ZiiGaat x Hangout Audio Odyssey 2 Hybrid IEMs – The Adventure Continues
ZiiGaat x Hangout Audio Odyssey 2 is a $249 USD pair of high-quality IEMs or In-Ear Monitors with a hybrid design, sporting 1 Dynamic Driver and 3 Balanced Armatures working together to sing your music. Today we review the new Odyssey 2 and explore how they compare to the market.
Introduction
ZiiGaat seems to be on a roll with their release of new IEMS, and their list of models has been interesting. We have done our best to review every single model that the company released to this date, and the list includes mostly neutral sounding earphones, with a couple of more V-Shaped and more dynamic sounding models. The one we’re reviewing today is a simpler, more affordable option in the midrange price class.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4q2hpIi
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c358QPDx
Build Quality And Design
We could find that the Dynamic Driver at the heart of the ZiiGaat Odyssey 2 is a 10mm 2nd generation bio-cellulose diaphragm dynamic driver. It works in tandem with a combination of 2 Knowles 32873 balanced armature drivers, and one knowles 33518 balanced armature driver, to get true studio monitor accuracy to your ears.
Conducting the signal to the IEMs, ZiiGaat includes a 4-Core Oxygen-Free Copper and Silver Litz cable that ensures high performance and compatibility, as this is a balanced modular cable that can work with both 4.4mm jack connectors for balanced sources and 3.5mm single ended sources, both jacks being included in the package. The shell of the Odyssey 2 is made of aluminum alloy, while the faceplates are hand-poured resin, unique to every unit.
Looking at the technical data we can find a SPL of 105 dB which is fairly high and an impedance of 20 OHMs which is quite low, resulting in what I expect to be a really easy to drive pair of earphones in the odyssey 2. With a THD of 0.19%, Odyssey 2 technically has a far lower THD than most models on the market, but still a fairly high one compared to DACs and AMPs.
Subjective Usage
ZiiGaat made the Odyssey 2 to be comfortable, fun and easy to wear. This pair of IEMs has a nice ergonomic fit, they have a somewhat small body, and require a medium insertion inside of your ears. Passive noise isolation is around 15 dB, and you can hear some sound from outside if there is no music playing, but with music playing, you will not notice anything at all.
Cable quality is top notch, the cable is green and black in color, quite beautiful, while the modular jack connector is super nice to have. Odyssey 2 does not leak sound that much, and most people in the same room as you will not even know that you’re listening to music unless you really blast at full volume. There is no driver flex and no void, and the comfort is just excellent.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired the ZiiGaat Odyssey 2 with a collection of sources, including FiiO K17, Audioengine HXL, Shanling Onix Beta XI2, Surfans F35 Music Player DAP, iBasso D17 Atheris, Burson Playmate 3, Rose Technics RT-5000, and Luxsin X9.
No matter what, ZiiGaat Odyssey 2 is super easy to drive, far easier than all of the other IEMS I reviewed recently. It sounds extremely loud even at -48 dB on Luxsin X9, making it a great pair of earphones for affordable, entry-level DAC AMPs. As it has both balanced and SE jack connectors, you basically can use it with any source.
Overall Signature – At its core, ZiiGaat Odyssey 2 is a fairly natural – neutral – slightly V-Shaped sounding pair of IEMS. There is quite a bit of emphasis in the sub bass and the upper midrange / lower treble, but also a sweet voicing for both male and female voices. Odyssey 2 has good technicalities and a fairly neutral, wide but not very deep soundstage. They render a faster, dry texture that reveals a lot of information in the midrange, but bass is slower and bumpy, creating a really nice body.
Bass – At the bottom, Odyssey 2 reaches 20 Hz quite nicely, and manages to deliver a peaking range of 40 Hz – 100 Hz, which sounds fairly bloomy, but not boomy, it puts the kick in the bone, giving all music a bumpy feeling. Bass is quite powerful, north of what I consider neutral, and slow in resonance and decay, giving music a strong body to rely on. Lower midrange is affected and you could say that there is a bit of bass bleed, especially as the bass and midrange character is extremely different, and you hear the crossover point. Odyssey 2 is one of the few entry-level IEMS that renders a bass guitar as an exclusive instrument, which is super nice
Midrange – You will hear a sweet, somewhat dark and bloomy voice with Odyssey 2. The crossover point causes both male and female voices to inherit a bloomy resonance from the dynamic driver, but have a fast and detailed presentation thanks to the balanced armature drivers. This kind of tuning is great for new and compressed music, but does not work that well for older music, orchestral or acoustic, or classical. It works really well for pop, EDM, Dubstep, Rock and Metal, which seems to have been the style list of what the Odyssey 2 was tuned for.
Treble – At the top, Odyssey 2 reaches a max frequency of about 14 kHz, with a sharp roll off above 15 kHz. It has a sharp, fast, not quite that dry treble. It is audible how the Knowles treble driver is a bit splashier than the midrange drivers which are fast and dry.
Dynamics And Textures – Each one of the drivers inside of the Odyssey 2 has a distinct texture and all of them combined create a feeling of a 3-way configuration. Bass driver is slow, sloppy, creates a bloomy bass with a long decay, mid driver is rather dry, fast and revealing, but can sound fatiguing, while treble driver is slower and splashy. This tuning tries to combine the advantages of all those drivers, but the sound is not very cohesive. Also quite interesting is that the sound is quite dynamically compressed, which makes the smaller details stand out, but compresses how loud and quiet sounds can go with Odyssey 2. Compression also grows heavier with higher volume.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Odyssey 2 is extremely sensitive to the power it is being fed, to volume levels, and changes both signature and character with different volume levels, which will inevitably lead to very different reviews, if people test them at different levels. For example, quiet they are more neutral, less compressed and the character of each driver is not that different, but when you push them at higher volumes and reach their limits, dynamic compression becomes more obvious, driver character is more defined and each driver has a specific texture and sound. Happily I cannot notice any increase in the THD or distortion.
Soundstage – Odyssey 2 is wide, quite holographic, but not very deep. Instrument separation is strong, and it defines bass guitars as a separate entity, different from the vocals, synths and guitars. Cymbals and drums are also defined nicely as individual instruments, but this definition works best for new and modern music.
Value and Conclusion
ZiiGaat Odyssey 2 has a rather low price, upper part of the entry-level and lower part of the midrange, which makes them competitive. So far, they are about as fun as Crescent, Luna and Horizon, but with a slightly different tuning. I feel like ZiiGaat is getting all of those IEMs to sound closer and closer, with a bigger difference in the technical performance than in the tuning and sound of each one of their IEMs. At any rate, Odyssey 2 has a high value, nice cable, transport case, good comfort, and excellent technical performance at this price point, being an excellent choice for your next pair of IEMs.
At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a nice Chifi pair of IEMS with good sub-bass, high resolution, a more focused midrange, good separation and a wide soundstage, ZiiGaat Odyssey 2 will deliver, and also deliver a nice cable, good comfort and a transport case being a fully recommended IEM today on audiophile-heaven.
PROs
- Case included in the package
- Modular cable with a nice color
- Beautiful faceplates and design
- Comfortable, with no flex and no void
- V-Shaped / Natural signature that is quite transparent
- Can reach sub-bass really well
- Fair extension in the treble
- Fun and easy to recommend with new music in general
Cons
- Difference in the textures of each driver
- ZiiGaat IEMS are getting less and less different, with the aesthetic faceplate being more different than the sonic signatures
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4q2hpIi
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c358QPDx
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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