Watch my unboxing HERE

PRICE: $1400 (PHP. 72,000.00)

PROS:

• One of the most fun sounding TOTL
• Powerful, tactile and punchy bass
• Superb, confident build quality
• Generous amount of inclusions
• Relatively easy to drive
• Great seal
• Comfortable fit
• Great coherency between the drivers

CONS: 

• Potentially too much midbass 
• Mids aren’t the most engaging or nuanced
• Lacking sparkle and air (treblehead nitpick)
• Not the most technical or most detailed for the price
• Cable might be too hefty
• Air pressure/suction effect is near unbearable 
• Not the cleanest sound
• Non-modular cable (nitpick)
• Not the best value

WHO THIS UNIT IS FOR: 

• BASSHEADS who like tactile, thumpy and engaging bass
• People who want a fun-sounding but technically capable IEM
• People who like a confident, solid and high quality build
• People who are looking for a good multidriver implementation

WHO THIS UNIT ISN’T FOR

• People who hate bass
• People who want a neutral, “reference-like” tuning
• People who want the best techs for the price
• People who want a crisp, clear, and open midrange

MY RECCOMENDED GENRES: 

• Rock (emphasis on guitars with heavy distortion)
• R&B
• Funk
• Disco

Short Review

“The Hiby Zeta provides some of the most tactile, fun, and energetic bass presentation complimented with a generally uncompromised midrange and an elevated and non-fatiguing treble for its price. Techs are surprisingly impressive for its tuning but suffer in certain aspects because of it. However, it definitely leaves a lot more to be desired for the price with its offerings and technical ability as well as the fact that it fills a niche in a steep price point. A one trick, bass pony if you will. RECOMMENDED WITH CAVEATS”

FULL REVIEW: 

TOTL or Top of the Line products in any hobby always cater to the most dedicated (or richest) and often depict the pinnacle of what you can get for your money. While not always true, there are some stigmas built up for such products of magnitude. One of these stigmas is a rather safe tuning that aims to reproduce music in the most neutral or reference manner. But today, we’ll be taking a look at a TOTL IEM from a brand known for their music players that defy the usual conventions for tuning and whether they succeeded in creating something different but appropriate for its price. 

SOURCES USED: 

• Zishan U1 (AKM variant, used with a 4.4 to 3.5 adaptor)
• Hiby R6 Pro II (Balanced 4.4, Low Gain, Class A)
• Not-by-VE Avani
• Non-HiFi Sources (Huawei Nova 7 SE, iPhone 5s)

TRACKS USED:

A mixture of lossy, lossless and Hi-Res files will be used to give a general overview of the different formats in which the gear will be used. 

• Docs file explaining each track and what to look for: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oMa7GPLaqtpnnoR9tixvWI4aK-7tXMyTEZCJAVkIZx0/edit
• Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3O9IoiZqDL0IMhfkfVUN82?si=aa357ce8856d4e79

PREFERENCES:

I currently prefer a lot of R&B, Indie, Funk and Adult Contemporary. However, I am very flexible with the music that I listen to and always try to look for the best genres for the gear. 

ACCESSORIES USED:

Tips:

• Stock Shallow Fit Tips (S,M)
• Stock Deep Fit Tips (S,M)
• Stock Medium Brace Tips (S,M)
• TRI Claron (S,M)
• Newbees (S,M)
• Cable:
• Stock Cable in 4.4mm
• Jcally PJ2 in 3.5mm

NOTE: 

The best fitting out and sounding out of the stock tips were the medium brace tips akin to the KBEar07. The Shallow Fit tips were prone to popping out of my ears while the Deep Fit tips induced the vacuum effect

Hiby isn’t the first brand you think of when it comes to IEMs. They’re more known for their portable players and DACs like the Hiby R2, R5, R6 and FC series. However, they’ve released quite a few in the past with varying degrees of success. You have the likes of the Crystal 6, the Thor, and the Lasya to name a few. The Zeta is currently their most expensive IEM to date, priced at $1399 and calls itself “The Most Revolutionary IEM Flagship”. Let’s see if that statement has merit or is merely just a marketing ploy. 

