ZiiGaat Nuo
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INTRODUCTION
The Nuo model is a budget offering from:
,a company that has been making a name for itself in the Chi-Fi world. The specimen I will present to you today was sent to me by the manufacturer himself ( thank you very much ) in exchange for an honest description of my impressions, which I do in the words below:
PRESENTATION
The headphones came to me in a small paper container, the smallest of all the headphones I had the opportunity to test. In the box is a mediocre cable, very rubbery, which after I tried to roll it up it unrolled by itself
.... very rubbery. It is still better than the cable we get with the iconic Blon BL-03 model, which with its tangling could drive the world's calmest man crazy. In addition to the cable in the box, you will also find a set of tips (S/M/L). During the period of listening and writing this review, I used the cable that came with the BQEYZ WIND, or some other upgrade cable made by the company whose name I just don’t remember now - both copper covered with silver crystals, and tips from the WHIZZER model SS20 (wide bore), or ePRO P00 which usually fit my ears very well. The conclusion that came to me while perusing the contents of the package was quite obvious: Ziigaat has taken the cost burden off the equipment, but has it shifted to the headphones themselves?
BUILD
The construction of the headphones is solid. The finish is simple and minimalist, with a total of only a white manufacturer's logo on a black background. The shape is ergonomic, and I had no problems locating them in my ear. I like such a minimalist finish.
SOUND
...That is what is most important. The very first sounds of the song being played made my eyes open wider. Full, clear sound, with great strength of notes. I didn't expect anything like this from a model in this price range. As I hadn't read any reviews before it was a very positive surprise. WOW! Well, it's now clear that the manufacturer has shifted most of the manufacturing costs from the accessories to the headphones themselves to deliver quality unparalleled in this price range, or at least to match the best in this range. I find the tuning balanced with a slightly forward midrange. The tonality is rather dark, so a rather warm sound is to be expected, but at the same time, I don't find the midrange registers bloated ( like the Blon Bl03, for example).
Moving on to the details:
BASS
The bass is focused on the mid-bass, which provides great dynamics to the sound and allows for a solid impact. The sub-bass, although a bit withdrawn, is there and reveals itself when the song calls for it. The Bass is not overly boosted and I have never had headache symptoms from prolonged listening (Footnote: I mention this because I just happened to have a Kiwi Ears Forteza to test, which caused such an effect). The bass guitar is textured and sounds mature and natural. This is not a set for bass heads, but I also don't think it aspires to be such. The bass is soft and doesn't buzz, and for the price, it's as satisfying as can be and can go low, which is great.
MIDS
The mids perform brilliantly, which is not typical in this price bracket. In Nuo acoustic guitars, classical guitars, percussion elements, crackling of e.g. vinyl records, and of course vocals, both male and female, sound natural and true. I am very pleased that the price range of about $24 has gained a set that can impress with the quality of reproduction of sounds of the middle registers. A few minutes with the ASMR recordings provided me with waves of chills running down my spine, so if you're looking for a set that will provide you with such sensations, Nuo might be a good option. Occasionally, but only occasionally, there may be slightly irritating sibilants in the female vocals, which is not something for which this set should be crossed out, after all, the sibilant phenomenon itself occurs naturally during speech, and the moments when they bothered me were very sporadic, and if it weren't for the increased attention, I probably wouldn't have paid attention to them.
TREBLE
Treble in my opinion is the least well-taken care of register in this set, which is not to say that there is anything wrong with it, no, it's just that they could be cleaner and sound more natural, because, unfortunately, sometimes they are just unspecified hisses and snaps, not resembling real instruments. It also happens that sometimes the sounds of for example drum cymbals sound strange, so a little..... crackling and unpleasant when you listen to them. So, if your heart lies with the trebles, you might want to look somewhere else, but also I don’t want to exaggerate: there is no tragedy. It's just ok.
TECHNICALITIES
Imaging is adequate, and for the price at which the Nuo is placed, it is simply unprecedented. Sounds appear from different sides and instruments stay in place. The sound is presented in a holographic manner, although the stage is not deep and the presentation is rather close. Instrument separation is very good, and during listening one could also hear the constituent layers of a song more than once, so in terms of layering it is also very good.
PAIRING
Pairing the Nuo with various sources, I can confidently confirm that they sounded best when I played songs from the Sony A55 DAP (Mr. Walkman firmware), not via Bluetooth, but directly from the DAP, because despite the use of the LDAC codec, the quality, especially of the treble, could have been better. Playback through the Moondrop Dawn Pro dongle or the Musehifi M1 also gave very good results. Unfortunately, I didn't like the pairing with the Kiwi Ears Allegro, which I feel took away some of the dynamics and I just didn't find this pairing good. As for the tips, it was very well matched with the ePro Pr00 (of course it did), Spinfit CP100, and Whizzer SS20, but with the KBEAR 07, for example, which are famous for enhancing the bass, here they darken even more the already quite dark sound presentation, which can reflect negatively on the presentation.
GOOD EXAMPLES
In my reviews, I like to give examples of songs that caught my particular attention while listening in detail to the quality of the reproduced sound, in other words: when the headphones do something very well.
a. Francine Thirteen - Queen Mary
- Model genre: electronic music
- Female voice: penetrating and natural. You can hear wonderful speech sounds making the vocal sound more realistic
- bass low, very pleasant with a big (not too big) impact – these headphones can handle such low bass
- despite the strong bass impact, the other registers seem unaffected by it
b. Snarky Puppy - Grown Folks
- Model genre: jazz, fusion
- An example of good imagery: every 4 bars something new appears in a different place; sound fills the space around the head
- good separation of instruments; no feeling of sounds blending, even in the climax of the piece
- textured bass; you can hear the sound of the strings crunching against the frets; no buzzing - you can hear that this is a bass guitar
- Downside: sometimes the cymbals hiss unnaturally, but the cowbell and other bell-like sounds are clear and quite natural sounding
c. Bring me the Horizon - Sugar Ice & tea
- Model genre: rock, metal, etc.
- An example of a rather dense track, which Nuo handles quite well
- The drum cymbals are there, but rather muted and somewhere in the background
- added tracks can be heard slightly separated from the rest of the track - good layering
- bass as it should be in music of this type: audible and adding dynamics
- Vocal in the calming moment of the track (about 2:50 minutes) is intimate, but close and detailed - just the way I like them
d. Beastie Boys - Live At P.J.'s
- Model genre: instrumental hip-hop, the 80s
- Instruments beautifully separated and distributed around the head: guitar on the left, keyboard on the right, a little behind the bongos; Vocals and bass in the front; drums in the back
- All instruments audible and clear throughout the song
- Natural sound of instruments, good dynamics, and strength of notes
- Vocals here withdrawn a bit, but this is more a result of the way the track was recorded
e. Eugene Ruffolo - Poor Lonesome Me
- Model genre: Country, Folk, Acoustic guitars
- Two acoustic guitars, quiet but warm bass and vocals - everything sounds beautiful
- The vocals have warmth in them
- Clear and melodic guitars with natural timbre
CONCLUSION:
With practically every genre of music, the Nuo perform very well. In rock and metal music, thanks to the emphasis on the middle registers, the guitars do not lack claw, and the substantial bass adds dynamics to the tracks. In acoustic tracks, the sounds of metal strings shine through, and vocals sound natural and pleasant. In electronic music, the good dynamics and capabilities of the driver, which is capable of generating very low sounds without distorting the other registers, make themselves known. Only for those who like to sink into the sounds of clicks of drum cymbals, I would recommend looking for something else, such as the Tanchjim Zero, but if this is not your main area of interest, I think the Ziigaat Nuo can confidently serve as a budget entry-level - allrounder for any genre of music.
SOUND SUMMARY
As a summary of the sonic capabilities of the Ziigaat Nuo, they emit a balanced sound in which all registers are sufficiently audible. Reviewing the frequency graph and comparing it with the HARMANN curve, you can see that there are a few more decibels in the midrange registers (especially low), which results in a warmer presentation but also translates into increased strength of notes, which can be heard and is worth appreciating, as it is not common for this price range. If one were to add the HBB target curve to the graph, one can see that the Nuo almost perfectly coincides with it, so those familiar with the tastes of the Bad Boy from Hawaii can guess what to expect.
As for the objections I put forward above, especially regarding the treble, please note that they are the result of critical listening, i.e. the kind where I look for flaws in a product without paying attention to the price range, which in the case of the Ziigaat Nuo is nothing more than nit-picking, because the set itself is great in my opinion, and I can in good conscience recommend it as an entry point into the world of IN-EAR headphones.
In my opinion, Ziigaat has revolutionized the price range around $25, and by releasing the NUO, they have raised the bar well above what can be expected for such money.
Highly recommended.
The Nuo model is a budget offering from:
,a company that has been making a name for itself in the Chi-Fi world. The specimen I will present to you today was sent to me by the manufacturer himself ( thank you very much ) in exchange for an honest description of my impressions, which I do in the words below:
PRESENTATION
The headphones came to me in a small paper container, the smallest of all the headphones I had the opportunity to test. In the box is a mediocre cable, very rubbery, which after I tried to roll it up it unrolled by itself
.... very rubbery. It is still better than the cable we get with the iconic Blon BL-03 model, which with its tangling could drive the world's calmest man crazy. In addition to the cable in the box, you will also find a set of tips (S/M/L). During the period of listening and writing this review, I used the cable that came with the BQEYZ WIND, or some other upgrade cable made by the company whose name I just don’t remember now - both copper covered with silver crystals, and tips from the WHIZZER model SS20 (wide bore), or ePRO P00 which usually fit my ears very well. The conclusion that came to me while perusing the contents of the package was quite obvious: Ziigaat has taken the cost burden off the equipment, but has it shifted to the headphones themselves?
BUILD
The construction of the headphones is solid. The finish is simple and minimalist, with a total of only a white manufacturer's logo on a black background. The shape is ergonomic, and I had no problems locating them in my ear. I like such a minimalist finish.
SOUND
...That is what is most important. The very first sounds of the song being played made my eyes open wider. Full, clear sound, with great strength of notes. I didn't expect anything like this from a model in this price range. As I hadn't read any reviews before it was a very positive surprise. WOW! Well, it's now clear that the manufacturer has shifted most of the manufacturing costs from the accessories to the headphones themselves to deliver quality unparalleled in this price range, or at least to match the best in this range. I find the tuning balanced with a slightly forward midrange. The tonality is rather dark, so a rather warm sound is to be expected, but at the same time, I don't find the midrange registers bloated ( like the Blon Bl03, for example).
Moving on to the details:
BASS
The bass is focused on the mid-bass, which provides great dynamics to the sound and allows for a solid impact. The sub-bass, although a bit withdrawn, is there and reveals itself when the song calls for it. The Bass is not overly boosted and I have never had headache symptoms from prolonged listening (Footnote: I mention this because I just happened to have a Kiwi Ears Forteza to test, which caused such an effect). The bass guitar is textured and sounds mature and natural. This is not a set for bass heads, but I also don't think it aspires to be such. The bass is soft and doesn't buzz, and for the price, it's as satisfying as can be and can go low, which is great.
MIDS
The mids perform brilliantly, which is not typical in this price bracket. In Nuo acoustic guitars, classical guitars, percussion elements, crackling of e.g. vinyl records, and of course vocals, both male and female, sound natural and true. I am very pleased that the price range of about $24 has gained a set that can impress with the quality of reproduction of sounds of the middle registers. A few minutes with the ASMR recordings provided me with waves of chills running down my spine, so if you're looking for a set that will provide you with such sensations, Nuo might be a good option. Occasionally, but only occasionally, there may be slightly irritating sibilants in the female vocals, which is not something for which this set should be crossed out, after all, the sibilant phenomenon itself occurs naturally during speech, and the moments when they bothered me were very sporadic, and if it weren't for the increased attention, I probably wouldn't have paid attention to them.
TREBLE
Treble in my opinion is the least well-taken care of register in this set, which is not to say that there is anything wrong with it, no, it's just that they could be cleaner and sound more natural, because, unfortunately, sometimes they are just unspecified hisses and snaps, not resembling real instruments. It also happens that sometimes the sounds of for example drum cymbals sound strange, so a little..... crackling and unpleasant when you listen to them. So, if your heart lies with the trebles, you might want to look somewhere else, but also I don’t want to exaggerate: there is no tragedy. It's just ok.
TECHNICALITIES
Imaging is adequate, and for the price at which the Nuo is placed, it is simply unprecedented. Sounds appear from different sides and instruments stay in place. The sound is presented in a holographic manner, although the stage is not deep and the presentation is rather close. Instrument separation is very good, and during listening one could also hear the constituent layers of a song more than once, so in terms of layering it is also very good.
PAIRING
Pairing the Nuo with various sources, I can confidently confirm that they sounded best when I played songs from the Sony A55 DAP (Mr. Walkman firmware), not via Bluetooth, but directly from the DAP, because despite the use of the LDAC codec, the quality, especially of the treble, could have been better. Playback through the Moondrop Dawn Pro dongle or the Musehifi M1 also gave very good results. Unfortunately, I didn't like the pairing with the Kiwi Ears Allegro, which I feel took away some of the dynamics and I just didn't find this pairing good. As for the tips, it was very well matched with the ePro Pr00 (of course it did), Spinfit CP100, and Whizzer SS20, but with the KBEAR 07, for example, which are famous for enhancing the bass, here they darken even more the already quite dark sound presentation, which can reflect negatively on the presentation.
GOOD EXAMPLES
In my reviews, I like to give examples of songs that caught my particular attention while listening in detail to the quality of the reproduced sound, in other words: when the headphones do something very well.
a. Francine Thirteen - Queen Mary
- Model genre: electronic music
- Female voice: penetrating and natural. You can hear wonderful speech sounds making the vocal sound more realistic
- bass low, very pleasant with a big (not too big) impact – these headphones can handle such low bass
- despite the strong bass impact, the other registers seem unaffected by it
b. Snarky Puppy - Grown Folks
- Model genre: jazz, fusion
- An example of good imagery: every 4 bars something new appears in a different place; sound fills the space around the head
- good separation of instruments; no feeling of sounds blending, even in the climax of the piece
- textured bass; you can hear the sound of the strings crunching against the frets; no buzzing - you can hear that this is a bass guitar
- Downside: sometimes the cymbals hiss unnaturally, but the cowbell and other bell-like sounds are clear and quite natural sounding
c. Bring me the Horizon - Sugar Ice & tea
- Model genre: rock, metal, etc.
- An example of a rather dense track, which Nuo handles quite well
- The drum cymbals are there, but rather muted and somewhere in the background
- added tracks can be heard slightly separated from the rest of the track - good layering
- bass as it should be in music of this type: audible and adding dynamics
- Vocal in the calming moment of the track (about 2:50 minutes) is intimate, but close and detailed - just the way I like them
d. Beastie Boys - Live At P.J.'s
- Model genre: instrumental hip-hop, the 80s
- Instruments beautifully separated and distributed around the head: guitar on the left, keyboard on the right, a little behind the bongos; Vocals and bass in the front; drums in the back
- All instruments audible and clear throughout the song
- Natural sound of instruments, good dynamics, and strength of notes
- Vocals here withdrawn a bit, but this is more a result of the way the track was recorded
e. Eugene Ruffolo - Poor Lonesome Me
- Model genre: Country, Folk, Acoustic guitars
- Two acoustic guitars, quiet but warm bass and vocals - everything sounds beautiful
- The vocals have warmth in them
- Clear and melodic guitars with natural timbre
CONCLUSION:
With practically every genre of music, the Nuo perform very well. In rock and metal music, thanks to the emphasis on the middle registers, the guitars do not lack claw, and the substantial bass adds dynamics to the tracks. In acoustic tracks, the sounds of metal strings shine through, and vocals sound natural and pleasant. In electronic music, the good dynamics and capabilities of the driver, which is capable of generating very low sounds without distorting the other registers, make themselves known. Only for those who like to sink into the sounds of clicks of drum cymbals, I would recommend looking for something else, such as the Tanchjim Zero, but if this is not your main area of interest, I think the Ziigaat Nuo can confidently serve as a budget entry-level - allrounder for any genre of music.
SOUND SUMMARY
As a summary of the sonic capabilities of the Ziigaat Nuo, they emit a balanced sound in which all registers are sufficiently audible. Reviewing the frequency graph and comparing it with the HARMANN curve, you can see that there are a few more decibels in the midrange registers (especially low), which results in a warmer presentation but also translates into increased strength of notes, which can be heard and is worth appreciating, as it is not common for this price range. If one were to add the HBB target curve to the graph, one can see that the Nuo almost perfectly coincides with it, so those familiar with the tastes of the Bad Boy from Hawaii can guess what to expect.
As for the objections I put forward above, especially regarding the treble, please note that they are the result of critical listening, i.e. the kind where I look for flaws in a product without paying attention to the price range, which in the case of the Ziigaat Nuo is nothing more than nit-picking, because the set itself is great in my opinion, and I can in good conscience recommend it as an entry point into the world of IN-EAR headphones.
