Thanks to HiBy for sending us a sample Zeta II for this review. We are not affiliated with HiBy in any way, and the views expressed are entirely our own.
While you probably know HiBy more for the many wonderful music players (and music player software) the company makes, you may not know that they also happen to make IEMs. Quite a few of them, actually.
While most of HiBy’s IEMs primarily cater for the entry-level or mainstream markets, there is one set that pushes further up the value chain and challenges some of the more established brands in the kilobuck tier: Zeta (reviewed here).
Coinciding with the release of its flagship RS8, HiBy’s Zeta was released to some fanfare as a ‘high end companion’ for that breakthrough DAP. Now, with the release of its new flagship DAP, RS8 II (first impressions here), HiBy is releasing its follow-up to Zeta – you guessed it – Zeta II.
Priced at $1,399, Zeta II debuts some interesting innovations to go along with its 9-driver quad-brid design, comprised of an 8mm DLC dynamic driver for bass, three BA drivers for midrange and upper mids, a microplanar tweeter for highs, and four EST supertweeters for upper treble air.
All four driver types are contained inside an individual acoustic module, managed by a five-way crossover on a silver-printed PCB. There’s also some interesting acoustic shaping and venting going on, which HiBy calls overtone enhancement, and the entire bundle is housed in very premium looking mirror-polished titanium alloy shells with watch-grade, precision-CNCd angular titanium faceplates.
As you can tell, there’s quite a bit going on here, and that’s before we talk packaging, accessories, fit and sound, so let’s dive right in to those to see how close HiBy’s new flag-bearer comes to competing in what’s become a crowded, cutthroat mid-tier premium market.
Packaging and accessories
If there’s one thing HiBy has down pat, it’s packaging. The flagship products always deliver some sort of creative unboxing experience, and Zeta II is no different.
First thing you notice is the silkscreened sleeve printed in a satin metallic finish. There’s a raised and embossed metallic Zeta II logo on the sleeve that catches the light beautifully.
Underneath sits a clamshell box in matte white with an easy-to-grip ribbed texture. The box opens outward from the middle, revealing a metallic-printed card with flowery language describing the IEM in both English and Chinese. Flip the card over and you’ll find an exploded view of the IEM’s innards, along with the full technical specifications.
Remove the card and two trays appear. The top one holds the earpieces themselves, resplendent in their angular titanium sheen. Below that, you’ll find a lift-up cover for the beautifully crafted stone-coloured circular leather case. Inside the case sits the first set of accessories: the stock cable, a mesh bag, and a cleaning brush.
The cable deserves special mention. It’s made up of four cores of silver-plated OCC and silver blend wire, complete with matching CNCd titanium alloy hardware – including 2-pin connectors and a balanced gold-plated 4.4mm plug – all wrapped in a soft, transparent nylon sleeve. It’s kink-free with minimal microphonics, which is more than can be said for many stock cables in this price range.
Remove the earpiece tray and the second set of accessories reveals itself: HiBy’s selection of custom-made tips. You get one set of standard silicone tips, a set of HiBy WG1 liquid silicone tips optimised for staging and technical performance, and a set of HiBy WG2 liquid silicone tips tuned for balanced sound. There are three different sizes for each type.
Here’s the rub: even the smallest size was too big for my small ear canals. So if your ears are anything like mine, you’ll want to have your own selection of tips handy. It’s a minor gripe in an otherwise exemplary package – I just wish more care had been taken in curating the tip selection, even though the included tips appear to be very high quality.
There’s really nothing missing from this package. The elegant unboxing experience shows real thought and care, making the premium price tag feel justified before you’ve even heard a note.
Design and fit
While the original Zeta were relatively handsome with their combination of matte and shiny metallic finishing, Zeta II raises the bar significantly. These are among the prettiest, most beautifully-made IEMs I’ve seen of late, at any price.
The combination of shiny titanium lustre and angular matte faceplates works brilliantly together, looking both elegant and refined without the bling and over-the-top ‘workmanship’ that some recent super high-end IEMs have tended to adopt. (You know the ones – they look like they’ve been designed by someone who thinks more is always more.)
There’s also something refreshingly ‘normal’ about the sleek, curvy shape of the earpieces. They’re nicely weighted and small enough to fit comfortably for most people, I’d imagine. The nozzles are neither too long nor too short, too thin nor too fat, with a neat metal mesh on the tip for protecting against wax and other debris.
In-ear, the smooth titanium finish feels refreshingly cool, and as I expected, they fit me perfectly without any pressure points – as long as I use my go-to tips, SpinFit CP145. They sit tight and don’t move around during use, and I felt no pressure points even after hours of constant listening.
These are easily among the best made, best looking and most comfortable IEMs I’ve used in all my time in the hobby, ranking right up there with the likes of 64 Audio’s U12t and PMG Audio’s Apx ME for ultimate comfort in a universal shell.
Tech specs
- Drivers: 9 per side – super tweeters: enhanced EST × 4; tweeters: microplanar x 1; mid-high: high performance BA × 1; Mid: HiFi composite BA x 2; subwoofers: 8mm DLC woofer DD × 1
- Impedance: 15 ohm @ 1KHz
- Frequency response: 20-40,000Hz
- Sensitivity: 109dB SPL/180mV at 1KHz
- THD: <1%
- Cable: Silver-plated OCC/silver pipe-network 4-wire braided cable
- Price: $1,399
- Website: https://store.hiby.com/products/hiby-zeta-ii
Continue to sound impressions…
