CanJam London preview video is up. Time to see what is the gear to look for, here in Hot Girl Summer
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WiiM Pro and Pro plus are on great deals for Amazon Prime day. Highly recommended if you need a streamer source
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Picked up the Kinera PhoenixCall at a really great price. They are beautiful and comfortable, just not my preferred sound signature, I returned them. Thought about picking up your Fan2 at the time.
Listened to all my sets in the last few days, I really don’t need another, although SM4 and DynaQuattro have my attention, I’ll bide my time.
HOLD! 
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Yeah, holding is good. I’d feel bad about that if I had actually recommended PhoenixCall but that was a throwaway mention so oops lol
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Since you were a fan of the PhoenixCall I thought I’d like it too, oh well.
No harm no foul, I’m glad I got to experience them.
Akros & TDF liked them too, and I’ve picked up sets they have recommended and was happy.
You never know until you hear them for yourself.
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You are doing better than me. HBB’s Deuce, Jay’s Estrella, and I am trying to pick the second set on a Riku flathead order ( I want the Berserker 3, and either the Saber 3 or the Caster 3 ). I should just go with three from Riku, since I really enjoy the other 2 sets I have ( I am listening to the Grand Berserker 2 as I type this ).
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Looking forward to your take on Deuce and Estrella, buds too
Haven’t taken up with buds, yet…
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Thanks to the kindness of friends and plain old dumb luck, I’ve gotten to enjoy a very cool and unique opportunity:
On the left is @Sonofholhorse’s Vision Ears EXT, in the middle is the retail version of Ziigaat x Jay Estrella that @domq422 got to demo, and on the right is a prototype IEM from Shortbus Audio codename: SBDM
I also got to try the Canpur CP32E which was good but not as good as these three. But basically I got to run the gamut from $300 to $3000+. How did I find them?
Stay tuned to find out
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stays tuning
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Stays tuned, my good man lol
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joins you stays tuning
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Tuning in
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I’m watching you, Wazowski
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Staying tuned in, same Bat time, same Bat station.
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Ziigaat x Jay Audio Estrella or That Which a Collaboration By Any Other Name Would Sound So Sweet
So I was afforded a pretty sweet opportunity because I live close by to @domq422; I’ve gotten an opportunity to try a retail version of @VIVIDICI_111’s virgin collaboration, named Estrella. I know there has been a lot of collaboration fatigue in some parts of the hobby, and it’s like “OMG, even someone like Jay can get one now. What even is the point of this? Well Imma tell you what the point is, because from my time with Estrella I can tell you that this is an IEM the hobby would be less off if we didn’t have it. How did I get to this thought? Let’s talk about it.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Playlist
Swashers/Bubbles - Yosi Horikawa (For imaging/detail retrieval (:00-1:00 Swashers), general technicalities check (both), soundstage depth/dynamics/layering/separation (:00-:30 Bubbles))
The Speedwalker (Live at Madison Square Garden) - The Fearless Flyers (For bass elements, particularly sub-bass/mid-bass interplay, drum kits, soundstage/layering)
DISINTER MY HEART - TRAILS (For treble response and resolution, male vocals, midrange response)
Savior - Rise Against (For rock bass elements, male vocals, layering and imaging, treble clarity :38-1:30)
When I Fall (Outta Love) - Kevin Olusola (For Imaging/detail retrieval :00-:07, tonality, timbre, male/female vocal interplay)
Fundamental Elements of Madness - Dax Johnson (For soundstage width 1:10-1:26, piano tonality)
Purple Hat - Sofi Tukker (For vocal separation :40-:47, tonality, male vs. female vocal tonality throughout, sub-bass versus midbass response within mix 1:11-1:32, resolution check 1:11-1:42)
1 Thing - Sophie Powers (For sibilance, harshness/shoutiness, high volume listening check 1:28-2:01)
Wire & Guns - KID DAD (For general tonality (warmth vs. brightness) and note weight :10-:35, for high volume listening 1:34-2:08)
Dusty Blue - Charles Bradley (For soundstage width, imaging and layering :11-:45)
Hide & Seek (Rema remix) - Stormzy (For sub-bass check throughout)
Resynthesis 3D (Binaural Version - Headphones only) - Max Cooper (For bass elements, imaging/layering elements throughout)
THE SOUND
Friends say “Shut up about it” I can’t stop, It’s written all over my face; You got me realigning my faith, That’s the kinda thing that needs praise
Praising You - Rita Ora (Feat Fatboy Slim)
(IEM Tuning Style: V-Shape; Warm-Neutral (Tape Mod))
So Estrella has a very balanced sound in both of its configurations. The second configuration is a tape mod, over the back vent, which depresses the bass levels and gives a more vocal/midcentric balance. I’ll be speaking mostly about the stock configuration, unless I specify talking about the tape mod config.