In my opinion, Ziigaat has revolutionized the price range around $25, and by releasing the NUO, they have raised the bar well above what can be expected for such money.
Highly recommended.
Attachments
BielakP
For those interested in this product, or any other ZiiGaat product, I refer you to: https://www.ziigaat.com/
The Nuo is Ziigaat’s entry level IEM and entries the market in the super competitive sub $30 price range (currently $24 
).
So, if you are interested in an excellently tuned IEM, the Nuo may well be one to add to your collection.
Read on to find out why …
I do like the way the Nuo’s are presented to you once you open the box.
It is a little hard to get them out but once you do, you can then easily access the cable and the accessories.
Overall it is a well-designed package. The accessories are a bit limited with just the usual L/M/S sized ear tips. The cable is reasonable quality for this price and finally a user guide is provided.
One minor thing, was it is a pity that the Nuo doesn’t have a recessed 2-pin connection, as I do worry that eventually the 2-pin connector will bend and ultimately break.
Here is a short video:
That said I did find the angle of the nozzle wasn’t quite right for me, this is where I think the Ziigaat Cinno has the more comfortable fit, but this especially will be very subjective and it was only a concern when trying the longer fitting Ear tips (like a triple flange).
My advise is to try allot of IEM’s and once you discovery the shape and nozzle angle that suits you best, use a video like the one I provided above to find the best IEM for comfort and fit and then look into the sound signature.
I found the weight and balance to be excellent, again at an almost ‘goldilocks’ level where it was not too light and definitely not too heavy but just about right for long sessions.
The cable was good especially at this price point, it was mostly tangle free and kept its shape well so did not get in the way.
Because a double and triple flange are typically used by people who have larger than average ear canals so I have adapted these eartips slightly to allow a ‘deeper’ fit my IEC711 ‘clone’ coupler, basically try to simulate a longer ear canal in ‘standard’ coupler. I believe this technique will allow people to select both the best IEM for a specific tonality for them (does not always have to be ‘harman’) and then fine tune it with some ’ear tip rolling’ and for those who find it hard to get good seal this technique might allow them to experiment with alternative eartips and have a reasonable understand of how those alternative eartips alter the frequency response of their ideal IEM.
All measurements will go up on the Pragmatic Audio Squiq.link
So now onto the measurements…
Very low distortion
Given how close this is to Harman depending on if you want a more Air
Overall you can see the Nuo is an excellent Harman Neutral IEM.
The Ziigaat Nuo IEM is a stellar offering in the budget IEM market, especially for audiophiles seeking a neutral sound signature. It’s adherence to the Neutral ‘Harman Target’ frequency response, combined with a single dynamic driver design, results in an authentic and balanced audio experience. The build quality, comfort, and sound performance make it an excellent choice for both casual listeners and audio enthusiasts.
The Ziigaat Nuo stands out as a high-value proposition, offering a premium listening experience at an accessible price point.
).
So, if you are interested in an excellently tuned IEM, the Nuo may well be one to add to your collection.
Read on to find out why …
What is in the box
The Nuo comes in a fairly simple box, typical of this end of the IEM market.
I do like the way the Nuo’s are presented to you once you open the box.
It is a little hard to get them out but once you do, you can then easily access the cable and the accessories.
Overall it is a well-designed package. The accessories are a bit limited with just the usual L/M/S sized ear tips. The cable is reasonable quality for this price and finally a user guide is provided.
Design and Build Quality
The Nuo IEM shell itself boasts a sleek, minimalist design, appealing to those who appreciate subtlety and elegance in their audio gear. The build quality is impressive for its price bracket, featuring a durable body that feels robust yet lightweight. The attention to detail in the finish and the choice of materials raises it above similar priced IEM’s like the Salnotes Zero 2. a pleasant surprise in this cost-effective segment.
One minor thing, was it is a pity that the Nuo doesn’t have a recessed 2-pin connection, as I do worry that eventually the 2-pin connector will bend and ultimately break.
Here is a short video:
Comfort and Fit
I found Ziigaat Nuo comfortable (though it’s ‘sister’ the Ziigaat Cinno’s was more comfortable). I think it has much better shape than similarly priced competitors like the Moondrop Chu 2 (too small) or the Salnotes Zero 2 (too blocky) or even the Tanchjim One (too small). I spend 4-5 hours one day without any discomfort, with an excellent seal and almost forgetting I was wearing them.That said I did find the angle of the nozzle wasn’t quite right for me, this is where I think the Ziigaat Cinno has the more comfortable fit, but this especially will be very subjective and it was only a concern when trying the longer fitting Ear tips (like a triple flange).
My advise is to try allot of IEM’s and once you discovery the shape and nozzle angle that suits you best, use a video like the one I provided above to find the best IEM for comfort and fit and then look into the sound signature.
I found the weight and balance to be excellent, again at an almost ‘goldilocks’ level where it was not too light and definitely not too heavy but just about right for long sessions.
The cable was good especially at this price point, it was mostly tangle free and kept its shape well so did not get in the way.
Sound Quality
The sound quality of the Ziigaat Nuo is remarkably neutral, nicely following the ‘Harman Target’ target. The only concern I had was with the upper treble but lets get into the details.Bass
The bass is well-balanced, providing enough punch and depth to satisfy bass enthusiasts without overpowering the mids and treble. It’s tight and controlled, offering a natural and accurate representation of low frequencies. I did find a sub-bass roll off when listening to a frequency sweep, so a deep subwoofer rumble when watching movies might not always happen but for listening to music I never found the bass wanting. With Massive Attack’s Angel the bass kicked in after a second or 2 and was appropraite balanced for the whole track, no ‘boomy’ bass but also nothing missing from the bass.Mids
Midrange performance is a standout feature, with vocals and instruments rendered with clarity and detail. The neutrality in the mids ensures a true-to-life representation, making it ideal for a wide range of music genres. I loved the tonality on all of my usual midrange tracks for example on “Baby plays around” by Elvis Costello and Anne Sofie van Otter, Anne’s voice was just stunning.Treble
Treble frequencies are mostly handled with care, delivering crisp and clear highs without any sibilance or harshness. But I did feel occasionally there was slightly too much upper treble though some people will simply call this its ’technicalities’ I would have thought its slightly more than appropriate at least in my reference songs. But if you want to hear treble detail without sibiliance this makes a great choice at this price point. My own preference would be for slightly ‘brightness’, so I used a Foam eartip ultimately which as you will see in the Measurement section does lower that treble region slightly.Soundstage and Imaging
The soundstage is surprisingly expansive for an IEM in this category, providing a good sense of space and positioning. Imaging is good for this price point, with a clear distinction of instruments and vocals, allowing for an immersive sound experience.Specifications and Measurements
Specifications
The important specifications:| Drivers | 1 x DD (10mm LCP) |
| Freq Response | 20HZ - 20000HZ |
| Impedance | 32 ohms |
| THD | < 0.5% @ 1KHz |
| Cable | 3.5mm |
| Sensitivity | 107dB @ 1KHz/mW |
| Plug | Detachable 0.78mm 2Pin |
Measurements
Background to these measurements
So new in this review I decided to standardise on a set of measurements which I will use in all future reviews. The idea is to do measure the frequency response of the standard tips (typically the Medium size) but then also measure a typical selection of ear tips which can easily be used to adjust the sound signature. So, I have choosen the following extra measurement options, a narrow bore ear tip, a wide bore, a ’tall’ shaped ear tip, a normal foam tip, a large ‘comfly’ foam tip, a double flange and finally a triple flange.
Because a double and triple flange are typically used by people who have larger than average ear canals so I have adapted these eartips slightly to allow a ‘deeper’ fit my IEC711 ‘clone’ coupler, basically try to simulate a longer ear canal in ‘standard’ coupler. I believe this technique will allow people to select both the best IEM for a specific tonality for them (does not always have to be ‘harman’) and then fine tune it with some ’ear tip rolling’ and for those who find it hard to get good seal this technique might allow them to experiment with alternative eartips and have a reasonable understand of how those alternative eartips alter the frequency response of their ideal IEM.
All measurements will go up on the Pragmatic Audio Squiq.link
So now onto the measurements…
L/F Balance and Distortion
Good Left/Right balance and tonality is very close to Harman:
Very low distortion
Various Ear tip Frequency Responses
Showing all the ear tip variatons shows you can alter the treble regions significantly in the 4kHz to 8Khz region depending on the tip:
Given how close this is to Harman depending on if you want a more Air
Comparison with IEM’s
Some comparisions (lots more on my squiq website ):
Overall you can see the Nuo is an excellent Harman Neutral IEM.
Rating
The Nuo gets a pragmatic score of 4 stars, it is one of the best IEM’s in this price range (if not the best), it is comfortable, measures well and most importantly sounds great.Conclusion
Note: I would like to thank Lillian @ Linsoul for providing the Ziigaat Nuo - if you are interested in purchasing it here is a non-affiliated link to their store: hereThe Ziigaat Nuo IEM is a stellar offering in the budget IEM market, especially for audiophiles seeking a neutral sound signature. It’s adherence to the Neutral ‘Harman Target’ frequency response, combined with a single dynamic driver design, results in an authentic and balanced audio experience. The build quality, comfort, and sound performance make it an excellent choice for both casual listeners and audio enthusiasts.
The Ziigaat Nuo stands out as a high-value proposition, offering a premium listening experience at an accessible price point.
Attachments
Summary
To summarize the review, this is a single DD iem from a new company called Ziigaat. This set “Nuo” comes in at around $25. Physically this is made well, does not feel like a 25$ iem, in terms of fit this is very comfortable. Talking about the most important aspect “sound” this offers a warmish balanced sound with an overall clean and natural presentation. In terms of flaws, sub bass lacks extension and treble sounded peaky/ sharp in certain circumstances. Other than some minor flaws this is the best set in the sub $25 range, in my opinion.
Sound signature: warm balanced
Disclaimer: This unit was purchased with my own money and this review is unbiased and my honest opinion…
Intro
Ziigaat nuo is a sub 25$ single DD iem with a 10mm LCP dynamic driver. It has impedence of 32ohms and sensitivity of 107db.
Talking about Ziigaat they are a new brand from Linsoul. So far their starting line up is looking quite strong. I am planning to check out their 99$ hybrid set soon. Anyways getting back to the Nuo, this is a real good one for the price.
Packaging/ Box Contents
Comes in a standard box, no complains here. It comes with:
Cable
Eartips
Iems itself
Papers
Build and Design
Let’s talk about nuo’s build, this is one of the strongest point of this set, one of the best if not the best in this price range. The shells are made of good quality 3d printed resin. The shells are light weight. The shells are average sized and has the classic semi custom iem shape. The face plate is metal, aluminum I guess, it has smooth matte finish and has very basic design. Fingerprints or scratches are not an issue. The 2 pin connector is flush type. The nozzle is metal with medium length and width. Nozzle is lipped so eartips are held securely. Score:4.75/5
Fit and Comfort
Moving on to the fit and comfort section, it is quite good. The shells sit nice and flush in my regular sized ears. Fit stability is good. Breathability is ok. It is generally comfortable for longr listening sessions. In terms of of passive noise isolation its good. Score: 5/5
Cable
I will keep the cable section short, its solid. Build quality of the cable is pretty good considering the price. Its a 2pin 3.5mm cable with 2 core braiding. I must mention this has slight microphonics. There is cable memory present, although its nitpicking considering its price. Score:4/5
Tested With
Source: Cayin ru7, fiio btr5, apple type c dongle
Eartips: stock
Cable: stock
Music: Tested with versatile genre of music
Sound tonality
Bass
Let’s talk about nuo’s bass performance, its balanced.
Nuo’s bass focuses on quality over quantity. Initially I found the bass specially the sub bass lacking in terms of forwardness, but eventually I can appreciate the level of quality at this price. Mid bass is slightly forward compared to sub bass region. Mid bass presents decent level of authority with decent slam and attack. As I already mention sub bass is a bit recessed to my preference. Bass speed is ok. Bass note separation is good and bass texture is decent. In more acoustic tracks I enjoyed the clean presentation. As a whole quality is there but a bit more bass extension mainly the sub bass would have been solid. Score: 3.75/5
Mids
Midrange performance of the Nuo is its strongest suit. It’s clean and natural.
Transition from mid bass to the mids is mostly linear with a mild warmth. Male vocals sound thicker then female vocals. Overall vocals are clean and crisp but maintains naturalness throughout. There is a good sense of air present in the female vocals and carried over to the instruments section. Instruments section retains decent transparency without being in your face. The balanced nature of the bass continued on the mids of Nuo. Score: 4/5
Highs
Going over to the treble section of the Nuo, its sort of balanced but not exactly either.
Treble section is a bit extended from linear with some peaks present. This is not the most analytical type of treble but rather musical. Details are crisp. I must mention that the treble peaks do sound sharp in some tracks. This might get fatiguing for long listening sessions. This has good resolving capabilities. I enjoyed its sense of air with live tracks. It has good speed and energy. Score: 3.5/5
technicalities score:4/5
Soundstage: average to wider than average
Imaging: ok
Dynamics: good
Sound separation: average to better than average
Resolution: good
Conclusion
Overall I love this set for the level of quality its bringing at this price. Other than some minor issues in the bass and treble, its a great set. As a new company Ziigaat has done a fantastic job with the Nuo and I am excited to see what they bring in the future.
To summarize the review, this is a single DD iem from a new company called Ziigaat. This set “Nuo” comes in at around $25. Physically this is made well, does not feel like a 25$ iem, in terms of fit this is very comfortable. Talking about the most important aspect “sound” this offers a warmish balanced sound with an overall clean and natural presentation. In terms of flaws, sub bass lacks extension and treble sounded peaky/ sharp in certain circumstances. Other than some minor flaws this is the best set in the sub $25 range, in my opinion.
Sound signature: warm balanced
Disclaimer: This unit was purchased with my own money and this review is unbiased and my honest opinion…
Intro
Ziigaat nuo is a sub 25$ single DD iem with a 10mm LCP dynamic driver. It has impedence of 32ohms and sensitivity of 107db.
Talking about Ziigaat they are a new brand from Linsoul. So far their starting line up is looking quite strong. I am planning to check out their 99$ hybrid set soon. Anyways getting back to the Nuo, this is a real good one for the price.
Packaging/ Box Contents
Comes in a standard box, no complains here. It comes with:
Cable
Eartips
Iems itself
Papers
| 
|
| 
|
Build and Design
Let’s talk about nuo’s build, this is one of the strongest point of this set, one of the best if not the best in this price range. The shells are made of good quality 3d printed resin. The shells are light weight. The shells are average sized and has the classic semi custom iem shape. The face plate is metal, aluminum I guess, it has smooth matte finish and has very basic design. Fingerprints or scratches are not an issue. The 2 pin connector is flush type. The nozzle is metal with medium length and width. Nozzle is lipped so eartips are held securely. Score:4.75/5
Fit and Comfort
Moving on to the fit and comfort section, it is quite good. The shells sit nice and flush in my regular sized ears. Fit stability is good. Breathability is ok. It is generally comfortable for longr listening sessions. In terms of of passive noise isolation its good. Score: 5/5
Cable
I will keep the cable section short, its solid. Build quality of the cable is pretty good considering the price. Its a 2pin 3.5mm cable with 2 core braiding. I must mention this has slight microphonics. There is cable memory present, although its nitpicking considering its price. Score:4/5
Tested With
Source: Cayin ru7, fiio btr5, apple type c dongle
Eartips: stock
Cable: stock
Music: Tested with versatile genre of music
Sound tonality
Bass
Let’s talk about nuo’s bass performance, its balanced.
Nuo’s bass focuses on quality over quantity. Initially I found the bass specially the sub bass lacking in terms of forwardness, but eventually I can appreciate the level of quality at this price. Mid bass is slightly forward compared to sub bass region. Mid bass presents decent level of authority with decent slam and attack. As I already mention sub bass is a bit recessed to my preference. Bass speed is ok. Bass note separation is good and bass texture is decent. In more acoustic tracks I enjoyed the clean presentation. As a whole quality is there but a bit more bass extension mainly the sub bass would have been solid. Score: 3.75/5
Mids
Midrange performance of the Nuo is its strongest suit. It’s clean and natural.
Transition from mid bass to the mids is mostly linear with a mild warmth. Male vocals sound thicker then female vocals. Overall vocals are clean and crisp but maintains naturalness throughout. There is a good sense of air present in the female vocals and carried over to the instruments section. Instruments section retains decent transparency without being in your face. The balanced nature of the bass continued on the mids of Nuo. Score: 4/5
Highs
Going over to the treble section of the Nuo, its sort of balanced but not exactly either.
Treble section is a bit extended from linear with some peaks present. This is not the most analytical type of treble but rather musical. Details are crisp. I must mention that the treble peaks do sound sharp in some tracks. This might get fatiguing for long listening sessions. This has good resolving capabilities. I enjoyed its sense of air with live tracks. It has good speed and energy. Score: 3.5/5
technicalities score:4/5
Soundstage: average to wider than average
Imaging: ok
Dynamics: good
Sound separation: average to better than average
Resolution: good
Conclusion
Overall I love this set for the level of quality its bringing at this price. Other than some minor issues in the bass and treble, its a great set. As a new company Ziigaat has done a fantastic job with the Nuo and I am excited to see what they bring in the future.
