Short answer: the QoA Matador. Both are rated 4.0/5 for sound quality (#432 and #412 of 1291 in-ear headphones), and the QoA Matador costs $235 against $249 for the ZiiGaat Arete, so with nothing between them on sound quality, price settles it.
What the QoA Matador does well: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 74 against the Harman target. The tradeoff: Treble about 3 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
Why pick the ZiiGaat Arete: The median of 19 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 74 with a 1.87 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural. Watch for: Presence sits about 3.9 dB low with a 7.4 dB dip near 6.5 kHz, so vocals and instruments lose some bite.
Buy the QoA Matador. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $14 less than the ZiiGaat Arete.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Headphones rankings.
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 74 against the Harman target.
e-earphone (JP) eBay
The median of 19 hobbyist measurements gives it a solid Harman preference score of 74 with a 1.87 dB spread, and its mids sit within about 0.5 dB of target, so vocals and instruments sound natural.
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Specifications Side By Side
| QoA Matador | ZiiGaat Arete | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $235 | $249.00 |
| Ranked | #432 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #412 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 74 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 74 (median of 19 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.94 dB standard deviation | 1.87 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.42 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.64 (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 (+0.0 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid | Hybrid (1 dynamic + 4 balanced armature) |
| Drivers | 1 x dynamic, 2 x balanced armature | 1 x 10mm dynamic + 4 x balanced armature |
| Impedance | - | 9 ohms |
| Sensitivity | - | 108 dB |
| Frequency Response | - | 20Hz - 20kHz (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 QoA Matador from aftersound, bassaudio, soundcheck39 and tonedeafmonk; the ZiiGaat Arete from aden, aftersound, atechreviews, audioamigo, bassaudio, bloomaudio, dl, gadgetrytech, hbb, iemocean, jaytiss, joycesreview, koi, practiphile, silicagel, sl0the, soundcheck39, tonedeafmonk and vortexreviews, all via squig.link.
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