SPECIFICATIONS: 

• Price: $1,399.00 USD 
• Impedance: 9ohms
• Sensitivity: 112 db/mw
• Frequency Range: 20hz to 40khz
• Cable Length: 1.25m
• Cable Material: Continuous Crystal OFC Copper (PCOCC)
• THD: <1%
• Weight: 10.6g 
• Cable Type: 0.78 2 pin detachable

UNBOXING:

The unboxing of the Hiby Zeta is a nice balance of minimalist and extravagant. You are met with a nice, large shoe-box style packaging with HIby Zeta printed along with the words “Tri-Hybrid | Quad-EST | Penta-way Fullrange Artistic IEM. Quite the odd choice to call it an artistic IEM but that’s what they chose, I guess.  at the front with golden shapes akin to either the number 7 or a lightning bolt which is a recurring motif for the Zeta. Under the box shows some contact details in multiple languages that include English, Chinese, and Japanese. 

Removing the outer sleeves reveals a more minimalist box with the same prints as the sleeve up front on the top and sides and an overall clean black color on the rest of the box with a thin silver print that frames every side. 

Opening this box reveals a small cardboard infographics of the Hiby Zeta with an illustration of the IEM printed on the left and some specifications printed on the right. The IEMs are vectorized with a nice golden stroke that evokes a sense of luxury which is something you expect to see at this price point. On the other side of the cardboard is the frequency response graph as well as more specifications of the Zeta. 

Finally, we are in the presence of…nothing? Well, at least for my unit, the Zeta seem to have fallen out of their cardboard thrones deeper into their palace. That definitely sparks up some concern regarding the stability of the unit if it’s that easy for the IEM to fall into the case. Anyways, you can also see the box that contains the storage bag or the carrying pouch of the IEM that holds the cable and some protective pouches. Pulling the cardboard throne of the Zeta’s then reveals the accessories that include the tips. 

In total, the Zeta comes with the following: 

• Zeta IEMs
• 8-Core Cable
• 8 Pairs of tips + 1 Pair pre-applied 
• 2 Breathable net-like protective pouches
• Leather Puck-style Case

The tips included with the Zeta’s are the following:

• 3 pairs of Enhanced-Brace for Shallow Fitting
• 3 Pairs of Soft Brace for Deep Wearing
• 3 Pairs of Medium Brace for Most Situations

The Enhanced-Brace are akin to symbios as they are a hybrid silicone/foam style of ear tips. The soft brace is your run-of-the-mill narrow bored tips with a nice and soft dome while the medium brace is the tried and tested KBEar/AET07. 

Overall, it’s an unboxing that is worthy of being in the TOTL. However, I am slightly spoiled with the overly extravagant unboxing experience that I had with the Letshuoer Cadenza 12 which left me feeling slightly underwhelmed with the unboxing of the Zeta. Inclusions are definitely more than enough, but I do wish there were a little bit more in terms of distinctiveness to make the Zeta stand out in the unboxing and inclusion department. 

BUILD AND FIT:

Cable: 

The Zeta’s come bundled with a fully balanced 4.4mm PCOCC 8-core continuous crystal OFC Copper with a PVC sheath that imbues Lapis Lazuli in the insulation of the cable. 

The color of the cable is quite pretty despite somewhat looking bland. The shade of blue is very blue, more so in real life. But you can see some detail put into the cable that gives it character rather than just some basic blue 8-core cable. This could definitely be thanks to the Lapis Lazuli, but I genuinely do not care what material you use to color your cables as long as it looks good and isn’t toxic. 

The cable overall feels and is built very well and much deserving to be paired with such an expensive IEM. It has just the right amount of stiffness to be sturdy while also being malleable enough to be stored. However, it’s definitely on the weighty side thanks to it being an 8-core and is definitely stiffer than most 4-cores that I’ve tried. However, I found some inconsistencies with the braiding especially when rodey wrapped. There would be protrusions of some strands that may or may not be problematic for those sensitive to the aesthetics of their IEM. 

I’m also quite disappointed that they only shipped the Zeta with a balanced output and not a modular cable as I honestly think that at this price point, providing a modular cable for an IEM regardless of its scalability should be commonplace. 

The chin cinch of the Zeta is definitely on the stiffer side which means that there is a level of secureness in keeping that cable cinched on your chin but also being a little too stiff that it ends up being a chore to pull down. It isn’t as tedious as the likes of the 7hz Legato, but it’s much more than I prefer. 

Microphonics is generally well-controlled thanks to its thicker nature being able to absorb external noises rather than transmit them to the transducers. However, I should mention that microphonics and the occlusion effect have a strong connection and no matter how well done the cable is in that regard, if the IEM has a really bad occlusion effect then microphonics will always be present. That is the case with the Zeta, unfortunately, but I will expound on this further in its own section. 

The earhook is also shaped somewhat awkwardly as it doesn’t really hook into my ears due to its size, but maybe people with larger ears might find it to just be adequate. Besides, you can just heatgun/blow dryer it to fit your ear anyway (or cut it if you’re a maniac). 

