KZ ZST (2016) vs Sennheiser In-Ear Headphones, Black, IE 80 S

The KZ ZST (2016) is an example of a great In-Ear Monitor at its $30 budget.

In the case of the $229 Sennheiser In-Ear Headphones, Black, IE 80 S, however, we weren't able to find enough data to come to any reliable conclusions. If you're considering buying a In-Ear Monitor in the $260 range, we encourage you to take a look at some other options.

headphonesaddict.com, a review site with a history of doing objective hands-on testing, has great things to say about the KZ ZST (2016). In fact, it's "Cheap alternative" in its "7 Best In-Ear Monitors for Musicians and Demanding Users (2023)" roundup, which points toward it being a good In-Ear Monitor.

As for the Sennheiser In-Ear Headphones, Black, IE 80 S analysis - it impressed reviewers at headphonesaddict.com, a source that's known for its objective testing and well-thought-out methodology - it performed great in its "8 Best Bass Earbuds (with all-powerful bass) in 2023" roundup and earned the "Best wired" title.

We couldn't find any sources that tested both of these In-Ear Monitors, so we only analyzed how they performed in reviews from different sites.

We first examined which sources rated each of these best and found that the KZ ZST (2016) got its highest, 8, rating from Head-fi, while the Sennheiser In-Ear Headphones, Black, IE 80 S earned its best, 6, score from What Hi-Fi?.

Lastly, we compared their average review performance to that of the rest of their competition and found that neither option got received particularly well. With an average rating of 7.1 out of 10, the KZ ZST (2016) performed similarly to most other In-Ear Monitors on the market - the overall average review score for this product category being 7.7 - while the Sennheiser In-Ear Headphones, Black, IE 80 S did worse than most, with its average of 6.0 points.

There's one caveat here - a direct KZ ZST (2016) vs. Sennheiser In-Ear Headphones, Black, IE 80 S comparison might not be entirely justifiable due to the difference in their pricing and the fact that some sources tend to give lower ratings to cheaper products because they don't take value for money into account.