Estrella gives good emphasis to the bass, mids, and treble, but makes tasteful decisions on where to sacrifice in order to have the best overall presentation, because it is impossible to do everything perfectly. The bass is strong and present, notably in the sub-bass. There is good rumble and growl, as the sub-bass is full and impactful. Relatively, the midbass is less emphasized. It’s certainly not completely lacking, but it’s a fast and clean implementation. The vast majority will be extremely satisfied with the boom-boom, but if you are not a fan of too much bass, the tape mod is here to your rescue. Using basic scotch tape will give the most effect, dropping the sub-bass into a linear equilibrium with the mid-bass allowing the midbass to be more the star of the show. If you want your guitar plucks and drum kit to be the focus, slap on the tape. I actually prefer to use micropore tape, which is kind of a Goldilocks between the two and gives me the best of both without the penalty of either. But the beauty is that Jay gives us the option to choose our own adventure. It’d behoove you to play around till you find your bliss.
The midrange is pretty straightforward: Stock configuration favors the lower-mids because of the sheer amount of bass. It’s clean and spacious, and the vocals don’t suffer at all but the atmosphere of the sound is more important overall. There’s no dryness, flat sound, or lack of dynamics. The sound is big and I’m sure some would be able to describe it as 3D or wrapping around the head. I think I hear some of that but not enough that I’d jump out to say so. But the mids truly bring dynamic sound that we usually only get at much higher price points. Vocals will pop more with the tape mod configuration, if you’re worried you won’t get that at all. There is some resemblance to Elysian Diva, to my memory, and the graphs would bear this out. Honestly, if you said Estrella was a little cousin to the Diva in that way, it wouldn’t be totally out of line.
The real tour de force on Estrella is the treble. It’s pitch perfect for my HTRF: The tone and timbre is in the elite tier for what I’ve heard. It stands its ground with sets like Oriolus Isabellae, Subtonic STORM, you name it. Vocals, instruments, pick what you’ve got and Estrella reproduces it effortlessly and does it with elite resolution. Technicals are also on point: Layering and separation are absolute highlights. Imaging doesn’t blow me away but it is more than competitive with most anything I have to compare it to. This is a jack-of-all-trades, that might actually be a master of some.
THE GOOD
- Has No Glaring Weaknesses
- Immersive Bass Response
- Top-Shelf Treble
- Soundstage and Layering/separation
- Versatility
- Tape mod gives more vocal emphasis
- Good, Universal Fit
THE BAD
- May not appeal to the extremes
- Might not satisfy adamant Bass/Neutral/Trebleheads
- You don’t have the budget for $300, so you might have to miss out?
WHO IS THIS SET FOR?
- Everybody that can get to the $300 price point
WHO IS THIS SET NOT FOR?
- I honestly do not know who this wouldn’t appeal to
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
Jay has made some bold claims about the level Estrella can meet. Two that most stand out are that Estrella can compete with $1000 IEMs and that it shuts down the $300 price marker. So is Estrella more of a KZ Krilla, talking all the way out of its ass or is there muscle behind the hustle? Well the last few days I’ve been putting Estrella through its paces while listening to two other IEMs that provide performance that can challenge Estrella; Vision Ears EXT, on loan from @sonofholhorse and a Michael Bruce creation, the Shortbus Audio SBDM. The EXT is a $3100 IEM and the SBDM is a prototype Shortbus 1DD IEM using the fabled driver found in the MIM Dark Magician. So this is some elite company for Estrella to prove itself against.