Overall, it’s quite a pretty and quite impressive cable with a solid and premium build that is slightly barred by its lack of modularity. I will say though that the overall pairing with the Zeta feels like a second thought more than a proper pairing as I’d argue that the blue doesn’t really compliment the industrial silver design of the Zeta. Speaking of which;

IEM:

The Zeta uses a tribrid, 5-way electric crossover that includes 4 3rd generation Sonion ESTs, 4 BAs from Knowles and Sonion and 1 custom Kelvar Diaphragm LCP Dynamic Driver housed in a Titanium Alloy Shell.

The very first thing that came out to me upon holding the Zeta’s were how surprisingly light they were. I did my research prior and expected the Zeta’s to feel like a dumbbell with how “heavy” 9 drivers per side housed in a titanium alloy sounds. I was gladly surprised to find out that the Zeta’s were light, lighter than some zinc alloy single DD’s in fact! And it’s weight does not mean it does not feel premium.

It feels very smooth and refined to the touch with its semi-gloss, somewhat frosted inner finish and the lightning motif printed atop a glossy surface. You can also find the word Hiby embossed into the faceplate which, whether you’re a fan or not, can’t deny how bold and well-made it looks. The sides of the IEM are generally bare with Zeta’s name seen on the bottom side of the nozzle, the serial number, a vent across the vent side, and the 2-pins with indicators on the top side. The inner shell then sports a rather smooth curvature that is neither aggressive nor nonexistent in terms of the wing. The nozzle is a separate part of the IEM and looks somewhat odd but does look good on certain angles. You can also see a distinct lack of a pressure relief vent across the driver’s side which often means trouble for an ear like mine that cannot handle air pressure build-up. 

Comfort is surprisingly good considering the number of drivers it has. It reminded me of the Letshuoer Galileo in fitting as I think the size of both IEMs are quite similar (although I do not have a picture to compare). The less aggressive wing definitely helps in making it a much more comfortable IEM to wear over long periods of time. I also never found an issue putting the IEM in with the tips included with the Zeta, which is why I ended up using those tips for the rest of my review. 

However, due to the lack of pressure vents, air pressure build up is bordering unbearable for me. It wasn’t as bad as some IEMs like the TRI Starsea, but it exhibits the phenomenon to a degree where I need to constantly readjust the fitting in order to get a proper seal without the vacuum effect. This also affects the occlusion of the IEM as I found myself hearing a lot of the external haptics such as my jaw moving, cable moving, and walking around which has a rather negative effect on the sound whenever you aren’t stationary. I tried changing tips and no matter what I picked, it always exhibited such an issue. 

Seal however was good due to this. Having 9 drivers and a tribrid does leave quite little room for leakage in which the Zeta is able to exhibit a good sense of passive noise cancellation. 

Overall, it’s a fantastically built IEM with great fitting and the unfortunate side effect of pressure build-up due to its nature. The aesthetics is definitely an acquired taste for those who like this somewhat edgy, extravagant design thanks to its lightning motif and massive Hiby embossed. Regardless, solid build and fit. 

SOUND: 

Sound Signature:

The Zeta is fundamentally a musical IEM. It has a slight U-shape sound signature with a LOT of bass emphasis and energy, slightly recessed but still clear mids, and an elevated treble with good microdetail retrieval. 

Driving Power:

It can run out of a smartphone, but it LOVES power and scales very well with power. Throwing this to a more powerful source will make it absolutely sing and make the treble even smoother while evening out the midrange more. 

BASS:

This is by far the absolute best thing about the Zeta that made me call it an anti-TOTL TOTL. The bass goes quite deep with a very tactile and punchy presentation to tickle your ears just the right way. 

The sub bass, while not the deepest or heaviest, is quite impactful with heaps of slam to let you know and feel the bass when it hits. The quality of the rumble is also quite respectable with notes retaining their nuance while delivering hard-hitting drops. This is definitely a bass that bassheads will adore, which means those who dislike heaps of sub bass will probably want to turn away from this bass beast. 

The midbass however is arguably why you want to get the Zeta. This is, by far, the punchiest, most textured and most tactile bass I’ve heard in any IEM. I was seriously blown away with how much detail and nuance I got from listening to songs with usually mellow midbass detailing where the Zeta lets you be endowed in every single pluck, punch, and kick. However, this is arguably something that only those who seek the heavenly bass would love as even I found the midbass a little much. It’s not bloated or muddy in any sense which seriously surprised me. It was a well-controlled, speedy bass with a tasteful decay to allow for trailing notes to give that tactility. Quantity however is quite definitely far north of neutral which means openness in the midbass leading to the lower mids will have a clear compromise that I will mention soon. Regardless, this is seriously one of the most dynamic-sounding bass presentation that I’ve heard which I did not expect, especially coming from a brand like Hiby. 

