$120 earphones have come a long way: The Juzear Defiant shows us just how far

Of course sound is the most important thing in an IEM, but when a product does all the other little bits really well, it makes you feel like the IEM makers actually care about the people who are going to buy their product.

That's exactly the vibes I'm getting with the Juzear x ZeosPantera Defiant: Gamefidelity edition. It's a mouthful, an eye-full and an ear-full. But it's all done so well, and for only $100 it's one of the easier IEMs to recommend.

In fact, I like the Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity edition so much that I've added it to my list of the very best budget IEMs available right now.

• Get the Juzear Defiant: Gamefidelity edition for $120 $88 at Amazon

Now, you might wonder about the difference between the Juzear Defiant, which released April 2025, and this Juzear Defiant Gamefidelity edition, which was released in May 2026. The answer is the colour of the faceplate and cable, and an added mic on that cable. As far as the sound goes, there's a smidge less treble in the Gamefidelity version, but the rest of the frequency response is identical. Throughout this review, therefore, I'll be referring to this IEM as simply the Defiant (though at the time of writing this review, the OG Defiant is selling for a little cheaper at $99 at Amazon).

Sound profile

Overall, this is a crowd-pleasing allrounder that provides a decent bass boost and a well extended, balanced, and smooth treble. The meat of the midrange is ever-so-slightly lean, and combined with a forward upper midrange, you get clear and upfront vocals so there can be a slightly strained timbre and vocals lacking full body. Despite this, it still stands tall amongst IEMs at its price range and a good bit higher for its wel done V-shaped sound that's contrasty and exciting.

For $100, this is a very good bass profile. The sub- and mid-bass of the Defiant is boosted, but there’s a smooth transition into the lower mids, so it doesn't sound disjointed from everything else. Juzear has made sure that the upper bass doesn’t step over into the lower mids too much, by scooping out some lower midrange (from around 200-800 Hz). That means there’s a distinction between bass and midrange, which make the bass slam a little harder. But it also means that the body of vocals, particularly male vocals, can come across as a touch lean. I don’t want to overstate this, as it’s not a massive issue for me, but it’s noticeable when comparing the Defiant to other meatier-mid-focussed IEMs like the Kiwi Ears KE4.

The midrange might be the Defiant's least impressive aspect, though it's not bad. Male and female vocals generally come across as natural-sounding, and there’s no boxiness or shoutiness to speak of. That aforementioned 200-800 Hz scoop, when taken with a slight forwardness between 1-2kHz means that sometimes the Defiant brings a little edginess to its midrange. There's a bite that can be engaging, alongside the bass boost and excellent treble, but it also means that it's not going for a totally natural tone, and on some tracks I thought drums could come across as a little compressed-sounding. You gain excitement and good separation of instruments at the expense of a rich, and natural sound.

When it comes to the lower-treble (Presence) and mid-treble regions, the Defiant is smooth, and there’s no harshness or sibilance (though there is still bite – see above). It does have a well-extended treble and there’s plenty of air in the higher frequencies. This is an IEM that you can listen to for a long time without any fatigue (anyone for gaming?!), but it also provides that airy treble and biting upper mids that offer nice perceived details in music, and decent imaging – identifying the positions of sounds in a mix (seriously, gaming anyone?!)

I’ve mainly concentrated on all the positives of the Defiant, because for the price, I think it outperforms a lot of its peers. For context, this isn’t the best IEM I’ve ever heard, but you have to spend twice the price to get a meaningful improvement across the board. That’s impressive.

Competition & value

I'm comparing the Juzear Defiant with the Kiwi Ears Cadenza and the Kiwi Ears KE4. The Cadenza is a bassy $35 IEM that has a frequency response graph with many similarities to the Defiant, and the $200 KE4 is another bass-elevated IEM, but this time coming with an IEF Neutral tuning with bass boost (that is, a New Meta tuning). Comparing the Defiant with these two differently priced IEMs, which nonetheless make a star of their bass, hopefully we can triangulate the Defiant's position in the market.