Attachments
ZiiGaat NUO Part of the ZiiPluse Series, whatever that means...........
Head-Fi
Laughably, Head-Fi is becoming more and more like a shopping mall all the time. Yep, it’s a place where you only have to park your car one time to take a guided tour of mankind’s IEM inventions. Each section is like a storefront, and goes to proclaim what offerings are for sale. You could even call it on-line mall culture. As an example of regular mall culture, there are special mall fashion shirts for sale. Often this style of shirt is designated by a marketing trademark. At times there are names combined with the trademark symbol, but names are slowly going away, to be replaced by only a symbol. Such a symbol designates quality and price…............really a lifestyle possibility upon purchase.
While visiting the mall........often you may see a gentleman wearing one of these symboled shirts, and coincidentally the exact same shirt will be for sale even twenty feet away. I find humor in things like this………maybe I’m easily entertained? But more than that the branding serves a purpose in that (pretty much all the time) there is a level of quality obtained with a brand purchase, you already know what you’re getting before you buy it…for the most part. With IEMs often it can be a brand showing similar designs, similar fitment and even a house sound….....thus improving sales due to reputation.........and past history. Thus this is product marketing and merchandizing..........except for the challenges that may face a new brand? No one is familiar with this new name..........it still needs to prove its worth and value.
Here at Head-Fi the guys walking around in Polo Shirts or Giordano Shirts are simply the Head-Fi members relaying their experiences with IEM ownership. Yep, this place is built on disclosure and critical reviews about various products. Still what happens when a new brand is introduced? I would say the first emotion that goes through my mind is disrespect. We judge new products with a hint of jaded cynicism or skepticism. That is actually a healthy and correct response. Really no matter what the package looks like, or the IEM looks like, there is no credibility that this new product is worth anything………and even if it plays music well, still it may not have the sound character we are looking for. The sound character or the fitment, or something……….
Let me introduce ZiiGaat.
Personally I find this to be a totally strange company name for a company that makes IEMs. Yet it means something…….I will get to that.
ZiiGaat Doscinco: 2DD+3BA Hybrid (Audiophile Tuning) Price soon to be disclosed
ZiiGaat Cinocotres: 2DD+3BA Hybrid (Studio Tuning) Price soon to be disclosed
ZiiGaat Cinno: 1 10mm LCP DD+4BA $99.00
ZiiGaat NUO: Single Full-range 10mm LCP driver $29.00
The Linsoul/HBB Jupiter 4EST+6BA+1DD is powered by ZiiGaat $1.599.00
So they made a showy (big) entrance……considering no-one ever heard of them a few months ago. The ZiiGaat name is an acronym derived from the companies core values: Zero-in on Ideas, Innovate, Grow and Achieve All Together. But more importantly how does the NUO fit and sound?
How does the NUO sound?
Well to start off with, the NUO scales up amazingly well. Meaning from using the included cable and using the HiBy R3 II it was very agreeable, but not everything the NUO could be. So? If you just wanted a basic entry level IEM to go with an entry level DAP things really have changed for the better in this regard. Miles better to me than what the standard iPod response was and better than a regular phone and Apple Dongle…..was the NUO and HiBy response. This is especially noted in both stage size as well as deepness of bass and realism…….still there is more if that is what you’re looking for. I’m not embarrassed to disclose I used the NUO with my favorite silicone wide-bore tips (for increased stage size) then hooked it to the NICEHCK Cyan cable in 4.4mm, then added that to the Sony WM1A using MrWalkman’s firmware. The results………Bigger and more vibrant playback. And I have no issues disclosing that this was in all fairness an audio treat! Due to the way the bass is carefully yet correctly positioned, the midrange will showcase into more robust themes, in comparison to an IEM like the 7Hz Salnotes Zero 2. Yep…..now don’t start to think the mids are too forward or too bright because they are not, only showcased due to the balance at hand. I know the word “balanced” is over used both on the Linsoul NUO web site and the word is often thrown around Head-Fi way too much, except in this case it goes to perfectly describe what we have. And even if you don’t listen to vocal music, this same balance goes ahead to provide the listener with entertaining and provocative musical immersion. It was the pure scalability that made this one fun, being I’m way beyond trying to find the very best IEM there is, sure others offer better technicalities, more separated imaging, except for just what the NUO is……it is very interesting and listenable. There is a warm fluid and ample dose of note-weight to this one…………one that I forgive you for not believing (me) due to price. Sure later-on in the review I will get to the drawbacks and try to find the reality check with this one…….but why rain on the parade so early on? Probably what floats this boat is the simple fact that all is one, there are no dislocations of playback, that and no bad timbre. With-in such realms of playback we find a way that each band of frequencies seem to blend well and are inter-connected in the purest of ways. The NUO is $29.00 but at times goes on sale for $24.00……and in this regard I find this both to be a relatively safe purchase for out and about, yet at the same time an IEM you could easily cozy-up to, and find an extended listening time with at home. The trick here is tuning, that if the tune is special that we can find replay non-offensive and enjoyable………but the other trick is to be amused……to not get bored due to something left-out, or something more wanted. And typically that can happen with ultra-budget IEMs……being they had to cut-costs somewhere? The trick is nothing is too dark or too bright…….it really is finding that sweet-spot dead-center in balance. To try and bring this back down to earth, I’m going to try my luck with instead using the included cable and a phone.
Regarding phone playback:
Maybe the key here is again that balance of thick harmonics, yet nothing sounds too compressed or thin……..as playback still has note-weight, the playback is just not as expanded or as separated…..as far out into the edges as with Sony WM1A playback.
As an example of phone playback:
Depeche Mode
Violator
Enjoy The Silence
44.1 kHz - 16 bit
Here the acoustic/electric guitar has wonderful thickness and while the vocals are not super forward or separated they are out-front and pleasurable. Such synth extras at 01:39 shows some analogue excitement and fun!
Nirvana
Nevermind
Smells Like Teen Spirit
48 kHz - 24 bit
Probably the best compliment I could give the ZiiGaat NUO would be it captures the essence of this song. I don’t want to give the wrong impression here, as this is a $24.00-$29.00 IEM simply hooked to a phone……it is minimal at best……yet my head was nodding as the feeling of the song was totally transferred.
Phone replay conclusions:
Maybe the NUO would be more simply understood with just using the provided ear-tips and cable? Yet I’m trying to replicate a user experience, even if it does complicate matters. And sure at times I don’t reiterate the advantages of using an IEM with a 4.4mm audiophile DAP with wide-bore ear-tips…………..but you see that was my charm with the NUO, that is isn’t just some run-of-the-mill generic cheap IEM, that you could take-it places in sound. As such there was definite changes in regards to audiophile playback (with a DAP) creating a wider stage, better separation, blacker background and more realistic imaging. Such playback features are what this single review is about, no way can I sweep them under the rug?
Build/Fit:
The power here is the 10mm LCP dynamic diaphragm, ported with two rear air-vents. I mean sure everyone realizes that this is maybe the single one thing that generates sound, and it is the effort of that build that generated success or failure. When ZiiGaat uses the word “High Performance” they are not joking around. ZiiGaat are getting you a one year warranty on the headphones and a three month warranty on the cable. As such the top faceplate is solid metal, maybe aluminum, with full resin build weighting in at 4 grams on my kitchen scale. Surprisingly the NUO is bigger than the Cinno. Literally both the Cinno and NUO weight exactly the same and both have 10mm LCP drivers, though the Cinno has 4 extra BA drivers. Really, even though they look different shapes in my comparison photographs, both offer optimal fitment due to small-size and low-weight. In many ways the NUO will fit better than even the 7Hz Salnotes Zero II, being a more conventional shape. It really makes you wonder if the Zero II shape is a form of marketing as of course the Zero II is recognizable from 6 feet away, except I truly have never seen a zig-zag shell shape before? Still in all fairness the Zero II fits well as this shape mostly does not touch the inside of your ear, still the Cinno and NUO simply fit better offering less nonsense.
The faceplate side of the NUO looks long and maybe a little strange too, though you don’t seem to notice this length while listening. But for the record, the NUO is surprisingly long shaped, even noticeable when on its back showing a thinner and longer form-factor than the Cinno. In build features one of my most favorite aspects is the metal nozzle-end. Such a character of construction showcases a very clear lip and joins with the rest of the resin body flawlessly. In ending this section, I have to reiterate that while the NUO looks very different from the Cinno, due to the correct universal custom form and low-weight and small-size, they both fit exceptionally well, without issue. After so many truly heavy 9 gram 10 gram IEMs, you start to appreciate the pleasure of having a 4 gram IEM in your ears. And due to the relaxed tone and fitment of the NUO, you may even find them perfect for sleeping.
Top row Zero MK1 and Zero MK2
Bottom row ZiiGaat Cinno and ZiiGaat NUO
NUO comparisons:
Here I use three other IEMs to try and substantiate the playback character in relation to sonic contrasts. Thus we may encounter a clearer idea as to the playback character. The Zero and Zero II as well as the NUO are priced almost exactly the same…….with the Cinno being $99.00.........4X the price. So why am I even including it? I am including it because the NUO and Cinno are birds of a feather, they share many of the same tuning ideas, separated by the pure technicality of adding 4 more BAs into which the Cinno gets a different midrange and treble display. But more than that, I would probably offer up the Cinno as the better IEM? Still remember that this review is written by a listener that simply likes Hybrid above all other methodologies to make sound with IEMs. And maybe a confused reader could learn that money may be more wisely spent buying one IEM instead of four. Though keep in mind there are sonic features that due to single full-range DD responses, come off better inside of NUO playback. Better than the Cinno due to more cohesiveness and even more natural timbre.
7Hz Salnotes Zero MK1 and Zero MK2:
Interestingly the Zero MK1 and the NUO have a few similarities. Both the Zero MK1 and and Ziigaat NUO have less bass than the Zero MKII. Still this shows itself to be way less of a deal than any graph would have you believe. Meaning the approach of balance by all three IEMs make them listable and musical. Where the Zero MK2 will at times start off sounding very close to the Zero MK1...then in time when a specific bass drop hits (and especially sub-bass) you will start to notice substantial differences in playback. This same bass concept goes for the NUO in comparison to the Zero MK2, with further differences happening in the 2.5kHz to 4kHz Pinna Gain region. On paper this may not seem like much, except this in-fact is the most sensitive area of our hearing, meaning even the smallest change of 1dB is fully noticeable. Also (for me) simply listening to the NUO and Zero MK2 side by side there is a Psychoacoustic change where the higher Pinna Gain area of the Zero MK2 response makes the comparative NUO lower midrange take precedence. This cannot be understated and sonically may represent the biggest differences between the two in playback? Thus if you’re into a more full lower midrange style, with more emphasis there........get the NUO instead of the Zero MK2! I will save you from reading another paragraph on this subject.
But while appearing graphically the same, it is that NUO dip at 2.5kHz to 4kHz that truly substantiates the personality differences here. Where sure there are extra treble energies the NUO holds in relation to the Zero MK2, in a way making the treble like the Zero MK1, except these treble energies are not all that noticeable, at least to me hearing them they are not, doesn't get me wrong I hear the differences, but it is the least of importance in comparison?
Though do take note too of the energies which extend outward towards 5kHz with the NUO. Such upper energies provide a thicker highlight which goes to add both soundstage perception and even goes to substantiate the very top end of vocals. As in first impressions of the NUO, I couldn’t help but key in on this 5kHz feature. And being these energies actually start at 2.5kHz….this means the midrange vocal abilities are never lacking.
Even though the NUO could almost be looked at as a lush darker IEM, it’s actually not totally, thus all the talk of balance here!
The NUO in comparison to the Ziigaat Cinno:
I have never laid eyes on a Cinno graph but still I will go by listening to say this is really more my cup of tea. Upon side by side they are both very equal in response to volume with that tell-tale personality of the lower midrange and even bass being slightly more refined and sculptured with the Cinno. Thus the Cinno goes ahead to also produce a slightly smoother midrange and treble still holding any BA timbre down to a minimum. Sure it’s 4X the money but in-fact the Cinno is generating the perfect sonic storm……..simply better detail………a lower window to look down and find a more refined sculptured bass holding itemization with-in the low-end. Combine that with a more sophisticated treble imaging farther out into the stage outskirts………and technically the Cinno is the better IEM, is it worth the extra money………absolutely. The separation of imaging is simply more real sounding and falling into a blacker background.
Packaging:
Cable:
Such a cable looks more rubbery than it is? Though yes, it is covered with a rubber material, yet it is not bad at all. Nice color coded right and left 2Pin markers, and pleasant ear-hooks.
Conclusion:
Somewhere at this very moment there may be a Head-Fi listener using the NUO and smiling? The NUO is totally entertaining and fun……..really it does a lot for the money. It fits great, can be powered well off a phone and is low in the weight department. To go back to our original Head-Fi shopping mall example…………..this is definitely name brand quality through and through. I mean how could it not be? At times I try and think back to my early days of Head-Fi and remember just how far we have come in this price-point. The replay differences between the Zero MK2 and the NUO mean that the Zero MK2 comes off more contrasty, showing off more of a cornucopia of tones, almost more vivid. And while there are benefits to that, it is this NUO warmer and substantiated lower midrange (that will not show-up in comparison graphs) that when combined with the 2.5kHz to 5kHz “shelf" goes ahead to make the NUO both unique sounding and balanced, both at the same time. Due to maybe Zero MK2 driver quality and tune, there are times when the 7Hz Salenotes seems to pull ahead with vividness, yet it is not everything…......
No........…everything is the Cinno, maybe? Haha!
Still if you wanted to have fun, having both the Cinno and the NUO makes more sense than you would think. Reason being they do share some tuning features, except one being a DD and one a Hybrid goes to make them complementary. Yet Ziigaat may have a house sound none-the-less……..still I have only heard two by the maker, but they do share a similar tone, enough that you could guess they are the same brand…….and just like the Polo Shirts or Giordano Shirts……there is a comfort and a respect for quality that will not let you down. A wearability that tells you it is from a company that knows what they are up to............and is worth your spending money. It’s this wearability that results in friendship……..IEMs that you simply want to use and experience on a daily basis.
$24.00 to $29.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/ziigaat-nuo
Linsoul website: https://www.linsoul.com/
Linsoul Aliexpress Store: https://ddaudio.aliexpress.com/store/2894006
Linsoul USA Amazon Store link: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=merchant-items&me=A267P2DT104U3C
Disclaimer:
I want to thank Kareena from Linsoul for the ZiiGaat NUO review sample.
Disclaimer:
These are one person's ideas and concepts, your results may vary.
Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 3.5mm and 4.4mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 3.5mm and 4.4mm
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
Shanling UA3 Dongle DAC/Amplifier 3.5mm and 4.4mm
Samsung phone 3.5mm
HiBy R3II DAP
Head-Fi
Laughably, Head-Fi is becoming more and more like a shopping mall all the time. Yep, it’s a place where you only have to park your car one time to take a guided tour of mankind’s IEM inventions. Each section is like a storefront, and goes to proclaim what offerings are for sale. You could even call it on-line mall culture. As an example of regular mall culture, there are special mall fashion shirts for sale. Often this style of shirt is designated by a marketing trademark. At times there are names combined with the trademark symbol, but names are slowly going away, to be replaced by only a symbol. Such a symbol designates quality and price…............really a lifestyle possibility upon purchase.
While visiting the mall........often you may see a gentleman wearing one of these symboled shirts, and coincidentally the exact same shirt will be for sale even twenty feet away. I find humor in things like this………maybe I’m easily entertained? But more than that the branding serves a purpose in that (pretty much all the time) there is a level of quality obtained with a brand purchase, you already know what you’re getting before you buy it…for the most part. With IEMs often it can be a brand showing similar designs, similar fitment and even a house sound….....thus improving sales due to reputation.........and past history. Thus this is product marketing and merchandizing..........except for the challenges that may face a new brand? No one is familiar with this new name..........it still needs to prove its worth and value.
Here at Head-Fi the guys walking around in Polo Shirts or Giordano Shirts are simply the Head-Fi members relaying their experiences with IEM ownership. Yep, this place is built on disclosure and critical reviews about various products. Still what happens when a new brand is introduced? I would say the first emotion that goes through my mind is disrespect. We judge new products with a hint of jaded cynicism or skepticism. That is actually a healthy and correct response. Really no matter what the package looks like, or the IEM looks like, there is no credibility that this new product is worth anything………and even if it plays music well, still it may not have the sound character we are looking for. The sound character or the fitment, or something……….
Let me introduce ZiiGaat.
Personally I find this to be a totally strange company name for a company that makes IEMs. Yet it means something…….I will get to that.