A perfect example of this is Michael Jackson’s Get on The Floor which was actually what led me to use this track to determine the punchiness, texture and tactility of an IEM in the first place. This was my definitive perfect set to bring out the detail in the bass guitar and kick drum that I did not hear in IEMs prior. It was so rich, so nuanced and characterized that I’ve found nowhere else. 

MIDS:

This is the region where I expected the Zeta to take the biggest hit as from my experience, giving your IEM a bass that prominent and powerful will kill midrange clarity, openness, and coherency. Surprisingly, not quite. 

Starting with the midbass, this is where the Zeta took the biggest hit. While still generally close to neutral, there is a considerable coloration to the tonality of the Zeta’s lower mids. Vocals have a thicker, more organic note weight and are musical with instruments having an overall sense of depth and body. Detail and nuance were surprisingly good despite the emphasized midbass but arguably note definition took a considerable hit as instruments that exhibit weight more than bass tended to sound a little bit less nuanced compared to the much bassier instruments. Vocals in this region tend to have a little bit of a colored tint to them that I would say doesn’t really take much away from the naturalness of the vocals but instead affects openness and cleanliness in the presentation. Instruments fall about under a similar quality but with better nuance as electric guitars have this grungy, gritty quality that gives it a lot of character that admittedly fights for emphasis against the vocals. The higher up it goes, the more evident the recession is as well. But I would say it handles the recession well more so than the coloration and openness of the lower mids. 

Upper mids on the other hand fair a little bit better. It is still quite affected by the lower mids being quite warm and colored but the well-controlled ear gain gives female vocals, particularly with warmer undertones a very rich and full-bodied timbre that I enjoyed tremendously. Again, openness is affected but when vocals and instruments sound this rich and mellow, you get an appreciation for a slightly colored midrange. But again, this means it probably won’t be for those seeking a more neutral timbral quality. Due to this, harshness is thankfully omitted while still keeping a respectable amount of nuance despite the aforementioned richness and body. 

A track that plays well with this is Oxytocin by Billie Eilish. The empowering bass in that song often makes Billie’s vocals sound sunken on IEMs with poorly done midrange, but the Zeta plays well with the mix being so bass prominent. Her vocals still sound crisp and nuanced but on the side of warmth and smoothness over clarity and precision. 

TREBLE

This is the part of the Zeta where I was most underwhelmed by yet also quite impressed how well it played with the rest of the frequency. 

I was rather underwhelmed due to, well, the fact that the ESTs sounding more like they’re there to smoothen out the treble than to give it proper air and microdetai. Don’t get me wrong, the microdetail retrieval of the Zeta is quite impressive considering this is a generally bassy set. But it’s not as crisp as I honestly want it to.

Regardless, the lower treble region is definitely its strongest point as coming from the upper mids, there is a lot of energy and richness to balance out the higher frequencies from being fatigue free while still having a respectable amount of detail and nuance. Upper octave female vocals and instruments exhibit a lot of character and detail with a snappy attack and a vibrant decay. Just like the Upper mids, the lower treble exhibits good control over this region not being shouty or harsh in any way. 

Mid treble is where the Zeta reminds us that this is still a basshead set through and through as while the percussive and higher notes come across as respectably nuanced, they’re definitely on the tamer side with details being more complimentary rather than playing side by side in the mix. I honestly don’t mind it as much (if it wasn’t for the upper treble) but I would’ve definitely loved to have a little bit more sparkle in this region as a treblehead like me likes hard hitting and sparkly treble. However, this also means that most people who are sensitive to this region will adore how smooth the treble of the Zeta is

And we then top it off with the upper treble which, least to say, was quite lackluster. Extension was average with the lingering high notes decaying a little faster than I wish. However, it’s not all negatives as the ESTs somehow make it smooth enough for me not find it grainy or unresolving as would most IEMs with a rolled off treble do. It’s smooth all the way which I can totally respect. But again, I’d like more shimmer on the very tail end of notes and the lovely airiness. 

