Products
Apple EarPods
KZ ZSN
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated May 05, 2025 07:18 PM
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Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v1.5
Updated May 27, 2025 08:16 PM
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Amazon.com
TypeEarbuds
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessNo
TransducerBalanced Armature
Noise CancellingNo
MicNo
Our Verdict
Apple EarPods
KZ ZSN
The KZ ZSN are better-mixed usage and critical listening in-ears than the Apple EarPods. The KZ are noticeably better built, including more premium materials and a nice braided, detachable cable. The KZ have poor treble, while the Apple have poor bass performance. However, most people will find the Apple slightly more comfortable due to their one-size-fits-all design and microphone, which is useful for calls.
Variants
- EarPods (White)
- ZSN (Black, mic)
- ZSN (Black, no mic)
- ZSN (Cyan, mic)
- ZSN (Cyan, no mic)
- ZSN (Purple, mic)
- ZSN (Purple, no mic)
Check Price
White
EarPods
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Amazon.com
Black, mic
ZSN
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Amazon.com
White
EarPods
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BestBuy.com
Black, no mic
ZSN
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Amazon.com
White
EarPods
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B&H
Cyan, mic
ZSN
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Amazon.com
White
EarPods
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Walmart.com
Cyan, no mic
ZSN
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Amazon.com
White
EarPods
SEE PRICE
Apple.com
Purple, mic
ZSN
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Amazon.com
Purple, no mic
ZSN
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Amazon.com
Main Differences for
Neutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
6.8
6.7
Bass Accuracy
5.0
7.4
Treble Accuracy
8.6
6.4
Mid Accuracy
9.0
7.9
Passive Soundstage
2.8
1.6
Imaging
7.9
9.2
Frequency Response Consistency
5.9
7.9
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Earbuds
In-ear
Enclosure
Open-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
No
No
Transducer
Dynamic
Balanced Armature
Comfort
8.0
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.03 lbs
0.06 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
6.5
0.0
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
iOS
No Controls
Ease Of Use
Decent
No Controls
Feedback
Decent
No Controls
Call/Music Control
Yes
No
Volume Control
Yes
No
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
No
Breathability
9.6
9.2
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.4 °C
0.8 °C
Portability
9.3
8.6
Portability Picture
L
1.9" (4.8 cm)
3.0" (7.6 cm)
W
1.8" (4.4 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)
H
0.8" (1.9 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)
Volume
2.47 in³ (40.48 cm³)
6.00 in³ (98.32 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
7.0
N/A
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
No case
L
2.4" (6.2 cm)
N/A
W
2.4" (6.2 cm)
N/A
H
0.8" (1.9 cm)
N/A
Volume
4.47 in³ (73.25 cm³)
N/A
Build Quality
6.5
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
5.5
7.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
-8.63 dB
0.15 dB
Treble Amount
-1.09 dB
-2.92 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
5.9
7.9
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.97 dB
0.41 dB
Bass Accuracy
5.0
7.4
Bass
Std. Err.
7.8 dB
3.87 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
87.24 Hz
10.91 Hz
Low-Bass
-16 dB
1.43 dB
Mid-Bass
-2.99 dB
4.24 dB
High-Bass
1.47 dB
5.61 dB
Mid Accuracy
9.0
7.9
Std. Err.
1.4 dB
2.81 dB
Low-Mid
0.3 dB
3.4 dB
Mid-Mid
-1.46 dB
-0.02 dB
High-Mid
1.03 dB
2.95 dB
Treble Accuracy
8.6
6.4
Treble
Std. Err.
2.14 dB
5.28 dB
Low-Treble
-0.41 dB
2.9 dB
Mid-Treble
1.8 dB
-1.69 dB
High-Treble
-8.59 dB
-8.27 dB
Peaks/Dips
6.9
6.8
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
2.29 dB
2.09 dB
Dips
1.05 dB
1.9 dB
Imaging
7.9
9.2
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.28
0.17
Weighted Phase Mismatch
3.51
1.62
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.58
0.25
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.83
1.4
Passive Soundstage
2.8
1.6
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
9.5
4.3
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.1
2.5
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No App
No App
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.9
8.3
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.102
0.151
WHD @ 100
0.054
0.083
Test Settings
Firmware
No Firmware
No Firmware
Power
Passive
Passive
Connection
Wired
Wired
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
EQ
No EQ
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Silicone (small)
Microphone
In-line
No Microphone
Isolation
Noise Isolation
1.2
5.6
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-2.94 dB
-15.54 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
0 dB
-2.25 dB
Mid
1 dB
-14.43 dB
Treble
-9.53 dB
-31.07 dB
Leakage
7.3
7.8
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
37.72 dB
34.66 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
No
In-Line
Yes
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
No
Recording Quality
8.1
0.0
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
285.09 Hz
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
2.54 dB
N/A
HFE
12,716.62 Hz
N/A
Weighted THD
0.401
N/A
Gain
16 dB
N/A
Noise Handling
6.9
0.0
SpNR
SpNR
14.42 dB
N/A
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
N/A
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
7.5
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
N/A
Active Features
Battery
0.0
0.0
Battery Type
No Battery
No Battery
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
N/A
Power-Saving Feature
No
No
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
Passive Headphone
Charging Port
None
None
App Support
0.0
0.0
App Picture
App Name
No App
No App
iOS
No
No
Android
No
No
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
No
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Bluetooth
0.0
0.0
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
No Bluetooth
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
NFC Pairing
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (SBC)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
N/A
iOS Latency
N/A
N/A
Android Latency
N/A
N/A
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
0.0
0.0
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
N/A
Wired
9.0
9.5
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
3.73 ft (1.14 m)
3.90 ft (1.19 m)
Connection
1/8" TRRS
1/8" TRS
Analog/USB Audio Latency
0 ms
0 ms
PC Compatibility
Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
Audio Only
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
No
No
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
No Base/Dock
Check Price
White
EarPods
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black, mic
ZSN
SEARCH
Amazon.com
White
EarPods
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black, no mic
ZSN
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
EarPods
SEARCH
B&H
Cyan, mic
ZSN
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
EarPods
SEARCH
Walmart.com
Cyan, no mic
ZSN
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
EarPods
SEE PRICE
Apple.com
Purple, mic
ZSN
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Purple, no mic
ZSN
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
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Apple EarPods
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Apple EarPods vs KZ ZSN: Main Discussion
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