Short answer: the FiiO FW3. It ranks #999 of 1369 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 3.2/5, at $69.99; the KZ AS16 Pro ranks #1026, rated 3.1/5, and costs $73, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
Why pick the FiiO FW3: A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap. The tradeoff: An uneven response, 2.6 dB standard deviation from target.
What the KZ AS16 Pro does well: Bass is lifted about 2.2 dB with extension to 20 Hz, giving kick drums and bass lines extra weight. Watch for: Presence sits about 3.8 dB low with an 8.6 dB dip near 5.9 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the FiiO FW3. It is rated higher for sound quality than the KZ AS16 Pro and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Still deciding? The full Headphones rankings cover every ranked option.
A published AutoEQ preset corrects its response toward the Harman target, so a few minutes of EQ setup closes most of the gap.
Amazon $69.99 eBay
Bass is lifted about 2.2 dB with extension to 20 Hz, giving kick drums and bass lines extra weight.
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Specifications Side By Side
| FiiO FW3 | KZ AS16 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $69.99 | $73.00 |
| Ranked | #999 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones | #1026 of 1369 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 64 (median of 3 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 63 (median of 13 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 2.58 dB standard deviation | 2.68 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.50 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.49 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-3.2 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.1 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wireless | Wired |
| Driver Type | Dynamic | Balanced armature |
| Drivers | 1 x 10mm carbon-based dynamic driver | 8 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | 32 ohms | 23.5 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 106 dB/mW | - |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz | 20Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Weight | 0 lbs (6 g) (per earbud) | - |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 | - |
| Bluetooth Codecs | LDAC, LHDC, aptX Adaptive, aptX, AAC, SBC | - |
| Active Noise Cancelling | No | - |
| Battery Life | 7 hours (earbuds), 21 hours (with charging case) | - |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the FiiO FW3 from arn, ianfann and vsg; the KZ AS16 Pro from achoreviews, aftersound, ankramutt, boizoff, eplv, hbb, hore, ianfann, melatonin, musicafe, practiphile, pw and vortexreviews, all via squig.link.
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