ZiiGaat - x Fresh Reviews Arete

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.

Soundstage the Horizon and the Arete stand out, the Top Pro and Astral are good as well. Imaging, many of them are really good, not ranking them but these are the ones that comes to mind for imaging. The P7, the Astral, the Dusk, the Horizon, Studio 4 and the Top Pro

The Chopin has the best bass of the three, it sounds more V shaped to me than the other two. The Horizon is the brightest and widest of them and has the best details retrieval and technicality. The Arete feels like a mini Horizon, it’s similar but less technical.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I have no complaints about a company releasing a ton of options with branded Knowles or Sonion BAs instead of bellsing crap. People have no idea the price difference in branded BAs is sometimes an increase of 10X over drivers companies like Aful use. If you are at all familiar with graphs and how an IEM diverges from JM-1 (neutral), plus the different properties of certain driver types (Dynamic vs. BA vs. Planar etc) you can usually guess 90% of what it sounds like. I like options. My only complaint is their shell shape creates a pressure point on the top/back of my ear. Ziigaat's shells are the only ones I've ever had a problem with. CHANGE UP THE SHELL SHAPE GUYS.

I've enjoyed Lush and Arete a lot. Arcanis and Horizion looks interesting!

If you don't need a mic, go with iems. I have a few pairs and they're better than any of the gaming headsets I've used (Arctic nova pro, turtle beach stealth 700, pc38x). If it has to have a mic I've enjoyed the sound on my pc38x's the most; open back though, if that makes a difference. Check out gadgetrytech on YouTube. He has great content stuff this. My favorite items are the zigaat aretes but they're a but spendy. Simgot supermixes are very good and cheaper.

So, as someone who games, and has similar music tastes inside their playlist. I am going to narrow this down to two options. The Arete, or the Performer 5+2. And there are two big reasons why i would choose these over the other options. Pina Gain. Extension past 10k. So the Pina Gain, or the upsweep from the lower mids to upper mids, is really critical for vocal forward presentation of audio. Its also where the human ear is really attenuated, and so a lot of sound queues in video games will be in that region. So when you look at a "gamer" set like the Arete, you will see that Pina Gain region starts a little earlier, and is a little more emphasized. This will help to hear and position the sounds a little easier. The Performer 5+2 also has a very good Pina Gain that tracks almost identically to the Arete. The second is extension past 10k. This gets more into the psychoacustics of how your brain will perceive and pick up sounds. How reverberations interact with your inner ear. And on some sets that lack this extension beyond 10k, some sounds, like symbol crashes, or brass hitting the floor, or grenade clanks, can kinda get lost in the mix. Because your brain isnt really properly interpreting that reverb reflection from the audio engine. So it ends up sounding kinda flat, and 2 dimensional, rather than positional and wide. And again, we can see both the Performer 5+2 and the Arete share in this trait. Now on the Grit, this Pina Gain carries similar to the others, but its gets a little TOO exaggerated for my liking beyond 2k, and can really make vocals seem very forward, and "out of the mix." Now, admittedly, i have only listened to the Grit once, and dont own them. So i have not gamed on them with any way, so i cant speak to that directly. But the extreme vocal forward nature of the Grit left me in a shallow Uncanny Valley where it would have taken some brain burn in to really come to grips with the sound signature. And in relation to the exdtension past 10k, the Grit, despite its very high pina gain and upper mids, rerally falls off a cliff at 10k. And it was the lack of extension in this area where i kinda lost love with the Grit in my limited listening session. I didnt feel that percussive instruments really rang out with the same level of size and space that other sets did. The BCD did help to fill some of that in. But one of the big issue i had with the Grit, and why i had a limited time listening to it, was because i had to play with about 8 different sets of tips, until i got a set that allowed me to insert it deep enough to get the shell into full contact with my ear. If it wasnt, it had a very boingy bongy sound signature to it, especially with cable microphonics. They were very musical, and i can see where some people might find the appeal. But to me the Grit is an IEM for IEM snobs. Much in the same way coffee snobs need to have their coffee extracted from cat shit and roasted. One alternative i would like to posit to you in this selection, is the OG Performer 5. Its bass level isnt quite as impactful as the Performer 5+2 with its single DD, and it isnt as technically analytical as the 5+2, but it also lacks a certain dryness heard in the 5+2 due to the micro planar top. But what the Performer 5 DOES have, is a great Pina Gain, and an a nice treble extension past 10k that really does a good job of giving it a lighter airier feel, and good sound stage. And, best of all, it can be picked up on sale for well under $200. Sometimes going for as little as $160. And, as crazy as it sounds...i actually prefer the Performer 5 over the Performer 5+2. And its the one IEM that spends the most time in my ears when i am gaming or at my computer. Followed very closely by the Arete. And a toss up in 3rd between the KE4 and the 5+2. https://soundcheck39.squig.link/?share=Apevoix_Grit,Aful_Performer_5+2,Aful_Performer_5,ZiiGaat_Arete https://audioamigo.squig.link/?share=Apevoix_Grit,AFUL_Performer_7,Ziigaat_Arete,AFUL_Performer_5

