ZiiGaat - Arete II

I have the Ziigaat Arete 2’s and the Kiwi Ears Astrals. Both are great for games like Arc raiders or Marvel Rivals. Both are fantastic for music as well. Steel series DAC is fine, I use that one and it drives them well.

I have the Astrals and Arete 2 IEMs. They are my first and only experience with true IEMs. I would recommend either of them for both gaming and music. The Arete 2 has quite a bit more bass and if the bass switch is enabled, slightly more mid bass as well. It’s less detailed in the higher frequencies than the Astrals but still good, less fatiguing. Very comfortable to wear for hours. More “fun” for music. Astrals have a more neutral sound signature but has incredible detail across the board. Soundstage is about the same as Arete 2. Not as comfortable for long sessions. They’re great for music production as well since they’re more neutral and detailed.

My picks would be Arete 2 Tea Pro I tried Astrals but they are too bright for me. Others in that range that are recommended include Ziigaat Horizon or Volume S. Slightly more expensive is Thieaudio Hype 4 MK2 which I liked. My 2 c.

To offer slightly more perspective before you decide and why I recommend Arete 2 because: * better comfort * less fatiguing treble energy * bass boost switch * good choice of tips * felt that for games especially sound was smooth with lots of details and layering; just enough to know exactly what was going on; for Astrals, this was true but the explosions were very sharp that would sometimes on rare occasions mask footsteps etc. Everyone hears sounds differently so one person hearing treble as painful might be just right for another. Best is if you can trial or have a good return policy from where you buy. Audio is subjective.

My picks would be Arete 2 Hype 4 MK2 Astral (but treble energy killed my ear canals also too big for my ears) Tea Pro Top Pro Tea Pro SE (again high treble energy) Volume S (has weird treble spikes for my ears) A bit higher I really loved RSV MK2 (possibly max I would want to spend on an IEM) Can also try Monarch IV at 1200 or so Valhalla was truly great but don’t think it is worth 2 grand On cheaper side honestly, I haven’t found anything I liked. I tried the Aful Explorer but comparing them to my Arete 2 and they were just… well… awful. I have yet to try out Horizon, Odyssey 2 or Aful 8S but heard good things about them. Definitely try to have a return option. There is also Mega 5 EST that people love but I have not tried. Personally I am enjoying the Arete 2.

Under 100$ kefine delci ae is great for PUBG mobile if you have budget go for kiwi ears astral. Or zigaat arete 2

Juzear defiant for most bang for buck. Otherwise arete 2 because of the rumble switch so you can alter between more bass and less bass.

Yeah so the people who dont game here aren’t giving you the most accurate responses. You don’t need this particular dac instead go for an official apple dongle, & get a different iem tuned better for competitive purposes. I suggest Kiwi ears Aether. If for some reason you still want to stick to the price point of your hexa, then i suggest kefine delci ae. Finally, just so you have all the options, you can go up to $220 (on sale or so) for the ziigaat Arete. The arete’s are great for gaming, and you wouldn’t need to go any higher for something “better”. Hope this helps

if you’re going to include multi hundred dollar iem then look into arete 2 or kiwi ears astral. the astral have the best imaging Ive personally heard so far in an iem. out of your list I’d recommend kefine delci ae.

Mangird tea pro, ziigat Arete 1 or 2, kiwi ears astral. For headphones hd490 pro.

For competitive gaming any of these are ideal. Budget gaming picks: Truthear x Crinacle Zero (OG not 2), Kefine Klean, Kefine Delci AE (my preferred budget pick) Expensive picks: Ziigaat Arete, Mangird Tea Pro, Kiwi Ears Astral (my preferred expensive pick)

The amount of drivers doesn’t matter at all. Any of those choices I listed including the Arete 2 would be S tier choices. I find the astral the most comfortable is all.

Take my comment with a grain of salt. These are my first pair of IEMs ever, so my learning curve is as new as it gets. I only got them because they’re so highly recommended for gaming, so I can only provide advice based off of gaming. Although I ended up using them for music on my iPhone since my AirPods died one day and I tried them out. Started out with the Apple dongle, then got the Kii KA11? Sorry if it’s the wrong DAC, but it’s a dongle with a light and thus my rabbit hole journey began into the world of IEMS. I have tried multiple main stream headphones and earbuds in the past. I have never felt the bass hit so damn hard on these, I for once in my life has to turn the volume down. I even subscribed to tidal to “stress test”. Don’t crucify me I’m new. The quality is amazing, everything is clear and separated. Long story short they’re my first pair ever and I absolutely love them. They do a great job on both ends. If you want a detailed breakdown on gaming then I’m the guy but the basics of music I love them and bought them full price so for 170 I think it’s well worth it and a steal!