ZiiGaat Doscinco: 2DD+3BA Hybrid (Audiophile Tuning) Price soon to be disclosed
ZiiGaat Cinocotres: 2DD+3BA Hybrid (Studio Tuning) Price soon to be disclosed
ZiiGaat Cinno: 1 10mm LCP DD+4BA $99.00
ZiiGaat NUO: Single Full-range 10mm LCP driver $29.00
The Linsoul/HBB Jupiter 4EST+6BA+1DD is powered by ZiiGaat $1.599.00
So they made a showy (big) entrance……considering no-one ever heard of them a few months ago. The ZiiGaat name is an acronym derived from the companies core values: Zero-in on Ideas, Innovate, Grow and Achieve All Together. But more importantly how does the NUO fit and sound?
How does the NUO sound?
Well to start off with, the NUO scales up amazingly well. Meaning from using the included cable and using the HiBy R3 II it was very agreeable, but not everything the NUO could be. So? If you just wanted a basic entry level IEM to go with an entry level DAP things really have changed for the better in this regard. Miles better to me than what the standard iPod response was and better than a regular phone and Apple Dongle…..was the NUO and HiBy response. This is especially noted in both stage size as well as deepness of bass and realism…….still there is more if that is what you’re looking for. I’m not embarrassed to disclose I used the NUO with my favorite silicone wide-bore tips (for increased stage size) then hooked it to the NICEHCK Cyan cable in 4.4mm, then added that to the Sony WM1A using MrWalkman’s firmware. The results………Bigger and more vibrant playback. And I have no issues disclosing that this was in all fairness an audio treat! Due to the way the bass is carefully yet correctly positioned, the midrange will showcase into more robust themes, in comparison to an IEM like the 7Hz Salnotes Zero 2. Yep…..now don’t start to think the mids are too forward or too bright because they are not, only showcased due to the balance at hand. I know the word “balanced” is over used both on the Linsoul NUO web site and the word is often thrown around Head-Fi way too much, except in this case it goes to perfectly describe what we have. And even if you don’t listen to vocal music, this same balance goes ahead to provide the listener with entertaining and provocative musical immersion. It was the pure scalability that made this one fun, being I’m way beyond trying to find the very best IEM there is, sure others offer better technicalities, more separated imaging, except for just what the NUO is……it is very interesting and listenable. There is a warm fluid and ample dose of note-weight to this one…………one that I forgive you for not believing (me) due to price. Sure later-on in the review I will get to the drawbacks and try to find the reality check with this one…….but why rain on the parade so early on? Probably what floats this boat is the simple fact that all is one, there are no dislocations of playback, that and no bad timbre. With-in such realms of playback we find a way that each band of frequencies seem to blend well and are inter-connected in the purest of ways. The NUO is $29.00 but at times goes on sale for $24.00……and in this regard I find this both to be a relatively safe purchase for out and about, yet at the same time an IEM you could easily cozy-up to, and find an extended listening time with at home. The trick here is tuning, that if the tune is special that we can find replay non-offensive and enjoyable………but the other trick is to be amused……to not get bored due to something left-out, or something more wanted. And typically that can happen with ultra-budget IEMs……being they had to cut-costs somewhere? The trick is nothing is too dark or too bright…….it really is finding that sweet-spot dead-center in balance. To try and bring this back down to earth, I’m going to try my luck with instead using the included cable and a phone.
Regarding phone playback:
Maybe the key here is again that balance of thick harmonics, yet nothing sounds too compressed or thin……..as playback still has note-weight, the playback is just not as expanded or as separated…..as far out into the edges as with Sony WM1A playback.
As an example of phone playback:
Depeche Mode
Violator
Enjoy The Silence
44.1 kHz - 16 bit
Here the acoustic/electric guitar has wonderful thickness and while the vocals are not super forward or separated they are out-front and pleasurable. Such synth extras at 01:39 shows some analogue excitement and fun!
Nirvana
Nevermind
Smells Like Teen Spirit
48 kHz - 24 bit
Probably the best compliment I could give the ZiiGaat NUO would be it captures the essence of this song. I don’t want to give the wrong impression here, as this is a $24.00-$29.00 IEM simply hooked to a phone……it is minimal at best……yet my head was nodding as the feeling of the song was totally transferred.
Phone replay conclusions:
Maybe the NUO would be more simply understood with just using the provided ear-tips and cable? Yet I’m trying to replicate a user experience, even if it does complicate matters. And sure at times I don’t reiterate the advantages of using an IEM with a 4.4mm audiophile DAP with wide-bore ear-tips…………..but you see that was my charm with the NUO, that is isn’t just some run-of-the-mill generic cheap IEM, that you could take-it places in sound. As such there was definite changes in regards to audiophile playback (with a DAP) creating a wider stage, better separation, blacker background and more realistic imaging. Such playback features are what this single review is about, no way can I sweep them under the rug?
Build/Fit:
The power here is the 10mm LCP dynamic diaphragm, ported with two rear air-vents. I mean sure everyone realizes that this is maybe the single one thing that generates sound, and it is the effort of that build that generated success or failure. When ZiiGaat uses the word “High Performance” they are not joking around. ZiiGaat are getting you a one year warranty on the headphones and a three month warranty on the cable. As such the top faceplate is solid metal, maybe aluminum, with full resin build weighting in at 4 grams on my kitchen scale. Surprisingly the NUO is bigger than the Cinno. Literally both the Cinno and NUO weight exactly the same and both have 10mm LCP drivers, though the Cinno has 4 extra BA drivers. Really, even though they look different shapes in my comparison photographs, both offer optimal fitment due to small-size and low-weight. In many ways the NUO will fit better than even the 7Hz Salnotes Zero II, being a more conventional shape. It really makes you wonder if the Zero II shape is a form of marketing as of course the Zero II is recognizable from 6 feet away, except I truly have never seen a zig-zag shell shape before? Still in all fairness the Zero II fits well as this shape mostly does not touch the inside of your ear, still the Cinno and NUO simply fit better offering less nonsense.
The faceplate side of the NUO looks long and maybe a little strange too, though you don’t seem to notice this length while listening. But for the record, the NUO is surprisingly long shaped, even noticeable when on its back showing a thinner and longer form-factor than the Cinno. In build features one of my most favorite aspects is the metal nozzle-end. Such a character of construction showcases a very clear lip and joins with the rest of the resin body flawlessly. In ending this section, I have to reiterate that while the NUO looks very different from the Cinno, due to the correct universal custom form and low-weight and small-size, they both fit exceptionally well, without issue. After so many truly heavy 9 gram 10 gram IEMs, you start to appreciate the pleasure of having a 4 gram IEM in your ears. And due to the relaxed tone and fitment of the NUO, you may even find them perfect for sleeping.
Top row Zero MK1 and Zero MK2
Bottom row ZiiGaat Cinno and ZiiGaat NUO
NUO comparisons:
Here I use three other IEMs to try and substantiate the playback character in relation to sonic contrasts. Thus we may encounter a clearer idea as to the playback character. The Zero and Zero II as well as the NUO are priced almost exactly the same…….with the Cinno being $99.00.........4X the price. So why am I even including it? I am including it because the NUO and Cinno are birds of a feather, they share many of the same tuning ideas, separated by the pure technicality of adding 4 more BAs into which the Cinno gets a different midrange and treble display. But more than that, I would probably offer up the Cinno as the better IEM? Still remember that this review is written by a listener that simply likes Hybrid above all other methodologies to make sound with IEMs. And maybe a confused reader could learn that money may be more wisely spent buying one IEM instead of four. Though keep in mind there are sonic features that due to single full-range DD responses, come off better inside of NUO playback. Better than the Cinno due to more cohesiveness and even more natural timbre.
7Hz Salnotes Zero MK1 and Zero MK2:
Interestingly the Zero MK1 and the NUO have a few similarities. Both the Zero MK1 and and Ziigaat NUO have less bass than the Zero MKII. Still this shows itself to be way less of a deal than any graph would have you believe. Meaning the approach of balance by all three IEMs make them listable and musical. Where the Zero MK2 will at times start off sounding very close to the Zero MK1...then in time when a specific bass drop hits (and especially sub-bass) you will start to notice substantial differences in playback. This same bass concept goes for the NUO in comparison to the Zero MK2, with further differences happening in the 2.5kHz to 4kHz Pinna Gain region. On paper this may not seem like much, except this in-fact is the most sensitive area of our hearing, meaning even the smallest change of 1dB is fully noticeable. Also (for me) simply listening to the NUO and Zero MK2 side by side there is a Psychoacoustic change where the higher Pinna Gain area of the Zero MK2 response makes the comparative NUO lower midrange take precedence. This cannot be understated and sonically may represent the biggest differences between the two in playback? Thus if you’re into a more full lower midrange style, with more emphasis there........get the NUO instead of the Zero MK2! I will save you from reading another paragraph on this subject.
But while appearing graphically the same, it is that NUO dip at 2.5kHz to 4kHz that truly substantiates the personality differences here. Where sure there are extra treble energies the NUO holds in relation to the Zero MK2, in a way making the treble like the Zero MK1, except these treble energies are not all that noticeable, at least to me hearing them they are not, doesn't get me wrong I hear the differences, but it is the least of importance in comparison?
Though do take note too of the energies which extend outward towards 5kHz with the NUO. Such upper energies provide a thicker highlight which goes to add both soundstage perception and even goes to substantiate the very top end of vocals. As in first impressions of the NUO, I couldn’t help but key in on this 5kHz feature. And being these energies actually start at 2.5kHz….this means the midrange vocal abilities are never lacking.
Even though the NUO could almost be looked at as a lush darker IEM, it’s actually not totally, thus all the talk of balance here!
The NUO in comparison to the Ziigaat Cinno:
I have never laid eyes on a Cinno graph but still I will go by listening to say this is really more my cup of tea. Upon side by side they are both very equal in response to volume with that tell-tale personality of the lower midrange and even bass being slightly more refined and sculptured with the Cinno. Thus the Cinno goes ahead to also produce a slightly smoother midrange and treble still holding any BA timbre down to a minimum. Sure it’s 4X the money but in-fact the Cinno is generating the perfect sonic storm……..simply better detail………a lower window to look down and find a more refined sculptured bass holding itemization with-in the low-end. Combine that with a more sophisticated treble imaging farther out into the stage outskirts………and technically the Cinno is the better IEM, is it worth the extra money………absolutely. The separation of imaging is simply more real sounding and falling into a blacker background.
Packaging:
Cable:
Such a cable looks more rubbery than it is? Though yes, it is covered with a rubber material, yet it is not bad at all. Nice color coded right and left 2Pin markers, and pleasant ear-hooks.
Conclusion:
Somewhere at this very moment there may be a Head-Fi listener using the NUO and smiling? The NUO is totally entertaining and fun……..really it does a lot for the money. It fits great, can be powered well off a phone and is low in the weight department. To go back to our original Head-Fi shopping mall example…………..this is definitely name brand quality through and through. I mean how could it not be? At times I try and think back to my early days of Head-Fi and remember just how far we have come in this price-point. The replay differences between the Zero MK2 and the NUO mean that the Zero MK2 comes off more contrasty, showing off more of a cornucopia of tones, almost more vivid. And while there are benefits to that, it is this NUO warmer and substantiated lower midrange (that will not show-up in comparison graphs) that when combined with the 2.5kHz to 5kHz “shelf" goes ahead to make the NUO both unique sounding and balanced, both at the same time. Due to maybe Zero MK2 driver quality and tune, there are times when the 7Hz Salenotes seems to pull ahead with vividness, yet it is not everything…......
No........…everything is the Cinno, maybe? Haha!
Still if you wanted to have fun, having both the Cinno and the NUO makes more sense than you would think. Reason being they do share some tuning features, except one being a DD and one a Hybrid goes to make them complementary. Yet Ziigaat may have a house sound none-the-less……..still I have only heard two by the maker, but they do share a similar tone, enough that you could guess they are the same brand…….and just like the Polo Shirts or Giordano Shirts……there is a comfort and a respect for quality that will not let you down. A wearability that tells you it is from a company that knows what they are up to............and is worth your spending money. It’s this wearability that results in friendship……..IEMs that you simply want to use and experience on a daily basis.
$24.00 to $29.00
https://www.linsoul.com/products/ziigaat-nuo
Linsoul website: https://www.linsoul.com/
Linsoul Aliexpress Store: https://ddaudio.aliexpress.com/store/2894006
Linsoul USA Amazon Store link: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=merchant-items&me=A267P2DT104U3C
Disclaimer:
I want to thank Kareena from Linsoul for the ZiiGaat NUO review sample.
Disclaimer:
These are one person's ideas and concepts, your results may vary.
Equipment Used:
Sony WM1Z Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 3.5mm and 4.4mm
Sony WM1A Walkman DAP MrWalkman Firmware 3.5mm and 4.4mm
Sony TA-ZH1ES DAC/AMP Firmware 1.03
Electra Glide Audio Reference Glide-Reference Standard "Fatboy" Power Cord
Sony Walkman Cradle BCR-NWH10
AudioQuest Carbon USB
Shanling UA3 Dongle DAC/Amplifier 3.5mm and 4.4mm
Samsung phone 3.5mm
HiBy R3II DAP
Introduction!
Hello friends!
Today in our review we’ll talk about budget headphones from ZiiGaat Nuo!
And this model comes in a nicely designed small box on the front there is a Zigaat company logo, and at the bottom the name of this model Nuo is written in large letters.
Well, the technical characteristics are indicated on the side and a 10mm dynamic driver is responsible for the sound, and the sensitivity is 117dB and this model has a standard 32ohm impedance, I’ll say right away that the headphones are quite easy to drive.
Let's take a look at what's included!
And first of all, we are immediately greeted by the headphones, and they have a purely black design.
And on the front part on the right earphone there is the ZiiGaat company logo and on the left the name of the Nuo model!
And of course, it’s good that they received a standard 2-pin connector that fits exactly in line with the body, and the headphones received two compensation holes, one next to the 2-pin connector, and the other located on the inside of the headphone next to the nozzle.
Well, the diameter of the sound guide here is 0.5 cm and the nozzle here is quite elongated, which improves the fit in the ear, so they personally fit in my ears perfectly there are no problems with the fit.
Accessories!
And yes, of course, there are accessories, the headphones come with this standard black copper cable with a 3.5 jack plug and 2-pin connectors for connecting to the headphones it is almost tangle-free and convenient.
And there are also ear tips, there are not many of them and these are standard black silicone tips.
How do these headphones sound?
Well, now we come to the most interesting part, namely the comparison of two budget headphones with a very similar setup,I propose to compare them with the 7hz Zero 2.
This is what their frequency response graphs look like compared together, as you can see and by ear you can immediately feel that the Zero 2 has more low frequencies, namely an emphasis on the sub-bass, and the Nuo will be a little brighter at high frequencies, but first things first.
Low Frequencies:
Out of the box, the Zero 2 immediately notices a more substantial and elevated amount of bass, the subwoofer effect here is clearly more pronounced than that of the Nuo, but in terms of mid bass they will already be on par because its amount is the same, but in any case, for lovers of deeper ear-massaging sub bass It's definitely worth looking at Zero 2.
But with regards to the texture and overall clarity of bass tones, they are practically on par.
Yes, and the speed and attack processing of the Nuo is quite good, it is not a planar super high-speed driver, but nevertheless the dynamic driver shows itself well here.
Mid Frequencies:
If in zero 2 we have a neutral and restrained correct tone without unnecessary obvious emphasis on the upper middle area.
Well, on the contrary, the presentation is more transparent and light, but here it will be purely a matter of taste as to who prefers which option for serving the middle.
Well, the delivery of vocals in the Nuo is more rich and energetic but is still within the norm, but in general in this area both models do not emphasize sibilances and various hisses in the voice, which I think is very important for many, and the drums have quite confident emphasized transients and don't take much attention.
High Frequencies:
These two models have a fairly similar approach to tuning at high frequencies, only 7Hz sounds more pleasant to me personally due to the fact that there is no such rise from 8kHz to 14 as in Nuo, because by ear, when comparing these headphones, the difference is immediately obvious in favor of 7Hz since they may be a little more neutral with subdued distant highs, but at the same time they will not lose their detail on the plates, and with technicality in these models everything is quite good!
Although I’m sure that even a slightly more accentuated presentation of cymbals in the Nuo will suit some people more, this could also be the case, since due to this rise there appears even more air and a possible feeling of increased detail, but it’s also worth saying that because of this, 7Hz Ziro 2 are less critical to the quality of the recording, since they play for the most part as it is, and don’t really try to add anything of their own in this area, whereas in well, this emphasis on the highs will really draw out some nuances and micro-details in the music, perhaps this will be more for someone The important thing here is to decide for yourself what is closer to you.
Stage and stereo panorama:
The scene and visualization in the ZiiGaat Nuo turned out to be well-developed in width, of course, without any record space, but I wouldn’t say that everything feels crumpled and squeezed, no, on the contrary, we have good and, most importantly, legible drawing and construction of plans.
My conclusion on these headphones:
ZiiGaat Nuo provided us with a lighter and more energetic presentation of mid and high frequencies but with slightly less sub-bass, so I hope everyone will choose something suitable for themselves, and as usual, I tried to describe the sound of these models as accurately and in detail as possible and how it really is in fact.
Link where you can buy them!
