Short answer: the Kiwi Ears Astral. It ranks #405 of 1291 in-ear headphones by sound quality, rated 4.0/5, at $299. The ZiiGaat Crescent ranks #513, rated 3.9/5, at $279, $20 cheaper, a saving that is not big enough to make up the sound-quality gap.
The case for the Kiwi Ears Astral: The median of 26 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 74 with a 1.77 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 1.4 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural. The catch: Presence sits about 4.7 dB low with a 6.1 dB dip near 5.9 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Why pick the ZiiGaat Crescent: The median of 21 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 72 with a 1.89 dB spread. The tradeoff: Presence sits about 5.1 dB low with a 7 dB dip near 6.1 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the Kiwi Ears Astral. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the $20 saving on the ZiiGaat Crescent is not enough to make up the difference.
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The median of 26 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 74 with a 1.77 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 1.4 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural.
Amazon $299.00 eBay
The median of 21 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 72 with a 1.89 dB spread.
Amazon $279.00 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Kiwi Ears Astral | ZiiGaat Crescent | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299.00 | $279.00 |
| Ranked | #405 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #513 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 74 (median of 26 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 72 (median of 21 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.77 dB standard deviation | 1.89 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.74 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.62 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+0.5 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.5 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 6 balanced armature) | Hybrid (2 dynamic + 2 balanced armature) |
| Drivers | 1 x 10mm dynamic + 6 x balanced armature | 2 x 10mm dynamic + 2 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | 23 ohms | 12 ohms |
| Sensitivity | 105 dB | 102 dB |
| Frequency Response | 10Hz - 22kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 20Hz - 25kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built-in Microphone | No | - |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Kiwi Ears Astral from aden, aftersound, arn, atechreviews, audioamigo, avishai, bassaudio, bloomaudio, cqtek, fernandagunsan, gadgetrytech, hobbytalk, jaytiss, koi, kuping-sensi, obodio, practiphile, pw, samreviews, silicagel, sl0the, soundcheck39, soundignity, superreview, timmyv and vortexreviews; the ZiiGaat Crescent from aden, aftersound, arn, atechreviews, audioamigo, avishai, bloomaudio, cqtek, csi-zone, eliseaudio, hbb, jaytiss, koi, practiphile, pw, silicagel, soundcheck39, soundignity, superreview, timmyv and vortexreviews, all via squig.link.
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