Own both, used both regularly. Both are in my usual top 5 rotation. P7 is perfectly fine for gaming. It does struggle in some ways with the mids in the Pina Gain Region, where a lot of footsteps are, it has a tendency to be a little flat sometimes. Imaging is decent, for the msot aprt you can pin point directionality. Sometimes heigh can be a bit difficult to discern, and i think that is partly because the airiness provided by the micro planar is just REALLY pronounced, and it kind of pulls some details in a little too much. I think once you get used to a particualr games sound engine, its really not that big of a deal. The P7 still has that roll down in the treble response around 10k, which does help with some of those spatial queues. But its not quite the same as the Arete in terms of spatial representation. The one bit thing with the Arete is the slightly flatter lower mids. It does make some details like footsteps and distant audio queues a little morecleaner in the mix. But, the trade off there is that the bass is a little slower with a longer decay on the Arete, despite its Paper Driver being exceptional (same driver in the Odyssey2 and Horizon), So it can get a little boomy in some games, depending on your settings. But, unlike the P7, the extra pina extension really help to bring out footsteps, mag changes, sheild charges, etc. And the those dips in the upper treble help to accentuate some of the psychoacoustic effect that helps with some directionality and spatial awareness. Now, because of the nature of IEM's that isnt a guarantee for everyone, but generally the feeling is more spacious with the Arete, than how "in the ear" the P7 can feel at times. https://audioamigo.squig.link/?share=AFUL_Performer_7,Ziigaat_Arete Overall, i think both are fine. I think the P7 is the technically "better" IEM, but the Arete is no slouch when it comes to music playback, and general use, outside of just gamming. And i think in terms of gaming, and as a "fun" listening set, the Arete is excellent. I still reach for the P7 more for analytical music listening. But the P5 and the Arete are in my music rotation because of their slightly vocal forward feel, slightly more boomy bass that adds fun and enjoyment, and treble that is well extended, and unoffensive. Unfortunately, the Arete is of the "old" Ziigaat variety, so it still has the shitty non modular cable, and bland tips (KiwiEars Flex Tips are money). Where as the P7 comes with decent stock tips, an excellent stock cable, and an air tight aluminum puck carrying case, and not just a generic zipper pouch like the Arete. Though, i will say, i think the P7 sounds MUCH better, and has fewer issues with tis resin nozzles, if you spend the extra for a set of SpinFit W1 eartips. Their soft silicone barrel really hugs the nozzle, and prevent it from slipping off, like happens with the stock tips on the P7. For me comfort is subjectivly 50/50, i dont have issues with either for hours of use. But the P7 IS more comfortable. As stated above, with the Kiwi Ears Flex, and the Spinfit W1. That should jsut abotu cover everything, but if you would like to know more...

His collab is at A- on the sheet. The spreadsheet is up to date. I have both the Arete and the Tea Pro and the upgrade was pretty mind blowing.

The GoXLR and audio interfaces in general tend to have terrible headphone jacks that aren't suited for IEMs, this is caused by their output impedance not matching and being too much for IEMs. The results are generally a higher noise floor where you'll hear static or white noise when little or no audio is being played back. It can also alter the intended tuning of multi driver/hybrid IEMs. In the end though, try it out on your GoXLR and if it annoys you then get a dedicated dac/amp, just letting you know what to expect so you know how to resolve it in the future. As someone that owns the Arete, they're really good for shooters. They're tuned to be non fatiguing so you can play for hours and not be forced to take breaks from over emphasized gun shots and kill streaks. Astrals will be the better set though and the only reason I don't already have them is because I have the Tea Pros. As far as for extra stuff to upgrade, Eartips are the first thing to upgrade for fit and comfort is #1. DAC/Amp only upgrade if you need it. IEM cable, only "upgrade" for aesthetics and comfort. 11.11 is the next sales event so you can grab a lot of these IEMs on deep discounts (Astrals $240ish, Arete $175ish, Tea Pros $280ish).

Thats funny, Fresh Reviews himself rated the Xenns Top as the number 1 IEM under his A tier ranking. Yes, even above is own set, the Arete. I'd say watch his review of both before making your decision. I have the mangird tea pro (not the top) and arete, to my ears the Arete has a lttle nicer separation and soundstage. Might come off as a surprise to some, but thats what my ears are telling me. I havent been gaming competitively for years, but for now I am leaning more towards the Arete for competitive purposes

Yes he did mention that. He gave high praise to the tea pro, and it currently ranks directly below the xenns top on his list. But its also important to remember that audio is extremely subjective. I am only able to tell you my opinions based on my own personal listening experience. And to my ears, I felt that the arete had the better separation. I think that in part had to do with the arete being less bassy overall compared to the tea pros. It does not mean the tea pros aren't good at all, I think it's a very fun set and extremely comfortable to wear, actually one of the most comfortable IEMs I've used in a while. The arete (sound wise) is almost like a less energetic tea pro due to it being slightly less V shaped. But both suffer from the treble not being as resolving as it could, but I don't mind it.

For a cheap set, I'd say Wan'er either 1 or 2, but 1 imo has the better fit because of the nozzle and nozzle angle. For the in-between, KZ Zenith. A seriously good set, I was kinda done with budget IEMs after I got that. For a I just want something really really good and dont mind spending the money even though its my first purchase in this market, Ziigaat x Fresh Reviews Arete OR Ziigaat Odyssey.

Arete has been the best imo. I tried the mangird but they were too big for me.

Out of those 4, I would recommend the Tea Pros out of the others. And I would also recommend the [ZiiGaat x Fresh Reviews Arete](https://www.linsoul.com/products/ziigaat-x-fresh-review-arete?srsltid=AfmBOoobzQ9_PJh_L9ub0AsabuLNAegVIDar2YA5DkRHrVqgf7JTxHJH), as they were specifically made for gaming, but also good for general music listening.