Linsoul : https://www.linsoul.com/products/ziigaat-nuo
Icygenius was with you, I will be glad if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch this full review on 7hz Zero 2 vs ZiiGaat NUO !
Hello friends!
Today in our review we’ll talk about budget headphones from ZiiGaat Nuo!
And this model comes in a nicely designed small box on the front there is a Zigaat company logo, and at the bottom the name of this model Nuo is written in large letters.
Well, the technical characteristics are indicated on the side and a 10mm dynamic driver is responsible for the sound, and the sensitivity is 117dB and this model has a standard 32ohm impedance, I’ll say right away that the headphones are quite easy to drive.
Let's take a look at what's included!
And first of all, we are immediately greeted by the headphones, and they have a purely black design.
And on the front part on the right earphone there is the ZiiGaat company logo and on the left the name of the Nuo model!
And of course, it’s good that they received a standard 2-pin connector that fits exactly in line with the body, and the headphones received two compensation holes, one next to the 2-pin connector, and the other located on the inside of the headphone next to the nozzle.
Well, the diameter of the sound guide here is 0.5 cm and the nozzle here is quite elongated, which improves the fit in the ear, so they personally fit in my ears perfectly there are no problems with the fit.
Accessories!
And yes, of course, there are accessories, the headphones come with this standard black copper cable with a 3.5 jack plug and 2-pin connectors for connecting to the headphones it is almost tangle-free and convenient.
And there are also ear tips, there are not many of them and these are standard black silicone tips.
How do these headphones sound?
Well, now we come to the most interesting part, namely the comparison of two budget headphones with a very similar setup,I propose to compare them with the 7hz Zero 2.
This is what their frequency response graphs look like compared together, as you can see and by ear you can immediately feel that the Zero 2 has more low frequencies, namely an emphasis on the sub-bass, and the Nuo will be a little brighter at high frequencies, but first things first.
Low Frequencies:
Out of the box, the Zero 2 immediately notices a more substantial and elevated amount of bass, the subwoofer effect here is clearly more pronounced than that of the Nuo, but in terms of mid bass they will already be on par because its amount is the same, but in any case, for lovers of deeper ear-massaging sub bass It's definitely worth looking at Zero 2.
But with regards to the texture and overall clarity of bass tones, they are practically on par.
Yes, and the speed and attack processing of the Nuo is quite good, it is not a planar super high-speed driver, but nevertheless the dynamic driver shows itself well here.
Mid Frequencies:
If in zero 2 we have a neutral and restrained correct tone without unnecessary obvious emphasis on the upper middle area.
Well, on the contrary, the presentation is more transparent and light, but here it will be purely a matter of taste as to who prefers which option for serving the middle.
Well, the delivery of vocals in the Nuo is more rich and energetic but is still within the norm, but in general in this area both models do not emphasize sibilances and various hisses in the voice, which I think is very important for many, and the drums have quite confident emphasized transients and don't take much attention.
High Frequencies:
These two models have a fairly similar approach to tuning at high frequencies, only 7Hz sounds more pleasant to me personally due to the fact that there is no such rise from 8kHz to 14 as in Nuo, because by ear, when comparing these headphones, the difference is immediately obvious in favor of 7Hz since they may be a little more neutral with subdued distant highs, but at the same time they will not lose their detail on the plates, and with technicality in these models everything is quite good!
Although I’m sure that even a slightly more accentuated presentation of cymbals in the Nuo will suit some people more, this could also be the case, since due to this rise there appears even more air and a possible feeling of increased detail, but it’s also worth saying that because of this, 7Hz Ziro 2 are less critical to the quality of the recording, since they play for the most part as it is, and don’t really try to add anything of their own in this area, whereas in well, this emphasis on the highs will really draw out some nuances and micro-details in the music, perhaps this will be more for someone The important thing here is to decide for yourself what is closer to you.
Stage and stereo panorama:
The scene and visualization in the ZiiGaat Nuo turned out to be well-developed in width, of course, without any record space, but I wouldn’t say that everything feels crumpled and squeezed, no, on the contrary, we have good and, most importantly, legible drawing and construction of plans.
My conclusion on these headphones:
ZiiGaat Nuo provided us with a lighter and more energetic presentation of mid and high frequencies but with slightly less sub-bass, so I hope everyone will choose something suitable for themselves, and as usual, I tried to describe the sound of these models as accurately and in detail as possible and how it really is in fact.
Link where you can buy them!
Linsoul : https://www.linsoul.com/products/ziigaat-nuo
Icygenius was with you, I will be glad if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch this full review on 7hz Zero 2 vs ZiiGaat NUO !
TLDR version on YouTube: TDLR - Ziigaat Nuo
The Ziigaat Nuo have been sent to me by Linsoul for me to try out and share my opinions in this review. No special requests have been made and, as always, I will do my best to be as unbiased as possible.
You can find a link to the Ziigaat Nuo via Linsoul by visiting the version of this review published on my blog. As always, it is a non-affiliate link.
To avoid being repetetive in my reviews, you can find all the info about how I create the reviews, equipment used, how I receive the products and how to interpret my reviews by visiting: About my reviews
Intro…
Anyone who follows the budget segment of IEMs will have noticed that suddenly Ziigaat is appearing in a lot of posts and conversations. While the brand name may be new, they have actually been around for quite a while, producing IEMs for other brands that are more commonly known in the IEM world.
Recently they brought out a few models under their own brand name and have made quite some noise on the scene, in a good way. As always, it is possible that a lot of the excitement is part of the FOTM but, even so, it can’t be denied that they have built themselves a good name in a very short time period.
The Nuo, which is the model I have here today, is a 10mm LCP dynamic driver that has been designed in house by them, showing that they are not just grabbing a driver and printing a shell for it. The Nuo is also priced at a very low 20€, which places it well inside what I consider the ultra-budget range (sub 50€).
So how does it fare against some of the other very capable sets at this price? Well, I guess that is what we are here to find out.
Presentation…
If you are looking for a beautiful and elegant presentation, well, this is not one of those cases. The outer sleeve of the box reminds be of a blank VHS from the 80s, which is not necessarily a bad thing, just that it is not going to win any prizes here.
The contents are ground breaking either, containing the IEMs, a simple black cable and 3 sets of simple black silicone tips. Even the included documentation, in other words the warranty card, is just a small piece of paper printed on both sides.
But none of this is a complaint! With a budget of 20€ (well, a lot less than that at cost price), I certainly don’t expect, or want, them to spend it on things that are not connected to the sound performance.
Build and aesthetics…
Moving on to the IEMs, there is nothing really flashy going on here either. Using simple black semi- translucid shells, with plain black face placetes that show the Ziigaat logo on one side and “ZiiPluse Series NUO” on the other, both in white, they are not offensive but do not look like the cost more than they do either.
The cable follows the same strategy, a simple rubber black twist that turns to single after the split, is fitted with metal connectors and hardware, along with a plastic chin slider. Again, nothing that stands out.
What I will say is that they are extremely light and they are also very comfortable in my ears. The included tips are nothing special but work well with the IEMs, lending to an overall “simple but works” set up.
Sound…
All tracks mentioned are clickable links that allow you to open the reference track in the streaming service of your choice (YouTube, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify, etc.)
Now we get to the good part, the sound that these IEMs can give us for just 20€. The may have a bit of an emphasis on the higher ranges on occasions but in general they are pretty well balanced and stay very clean throughout the whole spectrum.
Here is the usual look at the graph of their frequency response in comparison to my usual preference as reference:
Starting off from the bottom, there is not a huge amount of rumble although the subbass is present. There is a lot of cleanliness in the lower ranges, subbass and midbass, which may give the sensation that there is less bass than there actually is, however, when tracks hit hard in those lower ranges, the NUO don’t hold back.
With my obligatory “Chameleon” test, there is no huge wall of subbass, yet you can still appreciate the notes that are hitting down low, they are just clean and articulate, and that runs into the midbass also.
Listening to “Long After You’re Gone”, there is body to the guitar, along with a sensation of punch when the body is tapped, yet it is clean. In fact, they remind me a lot of the 7Hz Zero (the originals) in the way that the low end is presented, just with a slight movement of focus from the subbass to the midbass.
There is no fatigue from the midbass, with the electric guitar of “Crazy” having that low end reverb which is easily appreciated yet not overpowering. The midbass and the mids in general are possibly the most impressive part about the NUO. Not due to quantity but quality in this price range.
The mids do not seem to be scooped out or miss anything at all, with male and female vocals sounding very articulate yet natural. The detail in these ranges is also very impressive for a set of 20€ IEMs, with things like the electronic bass of “No Sanctuary Here” sounding impressive and punchy but not taking away from the natural sound of actual bass guitars.
As we move through the upper mids, they again remind me a lot of the 7Hz Zero, a set that I really like the upper mid tuning of. Things are nice and upfront but not overly harsh, not taking away the spotlight from those lower ranges, presenting a nice balance to my ears.
As we move into the treble areas, here is where things are not quite how I would like them to be. There is a nice sensation of air and extension yet it is a little peaky, giving a bit of a synthetic touch to some tracks and overly emphasizing sibilance on other tracks such as “Hope Is A Dangerous Thing”.
Depending on the music of choice, this can lead to some fatigue. If the songs are already mixed towards the brighter side of things then the upper ranges can be overly ephasized and can lead to them becoming tiring over longer sessions.
As I said, detail is very respectable in the lower and mid ranges, with it being also pretty decent in the higher ranges also, just with the risk of coinciding with certain peaks that can give it a bit of a fake feel, again, depending on the music chosen.
I wouldn’t say that these have a very large soundstage yet they do manage to provide a sensation of space between layers with tracks like “Strange Fruit”. Here the vocals are very close together but don’t seem to be standing on one another, keeping a nice separation between those vocal layers.
Conclusion…
There really are some amazing sets of IEMs available in the ultra budget range and I think that the Ziigaat NUO certainly deserve to share a table with them. I can’t say that they are the best 20€ IEMs that I have ever heard but that is definitely down to personal preference and not due to clear performance issues between the sets.
The NUO give far more than anyone would have ever guessed possible from a set of 20€ IEMs not long ago, and even now, when there are multiple sets of great IEMs at this price point, they are still up there amongst the best.
I think some people may find them a little tiring if their music selection doesn’t do well with the focus towards the upper ranges, but again, that is going to be due to personal preference (in music and tuning) and not because the IEMs are not worthy of their price point.
There is a reason why Ziigaat is getting a lot of mention lately and the NUO are another part of that reason.
___
As always, this review is also available in Spanish, both on my blog (www.achoreviews.com) and on YouTube (www.youtube.com/achoreviews)
All FR measurements of IEMs can be viewed and compared on achoreviews.squig.link
All isolation measurements of IEMs can be found on achoreviews.squig.link/isolation
DISCLAIMER
I would like to thank Linsoul for providing the Nuo.
It can be gotten here: https://www.linsoul.com/products/ziigaat-nuo (no affiliate links).
In case anyone is wondering what's up with the Ziigaat moniker, it stands for: Zero-in on Ideas, Innovate, Grow and Achieve All Together.
SPECIFICATIONS
ACCESSORIES
Other than the IEM, these are included:
- 3 pairs of silicone eartips (S/M/L)
- Cable
The accessory inclusion is quite spartan, but I guess for $20ish bucks, one can't ask for the moon.
We do not have any foam tips included, and only one set of silicone tips are provided, which thankfully, are pretty serviceable.
The stock oxygen-free silver-plated copper is surprisingly decent. It is not too tangly, and has a chin cinch, though it lies on the thinner side. Microphonics are slight, and it has a 2-pin termination, which generally has better shelf-life than MMCX.
There is no case or pouch in the packaging.
The rest of this review was done with the stock cable and stock silicone tips. No aftermarket accessories were used, so as not to add any confounders to the sound.
BUILD/COMFORT
The housings are fashioned from semi-transparent resin, with a triangular shaped motif. The shells are very light and ergonomic, with a concha protrusion for added grip. Comfort is top-notch, and this IEM can be used for hour-long sessions without issues.
Being a vented IEM, isolation is bang average. I did not encounter any driver flex on my pair.
DRIVABILITY
I tested the Nuo with the following sources:
- Apple dongle
- Cayin RU7
- Fiio K11 DAC/amp
- Fiio KA13 dongle
- Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022 DAP
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW WM1A DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Smartphone
The Nuo is easily driven even off weaker sources, with amplification not truly required.
SOUND & TECHNICALITIES
Graph of the Ziigaat Nuo via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler peak.
Tonally, the Nuo can be described as having a bright U-shaped signature.
This IEM is sub-bass focused, with a nice rumble heard in heavy bass tracks. However, the Nuo is not a basshead IEM per se. Bass quality is very good for the coin, we hear a fast and nimble bass, with decent texturing and no mid-bass bleed.
The lower midrange has a hair of recession, but is otherwise very transparent and clear without any mid-bass bleed encroaching into this area. With just a 5 dB ear gain, the upper mids are forwards without shoutiness, so folks sensitive to upper mids should be quite at home with the tuning.
The lower treble continues on from the upper mids boost, and this region has good resolution for an ultra-budget single DD. Thereafter the upper treble does roll-off slightly. However, treble-sensitive folk may have an issue with this set: There is some sibilance, with splashiness of high-hats and cymbals, but perhaps EQ, warmer sources or eartip rolling may mitigate this region.
Note weight lies on the thinner side, and timbre-wise, there are instances of nasal vocals and metallic overtones to acoustic instruments.
In technicalities, the Nuo is quite good, and actually belies its $20ish entrance fee. Soundstage is above average in all 3 dimensions, with nice instrument separation and layering. Micro-details are retained pretty well, and imaging, while not exactly pinpoint, is probably head-and-shoulders above other similarly priced rivals. Clarity is excellent, but this is a function of the boosted treble.
COMPARISONS
Comparisons were made with other $20ish single DDs. Pure BA, hybrids and planars were left out of the comparisons as the different driver types have their pros and cons.
Salnotes Zero 2
The Salnotes Zero 2 has a thicker note weight and is warmer than the Nuo. It has a deeper bass, with less treble extension, though the treble isn't as fatiguing and sibilant as the Nuo's.
The Zero 2 has a more natural timbre for acoustic instruments, though it lags behind in technicalities, with poorer micro-detailing, instrument separation and imaging. Soundstage is a bit wider on the Zero 2 however.
Fit is more contentious on the Zero 2, as its angular chassis may poke the ears, compared to the more ergonomic Nuo.
Tangzu Wan'er
The Wan'er is darker, with a thicker note weight. Bass bleeding is quite obvious on the Wan'er, and this region isn't as clean as on the Nuo.
Timbre is more organic on the Wan'er, though it loses in technical chops, with the Wan'er having worse imaging, soundstage and micro-detailing.
Tanchjim One
The Tanchjim One has more upper midrange (ie it is shoutier), though it has slightly less upper treble and extension.
Timbre is a tinge less natural on the Tanchjim One. It has a bit of a larger soundstage, though weaker imaging and micro-detailing compared to the Nuo.
The Tanchjim One is bullet-shaped, though it has driver flex, which may be a deal-breaker for some.
CONCLUSIONS
The Ziigaat Nuo is a decent ultra-budget single DD, boasting of solid value proposition at the cost of a mere $20ish USD. It is easily driven, with great ergonomics. Technicalities are good when A/B comparisons are performed against the usual $20 single DD benchmarks, and bass is of high quality, with a clean and transparent midrange.
There are some compromises though. The treble, while resolving and detailed, has some sibilance and fatigue, and the Nuo may not be the best bedfellow for treble-sensitive peeps as such. On the flip side, trebleheads might actually appreciate the sonics of this set, also perhaps analytical-seekers and detail-heads. However, timbre has some metallic overtones, but I can close one eye considering the Nuo costs the same as a restaurant meal.
In the big scheme of things, the Nuo does more things right than wrong, and I would recommend it for newcomers to the CHIFI rabbithole, or even as a gift or everyday carry beater set, in view of the exceptional price-to-performance ratio. Dyed-in-the-wool CHIFI addicts will probably have something higher-end in their collection, and this subset of audiophiles might be wise to keep their powder dry for a more substantial (though expensive) upgrade down the line.
I would like to thank Linsoul for providing the Nuo.
It can be gotten here: https://www.linsoul.com/products/ziigaat-nuo (no affiliate links).
In case anyone is wondering what's up with the Ziigaat moniker, it stands for: Zero-in on Ideas, Innovate, Grow and Achieve All Together.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Driver configuration: 10 mm LCP dynamic driver
- Impedance: 32 Ω
- Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Sensitivity: 107 dB/mW
- Cable: 2-pin, 0.78 mm; 3.5 mm termination. Oxygen-free silver-plated copper
- Tested at $24 USD
ACCESSORIES
Other than the IEM, these are included:
- 3 pairs of silicone eartips (S/M/L)
- Cable
The accessory inclusion is quite spartan, but I guess for $20ish bucks, one can't ask for the moon.
We do not have any foam tips included, and only one set of silicone tips are provided, which thankfully, are pretty serviceable.
