[potterpastor]

These headphones look like Beats Solo HDs, but sound much much better in my opinion. Beats Solo HD headphones sound boomy and muddy to my ears, but the Zoro HD's sound like high fidelity phones. I took these headphones to a Fourth of July parade, I had my relatives try them out, and two of them said "Oh my goodness, these sound so clear!"

That's the way I would characterize the sound of these headphones, crystal clear, clean, and balanced. The treble is pristine without being sharp or piercing, the mids are forward but not intrusive, and the bass is potent and clear and extends down deep.

When I say that the Zoro HDs sound balanced, I mean that no part of the sound spectrum dominates the other. Bass, mids, and highs can all be heard equally. The headphones are portable and can be folded up and placed in the accompanying pouch.

The negatives: The build quality is not quite as premium as with the Beats by Dre line, and when you crank the volume on your MP3 player all the way loud (which you will not need to do with these headphones because they are efficient), it sounds a tad scratchy. If you wear glasses, you might not like the pressure that the ear cup places on your right ear. Also, if you like DJ music where the bass rattles the fillings in your mouth and You hear and feel the beat, but it overwhelms the other instruments and the song, you won't be satisfied with the Zoros.

But if you like hearing beautiful pristine music that sounds exactly the way the artist intended, you will be very happy with the Zoros.

The sound is a detailed stereo sound, meaning that you will hear bass in one ear, vocals over your head, piano or guitar in another ear, etc. It sounds like you are in a auditorium, and you can almost pinpoint where on the stage the different instruments are being played.

These are sealed headphones, they will not leak sound if you have them properly placed directly on your ears (I suppose if you have the volume turned all the way up, which is not advised, they might leak a little...)

At the $100 price point, these headphones are hard to beat. They have a clearer sound than the similarly priced Sennheiser HD 438, They do not sound congested and insular like the ATH M50s, And they do not sound harsh like the Grado SR 60 or the Grado SR 125.

But in my view, they are one step below $350 sealed headphones like the Sennheiser Momentum, which are even clearer with a more luxurious build quality.

But these headphones get a lot of time on my ears, because they are portable, affordable, easy to tote around, and they look awesome

By the way, do not confuse these with the Zoro professional headphones, which are priced $40 cheaper. They are good, but they leak sound, and these are a big step up.

Highly recommended, and they do not need a headphone amplifier, though they benefit slightly from a portable amp like the Fiio E11.

 

[skoczko]

I got a new pair of Zoro HDs yesterday and have been burning them in over night. I have to say I am REALLY disappointed so far. Compared to my cheapo Sennheiser HD 203 they sound worse in every possible way. Bass is muddy and flat, mids and highs are silenced. Bumping the volume or fiddling with EQ to at least match the clarity of 203s results in pretty audible distortions, either in bass or in the highs (my music is decent quality 320bps MP3s but 203s seem to be masking any flaws pretty well). But the saddest thing of all is dynamic range -- on my 203s I can clearly hear and distinguish different sounds (e.g instruments) while on Zoros everything is mushed together (eg Pink Floyd's "Time" from the DSotM). I am testing with my iPhone 5 which is the target device for them anyway.
 
This all makes me really suspicious -- there's so much good reviews on them on-line (e.g this very forum) that I clearly must be doing something wrong. Should I give them more time to burn in? Or maybe I've received a faulty pair? All in all, 203s are barely an entry level Senn headphone, should I be hearing such a huge difference?  

 

[potterpastor]

Hi Skoczko: Hard to believe we're listening to the same phones. I have a red pair and a black pair. One I purchased from Amazon, the other from Woot, and they both sound awesome, the exact opposite of what you wrote. And everyone that I have had try these headphones are blown away by the clarity. Don't know what else to tell you.

 

[potterpastor]

The only thing I can think of is that you have the volume on your DAP turned all the way up. I notice distortion with my volume up high. I recommend either a headphone amp Or don't have it turned up all the way.

This is where I think a higher end portable like the Sennheiser Momentum earns it's keep. It doesn't have the distortion at the high volumes.

 

[razorblader]

Hi Skoczko: Hard to believe we're listening to the same phones. I have a red pair and a black pair. One I purchased from Amazon, the other from Woot, and they both sound awesome, the exact opposite of what you wrote. And everyone that I have had try these headphones are blown away by the clarity. Don't know what else to tell you.

