ATE Hi-Fi IEM Sports Headphones with Copper Driver Ear Hook and Foam Eartips Specially for Music Fans, Mic Edition

I've had these IEMs for several months now - I bought them on a whim on the recommendation of a sound engineer thinking that if they were rubbish they'd still be a handy thing to keep in a coat pocket, listening to podcasts when walking the dog etc. - fast forward seven months and they're now my go to. I've always generally been a fan of big, heavy over-ear headphones. I'm a professional musician and tend to be fussy about these things. But I do have to concede that big heavy headphones are irritatingly big and heavy - sometimes it's nice to be able to go out without taking an enormous rucksack full of stuff with me - so I was in the market for some IEMs. I had my eye on a much more expensive Sennheiser pair but funds were tight and they had to wait. Until along came the aforementioned sound engineering friend and said 'just buy the KZ ATEs and save yourself *all* the money'. A bit of review reading later I was intrigued. Those sennheisers sounded amazing, could a tenner on something from China really keep up? And, well: yes they can (or at least very nearly). Sound quality is the most important thing to me, and that is where these excel. I should point out (and this is very important) that they do not sound great out of the box. But a lot of good quality speakers don't. Keep playing music and let them settle. I would say these hit their stride after about 10-20 hours of playing which is quite a lot, though I started to hear improvement after just a couple of hours. Initially the bass was very thin and the upper mids were harsh and a bit nasty, but wait it out. The bass settled into something quite warm and rich. It's not the super tight compressed bass you hear on some celebrity endorsed cans but then I didn't want that (and really neither should you, but that is my snobby voice). Instead it's a very rounded low end and a very full sound. When listening to electronic music the timing could be slightly better, but it's not much of an issue - and for everything else is a great foundation at the bottom of the texture. Above that it's a mostly even response with a bit of a presence boost in the initially harsh upper mids - though very smooth and quite lush sounding. In a perfect world there might be a bit more detail at the very top end - but again, it's only on certain tracks that I really notice it - folk and classical would benefit from a bit more treble clarity, but it's not a dealbreaker. The soundstage is really impressively wide - I'm not entirely sure how they did it. I'm used to open backed over-ear headphones and these come surprisingly close. Obviously when compared to IEMs costing £100+ the fancier ones will win. But since owning these I've tried a few pairs in the £50-£100 range and prefer mine every time. For the price of toy headphones you're getting something that is on the cusp of serious hifi quality. I'll mention ear tips again in a mo, but it is important that you wear these IEMs right, and that means they should be pushed firmly into your ears - if they start coming out then the sound quality will not be there at all, so it's important to get good fitting ear tips to make the most of these. On comfort and durability - tbh, out of the box I assumed they would only last a few weeks, and wound up buying a second pair just in case the first broke. But seven months later of daily use including daily dog walks quite often in the rain and visits to the gym, they're doing fine and the second pair are still in the box. Literally - no signs of wear or ageing at all. So though they look a bit cheap, they don't act it. And having cheap looking headphones isn't necessarily a bad thing - no one's going to steal these. If I could change one thing on the build I'd use a wire that tangled less - but then they'd probably cost more than £11. On comfort, sadly the enclosed ear tips are a poor selection as many other reviewers have mentioned. There's two silicon pairs, large and small, but they're a bit stiff and hard and really quite uncomfortable, plus a single memory foam pair, but I found them too big. But you can buy better ones - and not for much money. I generally prefer memory foam ones, I think they form a better seal inside your ear to keep out ambient noise, and they're quite soft and comfortable to wear for longer periods. Though it's worth trying a few to see what's most comfortable for you. On a side note, I also prefer the style of these where you loop the wire around the back of your ear before putting them in - it probably doesn't make a huge difference but if you are walking / running fast then I reckon they have a much better chance of staying in your ears. So anyway, you could fork out hundreds of pounds on beats and you'd be an idiot because they're terrible (snob voice again). You could fork out hundreds of pounds on Sennheiser or Shure and you'd get something amazing sounding but be a lot poorer. Or you could spend just over a tenner on these beauties and have very nearly amazing quality sound, but still be rich. Option 3 sounds good to me.