The stock oxygen-free silver-plated copper is surprisingly decent. It is not too tangly, and has a chin cinch, though it lies on the thinner side. Microphonics are slight, and it has a 2-pin termination, which generally has better shelf-life than MMCX.
There is no case or pouch in the packaging.
The rest of this review was done with the stock cable and stock silicone tips. No aftermarket accessories were used, so as not to add any confounders to the sound.
BUILD/COMFORT
The housings are fashioned from semi-transparent resin, with a triangular shaped motif. The shells are very light and ergonomic, with a concha protrusion for added grip. Comfort is top-notch, and this IEM can be used for hour-long sessions without issues.
Being a vented IEM, isolation is bang average. I did not encounter any driver flex on my pair.
DRIVABILITY
I tested the Nuo with the following sources:
- Apple dongle
- Cayin RU7
- Fiio K11 DAC/amp
- Fiio KA13 dongle
- Hiby R3 Pro Saber 2022 DAP
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW WM1A DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Smartphone
The Nuo is easily driven even off weaker sources, with amplification not truly required.
SOUND & TECHNICALITIES
Graph of the Ziigaat Nuo via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler peak.
Tonally, the Nuo can be described as having a bright U-shaped signature.
This IEM is sub-bass focused, with a nice rumble heard in heavy bass tracks. However, the Nuo is not a basshead IEM per se. Bass quality is very good for the coin, we hear a fast and nimble bass, with decent texturing and no mid-bass bleed.
The lower midrange has a hair of recession, but is otherwise very transparent and clear without any mid-bass bleed encroaching into this area. With just a 5 dB ear gain, the upper mids are forwards without shoutiness, so folks sensitive to upper mids should be quite at home with the tuning.
The lower treble continues on from the upper mids boost, and this region has good resolution for an ultra-budget single DD. Thereafter the upper treble does roll-off slightly. However, treble-sensitive folk may have an issue with this set: There is some sibilance, with splashiness of high-hats and cymbals, but perhaps EQ, warmer sources or eartip rolling may mitigate this region.
Note weight lies on the thinner side, and timbre-wise, there are instances of nasal vocals and metallic overtones to acoustic instruments.
In technicalities, the Nuo is quite good, and actually belies its $20ish entrance fee. Soundstage is above average in all 3 dimensions, with nice instrument separation and layering. Micro-details are retained pretty well, and imaging, while not exactly pinpoint, is probably head-and-shoulders above other similarly priced rivals. Clarity is excellent, but this is a function of the boosted treble.
COMPARISONS
Comparisons were made with other $20ish single DDs. Pure BA, hybrids and planars were left out of the comparisons as the different driver types have their pros and cons.
Salnotes Zero 2
The Salnotes Zero 2 has a thicker note weight and is warmer than the Nuo. It has a deeper bass, with less treble extension, though the treble isn't as fatiguing and sibilant as the Nuo's.
The Zero 2 has a more natural timbre for acoustic instruments, though it lags behind in technicalities, with poorer micro-detailing, instrument separation and imaging. Soundstage is a bit wider on the Zero 2 however.
Fit is more contentious on the Zero 2, as its angular chassis may poke the ears, compared to the more ergonomic Nuo.
Tangzu Wan'er
The Wan'er is darker, with a thicker note weight. Bass bleeding is quite obvious on the Wan'er, and this region isn't as clean as on the Nuo.
Timbre is more organic on the Wan'er, though it loses in technical chops, with the Wan'er having worse imaging, soundstage and micro-detailing.
Tanchjim One
The Tanchjim One has more upper midrange (ie it is shoutier), though it has slightly less upper treble and extension.
Timbre is a tinge less natural on the Tanchjim One. It has a bit of a larger soundstage, though weaker imaging and micro-detailing compared to the Nuo.
The Tanchjim One is bullet-shaped, though it has driver flex, which may be a deal-breaker for some.
CONCLUSIONS
The Ziigaat Nuo is a decent ultra-budget single DD, boasting of solid value proposition at the cost of a mere $20ish USD. It is easily driven, with great ergonomics. Technicalities are good when A/B comparisons are performed against the usual $20 single DD benchmarks, and bass is of high quality, with a clean and transparent midrange.
There are some compromises though. The treble, while resolving and detailed, has some sibilance and fatigue, and the Nuo may not be the best bedfellow for treble-sensitive peeps as such. On the flip side, trebleheads might actually appreciate the sonics of this set, also perhaps analytical-seekers and detail-heads. However, timbre has some metallic overtones, but I can close one eye considering the Nuo costs the same as a restaurant meal.
In the big scheme of things, the Nuo does more things right than wrong, and I would recommend it for newcomers to the CHIFI rabbithole, or even as a gift or everyday carry beater set, in view of the exceptional price-to-performance ratio. Dyed-in-the-wool CHIFI addicts will probably have something higher-end in their collection, and this subset of audiophiles might be wise to keep their powder dry for a more substantial (though expensive) upgrade down the line.
The word ZIIGAAT is quite strange for us as it is just like some nonsensical word that came up randomly. But the truth was it has something to do with the core tenets of the said audio company. ZIIGAAT is an acronym of Zero-In in Ideas, Innovate, Grow and Achieve All Together (that's quite a wordy one). Their mission-vision as a company is to harness the synergy of both audio quality and the advancement of audio technology for all audio enthusiasts to help to reach their pinnacle of audio experience with some support of innovation and ideas that they provide, and also their goal as a company is to become one of world-renowned audio company which is quite ambitious endeavour on their behalf.
ZIIGAAT was previously part of a bigger OEM/ODM company that specialises on audio technology solutions just like the origins of some audio companies out there, until they decided to step out and became an independent one.
And I have here one of their inaugural product models, The ZIIGAAT Nuo (looks like a misspelt word to me of a Spanish first cardinal number, Uno). The Nuo is an IEM with a single dynamic driver configuration. The driver that was implemented here is a 10mm dual chambered dynamic driver with LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) diaphragm whose properties have better tensile strength and elasticity for faster movement response on the membrane that will deliver a clearer, more precise and better resolution of the overall sound quality.
The driver is encapsulated in a composite shell chassis consisting of acrylic resin on its cavity base which has an opaque black colour and its faceplate is made aluminium alloy. Its ergonomic shell design takes a modified UIEM-type form factor as it has less protruding stabilising fin on its cavity base. The overall aesthetics appears to be quite minimalist and its shell proportions are of a medium size with a white print of the company logo and model name on each channel part of the shell chassis. As I observe it closely, the faceplate appears to be quite similar to TANCHJIM Oxygen, which I really liked when I auditioned for it in 2019 . It has a vent hole in the part where the dynamic driver was situated as it releases excess air pressure inside generated from the dynamic driver. As for its detachable mechanism, the Nuo has a 0.78mm bi-pin connector that is proven and more stable, and makes it easier to do some cable swapping.
In regards to its cable, The ZIIGAAT Nuo's stock is probably one of the best stock cables of an IEM in under US$25/£19 segment as it is of a good quality, resistant against entanglement and no microphones at all. The cables are made of oxygen-free silver-plated copper wiring in a 2-core configuration that were braided to achieve better flow of electronic signal and eliminates any chances of microphonics. At its end point, it has a gold-plated 3.5mm SE termination plug.
When it comes to fitting and comfort, The Nuo offer a very comfortable wear to my lugholes as it rests well on the ear canal. It has a decent isolation that it able to block some unwarranted noises from the outside surroundings.
As for its product packaging, the ZIIGAAT NUO is rather straightforward in that fashion as it has a square box with some design and prints looks straight from the 80's. The inclusions are pretty basic just to be simply used.
Here are some following contents included in the packaging box:
■ Pair of ZIIGAAT NUO IEM transducers
■ Stock cable
■ Three (3) pairs of ear tips of different standard sizes.
■ User's manual/warranty card
In terms of power scaling and amplification, this set is pretty easy to drive with 32 ohms and 117dB, it can scale well to any power output from any source from smartphones to desktop-type headphone amplifiers. This set is able to deliver a vivid and full-range sound that encompasses the whole part of the frequency spectrum.
To determine its tonality, ZIIGAAT Nuo has a U-shaped sound signature which I can classify as "Harmanish" as it has more focus on the low end part on the low frequency and some emphasis parts of the upper-mids and accented presence part on the high frequency.
(Graph was provided by @baskingshark , credits to him)
LOWS/BASS:
Given of my familiarity with Harman-style of tuning (I approximately owned around 30 sets with the similar target tuning curve and tested and audition about 50 sets from ultra-budgets up to TOTL) that it focuses more on the sub-bass presence than the mid-bass which I highly criticised this type of tuning as I find it lean, unnatural and "too digital" sounding in my liking.
But ZIIGAAT seems to deviate slightly from a typical Harman bass shelf as it adds a little bit of texture on the mid-bass just to give an ample note weight on instruments and vocals to deliver a punchy, precise and zappy bass response. Bass guitars sound more resonant, bass kick drums have rumbling and bit hollow but at least it was able to play back some of the fast double bass kicks from extreme metal tracks and bass-baritones have those rich and resonance voices but i also noticed that its less darker tone, less intense and lack of depth.
MIDRANGE:
Midrange recession is certainly perceived on the overall tuning of this set. It has ample warmth, a balanced texturing on its note weight and energetic quality on them that will be more beneficial towards mostly female vocals, strings and woodwind instrumentation.
Male vocals are somehow smooth, pleasant, fairly lush on baritones while the clear and ringing sound on tenors' voices have and then countertenors have that tender and glossy sound from their falsetto vocals. Females vocals like contraltos have plush and husky vocal qualities but its depth and volume are somehow inadequate, while medium and high vocal range like mezzo-sopranos and sopranos, mezzo-sopranos sound fiery and tender as they sound euphonic with their expressive vocals, whereas the sopranos have those bright, metallic and shining vocals that it was able to project from dramatic sopranos up to the coloratura sopranos although the later might sound too energetic that they sound too shrill and sharp in a long run.
On instruments, as I mentioned that strings and woodwinds will sound more highlighted on this set, guitars have midrange-y and crisp on its sound on every plucking of its string, violins have full and introspective sound on them, piccolos sounds more intense and penetrating while flutes have a bright and soft sound on them, and then both clarinets and saxophones have warm and earthy sound on them. Brasses like trumpets, horns and trombones, they sound brilliant, mellow and soft respectively. On percussives, snare drums sound sharp and bright, toms-toms sound a bit hollow yet resonant, field drums have sombre sound and kettledrums or also known as timpanis have dry and resonant sound on them. Pianos' sounds seem to be balanced with just added brightness on them.
HIGHS/TREBLE:
The treble response of this one seems to be on smoother side although there is an emphasis somewhere on the upper-mids to presence that gives a more energetic and vibrancy on female vocals that might an issue to some treble-sensitive folks out there but this will give a more crisper and definition on some percussion and rhythm instruments' attack. Sibilance is somehow kept under control but sometimes I noticed some hints of it particularly on sibilant-laden tracks.
On the brilliance part, sparkle is evidently present but it is intense and over sizzle that will affect some instruments' timbre and the airy extension has a moderate range for a single DD. Cymbals sound glistening and shimmering while hi-hats have a shortened buzzing tone with their distinctive chick-y sound. Celestas have bell-like and glistening sounds and glockenspiels have lustrous and striking sounds.
SOUNDSTAGE, IMAGING AND OTHER TECHNICALITIES:
Its sound/speaker overall dimensions seems to on average to above-average on width span, have a measurable height ceiling and it a decent depth on how it projects me front to rear depends on variable amplitude of fundamentals of frequencies and harmonics as it presents me more frontal. Therefore, it gives me fairly moderate headroom and my head shadow seems to be that I'm at the centre point at perceiving soundscape.
Stereo imaging seems to have a typical two-dimensional stereo presentation as I was able to panned out the positioning of instruments and vocals in both channels, but not the most pinpoint manner to locate each element precisely. It has a decent separation of instruments and layering appears to be not so well-defined on its tonal and frequency layer on how they are arranged in sonic canvas but it seems that it has a decent playback with some complex testing tracks.
Coherency of its driver is quite impressive as it performs quite fast and responsive. It has satisfactory resolution capabilities with good macro-dynamics and its micro-detail retrieval is passable as it can retrieve some nuances and subtleties of information from an audio track.
PEER COMPARISONS:
TINHIFI C2
● Like Nuo, it is a single DD IEM and it also has a 10mm LCP driver but it was encased in aluminium alloy shell structure with some mecha-like aesthetics on its overall design. It has more inclusions of eartips but Nuo has better stock cable.
● As for its tuning, both C2 and Nuo shared a similar sound profile which is U-shaped but the difference was that the C2 has more energetic, crisper and shimmering upper-mids up to brilliance treble. On technicalities, they are quite alike in most cases but the differences are that the C2 has a tad better on layering definition and a bit sharper on its micro-detail retrieval.
7HZ ZERO II
● While it has similar driver configuration and material composition of its shell chassis with the Nuo, it also has some contrasting features like its dynamic driver consists of composite materials and its shell design is more angular and edgy. It also has more ear tips inclusion but its stock cable is quite inferior compared to Nuo's.
● As for tonality, the Zero II has a mild-U sound signature which makes it more balanced sounding compared to the Nuo. It has a bit more sub-bass rumble, less recessed with similar warmness but has a semblance of transparency midrange presentation, and then smooth and a tad refined treble response but it has a modest amount of air and less sparkling compared to Nuo. On the technical side, As they are quite similar in most aspects but sound/speaker depth is a bit more immersive on Zero II but its layering, it has less definition as it struggles a bit on more complex multi-instrumental tracks.
TRUTHEAR HOLA
● Another single DD IEM with LCP diaphragm on its dynamic driver. It has similar shell design too albeit its shell chassis is made of 3D-printed polycarbonate plastic which feels cheap to hold and touch them. At least it has a good quality cable and it has more accessories to offer and it has a storage bin too.
● Hola is also a U-shaped sounding set and compared to Nuo, it has more emphasis on the sub-bass but a bit leaner mid bass, a more noticeable recessed midrange presentation and a tad leaner note weight for vocals and instruments, and then a smooth and a bit relaxed treble response with meagre air and adequate sparkle. On technicalities, Hola is pretty average as it has an average sound/speaker stage on width, depth and height, two-dimensional stereo imaging, less refined on layering and less capable on resolution dynamics.
As I end my assessment and put up a conclusion on this set, It seems that ZIIGAAT did a good job on their inaugural product models as Nuo and other incoming models will probably have some bright opportunities on them given how this set performs satisfactorily. For sure that there are some downsides to this one like no IEM case and sparse amount of inclusions but I think that they will address these drawbacks in the future releases of their products. If you are a starting audio enthusiast who wants to experience some Harman-ish style of tuning with some flare on it, this set is a strong contender that I can recommend.
ZIIGAAT NUO is exclusively available on LINSOUL, you can check the unaffiliated link that I have provided below.
LINSOUL: https://www.linsoul.com/products/ziigaat-nuo
SPECIFICATION:
MODEL: ZIIGAAT NUO
IMPEDANCE: 32Ω
SENSITIVITY: 117dB
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20Hz – 20KHz
CABLE LENGTH: 1.2M
PIN TYPE: 0.78mm 2-PIN CONNECTOR
PLUG TYPE: 3.5mm
DRIVER UNIT(S): (1) DYNAMIC DRIVER
Some Tracks Tested: ( * = 16-bit FLAC, ** = 24-bit FLAC, *'* = MQA, '*' = DSD, *'= .WAV)
Alison Krauss -When You Say Nothing At All *
Jade Wiedlin - Blue Kiss**
Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks **
Mountain - Mississippi Queen *
Queen - Killer Queen **
Guns N' Roses - Patience *'*
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven '*'
Sergio Mendes- Never Gonna Let You Go '*'
Pearl Jam - Daughter **
Roselia - Hidamari Rhodonite *
Assassin - Fight (To Stop The Tyranny)*
Celtic Frost- Visual Aggression *
New Order - Blue Monday *
The Corrs- What Can I do (unplugged version) *
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Child *
The Madness- Buggy Trousers *
Metallica - Motorbreath **
Mariah Carey- Always Be My Baby *
Destiny's Child - Say My Name *
Malice Mizer- Au Revoir *
Mozart - Lacrimosa *
New York Philharmonic Orchestra - Dvorak- Symphony 9 " From the New World." *
Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (Sting cover)*
Michael Jackson - Give In To Me *
Exciter - Violence and Force *
Diana Krall - Stop This World **
Debbie Gibson - Foolish Beat *'*
The Sisters of Mercy – Lucretia My Reflection**
Suzanne Vega – Luka **
Lauren Christy – Steep *
Ottoman Mehter - Hucum Marsi *
Diana Damrau - Mozart: Die Zauberflöte*
P.S.
I am not affiliated to ZIIGAAT nor receive monetary incentives and financial gains as they provide me a review unit for an exchange of factual and sincere feedback from yours truly.
Once again, I would like to send my gratitude to KAREENA TANG from LINSOUL for providing this review unit. I truly appreciate her generosity and trust towards me and other reviewers.