The unexpected track to perform really well in this regard is Earth, Wind and Fire’s Fantasy. While I usually really like sparkly sets on this track, the Zeta made me realize how well balanced it’s tuned that it turned Fantasy into an absolutely wonderful experience. Normally I’d just talk about the specific aspect like the Treble in this region, but the Zeta just plays so well with their discography, especially Fantasy. The crispness of the cymbals was just perfect in every way that is paired up with the bass giving that track so much depth and power. Honestly, that band plus Zeta was just an absolute listening experience all the way.

Technicalities:

This is by far the most surprisingly competent aspect of the Zeta as the bass presence can also often affect technicalities, but not in the Zeta

Stage is surprisingly wide and deep. There is a good sense of placement of instruments around you and the space in between each instrument in a space. Of course, stage is one of the most difficult things to really describe and YMMV as per but to my ears, these sound quite spacious and deep with how vocals and instruments are presented. However, airiness definitely took a hit in the height department as I didn’t really find the experience to be out of your head more than it’s on a flat plane in front of you. Vocal openness also took a hit which makes especially female vocals more in front of you rather than further away or in a dedicated space around you. 

Separation and layering is probably the best aspect of the Zeta in terms of technicalities as the insane bass levels as so well controlled and detailed that instruments are still very much audible with a superb amount of layering. Of course, this doesn’t inherently beat cleaner sets especially for the price, but a bassy set that doesn’t compromise technicalities will always be a win for me. However, busier tracks will definitely give the Zeta a challenge. It passes generally well for a lot of rock and metal tracks and gives a very engaging listen too, but it has the tendency to get a little confused on what is supposed to be on top of the mix occasionally with bass often being a little bit too tender and thick for the midrange to catch up. 

Imaging isn’t the most accurate I’ve heard, especially for the price, but it’s respectable enough for me to give it a pass. L/R panning is wonderful with instruments having a solid placement around the field that gives a sense of image in your head of where instruments are. But just like in the separation, it gets a little confused in extremely busy tracks with the bass often seeming to sound like they’re everywhere and the rest of the mix start to get a little mushy around the mix. 

COMPARISONS: 

vs Letshuoer Cadenza 12 ($2300)

• Has a much more extravagant unboxing experience
• Build is similar but the Zeta has a more confident and less scratch prone design
• C12 has a more neutral, balanced and brighter tuning
• Bass is much more neutral, controlled and open but less impactful, textured and punchy
• Mids are MUCH more neutral, natural and nuanced on the C12 
• Treble is not as smooth or inoffensive but much more nuanced, detailed and extended
• Technicalities is slightly better compared to the Zeta

vs CA Andromeda ($1400)

• Andromeda has an edgier but less confident build compared to the Zeta
• Andromeda is a more neutral leaning bright IEM
• Andromeda has faster, more detailed but less dynamic and textured bass
• Andromeda has a more natural, smoother but not as open or clean midrange
• Andromeda has a more elevated, nuanced but harsher and less controlled treble
• Technicalities is about similar for both IEMs

vs SA6 MKII ($579)

• Has a surprisingly better unboxing experience and overall inclusion
• Build feels much better on the Zeta but doesn’t fit as well as the SA6 MKII
• A less u-shape sound signature compared to the Zeta
• Bass is MUCH less textured, tactile but also MUCH more open, clean and impactful
• Mids are more neutral and nuanced with less upper midrange emphasis 
• Treble is more elevated, potentially harsher but also more detailed and nuanced
• Technicalities are similar on both units

VERDICT:

The Zeta is definitely an interesting entry into the TOTL scene as it does what very little amount of TOTLs do which is create a unique, fun but largely uncompromised experience with a solid technical chop to compliment it. The anti-TOTL TOTL IEM. 

But that’s what also makes it undesirable for some. Besides the somewhat lack luster unboxing experience for the price, it’s also a departure from most neutral sets that people are used to at this price point. It’s musical over analytical. Fun over accuracy. It’s not your most neutral, precise and reference choice. Far from it. 

But that’s exactly why I personally love it. It’s a very engaging and fun sound that breaks the mold of what TOTL’s can be. They don’t have to be a borefest of neutral/balanced tune IEMs that cater only to those who want a reference like sound. TOTL’s should be able to do everything and anything with a level of refinement or quality that you cannot find in cheaper IEMs. This and the fact that this came from a brand like Hiby who doesn’t really have a good track of making IEMs is seriously surprising.

Will hardcore audiophiles love the Zeta? Probably not. But if your pocket is deep enough and you REALLY want that TOTL-level fun, then the Zeta is that oddball that you can roll with. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my review. If you would like to see more of my content, please consider following my Facebook page and my other social media accounts: 

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Have a nice day, and enjoy music!