The Horizon is a tribrid in-ear monitor from Ziigaat with a total of five drivers. The bass is handled by a 10 mm dynamic driver with a bio-diaphragm. This usually refers to a bio-cellulose diaphragm, a paper-like organic membrane that is extremely thin and lightweight. The midrange is covered by two custom-ported Knowles 30262-163 balanced armatures, while two custom planar magnetic drivers handle the treble.
The Horizon launched in November 2025 and is priced at 329 USD/€280 w/o tax
ZIIGAAT HORIZON SPECIFICATIONS
- Driver: 1DD + 2BA + 2 Planar
- Driver Details: 10mm bio-diaphragm + Knowles 30262-163 + custom composite dual planar drivers
- Impedance: 24 Ohms
- Sensitivity: 102dB
- THD: 0.55%
- Frequency Response: 20Hz–35kHz
- Detachable 4-Core Cable (0.78mm 2-pin)
- Interchangeable 3.5mm / 4.4mm cable termination
Current price and availability:
- Linsoul: Ziigaat Horizon
- Amazon: Ziigaat Horizon
IN THE BOX
- 1 × Pair of ZiiGaat Horizon IEMs
- 1 × Detachable 4-Core Cable (0.78mm 2-pin)
- 1 × 3.5mm plug
- 1 x 4.4mm plug
- 3 × Pairs of silicone ear tips (S/M/L)
- 3 Pairs of Transparent Silicone Eartips
- 1 Pair of Black Foam Eartips
- 1 × Premium carrying case
BUILD AND COMFORT
The Horizon is a medium large, resin-built in-ear monitor with wide metal nozzles. Despite its size, I find it comfortable to wear. The cable is just the way I like it: not too thin, not too thick, light but not flimsy, with a pleasant amount of friction. I also appreciate that the termination can be swapped between 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm.
A large carrying case is included. It is a bit bigger than necessary, but it looks nice. You also get a selection of ear tips: three sizes of transparent silicone tips, three sizes of standard silicone tips, and one set of foam tips.
Personally, as always, I use my own third-party tips. I know what fits my ears, and I stick to a selection that works well for me.
LISTENING IMPRESSIONS
Associated equipment:
- Amplifier: Topping A90
- DAC: RME ADI-2 DAC FS
- Tips: Moondrop Spring tips and SpinFit CP145
Latin Shuffle by Medeski, Martin and Wood
The bass is nicely present and natural sounding, with a satisfying sense of fullness combined with good texture and tightness.
Rambling Man by Laura Marling
Vocals are smooth and forward, with nuance and delicacy. Instrument separation is strong, and overall performance is very good, with a neutral tonal balance that is neither too bright nor too warm, and not overly dark.
Sunrise by Norah Jones
Great vocals. They can become a bit too intense on some earphones, but the Horizon keeps them warm and nuanced, with good presence without being too forward or too polite. The bass is well balanced, instrument separation is good, and the treble is not overly crisp.
In The Mountains by Espen Eriksen Trio
With some earphones, the bass can be massive on this track, but on the Horizon it is powerful yet nicely balanced. The piano timbre is excellent.
Midnight City by M83
The Horizon is technically very capable, with excellent instrument separation and effortless detail. The bass is not too heavy, and the overall sound is slightly bright without being sharp.
Walk It Back by The National
Neutral tonal balance, effortless detail and separation, good imaging and excellent sense of depth
Keep Distance by Peder af Ugglas
Very smooth with a slightly crisp edge, offering plenty of fine detail and an excellent overall presentation.
Limit to Your Love by James Blake
The Horizon has a slightly bright and crisp character. The bass is relatively modest, but still strong – this track has a massive bass. It’s also highly textured. Detail is generally both articulate and effortlessly delivered.
Bullet in the Head by Rage Against the Machine
The Horizon is neutral, with relatively polite and tight bass, a clear and crisp midrange, and highly resolved treble. There is a slight dryness to the presentation, but nothing that bothers me.
At Home by Tord Gustavsen Trio
Very effortlessly delivered. It’s well balanced and has lots of detail and feels very refined.
Take On Me MTV Unplugged by a-ha
Very nice presentation. There is plenty of space between instruments, and the vocals stand out, sounding clear and slightly crisp with abundant texture.
Seven Nation Army (Live … Northern Lights)
The bass is present and tight, though not particularly voluminous. The overall delivery is well balanced, very neutral, and not overly crisp or bright.There’s generally plenty of detail.
Spontaneous Compositorius by Thomas Agergard
The saxophone has a nice, breathy timbre, and the bright percussion is full of detail and nuance. It is bright yet refined, never harsh. The bass is sufficiently present without being overpowering, as it can be on some earphones.
Summer 3 Vivaldi Recomposed by Max Richter
The strings sound refined and detailed, yet retain attack and a touch of crispness. Instrument separation and layering are excellent.
Young Vivaldi by Modo Antiquo
The string timbre is excellent, leaning slightly toward dry and crisp rather than warm and thick. Detail and instrument separation are outstanding.
Jambi by Tool
The guitars are very textured, and the vocals stand out clearly without any sibilance, which can be an issue with many earphones. The lean bass makes the overall impression slightly light/bright; bass enthusiasts might find it lacking, but it works well in a neutral and balanced way.