Estrella definitely trades blows with SBDM: Estrella has a little bit better sub-bass and overall bass quantity, but SBDM counters with amazing midbass. Even in the Tape Mod configuration, Estrella doesn’t quite match up with SBDM on things like bass guitars and drum kits. This is fair, because if you’ve had experience with a Shortbus IEM or had a retune done by Mike, you know he’s going to make sure that low end is fully put together. The tonality of vocals sounds pretty similar but the overall timbre is where a bit of difference comes in. Estrella is a weightier sound in totality while SBDM has a bit of wispy overtones in the mids. In this prototype it is the weak point, where on the right song it’s amazing but is overcooked when it goes wrong. While Estrella has superior treble, SBDM outputs the Shortbus calling card of stupid, unquantifiable soundstage and 3D staging in particular. Only Mike can explain how he pulls such a spacious, dynamic sound out of the sets he works with, and just a single DD per ear at that, but he’s an absolute artisan. He’s untouchable at that. That said, there’s a reason why the SBDM is still a prototype and Estrella is a finished retail product. The mids aren’t up to snuff on the SBDM and that holds the set back overall, even though it’s much closer to done than not in this state. The Estrella is a fully polished product, end of story.
Moving on to the main event, Estrella vs. VE EXT is quite a battle, even though Estrella is punching up 10x the price ladder. In my opinion, the sounds of Estrella and EXT are quite similar, rather than all that different. I’d say Estrella has a little bit better bass overall; they follow a similar path of emphasizing sub-bass over midbass, but I think Estrella has a little bit more quantity, but also hits with more dynamic technicalities in the low end. EXT is tight and satisfying but it sounds a little drier in comparison. The next difference is in overall tonality: Estrella is cleaner and brighter while EXT is more bodied in the bass-to-low mids transition. Both do what they do well, it simply is a matter of preference on which you’d choose. The EXT has an emphasis around 1.5Khz that pushes vocals forward more than Estrella, which may be a dealbreaker for some. The other big difference comes in the treble where EXT comes in a little darker and Estrella has more extension. Estrella comes off having better layering/separation, thanks in part to the more gradual gain area, while EXT is smoother and the ESTs provide that extra treble air the way the best EST implementations do. Some will prefer the EXT and some will prefer Estrella, and I honestly told @domq422 that if you took the Ziigaat labeling off of Estrella and said it was Vision Ears putting out an entry level IEM, I wouldn’t have batted an eye at that. Taking that into account, iif Jay’s mission statement was to be able to compete with the best out there, at $300, $1000, or $3000 then mission accomplished.
So what this means is that I’ve got one of the best IEMs your money can buy in my ears. Around the price range I’ve heard current darlings such as Ziigaat’s Cinco brothers, the Thieaudio Hype 2 and 4, Dunu x Gizaudio DaVinci, and the Elysian Pilgrim. Above the price I’ve heard older bangers like the OG Yanyin Canon, Oriolus Isabellae, UM Mest MK II, Thieaudio Monarch MK III and Prestige LTD, the entire Symphonium lineup (Meteor, Crimson, and Titan), many of Aür Audio’s lineup (Aure, Neon Pro, Aurora, and Ascension)…suffice to say I have a good grasp on what the market can produce, and Jay’s Estrella is amongst the cream of the crop I’ve heard. I’m not making any proclamations that Estrella bests all of these sets, but it does beat many of them for my tastes, and competes with the ones it doesn’t outright beat. In the search for the intersection of performance and price that I can stomach, it is incredibly hard to think of a commercially released IEM that is better than this. While I haven’t heard everything in and around the price range, I am well versed enough to know that unless something comes to me later, I would have to say the Estrella is THE go to set for $300, and bit beyond as well. Getting such a delightful, refreshing treat is just what the summer time calls for, and I’m going to enjoy the time I have left with this demo, and start counting down the days till I can get it for myself. And that’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank for Ziigaat x Jays Audio Estrella: A (for both configurations)
Rank With Personal Bias: S
Recommendation Level: Highly Recommended (V-Shape (Base Configuration); Warm-Neutral (Tape Mod Configuration))
Rank As a Food: Ninja Creami Creamsicle Ice Cream
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Beautiful write up Goob!
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WOw
Did NOT expect that.
I was honestly very anxious how everyone would feel about this release, so I’m really relieved that you liked it to that extend. I really wanted to make a set that was good for the community and not just another collab, so I’m super glad you enjoyed it brother - thank you for the review goob 
Also creamsicle ice cream is goated
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I didn’t specify in the review, but a set like Estrella is why I’m SO STINGY with the sets I give high praise to. No offense to sets like Doscinco, Pilgrim, or the Hype boys, but Estrella clears them, and for my taste, it’s not even really a question that Estrella is the class of the price range.
And I hope the Ninja Creami reference lands, with you having your hands in this and making it with all your own input
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