ZIIGAAT Cincotres

I will update this review soon after I received more eartips and write a full review, but I made up my mind. I think what this IEM suffers from the most is the shimmering metallic treble which I can't unhear.. It destroys its ability to be used in a lot of my library such as everything just shimmers. Shimmering shimmer peaks that destroys the rest of the sound.
This cause alone is enough for me to warrant another 1 star penalty.. because 4/5 would be "I love it for the price its fair and excellent - would be hard finding something to beat it, but its not perfect".

3 is like.. "I like it, but it has flaws that makes me unable to enjoy 360 degrees of my music library" - and thats even being nice imo. Sadly I'm very treble sensitive when it comes to flaws like this. 2.5/5 would be harsh, but 3 is fair I feel, I initially set it at 3.5 stars but honestly.. I think the shimmering is so bad in many tracks you would even expect it to be good in, its a letdown in all ways. The compromise of getting a crisp treble at the cost of making too many details seem too bright and "dry" is not worth it.. It works with synthwave, 80s rock, but not with sparkly ambient or similar trance/EDM details like leads, choirs.. Its too bright, non-neutral, too dry at peaks.

Changing my Topping E30 DAC from filter 3 (default, neutral) to filter 6 (warmest) helps "slightly" but I'm not fond of equalizing IEMs.


To make examples of what music sounds great on these without sounding too "dry" in the treble:

(Lets start with 80s rock)










(Then synthwave)








(Then less fortunate synthwave tracks for this particular IEM)











Verdict: Overall I like it, but I'm very disappointed in the shimmering which severely limits my listening pleasure. I don't really understand why someone can think its OK to release something that distorts the treble this bad. From start to finish its been the shimmering thats been holding me back from loving the crap out of this IEM cuz I really would if NOT that dreaded shimmering treble was so colored. The shimmering makes you wanna back off from so many tracks and thats what makes it tiring to listen to. Its not initially very obvious, but once you listen to more than a few genres you will clearly hear it and you will not like it.. These IEMs simply don't work well with tracks with bright details (which excludes a lot) - the 80s kickdrum as is used in synthwave is kind of sound these IEMs does best with in my opinion, as well as warm and bassy music. I think this IEM should cost no more than $150 straight up! It has too many flaws to warrant this high pricetag.

General/Packaging/Comfort/Build
ZiiGat is a relatively new brand which is sold by Linsoul exclusively. The brand has released several IEMs, namely the Cinno and Nuo,and also the Doscinco, which I have also tested and reviewed previously and found to be really good for the asking price. I have the Cincotres with me today which has the same configuration: 2DD+3BA as Doscinco, in which the two DDs are arranged in isobaric configuration.
Build quality is very solid and features beautiful faceplate as well, metal nozzle, it is neither short nor long for my ear anatomy. Packaging is rather minimal i would say, the stock cable, eartips, faux leather storage case and the IEM itself. Doscinco and Cincotres, size for both of the IEMs are similar, the difference lies on the faceplate.
In terms of comfort, the Cincotres does not have any sharp edges and I use them for several hours a day and I did not feel any discomfort throughout my listening session. They are in fact similar to the Doscinco which i had already reviewed
Prior to writing this review, Cincotres has been run in for roughly 20 hours, and in my opinion, the DD does benefit from the burn in.

Equipment and Software used

• Aune S9C -> Earmen CH-AMP
• Fiio K9 AKM
• Aune Yuki
• Macbook Air M2
• Apple Music/Tidal/foobar2k
• Tempotec V3

Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far



Sound Impression
Upon first listening impression, Cincotres sounds quite neutral to my ears with a sub bass boost, it is fairly detailed yet it is not offensive, it doesn’t sound dull and quite a refreshing tuning i would say. Slight warmish tonality with fairly natural timbre, still a slight hint of BA timbre is there if you pay real hard attention to it. Note weight is neither too thin nor thick.

Bass

• Fairly good speed and doesn’t sound bloated or muddy when listening to busy tracks such as Slipknot’s People’s = crap!, Metallica’s Lux Aeterna, it handled the speed drumming and kick flawlessly, without sounding muddy nor bleeding into the mids
• Sub bass has good extension and very rumbly when the track calls for it
• The transition from sub to mid bass is very good, the mid bass doesn’t lack punch and the sub and mid bass complement each other very well
• The bass has good texture and doesn’t sound “loose”

Mids

• The mids are neither too forward nor recessed, just right to my ears
• They mids are not too thick nor thin, overall, i would say they’re clean sounding
• Vocal positioning is slightly forward but not intimate
• Male and female vocal has good texture to it and doesn’t sound thin, female vocal has good bite and energy to it, very enjoyable
• The bass doesn’t bleed into this range which is good
• Pinna gain is rather safe and never shouty even when the volume is being cranked up

Treble

• Treble is very crisp and has good bite to it, yet they’re not offensive, but retains enough energy to not sound dark
• Extension is fairly good and i have nothing to complain about
• Good amount of air and presence, hence it does give a good stage size perception
• Detail retrieval is good as you can pick up some minute details in the background

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage is slightly out of your head with good width, and depth, slightly lacking in terms of height perception
• Separation is good for the asking price, i would say it is above average for the price point
• Imaging is good as the instruments can be pinpointed easily even during busy track

Driveability

• Cincotres is not hard to drive but it does scale well with more power, in terms of dynamics and bass control
• Most of the entry level/mid range dongles will do just fine but desktop setup will squeeze every bit out of the Cincotres

Comparison (ZiiGat’s Doscinco)

• Warmer sounding overall, thicker note weight
• Bass quantity is slightly more than Cincotres, hence packing more punch
• Soundstage is more or less similar, detail retrieval is slightly lacking compared to Cincotres
• Mids has good body and vocals are not too recessed nor forward in the mix, the vocal is not as forward compared to Cincotres
• Upper mids are not perceived as shouty as well
• Overall, the Doscinco is tuned differently and i would say when you just want to chill and have fun, grab Doscinco, if you decide that today you want to have a critical listening session, Cincotres is the one you’ll be grabbing

Final Thoughts
As ZiiGat is stepping up on their IEM game, their releases has been interesting so far, from Cinno, Nuo, to Doscinco and Cincotres which i have tested today, they’re very interesting in terms of sonic performance as well as the price point, the Cincotres reminds me of the Etymotic’s EVO, in a way, they are quite similar(based on my HRTF and Audible Spectrum) except the bass on the Cincotres has better extension packing a lot more punch and quantity.
I would even go as far as saying the Cincotres is punching above its price point, at 269$, with the sonic performance as well as the build quality that it offers, i will not hesitate in recommending the Cincotres to anyone who likes this sort of sound signature that i have described in this review, both the Doscinco and Cincotres are unique in their own way, they shouldn’t be under the radar and more people should be made aware of this brand’s release.

*A big thanks to Linsoul for sending this over for the purpose of this review. Thanks for the support and opportunity as always

Head over to their store if you are interested in getting a pair:

ZiiGat Cincotres- Non affiliated