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Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're on a budget and want good overall sound for music and TV, KZ ZSN Pro X earbuds are a cost-effective choice that also offer a detachable cable and fair noise isolation. However, if sound quality is your priority and you're willing to pay a premium, the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II offers best in class music performance with excellent build quality, though they fall short in mic quality and are not the best for calls, meetings, or exercise use. Neither option supports wireless connectivity or active noise cancelling, so if those features are important to you, you might want to consider other products. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the KZ ZSN Pro X
Good for air travel
Advantages of the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II
Best in class for music
Very good for TV and video
Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
7.0/10
9.5/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is best in class for music, while the KZ ZSN Pro X is good.
Gaming
5.9/10
6.7/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is only fair for gaming, while the KZ ZSN Pro X is poor.
Phone Calls
3.1/10
5.1/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II and KZ ZSN Pro X are both poor for phone calls, though the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is somewhat better.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
4.7/10
7.9/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the KZ ZSN Pro X is poor.
TV and Video
7.3/10
8.8/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II is very good for TV and video, while the KZ ZSN Pro X is good.
Cost
$22
$999
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The KZ ZSN Pro X has a price of $22 and the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II costs $999.
Build Quality
8.5/10
9.0/10
The Thieaudio Monarch Mk II has excellent build quality, while the KZ ZSN Pro X has very good build quality.
"The KZ ZSN PRO X offers superb sound for very little money, like under $30 USD. It has some rough edges with a plastic seam on the cable that can rub on your ear, and the bud is a bit large. The tech isn't cutting edge, but new doesn't always equal better. You should try it."
"No other earphone I have listened to in the past 12 months has given me as much joy as the Thieaduio Monarch MKII. One of those IEMs will make you question where we can go from here. The sound is jaw-dropping, leaving you wanting more and more. It makes you want to run through your entire music library and reevaluate. It makes you not feel bad about paying full price for them, especially in a hobby where buyers' remorse is genuine. For me, it's top tier, rivaled by a few but not surpassed."
Get a great deal on the KZ ZSN Pro X or the Thieaudio Monarch Mk II
About Thieaudio
Thieaudio is the in-house brand of Linsoul Audio, a Chinese earbud and headphone retailer specializing in what the community lovingly calls Chi-fi, that is high fidelity brands out of China. Thieaudio was established in 2019 as the creative engineering branch of Linsoul. As of today, they market three different lines of earbuds, Voyager, Legacy and the extremely well-received Monarch.
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