ZiiGaat Horizon's Review - Fav ZiiGaat so far!

 

General/Packaging/Comfort/Build

ZiiGaat has been quite relentless lately with new releases every now and then. There have been several releases over the past few months, the recent one, Crescent, Odyssey 2 which I had also reviewed are quite good. Today we have the Horizon, which is a tribrid from ZiiGaat, also my fav ZiiGaat so far, sporting a 1DD+2BA+2 Planar config

Packaging has been a great step up compared to last year, there are now three types of bundled eartips, a modular cable which is very welcoming, faux leather storage case and the IEM itself. Nothing to complain about so far.

In terms of comfort, the Horizon does not have any sharp edges and I use them for several hours a day and I did not feel any discomfort throughout my listening session. The shell is neither too big nor small for my ears, I would say most of the ZiiGaats have more or less similar housing size to me visually, i never measured the dimensions hence I cannot say they are all the same. Horizon has been run in for roughly 20 hours, and in my opinion, the DD does benefit from the burn in and it does have noticeable change in sound to my ears.

Equipment and Software used

• Aune S9C Pro -> Aune N7

• Questyle Sigma

• Apple Music/Tidal/foobar2k

• Horizon Stock Cable and Eartip

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression

Upon first listening impression, Horizon’s sound profile is leaning towards the more energetic side while still having some balance in between without skewing to either side of the spectrum. Note weight is neither too thin nor thick, and the timbre does have a little bit of planar sheen to it but it is not really that noticeable unless you are trying hard to spot it.
Let’s take a look at the breakdown below:

Bass

• The speed is good and doesn’t sound bloated or muddy when listening to busy tracks such as Slipknot’s People’s = Shit!, Metallica’s Lux Aeterna, it handled the speed drumming and kick flawlessly, without sounding muddy nor bleeding into the mids

• Sub bass has good extension and rumbly when the track calls for it, in fact i find the Horizon has better extension compared to the OG

• The transition from sub to mid bass is very good, the mid bass doesn’t lack punch and the sub and mid bass complement each other very well, transition is quite linear

• The bass also has good texture and doesn’t sound “loose”

• The sub bass in my opinion really sounded like a subwoofer, it really rumbles whenever the track calls for it

Mids

• The mids are neither too forward nor recessed, just right to my ears

• Vocal positioning is just nice,  just imagine the artist is probably 5-6 steps away from you

• Male and female vocal has good texture to it and doesn’t sound thin, male vocal has sufficient weight whereas the female vocal sounds rich

• The bass doesn’t bleed into this range which is good

• Pinna gain is rather safe and never shouty even when the volume is being cranked up

Treble

• Treble has enough energy yet it is non offensive

• Despite having an energetic treble response, the treble response is not harsh (this ultimately depends on your tolerance, but generally, i wouldn’t say it is not enjoyable or harsh

• Amount of air and presence is good and it doesn’t sound congested in busy tracks such as orchestral music

• Detail retrieval is good but it is not the IEM where it sounds overly analytical

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is out of your head with good width, depth and height perception is good

• Separation is good as well given the price, i would say it is above average

• Imaging is very good as the instruments can be pinpointed easily even during busy track, certain complex orchestral tracks might not perform that well

Driveability

• Horizon is not hard to drive but it does scale well with more power, in terms of dynamics and bass control, but based on my experience, a mid range DAP or dongle such as ddHifi’s Eye 3 is more than enough to fully exploit the potential of Horizon

Comparison (ZiiGaat Odyssey) 

• Slightly warmer sounding compared to Horizon

• Treble is smooth but resolution and detail retrieval capability Horizon is definitely better than Odyssey

• Soundstage is somehow not as wide as Horizon, Imaging wise, more or less similar

• Mids are somehow thicker compared to Horizon, it can be a little mushy on certain track

• Upper mids are not perceived as shouty, similar to Horizon

• Very natural timbre overall and note weight is slightly thicker than Horizon

• Sub bass is not as rumbly compared to Horizon, not so much of a subwoofer effect

• Overall, i would say the Horizon is quite an upgrade compared to last year’s Odyssey

Final Thoughts

The ZiiGaat Horizon to me is something different from ZiiGaat’s offering in terms of sound profile. The fun  sounding sound profile offers a listening experience that's both enjoyable yet it is not harsh,all while boasting good technicalities and a truly satisfying sub-bass rumble. It delivers a well-extended and pleasant treble response. The soundstage is impressively wide with accurate imaging, positioning it as a strong contender within its price bracket. Considering the sonic performance, better packaging compared to last year’s releases, and a more premium build, it is hard not to recommend the Horizon due to its engaging characteristics. While it is good generally, there are still some that I would like to nitpick, there is a minor planar timbre to it, it is not really that noticeable, but it is there if you pay hard attention to it, other than that, it is highly recommended!

*A big thanks to Linsoul for sending this over for the purpose of this review. Thanks for the support and opportunity as always

Head over to their store if you are interested in getting a pair:

ZiiGaat Horizon - Non affiliated