KZ Saga Review, Great Or Garbage?

Are the KZ Saga in-ear monitors (IEMs) a hidden gem at $20, or are they just another budget flop? In this KZ Saga review, we’ll break down the unboxing, sound quality, design, and value to help you decide if these are worth your money.

Quick Disclosure

KZ sent me the Saga for review over five months ago. No money changed hands, and they’re not seeing this review before it goes live. Everything here is my honest take based on extensive testing.

Unboxing Experience

Let’s kick off this KZ Saga review with the unboxing. In short—it's minimal and unimpressive. It’s clear that KZ cut costs here, which is understandable given the low price point. Inside the box, you’ll find the IEMs, a cable, and a few pairs of ear tips. That’s it.

Sound Quality

I tested the KZ Saga using the built-in DAC of my MacBook Pro and the Time Ear TEU 99 DAC.

Sub-Bass

The sub-bass is underwhelming for genres like electronic or hip-hop. You won’t get the deep rumble that some multi-driver IEMs offer, but at $20, expectations should be realistic.

Mid-Bass

This is where the Saga starts to shine. The mid-bass has a satisfying punch and presence. Tracks like Wooh Wooh showed off a fun, bouncy bass response. While it lacks the full-bodied thump needed for hardstyle or more aggressive EDM, it’s playful and enjoyable overall.

Mids

The mids are engaging but noticeably recessed, especially in tracks with vocals. Listening to Reefer Decree – Curved Air, the mids and vocals felt a bit distant. The same goes for classic rock like Boston – Long Time. It's typical of a V-shaped tuning, so not unexpected, but it’s something to be aware of.

Highs

This is a highlight in the KZ Saga review. The highs are bright and sparkly without causing fatigue. While they could be more detailed, they strike a good balance between clarity and fun—especially for the price.

Clarity, Imaging, and Soundstage

Clarity is decent, though there’s some noticeable bass and midrange bleed. Imaging is average, and the soundstage feels a bit narrow. Listening to Curved Air, which I often use to test spatial performance, I found the presentation to be a bit cramped. Still, that’s forgivable at this budget.

Design, Build, and Comfort

One standout in this KZ Saga review is the build quality. These IEMs are surprisingly well-made. The metal housing feels premium and durable, and the design is compact and comfortable in the ear.

Hello, World!

However, the included cable feels cheap and almost disposable. The ear tips are also hit or miss depending on your ear shape. If you’re planning to use these daily, I’d strongly recommend replacing the cable, case, and tips for a better experience.

Final Verdict – Is the KZ Saga Worth It?

So, what’s the verdict on this KZ Saga review? For $20, you’re getting a solid pair of budget IEMs with respectable sound quality, especially in the bass and highs. While the mids and imaging fall short, the overall experience punches above its weight.

Just keep in mind:

• You’ll likely want to upgrade the cable ($8–$12)

• Replace the ear tips ($3–$5)

• And maybe grab a better case ($7–$10)

If you already have accessories lying around, the KZ Saga becomes an even better value. Out of the box, they’re usable—but with a few upgrades, they transform into a fun and reliable daily driver.

Pros and Cons

Pros:
✅ Solid build quality
✅ Comfortable fit
✅ Fun, engaging bass and highs
✅ Excellent value at $20

Cons:
❌ Recessed mids
❌ Narrow soundstage
❌ Cheap included cable and tips

Where to Buy

If this article was helpful to you then you can support the blog and grab the KZ Saga for around $20 From Ali Express or Amazon

SoundPeats Air 4, The Dirty Truth

The SoundPeats Air 4 are the newest pair of Airpod style headphones from Soundpeats. In the past I have been a huge fan of SoundPeats other products such as the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe and SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS. If you're looking for the short answer on whether the SoundPeats Air 4 are any good, they are, but, if you have used any of SoundPeats prior models such as the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe or the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS. If you have used their other products than the SoundPeats Air 4 are going to be a big disappointment.

Lets start with some love for the SoundPeats Air 4 because I don't think that these headphones are bad. In fact, on paper i think that these headphones offer some incredible features at a price that is unbeatable.

The addition of multipoint connectivity is something that is truly innovative at the price-point. The addition of multipoint connectivity means that SoundPeats Air 4 are prime to be better than competing headphones like AirPods. But its also important to note that multipoint connectivity is just one of the many features needed by the SoundPeats Air 4 need to pack.