I’m a basic bum; the usual FPS! COD, APEX, but I’m very heavy on Rainbow Six. I did a lot of research and with the help of a decent DAC and adjusting the EQ i adjusted them to my preference of making footsteps the focal point. By default they work great but I can get overwhelming since I feel like I can hear everything. The gunfire is strong, reloading is emphasized, a character crouching or going prone is multiple times easier to hear. I guess if you don’t adjust them you’ll hear every “war detail” more aggressively and maybe less of the dialogue if that makes sense? I was able to adjust them for direction and footsteps while suppressing the gunshots and explosions and it does an amazing job in direction audio. It was very hard to adjust since I’ve never had something do such a good job in directional cues, but to answer your question if you watch a war movie you’ll feel the “war” more intensely and it might overwhelm the actual dialogue.

Oh! So, for music production u want something as flat as possible, this are not bad, but maybe slightly bassy (for music production obv, cus this are not bassy at all) probably something like the Fission if u still want some sparkiness in the treble, but buying something studio focussed and not this type of iem is way better in that sense...(And u can get overear studio for really cheap, im not really into this Sector,but i have friends that works professionally and rarely they use iem). So don't count the music production in ur buy for iems, cus audiophile and music production are 2 separate things. My raccomandation rn are: U want bassy (not basshead obv) and warm (like a Jbl speaker): Kiwi ears Airoso U want basshead (don't start with a pure basshead set like the Legato,the Martilo..., never) U want best neutral (with great trebble so not completely flat): Tanchjim fission U want "neutral" with boosted bass (like the red...): if Qc work, Defiant? (But slightly more get u a lot more) Like the Ziigaat (Ziigoat) odissey and sincerely 99% of iem are tuned like this...so pick ur favorite Budget (under 50 and even 40/30) Warm (my goat) and comfy af(important, cus the Red are massive...):Kiwi ears Cadenza Bass: Qkz x Hbb Cheaper: Kz edx pro 2 (try this mf) My main: Kiwi ears Airoso (music), Ziigaat arete (gaming)

They’ll be replacing my aretes

The Aretes are amazing no doubt but I wanted to see what the hype is on the Tea pros

Had them for about a week now and can say I like them I think compared to the Aretes they are around the same so the price difference probably isn’t worth it but I’m call of duty I’m definitely noticing a little more separation. Also I like the way music sounds through them too I definitely appreciate the bass in them.

Some tips: 1, Get a good seal, stock tips are often good enough, but you most likely will need to buy third party tips of various sizes to see what works for you. Most people will swear by tips like Penon Orange, Dunu S&S and Spinfit W1. 2, Some IEMs need wide bore tips to let through all frequencies, while some need small bore tips to accentuate the bass and calm the treble. You'll have to see what you prefer depending on how treble sensitive you are and how the IEM graph looks like. For example my Ounch Audio Portazo really sounds bright (too much treble) if I use a wide bore tip, but when I use a smaller bore tip like Penon Orange or the included foam tips, suddenly it's one of the best IEMs in my collection. The eartips are crucial and make all the difference. 3, You will eventually get a new set of IEMs, and you will have to base the new purchase on some factors. Did you like the sound of the Aful Explorer? Then get a similarly tuned IEM, or take a gamble and try something new. I loved my Explorers, then switched to other stuff and loved it more, so now I gave the Explorers to my little cousin because I wasn't wearing them anymore. Some people have different IEMs for different genres. I for example love the Ziigaat Arete for gaming and PC use, Punch Audio Portazo for classical music, low frequency heavy music and sound stage, and Ziigaat Odyssey 2 and soon Aful 5+2 for commuting and all kinds of music. 4, Use AliExpress, it will save you a ton of money on things like eartips, DACs and more. With their coins system I just have to login every day through a phone widget and claim daily coins, then I can use them to cut the cost of what I buy, every day the discounts change so I can sometimes find a pair of eartips for like 60% off and build my collection for much less than on Linsoul.