The Kiwi Ears Cadenza is a $35 beast with a bass that’s very similar to the Defiant. Although it has around 2dB less sub bass, it shares a similar approach with its measured slope from upper bass to lower midrange, and that means they slam. However, in comparison the Defiant's bass is superior. There's more texture and detail to it, and where the Cadenza stops at power, the Defiant continues with precision.

They also have similar lower midranges, but things differ around the upper mids, where the Cadenza features less from 600Hz to 2kHz, but has more around 2.5-4.5kHz. That translates into the Defiant seeming more rich, and though I like the extra bite the Cadenza brings, things are not as controlled. Add to that a slightly harsher, one-note treble of the Cadenza compared to the well-extended, smooth treble of the Defiant, and you begin to see where at least some of that extra $90 is going... regardless, the Kiwi Ears Cadenza remains my go to bassy IEM for $35.

When I put the Kiwi Ears KE4 on, the first thing I notice is the mids... and the bass... also the treble.

OK, it's quite a difference. To start with the lows, just as the Defiant took the Cadenza bass to task, the KE4 offers a marked amount more bass detail. The dominant bass of Morph the Cat comes with a clear image of the strings being plucked and pulled.

The KE4 dumps on the Defiant when it comes to a balanced midrange. It's true some of that extra mid bass bleeds into the midrange of the KE4, but as its lower midrange is fuller, it gets away with a richer lower mid and stronger bass. With a less forced upper midrange – more smooth compared to the Defiant's comparatively in-your-face tuning – the result is the KE4 is a touch less energetic, but more nuanced.

That nuance is echoed in the treble. It's more extended, with more air. The KE4 mimics what the Defiant did better than the Cadenza, and takes it further still.

But is the KE4 twice as good as the Defiant? Is it worth twice as much?

I'm not sure. The Defiant is an exciting V-shaped IEM, that brings energy within a fantastic package. The KE4 is a bass-boosted midrange specialist with better natural timbre. But I'm not sure that it would be twice as good as the Defiant on my morning commute. It certainly won't be better for gaming, as there's no mic option, and its imaging isn't worlds apart from the Defiant. The Defiant is a brilliant all-rounder that works for gaming, and its exciting sound translates whatever I'm doing.

There's more to the overall sound of the KE4 than the Defiant, but the latter is no slouch in the bass and treble compared to the more expensive set. I maintain that for $100, the Defiant is still hard to beat.

Build & comfort

Image 1 of 3

Out of the box, the Juzear Defiant looks like a class act, and feel just as good in my hands. Their 3D printed resin shells feature mother of pearl faceplates that look both trashy as hell and premium at the same time. The result is uniquely appealing (much like the Defiant's creator, ZeosPantera).

This IEM is lightweight and I didn't find them uncomfortable during long sessions., whether gaming or music listening. The nozzle is slightly chunky, so you might need some quick tip rolling to get the right fit, but that thick, modular braided cable is just brilliant – it's the best cable of any $100 IEM I've tried, and better than many more expensive IEMs.

All of that's fine, but the Defiant absolutely kills the competition with its modular cable, offering both a 3.5mm and a USB-C termination. It's practically incredibly useful, and it's mind-blowing that it comes with a $120 IEM while not being standard with some (admittedly amazing sounding) $400 IEMs.

Excellent job Juzear and Zeos!

Should you buy it?

I can't think of a better IEM than the Defiant: Gamefidelity Edition, if you're getting into the audiophile hobby, and you want a set that's a lot better than the (still good) budget options out there. If you also want to game, and you're going to use it with both USB-C and 3.5mm terminations, it's a compelling proposition.

It's an exciting, fun-sounding IEM that would serve a varied music library well. It looks great and comes with a very good package, including a great case, an excellent cable and an array of tips. It looks pretty bloody wonderful too!

When you add all that up and put a $120 price tag on it ($88 over at Amazon right now!), the Juzear Defiant: Gamefidelity Edition is exceptionally good value, and one of the easier IEMs to recommend.