“the unfortunate truth that SoundPeats has actually REMOVED features”

Another addition that almost all SoundPeats headphones including the SoundPeats Air 4 have is the ability to create a custom EQ based on your hearing. Now this isn't groundbreaking or revolutionary by any means but the fact that the SoundPeats Application will do a hearing analysis and give you a custom EQ that compensates for hearing loss is a feature we normally only see on much more expensive headphones.

Other than these 2 features its the unfortunate truth that SoundPeats has actually REMOVED features from these headphones. In the past the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe had in ear detection. Although in ear detection isn't groundbreaking its a feature that fits extremely well with the SoundPeats Air brand. The Air 3 Deluxe had the ability to play and pause when they are taken in and out of the ear and its a feature I have grown to love with the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS and the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe. It allows them to seamlessly fit into my day. This is gone from the SoundPeats Air 4 and it's sorely missed. While this isn't a make it or break it feature its one that AirPods users as well as SounPeats Air 3 Deluxe users are going to miss.

Another odd step was to change the drivers in the SoundPeats Air 4. The SoundPeats Air 4 have a smaller 13mm driver compared to the Air 3 Deluxe driver which is 14.3 Its not to say that driver size is everything but it is worth mentioning that with a pair of earbuds that are open, its vital to have the largest speaker possible in order to create the volume necessary without distortion. This has resulted in less bass when compared to the Air 3 Deluxe and Air 3 Deluxe HS

BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

While the SoundPeats Air 4 aren't as favorable to me as the SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe Or Air 3 Deluxe HS it doesn't change the value proposition for these headphones. They are really good, really well optioned headphones at a price that makes them hard to beat.

Buy The SoundPeats Air 4

Buy The SoundPeats Air 3 Deluxe HS

Samsung Galaxy S23, OPPO Find X Pro And More: Tech Rumor Roundup 01/16/2023

Here is the roundup of the most interesting tech rumors and leaks heading into the second week of January. The Galaxy S23 series Unpacked is getting very near. But that won’t stop the leakers keep spreading news for us. Also, we have some information about upcoming smartphones from OPPO, Xiaomi, and more. 

SAMSUNG

Let’s start with the Galaxy S23 leaks. Samsung recently announced the whole series would be released on February 1st/2nd (depending on where you live). Roland Quandt yesterday posted the renders of the S23 series reveals the phones will have the same design as the previous S22 with the only exception is cameras are separate instead of combine into one island.

It will have 4 colors: black, beige, green, and lilac. There will be some additional colors, which, to no one surprise, exclusive at samsung.com. It will be interesting to see how if any of these colors are carrier or country exclusive. Samsung has been very big their made to order series with the Z Flip series and it will be interesting to see if it continues with the S23

OPPO

OPPO seems very conscious about Find X6 series leak and most of the time, it works. Except someone in China spotted a Find X6 Pro in the undergrounds reveled  the massive camera bump that looks kinda like the Xiaomi 11 UltraUltra, cruved display and middle punch hole front design. The phone is expected to launch next month after Lunar New Year. Its going to be interesting to see what Oppo is utilizing its MAriSilicon edition to the Snapdragon 8Gen2.

Xiaomi/Redmi/Poco

POCO’s phone release stagey is messy as hell, and we’re gonna see the successor of the famous X4 Pro very soon. A Twitter user account posted some shots about the POCO X5 Pro with the typical yellow and black color scheme.

The POCO x5 Pro is expected to be a rebranded Redmi Note 12 Speed in China with 108MP main camera, 6.667 inch 120Hz Full HD+ OLED display, Snapdragon 778G and 67W fast charging.

Google Pixel 6 VS Samsung S20 FE VS Samsung S20 FE & GCam

Daylight Samples

Thoughts & Takeaways

Both of these devices do completely fine during the daytime. Samsung continues the trend of oversaturated photos and Google continues to give us an over HDR effect. For daylight photos GCam on the S20 FE does just as well as the Pixel 6 and personal preference is the deciding factor.

