Video summary

I tested the most hyped IEMs to find the best.

Main summary

Key takeaways

Product Review

Product under review

A comparison of “the most hyped” IEMs across multiple price tiers, including:

  • Moondrop Chu 2
  • Tangzu Waner
  • 7Hz Zero 2
  • Simgot EW300 (dual tuning nozzles)
  • Truthear Zero:Red
  • Truthear Hexa
  • Ziigaat Odyssey
  • Meze Alba
  • Kiwi Ears Astral
  • Ziigaat Horizon

Key points by price bracket (with pros/cons)

1) Entry level: ~$20–$25 (Moondrop Chu 2 / Tangzu Waner / 7Hz Zero 2)

Moondrop Chu 2 (≈$20–$25)

  • Pros: Neutral-ish sound; works for “most music.”
  • Cons: Included tips are too stiff and don’t give a reliable fit; switches to Spinfit tips.
    • Sound issues: Can sound tinny.
    • Gaming: Doesn’t resolve fine directional cues well.
  • Verdict: Least favorite of the three.

Tangzu Waner

  • Pros (Gaming): Excellent pinpointing of footsteps; helps track opponents “through walls” (especially for FPS like Valorant).
  • Cons (Long sessions): Not most enjoyable for music/long listening; fatiguing/canny sound attributed to a 2.3kHz bump, making vocals too forward.
  • Verdict: Second place overall (gaming strong; music basically tie vs Chu 2).

7Hz Zero 2

  • Pros (Gaming): Performs as well as the Waner for positioning cues.
  • Pros (Music): Strong preference over both Waner and Chu 2.
  • Sound signature: Slightly dark with strong bass and deep extension below 30Hz, plus brilliance in treble; described as refined for ~$20.
  • Cons: None major mentioned; overall less fatiguing than Waner/Chu 2.
  • Verdict: Best in the $20 bracket and surprisingly refined for the price.

Winner (entry): 7Hz Zero 2

Overall takeaway (entry bracket): The reviewer considers the $20 products surprisingly competitive.

2) Mid tier: ~$60–$160ish (Truthear Zero:Red / Truthear Hexa / Simgot EW300)

Simgot EW300 (with swappable tuning nozzles)

  • Pros: Braided cables; multi-driver; can adapt via pink vs red nozzles.
  • Gaming tuning issue: Reviewer disagrees with Simgot’s recommendation: pink nozzles sound too dark for gaming (too much bass, insufficient treble), making directional cues harder.
  • Red nozzles: Better for both gaming and music—steps and gunshots are easy to locate—but treble can sound shouty/tinny and causes fast fatigue.

Truthear Zero:Red

  • Pros: Vocals are smoother but still detailed; great for gaming similarly to the EW300 (steps/gunshots easy to place).
  • Bass tuning: Strongest bass is deeply elevated, creating bass rumble without making voices muddy/boomy.
  • Verdict reason: Reviewer prefers Zero:Red because it’s less fatiguing and more enjoyable overall.

Truthear Hexa (≈$90, most expensive in this bracket so far)

  • Pros: “Best yet” in terms of resolving, transparent/clear sound; easy to see why it’s hyped.
  • Gaming: Slightly better at pinpointing than Zero:Red.
  • Music: Reviewer prefers Zero:Red for fun/enjoyment.
  • Verdict: Second place overall in this bracket (Hexa strong technically, but Zero:Red more enjoyable).

Winner (mid tier): Truthear Zero:Red

Notable comparison: The reviewer notes both Zero:2 and Zero:Red are tuned by Crinacle, which explains their similar sound.

3) ~$200 range (Meze Alba vs Ziigaat Odyssey)

Ziigaat Odyssey

  • Pros: Strong bass depth and impact; deep extension; voices remain clear.
  • Cons: Midrange/treble take a backseat → sounds darker/warm, and can be muddy, especially for the reviewer’s taste.
  • Gaming: Held back by darkness; directional performance not as preferred as Alba.

Meze Alba (single dynamic driver; reviewer’s pick)

  • Pros: Much better tonal balance; more neutral with sufficient bass; described as refined and easy to listen to.
  • Gaming: Excellent—directional cues “on point,” easy opponent tracking.
  • Comfort: Smaller size, very comfortable for hours.
  • Comparison to Zero:Red: Better mainly due to more treble sparkle/clarity, but the reviewer feels the upgrade isn’t as huge as price suggests (almost 3x).

Winner (~$200): Meze Alba

4) $300+ (“big boy leagues”): Kiwi Ears Astral vs Ziigaat Horizon (and Meze Alba brought along)

Kiwi Ears Astral

  • Pros: Sounds very similar to Meze Alba (graphs extremely close); both are “amazing.”
  • Gaming: No meaningful difference vs Alba for footsteps locating—reviewer calls it a tie.
  • Verdict vs Alba: Alba wins due to being smaller, more comfortable, and significantly cheaper.

