The Hiby Zeta review is here. It is a tribrid and Hiby’s newest flagship IEM. Hiby is popular due to its Hiby Music Player App and its Digital Audio Players. Hiby has been upping their game with their IEM releases recently. The Lasya, Crystal II, and now their best effort yet, The Zeta. Hiby sent this as a part of the Zeta / FC6 tour. The Zeta is priced at $1399. You can check them out from their official Hiby site.

Source: Astell and Kern Kann Cube and Sony NW-Wm1am2

Files: DSD, 24bit, and 16bit Flac files.

Specifications:
Drivers: 4 Electrostatic Drivers, 4 BAs (Balanced Armatures), and 1 Dynamic Driver per side with a 5-way crossover
Impedance: 9 Ohms
Sensitivity: 112 dB

Hiby Zeta Unboxing experience

The Hiby Zeta review unit that I got came with a stylish black box, nothing too fancy. Priced at $1399, Hiby should have come up with a better unboxing experience. The box is neatly designed with golden accents and a lot of listed information about the product.

Hiby Zeta Build Quality

The Zeta is made of CNC-machined titanium. As Hiby claims it is abrasion-resistant and I believe them. It looks premium and screams excellent build quality. The design also looks good with a carved HIBY logo and some silver accents on the faceplate. It looks like a piece of decent jewelry on hand. The cable is an 8-core litz with a 2-pin and 4.4 termination. The purplish color of the cable does not complement the titanium finish of the Zeta that well but it is well-built, well braided, yet with good terminations. I would have preferred a modular plug with the Zeta as their model the Crystal II had a modular plug which you could interchange between 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs.

Hiby Zeta Accessories

Inside the box comes the manuals, cable strap, ear-tips, 2 protective bags for the IEM shells, and a green leather circular case. The ear tips are of 8 pairs, there are 5 silicone pairs and 3 hybrid pairs. Hybrid pairs are reminiscent of Symbio ear tips which are with orange foam and translucent black ear tips. It is an ideal pair of accessories for this price. However, I would have preferred a more sturdy case like a Pelican-like design for better storage. What can I say, leather looks good.

Comfort and Isolation

In regards to comfort, as this Hiby Zeta review shows, is good. Not excellent due to the heavier housings weighted at 10 ounces but it is comfortable in my medium-sized ear. No ear pressure nor any uncomfortable or awkward edges that would cause fatigue in the long run. Comfort is always subjective. Female or smaller ears might feel a snug fit wearing these. Isolation is above average due to the vent at the rear of the shell. With a great seal and moderate insertion. The Zeta is passable for commutes. You can barely hear any outside noise interrupting your music.

Tonality

The tonality of the Zeta is a U-shaped response, quite contrary to the measurements you see online it is not as bassy as it measures. Micro and macro details are excellent with good spatiality. Separation is good and the soundstage is grand. Imaging might need a little more improvement as I hear not very fixed imaging on the Zeta. Hiby tuned the Zeta for more fun than accuracy.

Bass

The bass could use a little more speed and detail for its price. The Zeta is made as a fun IEM. it is expected not to have an accurate bass response. It is sub-bass biased yet the midbass is also elevated. The details and speed could use a little more improvement. The bass performance of the Zeta reminds me of a thicker and bold-sounding version of the Aune Jasper. Neutral-heads would be a tad disappointed but for a bass-head like me, it is fun, and that matters. Pop, EDM, and Metal sound great with the Zeta.

Midrange

Male vocals slightly take a step back behind the bass. I find the male vocals on the Zeta slightly recessed. It sounds thin and needs a little more clarity. Male vocals like Rob Thomas, Bon Jovi, and Bryan Adams sound a tad recessed compared to other instruments in the mix due to a dip starting from 400hz to 600hz. The peak on 1khz makes female vocals, on the other hand, are emphasized with good detail and clarity. Melissa Menago, Hayley Williams, Joy Williams and other female vocals sound forward and very enjoyable. The Zeta’s midrange is a mixed bag with a U-shaped response. Guitars have that thick character that I would have preferred more detail, especially with acoustic guitars.

Treble

The Zeta’s treble is its strongest suit, the peaks around 5khz and 8khz might be bothersome for some people but I find it detailed and full of air. The cymbals and snares are detailed. As I mentioned Rock music sounds great with the Zeta. There’s definition and detail with its upper registers.

Synergy

The Zeta with its 9 Ohms/ 112 DB sensitivity is very efficient. Though the Zeta sounds best with warmer-sounding sources such as Hiby’s own FC6 Dongle, Hiby R6 Pro II, and Sony WM1aM2. The warmer nature of these sources gives the Zeta a good lift in the lower midranges and slightly tames the treble. Cable-wise it might work with pure copper cables so it can slightly smoothen the treble.

Conclusion

My short experience with the Zeta was a mixed one. Greatly built and one of the comfier pure metal constructed IEMS. Solid bass, very detailed treble, and the vocals were a mixed bag. With the right synergy, the Zeta is worth their asking price. Fun IEMS are hard to come by at this price range, Kudos to Hiby for not bucking the thread of Harman-tuned IEMS. Greatly recommended!