Got my Zoro HD two days ago and I am currently listening to them with my Fiio X3 and they sound awesome, actually did right out of the box, just like you described. Clear and evenly balanced, above average soundstage especially for portables, the flat cable they come with is also of very high quality and sports a one button remote which works on I- and Android devices.
 
Ya know, good and extended treble without being somewhat piercing or annoying is apparently hard to pull off for a lot of headphone makers in portables but these are just beautifully well-rounded without ever getting fatiguing and Noontec didn't need to roll off treble (audiophile mod

) to achieve such a balanced sound.
Well worth their asking price and even though I don't care much about a headphone's looks they are kinda pretty in a wanna-be Beats Solo way. Fortunately their sound signature has nothing to do with those.
Highly recommended.

 

[DrSeven]

thx 4 the review

 

[slowpickr]

Any comparisons to the V-Moda M80?

 

[Tom22]

for all those interested in the new zoro II HD headphones i've created a thread and unboxed them as well! looks like a good improvement to the original zoros!
 
heres the link:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/751685/noontec-zoro-re-imagined-zoro-ii-hd-impressions-thread#post_11243065

 

[potterpastor]

I'll check it out. I have them too and am preparing a review. I think they are an improvement over the previous Zoro HD in every way, clarity, comfort, and build. Very good bass to mids transition. Slightly veiled treble. Very balanced sound, no accentuated frequencies.

I recommend giving these an iphone or Spotify treble boost to improve the sound from very good to excellent.

An excellent and much cheaper alternative to the Beats Solo 2.

These compete with almost any on ear phone under $180.

They lack the smoothness and refinement of an over ear headphone in the 300-500 range, but that's not really a fair comparison, these babies are $99! My favorite on ear phone at that price for sure.

 

[Tom22]

I'll check it out. I have them too and am preparing a review. I think they are an improvement over the previous Zoro HD in every way, clarity, comfort, and build. Very good bass to mids transition. Slightly veiled treble. Very balanced sound, no accentuated frequencies.

I recommend giving these an iphone or Spotify treble boost to improve the sound from very good to excellent.

An excellent and much cheaper alternative to the Beats Solo 2.

These compete with almost any on ear phone under $180.

They lack the smoothness and refinement of an over ear headphone in the 300-500 range, but that's not really a fair comparison, these babies are $99! My favorite on ear phone at that price for sure.

 
really? i thought it was brighter than the previous generation ( sorry i meant the original zoros) 
 
i think the treble is just right, maybe even a bit splashy especially in the lower treble
 
but yes i do agree with the rest of your post, i think its an all around upgrade to the zoros, i think the build especially, it feels more solid overall and the bigger earpads help with comfort and they haven't touched the price either still $99. 
 
they definitely punch above their weight, comparing them just really quickly with my amperiors i can definitely hear greater clarity and refinement in the amperiors, especially in the treble but the amperiors are definitely much more expensive originally anyway (now $150-200) their a steal
 
but i think i prefer the zoro II hd over my philip citiscape downtown (which was one of my favourite budget on ear headphones

 

[Tom22]

I'll check it out. I have them too and am preparing a review. I think they are an improvement over the previous Zoro HD in every way, clarity, comfort, and build. Very good bass to mids transition. Slightly veiled treble. Very balanced sound, no accentuated frequencies.

I recommend giving these an iphone or Spotify treble boost to improve the sound from very good to excellent.

An excellent and much cheaper alternative to the Beats Solo 2.

These compete with almost any on ear phone under $180.

They lack the smoothness and refinement of an over ear headphone in the 300-500 range, but that's not really a fair comparison, these babies are $99! My favorite on ear phone at that price for sure.

actually scratch that i'll try that eq, i'm usually not a fan of eq =P we'll have to see!

 

[Tom22]

if anyone is interested in the new Noontec Zoro II HD (an improvement to the popular Zoro Headphones)
 
here is the link to my review:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/noontec-zoro-ii-hd-headphone-professional-sound-good-sound-quality-durable-foldable-comfortable-adjustable-fashion-on-ear-stereo-headphone-earphone-for-mobile-phone-smart-phone-violet/reviews/12746
 
here is my video review:

 

[vegatel34]

Had the same negative experience with my Zoro HD, sound quality much worse than the original Zoro and Hammo I have, must be different drivers inside compared to acclaimed ones. No luck for me this time, I will keep my distance from new models and continue to enjoy the older versions.

Ion