Lowlight Without Nightmode

Thoughts & Takeaways

Although both devices do a good job at pulling out detail in lowlight the pixel is slightly better at retaining highlight detail in most cases. GCam on the S20 FE does a completely fine job at giving users a pleasing image but it could be slightly better. I think that if GCam for the S20 FE had been developed for a longer period of time we could see improvements in noise reduction but the software isn’t perfect because its community developed and maintain. I think that for lowlight photos either the stock camera app from Samsung or the Pixel 6 will give users consistent results they are happy with.

Nightmode: Samsung Nightmode VS GCam VS Pixel 6 Nightmode

Thoughts & Takeaways

Due to the settings in the XML and tweaks within the GCam app, GCam was often returning blurry results when being handheld. Samsung’s camera app consistently nails these lowlight images and returns sharp images that people would be happy with. Pixel 6 showed weakness in highlights getting clipped and blown out while GCam would give blurry results.

Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro Camera Review

I got to use the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro for 24 hours and here is what I learned from using it for 24 hours. First I want to say that this isn’t a complete or in depth camera review but this is what you can expect from using the device and what the average user could expect.

From the start Xiaomi has marketed the Xiaomi Mi 11T pro as a flagship device. This includes the Mi 11T pro cameras. Xiaomi has tried to sell users on the idea that the Mi 11T Pro has a flagship camera and I can tell you that while the camera of the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro isn’t bad, it’s not great. Here you can see the well lit dynamic range of the Xiaomi Mi 11T pro. In this photo the restaurant was pretty well lit and still the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro camera completely overexposed outside.

The Ultrawide camera of the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro is a little bit better than the camera of the Redmi Note 10 Pro even though the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro and the Redmi Note 10 Pro are the same. That said the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro shows a good amount of detail and the the ultrawide HDR does take advantage of the Mi 11T Pro Snapdragon 888 SOC

Another odd quirk of the Xiaomi Mi 11T Pro camera is the way it merges images in HDR.

Elevoc Clear, Incredible Mic Performance

The Elevoc Clear are a game changing pair of headphones because they can replace a few other items. In my experience with the Elevoc Clear I am able to replace a Bluetooth headset for online teaching, as microphone for vlogging, and a pair of active noise canceling headphones. Today I wanted to explore these 3 different attributes of the Elevoc Clear and ultimately why these are a definite buy for me. If you’re looking to pre-order the Elevoc Clear they currently have a IndieGoGo campaign. If you’re worry about supporting an unknown company, I did a little bit of dogging at the end of this article.

 

In 2021 we have meetings online, learning online, and videos conferencing online. Some headphones I have tested have been totally fine for video conferencing and some have been terrible. Specifically, the Elevoc Clear shine in their ability to provide a real-world replacement for my video conferencing headphones. As someone who teaches online, I am often needing to wear a full gaming headset with microphone in order to teach online. The Elevoc Clear have completely replaced them. The Elevoc Clear give me the ability to teach online in comfort since wearing a traditional headset squeezes my glasses. Along with this the Elevoc Clear have been a game changer because I can take calls on a busy street here in Vietnam. It’s often the case with cheap headphones that while they might sound ok, they don’t give me the same freedom as the Elevoc Clear. The Elevoc Clear let me listen to music and walk outside and not have to put the headphones back in their case when I get a phone call.

 

The value provided by the Elevoc Clear don’t stop at calls. As many people know I have recently switched from Xiaomi to Samsung for my daily driver. Samsung allows me to use Bluetooth wireless headphones as a microphone when recording video. This is absolutely a game changer. If I want to vlog or make a video outside, I can record video with just my Elevoc Clear headphones. I have minimal audio processing to do in Adobe Premiere

 

If these two aspects of the Elevoc Clear didn’t convince you the active noise canceling should. The ANC of the Elevoc Clear is as good as the voice denoising used to give you a fantastic microphone. The Elevoc Clear are a significant upgrade to other comparably priced active noise canceling headphone I have tried. Compared to the Pamu Quiet Mini they are better if even slightly and they are considerably better than the original Pamu Quiet with APT-X. The Elevoc Clear aren’t without fault though. Although the Elevoc Clear sound good they don’t have the same punch as the Pamu Quiet or the Pamu Quiet Mini.

 

 

Elevoc is software company that was founded in 2017. Elevoc has specifically worked with companies to improve the call quality in the automotive community for audio communication systems in cars, computers and cellphones. This is the main reason that their speech denoising software is so good.

IndieGoGo

Elevoc Website