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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Bluetooth
    2. Non-Bluetooth Wireless
    3. Wired
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PC / PS4 Compatibility
    6. PlayStation Compatibility
    7. Xbox Compatibility
    8. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Symphonized NRG 3.0 vs KZ ZSN

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Symphonized NRG 3.0
KZ ZSN

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Dec 15, 2021 06:46 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Jan 15, 2024 01:41 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Symphonized NRG 3.0 Picture
KZ ZSN Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. Earbuds Under $50

Variants

  • NRG 3.0 (Black Night)
  • ZSN (Black, mic)
  • ZSN (Black, no mic)
  • ZSN (Cyan, mic)
  • ZSN (Cyan, no mic)
  • ZSN (Purple, mic)
  • ZSN (Purple, no mic)

Our Verdict

Symphonized NRG 3.0

KZ ZSN

The KZ ZSN are better headphones than the Symphonized NRG 3.0. They have a more comfortable fit, are better-built, and have a noticeably better sound quality. On the other hand, the NRG 3.0 have more lightweight and their in-ear fit has better isolation performance. They also have a microphone that our model of the KZ ZSN doesn’t have, but there is a model variant with one. Overall, the KZ ZSN should be a better choice for music, but the NRG 3.0 could be a better option for everyday casual use.

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Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

6.5
No major differences between these headphones for mixed usage. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Design Picture 2
KZ ZSN Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Balanced Armature

Show text

Comfort 
 

6.5
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Comfort Picture
KZ ZSN Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.03 lbs
0.06 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs

Show text

Controls 
 

7.0
0.0

Controls Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Controls Picture
KZ ZSN Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
No Controls

Ease Of Use  

Okay
No Controls

Feedback  

Okay
No Controls

Call/Music Control  

Yes
No

Volume Control  

Yes
No

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

N/A
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

N/A
No

Talk-Through 
 

N/A
No

Additional Controls  

No
No

Show text

Breathability 
 

9.3
9.2

Breathability After Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Breathability After Picture
KZ ZSN Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.7 °C
0.8 °C

Show text

Portability 
 

9.2
8.6

Portability Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Portability Picture
KZ ZSN Portability Picture

 

1.7"
3.0" (7.6 cm)

 

1.6"
2.0" (5.1 cm)

 

1"
1.0" (2.5 cm)

Volume  

2.7 in³
6.00 in³ (98.32 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

N/A
No

Show text

Case 
 

5.5
N/A

Case Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Case Picture
KZ ZSN Case Picture

Type  

Pouch
No case

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A

Show text

Build Quality 
 

7.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Build Quality Picture
KZ ZSN Build Quality Picture

Show text

Stability 
 

7.0
7.5

Stability Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Stability Picture
KZ ZSN Stability Picture

Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Angled Picture
KZ ZSN Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Side Picture
KZ ZSN Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Front Picture
KZ ZSN Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Rear Picture
KZ ZSN Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Top Picture
KZ ZSN Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 In The Box Picture
KZ ZSN In The Box Picture

Show text

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

5.14 dB
0.15 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-5.14 dB
-2.92 dB

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.5
7.9

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.11 dB
0.41 dB

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

6.2
7.4

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

5.31 dB
3.87 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

10 Hz
10.91 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

5.04 dB
1.43 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

5.47 dB
4.24 dB

High-Bass 
 

6.94 dB
5.61 dB

Show text

Mid Accuracy 
 

7.7
7.9

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.12 dB
2.81 dB

Low-Mid 
 

3.48 dB
3.4 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-2.28 dB
-0.02 dB

High-Mid 
 

-2.63 dB
2.95 dB

Show text

Treble Accuracy 
 

5.1
6.4

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

5.81 dB
5.28 dB

Low-Treble 
 

-5.43 dB
2.9 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

-3.12 dB
-1.69 dB

High-Treble 
 

-9.01 dB
-8.27 dB

Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.1
6.8

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.85 dB
2.09 dB

Dips 
 

1.6 dB
1.9 dB

Imaging 
 

7.6
9.2

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.12
0.17

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.03
1.62

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

2.75
0.25

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

2.87
1.4

Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

0.5
1.6

PRTF  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 PRTF
KZ ZSN PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

2.7
4.3

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

0
2.5

Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

KZ ZSN Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No

Room Ambience 
 

No

Head Tracking 
 

No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.1
8.3

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.204
0.151

WHD @ 100 
 

0.097
0.083

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive

Connection 
 

Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

7.3
5.6

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-21.47 dB
-15.54 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-5.49 dB
-2.25 dB

Mid 
 

-18.75 dB
-14.43 dB

Treble 
 

-41.34 dB
-31.07 dB

Show text

Leakage 
 

10
7.8

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

21.21 dB
34.66 dB

Show text

Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
No

In-Line 
 

Yes
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

N/A
No

Mic  

Yes
No

Recording Quality 
 

6.6
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
KZ ZSN Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A

LFE 
 

285.09 Hz
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

1.84 dB
N/A

HFE 
 

2,152.7 Hz
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

0.16
N/A

Gain 
 

23.27 dB
N/A

Show text

Noise Handling 
 

6.6
0.0

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
KZ ZSN SpNR

SpNR 
 

17.58 dB
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

N/A
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 
 

N/A
No

Audio While Charging 
 

N/A
No

Passive Playback 
 

N/A
Passive Headphone

Charging Port  

N/A
None

Show text

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 App Picture
KZ ZSN App Picture

App Name  

N/A
No App

iOS  

N/A
No

Android  

N/A
No

macOS  

N/A
No

Windows  

N/A
No

Equalizer 
 

N/A
No

ANC Control 
 

N/A
No

Mic Control  

N/A
No

Room Effects 
 

N/A
No

Playback Control 
 

N/A
No

Button Mapping  

N/A
No

Surround Sound  

N/A

Surround Support 
 

No

Show text

Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

N/A
No Bluetooth

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

N/A
No

NFC Pairing 
 

N/A
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

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

N/A

Android Latency 
 

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 
 

9.0
9.5

Cable Picture  

Symphonized NRG 3.0 Cable Picture
KZ ZSN Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable  

No
Yes

Length  

4.3 ft
3.90 ft (1.19 m)

Connection 
 

1/8" TRRS
1/8" TRS

Wired Latency 
 

0 ms

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

0 ms

Show text

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC / PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PC / PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio + Microphone
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

N/A
No Base/Dock

USB Input 
 

N/A
No

Line In 
 

N/A
No

Line Out 
 

N/A
No

Optical Input 
 

N/A
No

RCA Input 
 

N/A
No

Dock Charging 
 

N/A
No

Power Supply 
 

N/A
No Base/Dock

Show text

Symphonized NRG 3.0

KZ ZSN

Comments

  1. Comparison

Symphonized NRG 3.0 vs KZ ZSN: Main Discussion

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