Review Of The Ziigaat Nuo
Introduction
I recently learned about Ziigaat as an entity, a recently founded Chinese business, when I learned about their debut IEMs in the ultra-budget and budget market segments. Usually, all I know about something is what it represents and their message, which is as follows: Our basic values—ZiiGaat, which stands for "Zero-in on Ideas, Innovate, Grow, and Achieve All Together"—are the source of the name. Whatever your musical taste, level of audiophilia, or use case, we are dedicated to providing audio solutions that meet your demands. It's really very amazing how this new company is aiming to establish its image while competing in the already fiercely competitive budget market. Fortunately, I have firsthand experience with their ultra-budget IEM, the Nuo, so I can verify whether or not they mean what they claim. However, before we get started, let me make a few clarifications.
Disclaimer
*Since this unit tour was organised by the kindly people at Linsoul, I am grateful to them. And as I've said in all of my evaluations, the same is true for this one: all of the concepts I've expressed below are entirely my own, original ideas that haven't been influenced by anyone else. If interested, go to this link.
*I am not associated with the connection, and I receive no financial assistance from anyone.
*For the remainder of the review, I will refer to these IEMs as “Nuo.”
*I am using different Ear-tips for convenience and better versatility.
*Finally, I will only evaluate the Nuo based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically.
Specification
Utilizing powerful neodymium magnets, Neo houses an in-house constructed 10mm LCP dynamic driver. The faceplate is composed of metal, and the shells are all black with a black tint. The faceplate is printed with the IEM name and the brand name in white, giving it a polished and minimalist appearance. The shells are made of high-quality plastic. Owing to its small size and design, it fit and felt quite comfortable, never making me feel tired even after lengthy listening sessions. Perhaps the finest cable I have used in this price range is the black, attractive, and well-feeling cord that comes with the IEM. The cable has a 3.5mm straight termination connector on one end and a two pin connection on the other. The accessories in the box also include three pairs of eartips in various sizes. Regarding the technical details, the sensitivity is 107dB and the impedance is 32 Ohms. At 1 kHz, the overall harmonic distortion is less than 0.5%, and the frequency response spans from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.
Sound
Nuo has a sound that is both balanced and V-shaped, which I think has the potential to be utilized with an LCP driver because of the sound's quality and technical ability, which is impressive considering the price they are being provided for. In addition to sounding expansive and airy at higher frequencies, the representation of the sound is incredibly natural and smooth, with organic and forceful notes impacting on the lower notes that contribute to a more genuine tone. The presentation is quite enticing, with both the vocals and the instruments having a somewhat Wan'er-esque quality, but with greater details and provocative voices that some felt fell short of expectations. Regardless of how the graph appears, the tuning is novel for the market and, in my opinion, a welcome departure from the neutral and lean character of previous IEMs such as Zero or CHU. Neo, in my opinion, has the ability to satisfy the need for a budget-friendly set that sounds almost as good as what an audiophile like myself desires. Let's delve more into the audio and examine it in greater depth.
Treble
Though the purity of the treble amazes me, I don't think I have heard an IEM at this price point with such presence and forwardness. That doesn't mean the sound is harsh or unpleasant in any way.Whether it is the lower treble or the upper treble, the entire response is lively and vibrant. The singers and instruments seem distant yet distinct, while the top treble is quite present and airy.The notes are well-detailed and blend seamlessly into the mix.The sharp response promotes clarity but can also add a hint of spiciness that some people find tiring. Other than that, people who prefer a dark sounding IEM shouldn't worry about it.Just as lively as the higher frequencies are the lower treble. The notes have a good sharpness that prevents any offensiveness from entering the mix, with the exception of the 4-6 kHz region, which can produce some "ss" in the vocals, especially from the female vocalist. However, because of this response, you can hear the final nuances audibly, which feels evocative and captivating. Other than that, though, the reaction is striking, colorful, and has a solid grasp of the material. As a result, the treble region's overall presentation is spacious, intricate, and unambiguous.
Mid Range
With the voices forward in the midrange and the instruments sounding true to life, the mid range is now expertly adjusted, creating a very balanced sound experience that permits a realistic depiction. Although the notes prevent a light and slender sound, their quality does happen to deliver greater vitality as the lower treble in the upper mid range. With the voices and instruments harmonizing where the vocals sound, the upper mid range has a vibrant, roomy sound. A harmonic response is created by the voices and instruments being in balance, which makes the response seem more natural and has good note weight without being too thick. When I heard complicated tunes, I thought the female voices were enlivening, while the male vocals felt a touch weightless. Whether it's singing or instruments, the lower mid range produces rich, thick tones that aren't overly hazy or heavy to identify the type of note. The lower notes essentially establish the groundwork for a tonally acceptable response by allowing the higher frequencies to respond naturally and somewhat warmly without coming off as obnoxious. As a result, the midrange area is presented in a forward-thinking, harmonic, and enriching manner overall.
Bass
Finally, bass, I realized that if the bass hadn't been so warm and powerful, the entire response would have sounded like screaming garbage. The bass has a calming, immersive feel that, in my opinion, sounds just what one could anticipate. The midbass has a solid, meaty presence, but the subbass is the main focus. The punches seem strong but are well-balanced and don't feel overbearing, and the sub bass reaches deep enough to create a faint rumbling. The mid bass, which also extends into the lower mid range, gives the mix its warmth. The intensity of the slams and thumps is clearly evident, but what's most impressive about it is that they seem controlled rather than imposing. Thick, organic bass notes come from the guitars, drums, and other instruments. Such a reaction makes the answer sound nice even when the intricacies and texture aren't particularly polished. Overall, the bass area is presented in a warm, striking, and natural way.
Technical Performance
Regarding the technical performance, I think it strikes a good mix between the imaging and clarity and a stage and imaging that feels better than anything I have heard in this price range. Even while I still think the CHU performs better than the reaction it produces, I consider the quality of the notes at such a high cost to be an insignificant outcome. I shall give my findings because, while I could be mistaken, individuals who choose budgetary IEMs prioritize tone above price. This is mostly due to the affordability of these IEMs.
Soundstage, Sound Imaging & Separation
For an IEM at this price point, the image is crisp and clear because the soundstage is sufficiently large and spread out to produce a spacious sound. The way the notes are separated and distinct from one another is also excellent; it made it easier for me to pinpoint the source of the sound.
Speed & Resolution
The macro and micro details are genuinely superb with an expressive style, and the resolution is good with nice comprehensive notes. The notes are attacked and decayed at a reasonable tempo, which prevents the answer from being crowded or ambiguous in its depiction.
Sound Impressions
Sources
Sony WM1A - When Nuo and WM1A are combined, the result is a more calming and pleasant reaction that, when the intricacies are preserved, makes the response more natural and rounded. The warmth spills over the upper frequencies, calming the intensity and assisting the notes in bringing an impactful response that greatly contributes to the expansive sound. I think the WM1A combination works better in comparison because of the bass response, which is more coherent but still loose.
Tempotec V6 - Using my V6, I was able to listen to Nuo and saw that the response was more forceful and detailed, allowing the mid range to be more forward-looking with more control over theta response. However, the response often gives the notes, especially in the upper mid and lower treble ranges, a lean character. The expressiveness emerges, yet there don't seem to be many details at all, giving the reaction a more lively tone.
Tracks
Luna Haruna - Glory days
Luna Haruna - Overfly
Rokudenashi - The Flame of Love
LMYK - 0 (zero)
ORESKABAND - Jitensya
Marina Horiuchi - Mizukagami no Sekai
RADWIMPS - Suzume
Indila - Love Story
Indila - Tourner dans le vide
Earth, Wind & Fire - September
Tom Petty - Free Fallin'
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Blue Oyester Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Guns 'N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine
The Police - Every Breath You Take
Gojira - Amazonia
TV on the radio - Wolf Like Me
Bring Me To The Horizon - Can You Feel My Hear
Bring Me To The Horizon - sTraNgeRs
Avril Lavigne - Dare To Love Me
Travis - Love Will Come Through
Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
DJ Shadows - Six Days (Remix) [feat. Mos Def]
Lady Gaga - Just Dance
Lil Wayne - Lollipop
Flo Rida - Low
Sebastian Lopez & Flug - Electronic Measures
Federico Mecozzi - Blue (Da Ba Dee)
Wayve - Not Enough
Kai Wachi & TeZATalks - Ghost
NGHTMRE, Zeds Dead & Tori Levett - Shady Intentions
Zeds Dead, DNMO & GG Magree - Save My Grave
Skrillex, Noisia, josh pan & Dylan Brady - Supersonic
Skrillex & Nai Barghouti - Xena
Skrillex, Missy Elliott & Mr. Oizo - RATATA
Kaifi Khalil, Eva B & Wahab Bugti - Kana Yaari
A.R. Rahman, Javed Ali & Mohit Chauhan - Kun Faya Kun
Conclusion
To sum up this review, I believe Nuo offers a unique perspective on music that music enthusiasts would like listening to. Ziigaat took into consideration the preferences of music enthusiasts and delivered a high-quality product without sacrificing anything. Anyone looking to test a well-tuned IEM at such a great price should definitely get the Nuo, which has a balanced and compelling sound. This IEM comes highly recommended from me.
Ahhhhhh. The newcomer to the space.
So Ziigaat is apparently an OEM that had existed for a long time. They came basically out of nowhere with their new company name and immediately started swinging with the big boys…and they certainly hit the ball. Problem is, the ball went so fast I think it put a hole in the stadium wall…
does this count as a homerun? I don’t know lol, but they certainly made an impression.
INTRO/DISCLAIMER
FYI I am not important or influential enough to be receiving free review stuff from companies. This was purchased as part of a bundle for $20 with another cable. Typically this IEM retails for about $25, you may see some other sales eventually time will tell. This IEM is certainly within the budget range amongst some of the greats and newcomers. chu 2, hola, wan’er, zero(now zero 2 as well), ew100p
just to name a few….I want to be lenient here due to the price range but I have to warn anyone, at least based on my canal shape that any of the others mentioned below will probably be a *safer* (not necessarily *better*) option which I will explain below.
Objective performance/graph
(credit to achoreviews for his graph)
So…looking below I wanted to point out one of the graphs of this new budget contender compared to an iem I thought was interesting. The Nuo has a little more 5khz energy and dips the 6khz “early” treble a bit and then you should notice something…the 9-11khz energy is very prominent, not dissimilar to iems “graphically” like the ie600 or even the edx ultra. Some also complained about sibilance/harshness on the IE600. Are they long lost cousins?…who knows. I’d love to try the 600 if I ever get the chance but it wouldn’t surprise me if the presentation was similar
OVERALL. This graph is a fairly accurate representation of what I hear on the Nuo. Others have shown some driver imbalances, to my ears both sides sound pretty much the same and exhibit the same tonal characteristics.
When performing a sine sweep: Bass went very reasonably deep being audible at low volumes around 25hz. Nothing funky in the mids being very flat and straight up to 3khz. In my own testing, *yes* the 5khz region is slightly boosted in comparison but nothing severe or grating. The 6khz subsequent dip is very tastefully done, no problem here and perception of it has it maybe 2db lower than 5khz(good neutrality!)
…aaaand then here is where the problem begins
starting around 8.5khz going upward to my ears there is quite a big rise in volume. This boost lasts until about 11.5khz and then finally dips again and the sound will cut out at most people’s ears around 15khz(i’m sorry that’s just how human hearing works, no amount of extension will bring back higher frequencies lol)
this approximate 9-11khz region perhaps it is my canal but? this is the problem area(for me). But I’ll get to that below in the subjective impressions.
Bass
The Nuo exhibits a fairly light, almost elegant bass. I would say for a single dynamic driver it is almost *perfect* if such an adjective is ever appropriate. The midbass brings just the right amount of warmth and body to the sound without ever bloating or bleeding into the midrange. Bass lines are quick and incredibly textured for what they are. Subbass rumble exists, but won’t blow your skull out of its head. Bassheads may want more but this nice and very balanced bass, without ever being boring or anemic. excellently done.
midrange
The mids are slightly recessed without ever getting drowned out by bass or (early)treble. There is no shout to speak of. The mids don’t exhibit any thinness to their character, there is no wonky tonality. I can tell that Ziigaat never intended for the mids to be the star of their show but in their own way…they are. They are well textured and layered
treble
Ok…so all things considered at this price point? The treble is still excellent, but here be where ye problem child lies(for me)
Around that 10khz region personally if it’s boosted is grating to my ears. Every vocal along with most instruments and synths in the background exhibit this almost air but not quite upper emphasis which does indeed change the tone and timbre. I’ve noticed recently that a lot of IEMs will specifically dip this region, whether intentionally or due to driver limitations? who knows. But the effect is clear(no pun intended) that this particular brand of sibilance is cut out of the mix and then the 12khz+ air is free to shine(also no pun intended)
Both presentations are unnatural per se but I think I tend to agree with the latter more overall as far as general listening is concerned. The boost in the 9-11khz is simply too much for my ears and can get fatiguing. On the flip side, this does actually lead to quite great texture. In *well recorded* tracks, this treble boost will give grit to the sound and bring texture and detail like nothing else. In badly recorded or just bright tracks, the treble boost can push the sound over the edge and the texture just breaks and falls apart into…treble.
The resolution these bring is nothing short of commendable, i’m sure in most part due to the boost. Others describe the “layering” and I agree. it is good in a vacuum, and for the price? it is stupidly good. Only ding may be if the treble boost ever becomes too much and masks the lower frequencies…that’s no bueno. I haven’t heard that too much but I’m sure it’s possible.
soundstage/imaging
Perfectly fine. I wager these would work well for gaming. Imaging is quite precise, these are good for monitoring. Stage width is quite good and as mentioned previously the directional positioning is more than acceptable. These might even best out the tinhifi elf I recently reviewed. These both have similarities in the staging and imaging.
Conclusion
if this was 10 years ago these things could have had a 500$ price tag(with slightly more ornamentation and accessories to fool people into “looking” expensive) and no one would have bat an eye. I wager it would have actually still picked up a lot of popularity and even have gotten a cult following.
This is a new era though. An era of science and truly great sound for IEMs, so the bar is set very high.
These are a jaw clenching set of IEMs(to my ears). I recently obtained the truthear zero:red and noticed a slight lack of that upper treble emphasis…well now I got it. While the reds dip the 10khz slightly, the ziigaat gives that region in spades and the effect can be a little jarring. The ziigaat nuo is an iem that won’t let you relax. It’s shoving its technicalities and treble all in your grill whether you like it or not. If you ever find yourself finding most iems dull, having no treble sparkle, you run a sine wave sweep and you find that your 9k-11khz energy is sorely lacking. This is the IEM for you and I give it a full FIVE STAR recommendation no frills. If you are sensitive to that region, beware. This is not as safe of an option as the wan’er, hola, or recently zero 2 which are all not going to be as technically proficient but are not ever really fatiguing.
The ziigaat nuo will probably be more immediately impressive than any of the other iems above…or really even iems costing multiple times this price. But it may not be the best choice for a beginner and ultimately would have to refer someone to something like the wan’er or zero 2(if you find the shell ok) despite those being more…generic and having less *character* so to speak
At any price point much less
$25, the build quality shape, size and fit are more than acceptable. These guys at ziigaat know what they’re doing. It’s literally sound alone that is just on the cusp of being great vs being sibilant. If you need a slap in your face and some audible chili peppers in your life? this is the one for you.
So Ziigaat is apparently an OEM that had existed for a long time. They came basically out of nowhere with their new company name and immediately started swinging with the big boys…and they certainly hit the ball. Problem is, the ball went so fast I think it put a hole in the stadium wall…
does this count as a homerun? I don’t know lol, but they certainly made an impression.
INTRO/DISCLAIMER
FYI I am not important or influential enough to be receiving free review stuff from companies. This was purchased as part of a bundle for $20 with another cable. Typically this IEM retails for about $25, you may see some other sales eventually time will tell. This IEM is certainly within the budget range amongst some of the greats and newcomers. chu 2, hola, wan’er, zero(now zero 2 as well), ew100p
just to name a few….I want to be lenient here due to the price range but I have to warn anyone, at least based on my canal shape that any of the others mentioned below will probably be a *safer* (not necessarily *better*) option which I will explain below.
Objective performance/graph
(credit to achoreviews for his graph)
So…looking below I wanted to point out one of the graphs of this new budget contender compared to an iem I thought was interesting. The Nuo has a little more 5khz energy and dips the 6khz “early” treble a bit and then you should notice something…the 9-11khz energy is very prominent, not dissimilar to iems “graphically” like the ie600 or even the edx ultra. Some also complained about sibilance/harshness on the IE600. Are they long lost cousins?…who knows. I’d love to try the 600 if I ever get the chance but it wouldn’t surprise me if the presentation was similar
OVERALL. This graph is a fairly accurate representation of what I hear on the Nuo. Others have shown some driver imbalances, to my ears both sides sound pretty much the same and exhibit the same tonal characteristics.