If you run these in for about 10 hours, the excessive top end calms down to reveal an open, expansive, tuneful sound with an airy but unfatiguing treble and a solid if not insistent bass. Soundstaging is wide. In short for under £13 these IEMS compete with headphones 10 times the price. However, the big issue is how they fit, They need to go as deep into the ears as they can to avoid a thin sound. Too far in and the eartips come off! Tweezers were needed to remove mine. So experimentation is needed. However, if used properly, this is an audiophile item for a tiny cost. I will get the £35 versions soon and compare.

These headphones are incredible value for money. To put this into perspective I regularly run hd 599s with a fiio e10k which I swap with beyerdynamics DT 990s depending on my mood. They are generally extremely wide for IEMs and have a thump in the sub bass, a weaker mid bass, a strong mid range and a slightly low treble(not in clarity but in sound stage) These are incredible value for money. Now bear in mind if you have experienced "good" $100 headphones these will not feel like fresh air in the clarity department. They are however what I like to call comfortable listening. They have the famous vee sound something audio technica is famous for having so if you like those you'll like these. I only have two gripes with them. They clearly traded their budget on design and ergonomics for better drivers. These are very easy to accidentally shove down too far because of their design. Their bass is overly seal specific so if you want the full experience they need to be midway in your ear canal. My second gripe is that they have that low cost IEM sound style. Which if you've tried cheapers IEMs you will know what I mean. It mainly comes down to their unoptimised driver ergonomics. If you don't get the placement just right there's a wash of slight muffle on the midrange. It sort of sounds like the midrange has a pillow over their microphones. But once you readjust or turn up the volume it goes away. If you want audiophile sound then buy audiophile headphones. But if you want what I call happy sound. A thumpy bass and a slight clear sparkle on vocals. These are for you. The only people I would not recommend these to are clear treble listeners. The sensitivity on these headphones is very inconsistent to the point where if it was the only range playing it would sound very distant. I assume this was a driver trick they used to create a larger sound space in which the driver is actually angled slightly to generate physical differences in distance. But clarity kings these are not. If you like clear jazz without that deep bass piano sound you won't like these. But if you wanted those you'd probably blow $200 on some audiotechnicas or shures for that sort of sound anyway.

The sound quality is good for the price. I tend to listen to a lot of dance type music with a heavy bass line. They bass is good if you have the earphones pushed right in to your ear canal however, that is the stinger; the earphones/plugs are so uncomfortable and difficult to put in that it actually triggers my anxiety and taints the whole listening experience. They do not stay in the ears and even if they are out just a little bit, it still has a massive impact on sound quality. The headphones do not come with instructions on how to make sure you are wearing them correctly and trust me, they need them!

I found this product clumsy and uncomfortable to wear. Sound quality was fine though.

The sound really is as good as they say - but fit is everything with ear buds. These are a bit odd and it's worth checking the pictures to see how they are supposed to go in. I have to push them in pretty firmly but then they stay in well, are comfy for at least a couple of hours (even lying with my head on a pillow), and the bass is right. If not pushed in, the bass is missing. To me, they sound neutral, on all types of music. Bass heads, or those wanting a really warm sound, won't be satisfied, but I find the upper-mid (what used to be called the "presence band") is very good, so there's a good sense of space in the sound and a lot of subtleties, that are sometimes missed, are nicely presented. I've not used them to make calls so can't comment on the microphone - but if you wear the cables as pictured, the mic is nearer your ear than mouth so possibly not their strongest suit. Very happy with them overall and a steal at the price.

For £12 these are an absolute steal. Be warned, though, they take at least 20hrs of constant, loud play to run in (I left them plugged into my tablet, in a drawer, streaming music all night for 2 nights running, and for several hours during the day, too). Once they've run in though they sound great. The bass develops a nice solidity, and the scratchy sibilance of the top end smooths off and becomes more detailed. As with all in-ear-monitor type earphones, they're a bit fiddly to fit. But, I have to say it again, they're £12!!! I somehow lost my first pair, and wasn't bothered about having to shell out for a new pair, just that I was going to have to go through the whole running-in process again. But even that hassle is worth it to end up with a great sounding pair of earbuds.

