ZiiGaat x Hangout.Audio Odyssey 2 – Balanced, Musical, and Effortlessly Enjoyable

The Odyssey 2 is a collaboration between ZiiGaat and hangout.audio. It comes in the new Ziigaat box, with the new ZiiGaat accessories which I really like. The case, cable with 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations, and included tips are great for this price point. The shells are also very nice, opting for metal this time they fit in my ears perfectly and the face plate also looks great in my opinion (I do always like what ZiiGaat do with their face plates!).

The grey silicone tips once again worked perfectly for me, you shouldn’t need any aftermarket tips with these.

The configuration is the same as the original odyssey (1 x DD, 3 x BA), I believe that it uses the same BA’s as the original Odyssey however includes a second generation of their 10mm topology DD.

For my impressions I had two main sources during my listening time with these (probably ~50 hours all up), the first was with the AP80 Pro Max (my review is here for anyone interested), the second was with my AK SP4000. While the AP80 Pro Max is a great little source, these really sung with the SP4000. I also tried them from some of my dongles and they also worked well from those too, however, unsurprisingly, they performed better from a dedicated source.

My music tastes are extremely varied and I had a little bit of everything with these, with everything sounding good to great.

Sound Impressions:

Bass:

The bass here is absolutely tighter and more controlled compared to the original Odyssey, I did a few A/B tests and it’s very easy to notice the difference. There is a satisfying punchiness to the bass, which stays where it should and compliments the rest of the sound. Not a basshead IEM, but not bass light.

Listening to Love Lockdown the bass sounds great, it doesn’t have the crazy deep bass you can get with some basshead IEM’s where it seems to reverb into infinity, however it does have a great feel to it, where you can hear the texture. Really nice, and just a great balanced sound overall.

Mids:

Starting with vocals I was extremely pleased with these across male and female vocals. They are extremely articulate having no issues understanding anything I played through these. For the most part they’re neutral with an ever so slight warm lean. All up I had a great time listening to vocal tracks on these, with a slight preference for female vocals on this IEM, not that male vocals are bad, I think these just excel with female vocals a little more.

Instruments sound great, Violins were particularly beautiful sounding very natural. Listening to some orchestral pieces I was nearly transported to a concert hall. The IEM’s handle dynamics well leading to a very engaging listen, pop on a symphony, or your favourite instrumental track/album, close your eyes and you’ll be dragged into an all-encompassing listen.

For their price these are amazing in the mids.

Treble:

Not weak but there isn’t anything here that is going to make you go wow. Quite a smooth listen and great for long sessions, the treble here is safe and won’t annoy anyone. I would have liked a little more sparkle on occasion. A relaxed treble overall that works with the rest of the sound presented by the Odyssey 2, while I prefer Bass and Mids on Odyssey 2 (compared to the original), I would lean towards the original if you’re more of a treble head.

Technical performance:

Soundstage and Imaging:

The stage is nothing crazy, probably standard (if there is such a thing). Imaging is fairly well done, with the ability to place most instruments accurately. Not pinpoint like the Luna, but good enough to satisfy most people.

Detail & Resolution:

These don’t have a crazy amount of detail so I did find that the music is presented more as a piece, while you can focus in on an instrument it isn’t as separate as you get with some other sets. This isn’t a negative for this tuning, it works really well and creates a beautiful soundscape, just worth noting that if you’re after something to really listen to specific parts of a track this probably isn’t the right tuning for you. The one exception to this is the vocals, I found these to be very detailed on the Odyssey 2 with nuances and subtleties coming through in the performances.

Subjective thoughts:

I wasn’t immediately convinced by the Odyssey 2 however the more I listened to them the more I appreciated them. Perhaps some amount of burn-in (either physical or brain) helped, but I really grew to like them with everything and love them with certain tracks. They create a lovely overall sound and for tracks/albums where you want a cohesive, relaxing, listen these for the bill perfectly. The mids are particularly great and I spent a lot of time listening to my favourite vocal tracks on these picking up some parts of the tracks that I hadn’t noticed before in the vocal performance (which is a little crazy), and also enjoying quite a few classical pieces through my time with these too. At $249 I think they’re priced well and punch above that price point.

Overall:

Another great IEM from ZiiGaat. A balanced, musical, and cohesive experience. Recommended for anyone looking for a set that they can throw anything at and enjoy it. If you want an IEM that’s comfortable, beautifully built, and here for your musical enjoyment, this one’s worth your time.

Scorecard at $249:

CategoryScoreNotes
Bass4.3/5Tight, textured, and controlled. Not basshead levels, but balanced and satisfying.
Mids4.7/5Clear, natural, slightly warm. Vocals and instruments shine here.
Treble4/5Smooth and easygoing. Could use a touch more sparkle.
Technicalities4/5Solid imaging and cohesion, more musical than analytical.
Build/Design4.5/5Solid metal build with excellent finish and premium feel.
Value4/5Performs above its price bracket with a refined tuning and premium feel.
Overall4.5/5A balanced, musical, and cohesive IEM that grows on you the more you listen.

Posted

in

, ,

by

Comments

Leave a comment