It Could Be Sweet by Portishead
The bass is relatively lean, but is still sufficiently powerful. It has excellent texture and tightness. The vocals are delicate, and sibilance is minimal compared to many other earphones.
WRAPPING IT UP
Sound Signature
The Horizon has a very neutral sound signature, nicely balancing bass, midrange, and treble. It does not sound clinical, and the treble is neither overly bright nor harsh.
Treble
The treble is highly detailed, with rich textures and fine nuances presented effortlessly. It is bright and clear but well balanced, never painfully harsh, and even sibilance is handled smoothly.
Midrange
The midrange is clear and detailed, slightly upfront, giving vocals and instruments a subtly bright character.
Bass
The bass is neutral but adequately full. Its quality is very good – tight and textured with fine detail.
Soundstage and Imaging
The soundstage is large for an IEM. There’s excellent imaging and particularly strong layering.
Detail, Dynamics, and Timbre
I find the detail level to be quite impressive, especially the treble – but the Horizon is generally and consistently a detailed, refined and effortless sounding IEM.
Dynamics are good for a neutral sounding headphone but there are even more snappy sounding IEMs out there.
The timbre is neutral and natural, slightly light and bright, with a pleasant crispness and a subtle dryness that is only noticeable when compared directly to warmer-sounding earphones.
COMPARISONS
Associated equipment:
- Amplifier: Topping A90
- DAC: RME ADI-2 DAC FS
ZIIGAAT LUNA vs HORIZON
The Luna is a six driver balanced armature driver IEM, typically priced at 379 USD.
Like the Horizon, the Luna is a very neutrally tuned IEM. They are extremely similar in tuning but have slightly different sound characters: the Luna is a bit rounder and smoother, while the Horizon is slightly crisper and excels even more in detail retrieval and technical performance.
You can read my full comparison here:
- Linsoul : Ziigaat Luna
- Amazon: Ziigaat Luna
KIWI EARS ORCHESTRA II vs HORIZON
The Kiwi Ears Orchestra II is a 10-driver balanced armature IEM. It is typical appraised at 349 USD
The Orchestra II is not quite as neutrally tuned as the Horizon, featuring a slight bass lift and a warmer, lusher tonality, which I personally find very appealing.
You can read my full comparison here:
Kiwi Ears Orchestra II vs Ziigaat Horizon
- Linsoul: Kiwi Ears Orchestra II
- Amazon: Kiwi Ears Orchestra II
KIWI EARS x HBB PUNCH vs HORIZON
The Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch is, like the Horizon, a tribrid IEM with a total of five drivers. The Punch has one dynamic driver for the bass, two balanced armatures for the midrange, and two electrostatic drivers for the treble. The Punch is typically priced at 449 USD.
Unlike the Horizon, the Punch does not aim for neutrality. It features a significant bass lift, implemented in a very interesting way: the boost gradually increases toward the lowest frequencies while keeping the rest of the frequency range fairly neutral. This works impressively well.
Overall, the Punch is lusher and darker sounding than the Horizon, though on many tracks the difference is surprisingly small.
You can read my full comparison here:
Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch vs Ziigaat Horizon
- Linsoul: Kiwi Ears xHBB Punch
- AliExpress: Kiwi Ears x HBB Punch
AMPLIFICATION
So far in this review, I have been using desktop amplifiers and DACs. However, many readers will likely use the Horizon with portable sources, so I test a few below.
I start out with the tiny and cheap Letshuoer USB dongle, DT01 Pro. It is impressive far beyond what should be expected, and actually, I think it is a great match for the Horizon.
Kiwi Ears’ Allegro Pro does a good job, but I actually prefer the DT01 for the Horizon. The Letshuoer DT03 also performs well, but not really better than the DT01 Pro. The Alpha XI1 ONIX is also good, adding a warmer touch than the DT01.
The xDuoo Link2 Bal2 might be the first real step up from the DT01, it’s a bit more refined sounding than the previous options.
The Dragonfly Cobalt is another step up, with more authority and detail.
Finally, the Chord Mojo is superb, even more detailed than the Dragonfly Cobalt, but smoother and with more refinement.
All in all, the Horizon sounds good with every DAC-amplifier I’ve tried, but some are better than others. The Letshuoer DT01 is certainly the budget king, the Mojo is the best.
CONCLUSION
I am very impressed with the Ziigaat Horizon. It’s neutrally tuned in a natural-sounding way and delivers excellent detail and fine nuances across the board.
Highly recommended.
Thanks for reading. You can support us by purchasing anything using any of our affiliate links.
- Linsoul: Ziigaat Horizon
- Amazon: Ziigaat Horizon
Any purchase you make on Amazon or Linsoul with any of our affiliate links will give us a small provision at no cost to you.
We only get a provision for items that are not returned, so there’s no incentive for us to recommend something that’s not good.
Linsoul : Headphones, Earbuds, Wireless Earbuds, Desktop DAC/AMP, Portable DAC/AMP, Digital Audio Players,
Amazon: Headphones, IEMs, Headphone Amplifiers, Home Audio or Anything else.
.
If you enjoyed this article or other content on The Headphoneer, you might consider leaving a small donation to keep this website up and running. No donation is too small. Thanks for supporting us!
If you like our work please follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter , it will help us grow. Sharing is caring 🙂