Great sounding mids without being drowned out by bass so if you have sensitive little ears these are ideal and probably safest bet for youngsters. Definitely superior to headphones that come with most mobile phones that I have owned over the years. Although, I still have a pair of ear buds that came with an old LG G2 phone that I am using, not in the same league as the KZ ATE other than more bass. I can imagine anyone who needs more clarity will appreciate these. Comfort wise - you do get foam and the rubber type eartips which are interchangeable and come in two sizes, you could probably use your own. The rubber cable cover feels and looks decent and should protect well. The cable is fixed, it is not interchangeable like the £20-30 and up models but is of sound build quality and feels as if it is robust enough to last and possibly take some abuse. I recommend a velcro cable tie and small pouch for storage when not in use. The cable is probably about 1m and you do not want to tangle these up they are too good to mess up but at £12 it's a steal you are not going to worry too much! I have these paired up with a tiny old Sony Ericsson W20i Zylo Walkman phone (£15 approx on ebay) because I wanted something seperate from my main mobile phone that plays FLAC as well as MP3 formats for music and audio books and the battery life is better than a lot of these newer phones with all the latest tech. I like to switch between bluetooth or wired headphones. In the future I will upgrade to the KZ ZS series because they are modular and reviews give me a lot of confidence in this brand. Clearly, the manufacturer has put together something of quality that normally you would only see in higher end earbuds. Go for it, at this price you will not be disappointed! Update: 04/05/24 Still enjoying these earphones but have since upgraded to the KZ ZS5/ZS6/ZSN Pro X for comparison. The ATE are the all-in-one budget conscious range that still sounds like premium earphones, so at this price I say jump at the chance if you have never purchased this brand before, you will not be disappointed.

So if you look at the KZ earbuds generally they get great reviews with 4.5 ish stars. Yet the ATE gets 4 stars why? Some complain that it's tinny. Some complain that the fit is not good. Some complain that the build quality is not great. Let me address these one at a time. The sound is Tinny: The pair I have sounded good to me. I believe most that get a tinny sound are having "fitment" issues. The foam is not the best quality and earbuds require a really good seal to get a "good" sound. For me the fitment is very good, but everyone has slightly different ears. Let me assure you if they can get a good seal the earbuds will produce a good sound. The fit is not good: Once again this is the quality of the foam. if your canals can't get a good seal then yes the sound quality will suffer and the earbuds maybe loose. you can try the rubber pieces included, but really it is a matter of finding a manufacturer where you can get a "good" seal. The default foam tips fit me fine. The build quality s not good: I do have to admit i have low hopes for this. The way the cables are hooked into the earbuds mean they go through some strain in normal operation. This is doubly so if you get a really good seal. The wires are NOT replaceable so after they break you will be replacing the whole set. So why should you buy this? Well they sound great! If you do get a good seal (many many users do) then you will be rewarded. They are a great budget earbud, but keep in mind that they may not last as long as some others.

Tiene muy buen sonido se sujeta muy bien a las orejas. Fue bastante rapido. El producto es tal como en las fotos

Have been using for 4 months, well its one of the best earphone for the price range, have been using for listening music as well as for playing games the performance is well above the price.

Ich finde die Hörer gut ausgeglichen, zwar recht leise aber wenn man aufdreht ist der sound ganz gut. Er übersteuert natürlich, aber bei der Preiskategorie normal. Wer einen perfekt ausgeglichenen Hörer sucht, sollte sich dann eher an die 800er oder 900er Serie von Shure halten, aber für das was sie auch mit dem preis versprechen, top. Wichtig fand ich persönlich: + kein kabelgeräusch + netter push play/stop Button + super design (sehr guter tragekomfort) + unglaublich günstig + gute tiefe die eher schlechten Seiten - verarbeitung okay aber dem preis schon entsprechend - übersteuern bei bässen - übersteuern bei Höhen

Rapporto qualità prezzo a mio avviso imbattibile. Ottime per dinamica ed ampiezza nel range di frequenze riproducibili. Dopo un periodo di assuefazione all'inusuale modalità di posizionamento dell'auricolare ed un rodaggio di qualche ora ho iniziato ad apprezzarle ed ora ne ho un paio in uso e due di riserva.