ZIGAAT NUO – A NEUTRAL ECSTASY

INTRODUCTION:

Zigaat, the brand based in China is a new introductory brand to the Chi Fi audio industry. The Zigaat Nuo being their new entry level product into the audio industry adopts a single 10mm Dynamic Driver with an LCP diaphragm and is priced around 25USD. In this review let’s check out in detail about the Nuo.

ZIGAAT NUO SPECIFICATIONS:

THD: < 0.5%(at 1KHz)

Drivers: 10mm LCP Dynamic Driver

Rated Power: 5mW

Freq Response:: 20HZ-20000HZ

Impedance: 32 ohms

Cable Interface: 3.5mm

Sensitivity: 107dB(at 1KHz/mW)

Plug Type: Detachable 0.78mm 2 Pin.

ZIGAAT NUO SOUND OVERVIEW:

Nuo with a single 10mm Dynamic Driver incorporating an LCP diaphragm delivers an excellent neutral profile with top class technical aspects. Tone and timbre are balanced with a natural sense to the overall presentation. Let’s dive in detail about the sound through the following sections.

BASS PROFILE:

1. Nuo makes the sub bass stand out over the mid bass for a faster bass response.
2. The sub bass goes deep enough for providing those satisfying rumbles yet not reaching the fatigue state.
3. The mid bass tastes lighter yet it doesn’t miss out the smaller nuances out of the track allowing it to handle faster tracks efficiently.
4. There’s a clear distinction between the sub and mid bass section thus allowing the Nuo to represent a stellar track separation.

BASS VERDICT: Sub bass dominant with adequately lighter mid bass allowing a faster decay and tighter bass response. A bit more mid bass would have made it complete.

MID SECTION:

1. Mid section feels wide enough for the notes to nicely waver around the presentation representing an airier feel.
2. The mid section appears thin at times due to the lack of warmth.
3. The vocals lack the lushness yet it’s very clear and well separated.
4. The placement of the notes appears at a precise position thus layering out the background instruments efficiently.

MIDSECTION VERDICT: A presentation with a sense of nice space representing the vocals in an appropriate position for an engaging listening experience. Notes appear thinner due to lack of fullness which gets compensated by the stellar technical aspects like the layering.

TREBLE:

1. There’s a noticeable elevation in the treble section allowing the percussion instruments to rise and shine.
2. The cymbal crashes and the trumpets sound nice and bright.
3. The added elevation gives the Nuo adequate brightness for representing a lively presentation.
4. The treble sensitive persons will notice the borderline sibilance out of the Nuo’s treble presence.

TREBLE VERDICT: A well extended treble response with adequate brightness representing an airy presentation.

TECHNICALITIES:

TONE AND TIMBRE: A neutral tone and timbre that appears natural with a hint of brightness for a clearer and airy presentation.

STAGING, IMAGING AND LAYERING: A wide enough stage representing a grand presentation that in turn allowed the precise placement of the instruments making the imaging stellar in the Nuo.

The notes with different depths and weights are nicely layered out with proper attention without missing even the smallest nuances makes the Nuo one of the best in terms of layering in its price range.

DETAIL RETRIEVAL: Surprisingly, the detail retrieval is astounding in the Nuo extracting out all the essential elements and even beyond that out of the presentation. 

ZIGAAT NUO VERDICT:

Nuo, an offering from the house of Zigaat adopts a single 10 mm Dynamic Driver that incorporates a LCP Diaphragm delivers a pleasantly tuned neutral signature with a hint of brightness for an airier presentation. The box presentation looks minimalistic and elegant with proper cables and ear tips. Nuo is made out of acrylic resin with aluminum faceplate and adopts the usual in ear design for an ergonomic and isolated fit. 

The neutral sound signature slowly grows on into the head of the listener which makes you go AWE! By looking at its stellar technical aspects. The bass in the Nuo appears faster, lighter and sub bass focused. The mid-section has thinner notes yet that feels lively and airy due to that wider serene. The treble has the adequate brightness allowing the percussion and high-pitched notes to rise and shine in the overall presentation.

Technical aspects are the star elements here where the staging feels exceptionally wide with excellent layering and imaging capability. The detail retrieval is said to be the best in its class making this an excellent choice among the buyers and the only competitor in its segment.

The only gripes for me here would be the lack of impact over the mid bass which in turn lead to the thinner notes in the mid-section. This Nuo in turn replicates the well renowned Tanchjim ZERO which depicted the same neutral signature, but the Nuo went a step ahead in delivering a notch above detail retrieval.

Nuo, with its single 10mm LCP Dynamic Driver lets the users attain the NEUTRAL ECSTASY and explore the den of technical aspects!

POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES:

POSITIVES:

1. Neutral Signature
2. Stellar Technical Aspects (Imaging, Layering and Detail Retrieval)
3. Cleaner and Controlled Presentation.
4. Natural Tone with a hint of Brightness

NEGATIVES:

1. Leaner Mid Bass (which in turn lead to thinner mid notes)