KZ ZST vs MOONDROP Aria

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

KZ ZST
MOONDROP Aria

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jan 15, 2024 03:00 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Oct 02, 2024 01:11 PM

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Amazon.com

Our Verdict

KZ ZST

MOONDROP Aria

The MOONDROP Aria are better in-ear monitors than the KZ ZST. The MOONDROP are more comfortable and have a more neutral sound, which some users may prefer. They also come with a sturdy carrying case to help protect them when you're on the go.

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Variants

  • ZST (Black, mic)
  • ZST (Black, no mic)
  • Aria (Black)
  • Aria (Elven Maiden Edition)

Check Price

Black, mic
ZST
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black, no mic
ZST
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Elven Maiden Edition
Aria
Amazon.com
Colorful, mic
ZST
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Snow Edition
Aria
Amazon.com
Colorful, no mic
ZST
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 
 

6.5
7.5

Bass Accuracy 
 

6.6
9.1

Mid Accuracy 
 

7.6
8.9

Treble Accuracy 
 

6.1
6.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Design Picture 2
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Hybrid
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
8.0

Comfort Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Comfort Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.05 lbs
0.08 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

0.0
0.0

Controls Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Controls Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
No Controls

Feedback  

No Controls
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
No

Talk-Through 
 

No
No

Additional Controls  

No
No
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

9.2

Breathability After Picture  

KZ ZST Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.8 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

8.6
9.4

Portability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Portability Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Portability Picture

 

2.5" (6.4 cm)
1.7" (4.4 cm)

 

2.0" (5.1 cm)
1.6" (4.1 cm)

 

1.1" (2.8 cm)
0.6" (1.5 cm)

Volume  

6.00 in³ (98.32 cm³)
1.65 in³ (27.00 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
8.0

Case Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Case Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Case Picture

Type  

No case
Hard case

 

N/A
2.9" (7.4 cm)

 

N/A
3.0" (7.6 cm)

 

N/A
1.4" (3.5 cm)

Volume  

N/A
12.02 in³ (197.00 cm³)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.5
7.5

Build Quality Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Build Quality Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

7.5
8.0

Stability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Stability Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Angled Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Angled Picture

Side Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Side Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Front Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Front Picture

Rear Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Rear Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Top Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST In The Box Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Frequency Response

Bass Amount 
 

1.13 dB
0.04 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.04 dB
-1.96 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.6
9.3

Consistency L  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Consistency L
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Consistency L

Consistency R  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Consistency R
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.09 dB
0.14 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Raw FR L
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Raw FR L

Raw FR R  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Raw FR R
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy 
 

6.6
9.1

Bass  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Bass
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Bass

Std. Err. 
 

5.48 dB
1.13 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
18.61 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

3.73 dB
-1.48 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

6.28 dB
0.25 dB

High-Bass 
 

7.23 dB
1.56 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

7.6
8.9

Mid  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Mid
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Mid

Std. Err. 
 

3.17 dB
1.47 dB

Low-Mid 
 

4.38 dB
0.05 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

0.06 dB
-2.29 dB

High-Mid 
 

2.42 dB
0 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

6.1
6.9

Treble  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Treble
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Treble

Std. Err. 
 

5.59 dB
4.52 dB

Low-Treble 
 

6.52 dB
-1.21 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

1.44 dB
-6.05 dB

High-Treble 
 

-4.21 dB
-4.11 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

6.9
8.3

Peaks/Dips Graph  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Peaks/Dips Graph
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks 
 

1.95 dB
0.94 dB

Dips 
 

1.69 dB
1.48 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

9.3
9.5

Group Delay  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Group Delay
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Group Delay

Phase Response Mismatch  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Phase Response Mismatch
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Phase Response Mismatch

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.18
0.12

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

1.41
0.79

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.09
0.08

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.08
0.87
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

1.3
1.3

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

3.8
4.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

1.9
1.5
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0
0.0

Virtual Soundstage 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Virtual Soundstage
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria 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 
 

8.2
8.3

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Weighted Harmonic Distortion
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90 
 

0.195
0.192

WHD @ 100 
 

0.083
0.063
Show Text 

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 
 

Silicone (small)
Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

5.6
5.9

Noise Isolation  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Noise Isolation
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-15.74 dB
-16.16 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-2.38 dB
-2.09 dB

Mid 
 

-14.75 dB
-20.08 dB

Treble 
 

-31.24 dB
-28.26 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

8.3
8.7

Leakage  

 Preview Graph
KZ ZST Leakage
 Preview Graph
MOONDROP Aria Leakage

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

31.59 dB
29.35 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

No
No

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

KZ ZST Microphone Frequency Response
MOONDROP Aria Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A
N/A

LFE 
 

N/A
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
N/A

HFE 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
N/A

Gain 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No
No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
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
Show Text 

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST App Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria 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
Show Text 
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
Show Text 

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 
 

9.5
9.5

Cable Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
KZ ZST Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
MOONDROP Aria Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

Yes
Yes

Length  

4.00 ft (1.22 m)
4.27 ft (1.30 m)

Connection 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

0 ms
0 ms
Show Text 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show Text 

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
Show Text 

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
Show Text 

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
Show Text 

Check Price

Black, mic
ZST
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black, no mic
ZST
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Elven Maiden Edition
Aria
Amazon.com
Colorful, mic
ZST
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Snow Edition
Aria
Amazon.com
Colorful, no mic
ZST
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

KZ ZST

MOONDROP Aria

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KZ ZST vs MOONDROP Aria: Main Discussion

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