sizes.

The pre-installed ear hooks on the cable were okay and I didn’t feel any discomfort or strain when using them, even on long listening sessions.

As mentioned earlier, the ear tips feel cheap so I’d suggest swapping them out to get a better fit and wearing comfort. However, the included ear tips can still provide a snug fit, and if you want to keep them, then that’s completely fine too. 

Sound Quality

According to many reviews, the KZ EDA Balanced Edition has many similarities with the CCA CRA and QKZ VK4 – two highly-regarded budget IEMs. 

Upon listening to the EDA, the similarities were immediately noticeable. Much like the CRA and the VK4, the KZ EDA Balanced Edition has a great definition in its bass region. 

Unlike the CRA which has too much sub-bass, the EDA presented outstanding balance and control on the sub-bass. Additionally, the EDA has a more coherent treble extension while the VK4 lacks clarity and definition.

You could say that the KZ EDA Balanced Edition features the best qualities of the CCA CRA and QKZ VK4 minus their flaws.

Bass

The lows have a noticeable lift, particularly in the bass region. 

The sub-bass of the KZ EDA Balanced Edition is deeper and more present than average. The decay also moves slower than average but only lasts for a short time. 

In comparison to the sub-bass, the midbass is much more subdued. Each thump is strong enough and has a respectable note weight.

As a warm-sounding V-shaped IEM, a lot of warmth is provided by the sub-bass. However, KZ tuned the mid-bass appropriately to maintain a good balance across the frequencies.

Mids

Since the KZ EDA Balanced Edition has a V-shaped signature, the mids are recessed. 

The male and female vocals have this kind of veil. Meanwhile, the lower and upper mids are linear with both having the exact positioning and weight in every note. 

However, the reproduction of the instruments still has a good sense of openness and resolution. I also like how it maintained clarity on heavily distorted tracks. 

The vocals are very forward because of the slight recession on the mids though it still needs a bit of adjustment.

Treble

The performance of the treble region is modest. 

In the treble, there’s a reasonable amount of reach and decay. Because the lower treble is well-controlled, the instruments sound smooth and have a solid presence. 

Additionally, the details are presented nicely and retain timbre.

Overall, the highs don’t add much spice to the tracks but the treble performance of the KZ EDA Balanced Edition is definitely better than most budget IEMs from KZ.

Test Tracks

I’ve tested this IEM on different genres of music to get a proper understanding of how they sound. Here are my findings.

• Metal / Rock – The KZ EDA Balanced Edition presented the guitars on Mayonaise with a good amount of body. The guitar tones on the track were disgusting in a positive way. It had a lot of grit and heft to them, which the EDA did an excellent job of keeping them from sounding too sharp or harsh. This was also the case on tracks like Ignorance and Cold. On busy tracks like Playing God, the EDA did a great job without making sound too fatiguing. Tracks used: Mayonaise (The Smashing Pumpkins), Playing God (Polyphia), Ignorance (Paramore), Cold (Korn)
• Pop – The mids had enough clarity and definition that the vocals on the tracks sounded forward in the mix. The presentation was energetic since the mix of groovy beats and vocals was complimentary. There were some occasions where the sub-bass extension seemed too aggressive, which muddied the sound but keeping the volume in check can prevent this. Tracks used: Snooze (SZA), Closer (The Chainsmokers, Halsey), Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
• Hip-Hop – The bass performance of the EDA Balanced Edition was highlighted when listening to hip-hop tracks. The overall presentation was energetic, and even though the bass was a lot more present than most of the tracks I’ve used, it never sounded too muddy or boxy, which many budget IEMs fail to do. Tracks used: LOVE. (Kendrick Lamar, Zacari), Cash In Cash Out (Pharell Williams ft 21 Savage & Tyler the Creator)
• R&B / Soul – This IEM performed exceptionally well in this genre. The vocals were clear and forward in the mix, the instruments sounded natural, and instruments in the bass region had a bit more oomph because of the sub-bass. Overall, it was a great listening experience. Tracks used: Be So Cruel (ASTN), Blessed (Daniel Ceasar), Moonlight (Kali Uchis)

Conclusion

The KZ EDA Balanced Edition is one of the best alternatives to the CCA CRA and QKZ VK4 and I can confidently say that there are times when it did things better compared to the other two IEMs.

It’s one of the underappreciated models in the budget IEM scene. 

I’ll soon be reviewing the other versions of the KZ EDA and probably compare them against each other so keep posted for that.

This post was last updated on 2025-01-18 / Some images from Amazon Product API & some links may be affiliate links which may earn us a commission from purchases.