When performing a sine sweep: Bass went very reasonably deep being audible at low volumes around 25hz. Nothing funky in the mids being very flat and straight up to 3khz. In my own testing, *yes* the 5khz region is slightly boosted in comparison but nothing severe or grating. The 6khz subsequent dip is very tastefully done, no problem here and perception of it has it maybe 2db lower than 5khz(good neutrality!)
…aaaand then here is where the problem begins
starting around 8.5khz going upward to my ears there is quite a big rise in volume. This boost lasts until about 11.5khz and then finally dips again and the sound will cut out at most people’s ears around 15khz(i’m sorry that’s just how human hearing works, no amount of extension will bring back higher frequencies lol)
this approximate 9-11khz region perhaps it is my canal but? this is the problem area(for me). But I’ll get to that below in the subjective impressions.
Bass
The Nuo exhibits a fairly light, almost elegant bass. I would say for a single dynamic driver it is almost *perfect* if such an adjective is ever appropriate. The midbass brings just the right amount of warmth and body to the sound without ever bloating or bleeding into the midrange. Bass lines are quick and incredibly textured for what they are. Subbass rumble exists, but won’t blow your skull out of its head. Bassheads may want more but this nice and very balanced bass, without ever being boring or anemic. excellently done.
midrange
The mids are slightly recessed without ever getting drowned out by bass or (early)treble. There is no shout to speak of. The mids don’t exhibit any thinness to their character, there is no wonky tonality. I can tell that Ziigaat never intended for the mids to be the star of their show but in their own way…they are. They are well textured and layered
treble
Ok…so all things considered at this price point? The treble is still excellent, but here be where ye problem child lies(for me)
Around that 10khz region personally if it’s boosted is grating to my ears. Every vocal along with most instruments and synths in the background exhibit this almost air but not quite upper emphasis which does indeed change the tone and timbre. I’ve noticed recently that a lot of IEMs will specifically dip this region, whether intentionally or due to driver limitations? who knows. But the effect is clear(no pun intended) that this particular brand of sibilance is cut out of the mix and then the 12khz+ air is free to shine(also no pun intended)
Both presentations are unnatural per se but I think I tend to agree with the latter more overall as far as general listening is concerned. The boost in the 9-11khz is simply too much for my ears and can get fatiguing. On the flip side, this does actually lead to quite great texture. In *well recorded* tracks, this treble boost will give grit to the sound and bring texture and detail like nothing else. In badly recorded or just bright tracks, the treble boost can push the sound over the edge and the texture just breaks and falls apart into…treble.
The resolution these bring is nothing short of commendable, i’m sure in most part due to the boost. Others describe the “layering” and I agree. it is good in a vacuum, and for the price? it is stupidly good. Only ding may be if the treble boost ever becomes too much and masks the lower frequencies…that’s no bueno. I haven’t heard that too much but I’m sure it’s possible.
soundstage/imaging
Perfectly fine. I wager these would work well for gaming. Imaging is quite precise, these are good for monitoring. Stage width is quite good and as mentioned previously the directional positioning is more than acceptable. These might even best out the tinhifi elf I recently reviewed. These both have similarities in the staging and imaging.
Conclusion
if this was 10 years ago these things could have had a 500$ price tag(with slightly more ornamentation and accessories to fool people into “looking” expensive) and no one would have bat an eye. I wager it would have actually still picked up a lot of popularity and even have gotten a cult following.
This is a new era though. An era of science and truly great sound for IEMs, so the bar is set very high.
These are a jaw clenching set of IEMs(to my ears). I recently obtained the truthear zero:red and noticed a slight lack of that upper treble emphasis…well now I got it. While the reds dip the 10khz slightly, the ziigaat gives that region in spades and the effect can be a little jarring. The ziigaat nuo is an iem that won’t let you relax. It’s shoving its technicalities and treble all in your grill whether you like it or not. If you ever find yourself finding most iems dull, having no treble sparkle, you run a sine wave sweep and you find that your 9k-11khz energy is sorely lacking. This is the IEM for you and I give it a full FIVE STAR recommendation no frills. If you are sensitive to that region, beware. This is not as safe of an option as the wan’er, hola, or recently zero 2 which are all not going to be as technically proficient but are not ever really fatiguing.
The ziigaat nuo will probably be more immediately impressive than any of the other iems above…or really even iems costing multiple times this price. But it may not be the best choice for a beginner and ultimately would have to refer someone to something like the wan’er or zero 2(if you find the shell ok) despite those being more…generic and having less *character* so to speak
At any price point much less
$25, the build quality shape, size and fit are more than acceptable. These guys at ziigaat know what they’re doing. It’s literally sound alone that is just on the cusp of being great vs being sibilant. If you need a slap in your face and some audible chili peppers in your life? this is the one for you.
dunring
I agree with you and the chart. A -3db reduction at 9khz-10khz with any music player is all they needed. I wish other IEM's had defined bass like this, not too much or too little for impact when it's called for. They also look so stealth I'll travel with these. My other pair I like just as much is the 7hz Salnotes Zero:2 which took the place of the Simgot EA500 which I thought wouldn't ever happen. Even the cable feels sturdy enough to go on an adventure with.
Disclaimer: The ZiiGaat Nuo was provided by Linsoul for my unbiased review.
NOTES:
ZiiGaat is a new name, at least to me, in the iem space. Ziigaat states that they have been designing oem products for numerous audio global brands for over 10 years. The name ZiiGatt stands for “Zero-in on Ideas, Innovate, Grow and Achieve All Together”. Quite a mouthful but this is backed up by the great performance of the Nuo, which if the first in the Pluse series as per ZiiGaat.
Driver compliment consists of a single 10mm LCP diaphragm driver. The tuning aim from ZiiGatt is to have a natural and balanced tonality. I think they have succeeded admirably; in fact, I believe they have far exceeded expectations for a $24usd iem.
Fairly easy to drive the Nuo does benefit from a more neutral source and careful tip selection. I went with wide bore tips and drove it with the E1DA 9038G SG3 dongle connected to my laptop with excellent results.
The Nuo is an auspicious release form a company I’m sure many have never heard of. Read on to find out more.
SPECS:
Driver: 10mm LCP Dynamic
Frequency Response: 20hz-20khz
Impedance: 32ohm
Connector: 2-pin
Graph Courtesy of @ToneDeafMonk
BUILD, FIT & QUALITY:
The ZiiGaat Nuo is a well built iem. The shells are made of resin and are finished well. The included accessories are sparse but of good quality. What stands out is the stock cable which had great haptics and stand above most included cables I’ve seen at this price.
The fit of the Nuo is fantastic. ZiiGatt got the shape right and the Nuo sits in the ear perfectly snug with no fatigue noted at any time. This has to be one of the most comfortable iem I have used in some time.
SOUND:
BASS:
The ZiiGaat Nuo is blessed with bass that goes deep with good control and speed. There is a pleasing meatiness to the bass while not sacrificing clarity. Mid-bass does have a more emphasis than sub-bass, but the deepest registers have sufficient drive and rumble to keep up. Bass also is detailed with enough texturing present to add to listening enjoyment.
When listening to “Angel” by Massive Attack the drive of the low end was just as it should be with the bass texture clearly audible. The double bass in the Robert Glasper Trio’s track “In Passing” was relayed with great authority and admirable control. “Emotions Electric” by Gerald Simpson continued this trend.
“Latin Funk” by Marcus Johnson just added to the accolades. Great control and drive here. The bass does not interfere with the midrange and little to no bleed was heard.
The ZiiGaat Nuo doesn’t just have good bass for a $24 iem, it has good bass period. Impressive!
MIDRANGE:
The midrange of the ZiiGaat Nuo is clean and open sounding with good detail retrieval being macro over micro. This is overall a balanced sounding midrange. On first listen out of the box, there was a slight “crispy” sound to the upper midrange, but this disappeared after burn-in.
Vocals are slightly recessed but clear. “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker sounded as expressive as expected with a moderate but noticeable emphasis in the upper midrange adding to the sense of detail. No harshness or grain was noted here. Amber Navran’s vocals on “Change Your Mind” by Moonchild was clearly reproduced with the nuances easy to hear.
Moving on to male vocals on “Tenderhearted Lover by John Stoddart sounded great again with all the nuances of this artists performance laid bare. If anything there was missing a small measure of chestiness to his voice. On "Here I come" by Denis Brown the Nuo excelled again at relaying the nuances and details in the vocals.
The ZiiGaaT Nuo is surprising in many respects and at the forefront is layering. There are iems many times its price that don’t do as well in this metric. Layering and separation on the Nuo is very good. Even in complex passages the Nuo manages to keep its footing not giving in to sounding compressed or having that “wall of sound” effect. I have to admit this really surprised me on numerous tracks in particular for a $24 single DD iem. The Track "Beautiful Lie" by Vick Lavender is a prime example of a song that reproduced on many other iems sounds like a flat wall of sound, the track being so busy. The Nuo did surprisingly well keeping the elements separated and distinct. Timbre is well done with the double bass on a number of Jazz tracks I listened to really standing out as being organic. In fact, the Nuo sounds more organic than it has a right to be at its price point.
Dynamics passages were handled with ease and transients were replayed well with natural leading and trailing edges.
The Nuo has an open and lively midrange presentation that really satisfies.
TREBLE:
The treble of the ZiiGaat Nuo is moderately well extended with adequate detail retrieval. This is a lively but well controlled treble. Still very treble sensitive folks may find something to talk about here. When pushed hard the treble can become slightly strained, but only when pushed farther than I usually prefer.
There is ample air and sparkle with an openness to the high end that really compliments the rest of the frequency range.
IMAGING & SOUNDSTAGE:
The ZiiGaat Nuo throws up a moderately wide sized soundstage with solid imaging. It’s layering and separation qualities are on display here with great space between instruments. This was heard on “Stimelah” by Hugh Masekela. The effect is engaging and I was pulled into this great live track, the venue dimensions easy to discern. Width is beyond the ears, depth and height to a lesser degree but still present.
VERSUS: -Simgot EW200-
I recently reviewed the EW200 and found to be a standout iem, in particular below $50. I even gave it a strong recommendation. Then the Nuo arrived.
Bass is stronger on the Nuo while being comparable with respect to speed, detail and control. The Nuo is more mid-bass oriented than the EW200 but also has stronger sub-bass when called for. The Nuo also has that “meatiness” that at times I found lacking on the EW200.
With respect to the midrange, both do well. That being said the Nuo edges out the EW200 when it come to organic presentation.
Treble is where each does well enough that I’m not calling a winner here.
If I had to keep just one, it would be the ZiiGatt Nuo for it’s fuller yet well controlled low end and a more organic sound presentation. Both are keepers in my opinion though as they are sufficiently different yet very capable performers.
CONCLUSION:
The ZiiGaat Nuo has no right sounding like it does. At $24usd we have a an iem with an organic and engaging sound. Is it perfect? No, it is not and none really are. At this price though it has no right sounding this good. Even at several times its price it would still be a strong contender.
ZiiGaat has put other iem manufacturers on notice. Get with the program and step up or step aside. The Nuo is proof positive that you don’t have to always fork out lots of $$$ to get great sound.
The ZiiGaat Nuo gets a strong recommendation.
NOTES:
ZiiGaat is a new name, at least to me, in the iem space. Ziigaat states that they have been designing oem products for numerous audio global brands for over 10 years. The name ZiiGatt stands for “Zero-in on Ideas, Innovate, Grow and Achieve All Together”. Quite a mouthful but this is backed up by the great performance of the Nuo, which if the first in the Pluse series as per ZiiGaat.
Driver compliment consists of a single 10mm LCP diaphragm driver. The tuning aim from ZiiGatt is to have a natural and balanced tonality. I think they have succeeded admirably; in fact, I believe they have far exceeded expectations for a $24usd iem.
Fairly easy to drive the Nuo does benefit from a more neutral source and careful tip selection. I went with wide bore tips and drove it with the E1DA 9038G SG3 dongle connected to my laptop with excellent results.
The Nuo is an auspicious release form a company I’m sure many have never heard of. Read on to find out more.
SPECS:
Driver: 10mm LCP Dynamic
Frequency Response: 20hz-20khz
Impedance: 32ohm
Connector: 2-pin
Graph Courtesy of @ToneDeafMonk
BUILD, FIT & QUALITY:
The ZiiGaat Nuo is a well built iem. The shells are made of resin and are finished well. The included accessories are sparse but of good quality. What stands out is the stock cable which had great haptics and stand above most included cables I’ve seen at this price.
The fit of the Nuo is fantastic. ZiiGatt got the shape right and the Nuo sits in the ear perfectly snug with no fatigue noted at any time. This has to be one of the most comfortable iem I have used in some time.
SOUND:
BASS:
The ZiiGaat Nuo is blessed with bass that goes deep with good control and speed. There is a pleasing meatiness to the bass while not sacrificing clarity. Mid-bass does have a more emphasis than sub-bass, but the deepest registers have sufficient drive and rumble to keep up. Bass also is detailed with enough texturing present to add to listening enjoyment.
When listening to “Angel” by Massive Attack the drive of the low end was just as it should be with the bass texture clearly audible. The double bass in the Robert Glasper Trio’s track “In Passing” was relayed with great authority and admirable control. “Emotions Electric” by Gerald Simpson continued this trend.
“Latin Funk” by Marcus Johnson just added to the accolades. Great control and drive here. The bass does not interfere with the midrange and little to no bleed was heard.
The ZiiGaat Nuo doesn’t just have good bass for a $24 iem, it has good bass period. Impressive!
MIDRANGE:
The midrange of the ZiiGaat Nuo is clean and open sounding with good detail retrieval being macro over micro. This is overall a balanced sounding midrange. On first listen out of the box, there was a slight “crispy” sound to the upper midrange, but this disappeared after burn-in.
Vocals are slightly recessed but clear. “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker sounded as expressive as expected with a moderate but noticeable emphasis in the upper midrange adding to the sense of detail. No harshness or grain was noted here. Amber Navran’s vocals on “Change Your Mind” by Moonchild was clearly reproduced with the nuances easy to hear.
Moving on to male vocals on “Tenderhearted Lover by John Stoddart sounded great again with all the nuances of this artists performance laid bare. If anything there was missing a small measure of chestiness to his voice. On "Here I come" by Denis Brown the Nuo excelled again at relaying the nuances and details in the vocals.
The ZiiGaaT Nuo is surprising in many respects and at the forefront is layering. There are iems many times its price that don’t do as well in this metric. Layering and separation on the Nuo is very good. Even in complex passages the Nuo manages to keep its footing not giving in to sounding compressed or having that “wall of sound” effect. I have to admit this really surprised me on numerous tracks in particular for a $24 single DD iem. The Track "Beautiful Lie" by Vick Lavender is a prime example of a song that reproduced on many other iems sounds like a flat wall of sound, the track being so busy. The Nuo did surprisingly well keeping the elements separated and distinct. Timbre is well done with the double bass on a number of Jazz tracks I listened to really standing out as being organic. In fact, the Nuo sounds more organic than it has a right to be at its price point.
Dynamics passages were handled with ease and transients were replayed well with natural leading and trailing edges.
The Nuo has an open and lively midrange presentation that really satisfies.
TREBLE:
The treble of the ZiiGaat Nuo is moderately well extended with adequate detail retrieval. This is a lively but well controlled treble. Still very treble sensitive folks may find something to talk about here. When pushed hard the treble can become slightly strained, but only when pushed farther than I usually prefer.
There is ample air and sparkle with an openness to the high end that really compliments the rest of the frequency range.
IMAGING & SOUNDSTAGE:
The ZiiGaat Nuo throws up a moderately wide sized soundstage with solid imaging. It’s layering and separation qualities are on display here with great space between instruments. This was heard on “Stimelah” by Hugh Masekela. The effect is engaging and I was pulled into this great live track, the venue dimensions easy to discern. Width is beyond the ears, depth and height to a lesser degree but still present.
VERSUS: -Simgot EW200-
I recently reviewed the EW200 and found to be a standout iem, in particular below $50. I even gave it a strong recommendation. Then the Nuo arrived.
Bass is stronger on the Nuo while being comparable with respect to speed, detail and control. The Nuo is more mid-bass oriented than the EW200 but also has stronger sub-bass when called for. The Nuo also has that “meatiness” that at times I found lacking on the EW200.
With respect to the midrange, both do well. That being said the Nuo edges out the EW200 when it come to organic presentation.
Treble is where each does well enough that I’m not calling a winner here.
If I had to keep just one, it would be the ZiiGatt Nuo for it’s fuller yet well controlled low end and a more organic sound presentation. Both are keepers in my opinion though as they are sufficiently different yet very capable performers.
CONCLUSION:
The ZiiGaat Nuo has no right sounding like it does. At $24usd we have a an iem with an organic and engaging sound. Is it perfect? No, it is not and none really are. At this price though it has no right sounding this good. Even at several times its price it would still be a strong contender.
ZiiGaat has put other iem manufacturers on notice. Get with the program and step up or step aside. The Nuo is proof positive that you don’t have to always fork out lots of $$$ to get great sound.
The ZiiGaat Nuo gets a strong recommendation.
Attachments
Kingnubian
I would say yes.