Ziigaat Horizon (≈$330, most expensive in comparison)

  • Pros: Reviewer’s favorite overall.
  • Refinement: Adds “extra bit of refinement” over Astral/Alba; graphs similar but Horizon has marginally more clarity.
  • Busy tracks: Alba/Astral can sound overwhelmed; Horizon stays super clean.
  • Gaming: Amazing; reviewer feels Horizon is best for both gaming and listening.
  • Tradeoff: “Marginal upgrade” technically, but still worth it; gap is smaller for gaming than for music.

Overall outcome at $300+:

  • Winner overall: Ziigaat Horizon
  • Surprising second place: Meze Alba
  • Astral’s issue: Great but overshadowed by Alba and Horizon despite being strong.

Cross-tier comparisons / overall findings mentioned

  • “Punch way above their price class”: The reviewer expects hyped IEMs to outperform their price tier; this happens—especially around ~$20 options and also for Zero:Red vs higher tiers.
  • Price-to-performance shock: Switching from Zero:2 to Zero:Red (with different sensitivities) feels like a smaller change than expected despite a 3x price increase.
  • Tuning similarity explained: Zero:2 and Zero:Red are both Crinacle-tuned, leading to a similar sound signature.
  • Single dynamic driver not a limitation: Alba (single dynamic driver) beats multi-driver sets in its bracket.

Pros (collective)

  • Strong performance at low prices (especially Zero 2 in the entry tier).
  • Gaming-focused tuning works well across multiple tiers (Zero 2 / Waner / Zero:Red / Alba / Horizon).
  • Higher-tier IEMs add refinement mainly via clarity/treble sparkle and reduced overwhelm on busy tracks.

Cons (collective)

  • Chu 2: poor included tips, tinny sound, weak directional cues for gaming.
  • Tangzu Waner: can be fatiguing for longer sessions due to forward vocals (2.3kHz bump).
  • Simgot EW300: nozzle choice is tricky; pink too dark for gaming; red can be shouty/tinny and fatigue faster.
  • Odyssey: too dark/warm with lower treble/midrange presence → can sound muddy.
  • Astral: strong, but loses because Horizon and Alba are closer/better value.

Unique points list (all distinct claims about the products)

  • Chu 2 has stiff included tips; reviewer replaces with Spinfit.
  • Chu 2 sounds tinny; works for most music but not gaming well (weak fine directional cues).
  • Waner is excellent for gaming footsteps; can feel like tracking through walls.
  • Waner is fatiguing for long sessions; vocals too forward from the 2.3kHz bump.
  • Zero 2 is the best entry pick; dark-but-balanced tuning; strong sub-30Hz extension; refined.
  • Zero 2 is less fatiguing than Waner; works for both gaming and music.
  • EW300 includes swappable tuning nozzles; manufacturer recommends pink for gaming, but reviewer finds it too dark/muddy.
  • EW300 red nozzles improve gaming and music; treble can be shouty/tinny and fatigue quickly.
  • Zero:Red has smoother but still detailed vocals; deep elevated bass; avoids muddy/boomy voices.
  • Hexa is the most resolving/transparent/clear in its bracket; gaming slightly better than Zero:Red.
  • Hexa is less enjoyable than Zero:Red for music (reviewer prefers fun tuning).
  • Alba (single dynamic driver) has neutral refined tuning; excellent directional cues for gaming.
  • Alba comfort is high due to smaller size; can be worn for hours.
  • Alba is better than Zero:Red mainly via more treble clarity/sparkle; upgrade feels noticeable but not huge.
  • Odyssey has great deep bass impact but sounds dark/warm and muddy due to recessed mid/treble.
  • Astral tuning resembles Alba extremely closely; tie for gaming locating footsteps; Alba wins for comfort/price.
  • Horizon (≈$330) is the favorite overall; marginal but perceivable clarity upgrade; stays clean on busy tracks.
  • Horizon’s improvement gap is smaller for gaming than for music.
  • Horizon overall wins gaming and listening; Alba takes surprising second; Astral gets overshadowed.
  • Reviewer notes use of an RME interface with dual outputs and independent volume control when comparing sensitivities.
  • Crinacle tuning is cited as the reason Zero:2 and Zero:Red sound similar.

Speakers / perspectives

Only one primary reviewer voice appears to be making all judgments; no separate speakers are present.

Concise verdict / recommendation

  • Best entry (~$20–$25) for this reviewer: 7Hz Zero 2
  • Best mid-tier pick: Truthear Zero:Red
  • Best ~$200 upgrade: Meze Alba (excellent balance + comfort + gaming)
  • Best overall at $300+: Ziigaat Horizon (most refined/clear; overall winner)

Overall recommendation: For hyped “best” performance across both music and gaming, the reviewer crowns Ziigaat Horizon—while Meze Alba and Truthear Zero:Red deliver standout value in lower tiers.

Original video