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If you want an open-back, over-ear gaming headset you can wear for hours and talk through with a boom mic, choose Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3BK; if you need a compact in-ear monitor with a tunable, bass-forward sound and a hybrid driver setup for gaming and music, choose Kinboofi KZ ZS12.
• Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3BK strength: Open-back, over-ear design with 45 mm drivers that spread sound out for positional cues, plus a detachable boom mic for in-game voice — all under 220 grams.
• Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3BK trade-off: Open-back means the sound leaks out and outside noise leaks in, and there is no noise control of any kind, so it is a home/desk headset, not a commuter one.
• Kinboofi KZ ZS12 strength: In-ear hybrid setup with a dynamic driver handling lows and mids and balanced armatures handling highs, with a 4-level tuning switch so you can shape the sound.
• Kinboofi KZ ZS12 trade-off: It is an IEM, so isolation and fit depend on the tips and seal, the mic lives on an inline remote rather than a boom arm, and there is no volume dial or mute on the earpiece.
• Pick the Audio-Technica if you want a plug-and-play desk headset with a real boom mic for PC and console.
• Pick the KZ ZS12 if you want a pocketable, tunable IEM you can use for gaming and music on the go.
The ATH-GDL3BK is built around one idea: an open-back over-ear headset that lets you hear the room and the game at the same time. The open-back enclosure is the headline. Instead of sealing you off, it lets sound spill outward and air move through, which is why Audio-Technica frames it around localizing sounds — an approaching opponent, footsteps off to one side — inside a wider sound field. The 45 mm dynamic drivers cover a 10 to 35,000 Hz range, so there is plenty of treble extension for detail, and the 45 ohm impedance means it plays nicely with typical PC and console outputs without demanding a dedicated amp.
The other half of the story is comfort and voice. At under 220 grams, this is a genuinely light headset, and the metal-enclosed, rounded over-ear cups plus a detachable headpad are aimed at long sessions. The boom mic is flexible and detachable, with a directional pickup and a windscreen, and the volume dial and mute switch sit on the left earcup — so you can kill your mic without alt-tabbing. In the box you get two cables: a 3.0 m cable with separate 3.5 mm mic and headphone plugs for a PC, and a 1.2 m TRRS cable for modern consoles. It is wired, it has no noise cancelling, and it is black.
Buy it if you game at a desk or in front of a console, you want a headset that disappears on your head, and you value hearing your surroundings and your own voice. Skip it if you play in a noisy room, need isolation, or want a wireless set — open-back plus no noise control is the wrong tool for a train or a shared office.
The KZ ZS12 goes the other direction entirely: it is a wired in-ear monitor aimed at people who want a lot of driver hardware in a small shell. The spec sheet lists a 10 mm super-linear inner-magnetic dynamic driver, dual 31736 balanced armature arrays, and a 30019 customized balanced armature — a 1DD+5BA hybrid. The idea is a proper crossover: the dynamic driver carries lows and mids for punch and a natural mid transition, while the balanced armatures handle the high and ultra-high bands for detail and air. Kinboofi describes the tuning as deep, punchy bass, clear mids and sparkling highs with a cohesive soundstage, and the numbers back the intent — 20 to 40,000 Hz, 25 ohm, 106 dB sensitivity. That low impedance and high sensitivity means it is easy to drive straight from a phone, a controller or a laptop jack.
The feature that separates it from most IEMs at this level is the 4-level tuning switch. You are not stuck with one voicing; you can nudge the response toward more or less bass and presence depending on whether you are gaming, listening to music or monitoring. Connectivity is a 3.5 mm jack, and the version here includes a microphone with inline call and multimedia controls on the cable. The shell is plastic, in-ear with rounded earpieces, and it comes with a cable in the box.
Buy it if you want a compact, tunable IEM for gaming and music, you like bass-forward sound with crisp treble, and you want something that disappears into a pocket. Skip it if you want a boom mic in front of your mouth, on-ear volume and mute, or the open, airy feel of an over-ear — this is an in-ear with an inline remote, and its isolation depends on how well the tips seal.
• Best for positional game audio with a wide field → Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3BK. Open-back over-ear plus 45 mm drivers is designed exactly for that.
• Best for voice chat clarity → Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3BK. A detachable, flexible boom mic with directional pickup beats an inline cable mic for in-game comms.
• Best for all-day comfort at a desk → Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3BK. Under 220 grams, over-ear, replaceable earpads and headpad.
• Best for tuning the sound to your taste → Kinboofi KZ ZS12. The 4-level tuning switch lets you shape the response.
• Best for bass-heavy music and gaming in one pair → Kinboofi KZ ZS12. The dynamic driver is dedicated to lows and mids for punch and atmosphere.
• Best for portability and easy driving → Kinboofi KZ ZS12. In-ear shell, 25 ohm, 106 dB — it runs off almost anything with a 3.5 mm jack.
• Best for console use without adapters → Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3BK. The included 1.2 m TRRS cable is made for modern consoles.
• Best for blocking out a noisy room → Kinboofi KZ ZS12. An in-ear seal will isolate more than an open-back headset ever can.
If I had to pick one, I would buy the Audio-Technica ATH-GDL3BK — but only because my priority is desk and console gaming with a real boom mic, a light over-ear fit and that open, room-aware sound. It is the more complete gaming tool: mic, on-cup volume and mute, two cables, replaceable pads. I would choose the Kinboofi KZ ZS12 instead if I wanted one compact pair for gaming and music, cared about tuning the sound, or needed isolation on the move. Different jobs, both done well — pick the one that matches where you actually play.
For PC gaming with voice chat, I would lean to the ATH-GDL3BK — the detachable boom mic, on-earcup mute and the 3.0 m PC cable are built for that setup. The KZ ZS12 works fine for game audio, but its mic is an inline cable remote.
On paper, yes — Kinboofi dedicates a dynamic driver to lows and mids and describes punchy bass, while the Audio-Technica is an open-back headset tuned for a wide, airy field. If bass weight matters most, the KZ ZS12 is the more likely fit.
Yes. It ships with a 1.2 m TRRS cable made for modern gaming consoles, plus a longer PC cable with separate mic and headphone plugs.
Neither has active noise cancelling — both list no noise control. The KZ ZS12's in-ear seal will block more ambient sound than the open-back ATH-GDL3BK, which deliberately lets the room in.
Both sit at very different positions in the market, so check the current price on Amazon using the button on this page before you commit — the value call depends on what you are paying today.
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