Pros: Tonal Balance, Comfort, Tuning, Perfect daily driver for longer listening sessions

Cons: Detail Retrieval, Sound Isolation

Driver Setup: 10mm LCP DD + 4BA Hybrid

Price: US$99

Intro

Disclaimer: The ZiiGaat Cinno was provided to us at no charge courtesy of Linsoul. However, this was done in understanding I was to give my honest thoughts and opinions of the Cinno. The ZiiGaat Cinno is available for purchase here should you find yourself interested in a pair, or feel free to use your own links.

This review of the Cinno comes on the heels of the Nuo, which thoroughly impressed me. The Cinno, like the Nuo, looks pretty unassuming, but adopts a completely different configuration in the internals, with a total of 5 drivers per side, 1 dynamic and 4 balanced armature drivers, and sits in a different price bracket with its price tag of $99.  Let’s take a look at how ZiiGaat tackles 2 different price points and what it does differently with the Cinno.

Accessories

Accessories-wise, there’s nothing much to scream about, and it is really on the lower end at this price point. I could barely differentiate it from the Nuo, and you would generally expect much more, like a pouch or a case, and more elaborate packaging and inclusions. The cable is decent, albeit similar to the one included with the Nuo.

Build Quality and Fit

The Cinno isn’t the most innovative in design but chooses to go for a muted design and colourway. It is on the smaller side, with a well-rounded shell. It does indeed fit quite well in my smaller than average ears and they are perfect for longer listening sessions and really feel weightless in the ear when I use them for hours on end in the office.

Sound

Frequency Response of the ZiiGaat Cinno

Sources

• Lotoo Paw S2
• Fiio BTR7
• SMSL M200àSchiit Magnius

Music listened to

• Jackson Browne
• Michael Buble – To Be Loved
• Dire Straits
• Hyukoh
• Kygo
• Cory Asbury
• NEEDTOBREATHE
• The Lumineers
• Nutcracker Suite
• McFly
• etc

Bass

The Cinno has a very light and tame bass response compared to the Nuo. That said, it does have a nice air and no muddiness to it. It is crisp enough to not sound sloppy and supports the music well. It helps give a more balanced feel to the overall sound. For those looking for a more authoritative bass response, the Cinno may not be the best pick in this department.

Mids

The midrange tonality is the star of the Cinno. It seems to excel and has exactly what I felt I wanted in the Nuo in this department. Vocals were sufficiently forward and authoritative but with a certain softness and well-layered to avoid coming across as overly one-dimensional or shouty.

Treble

The treble in the Cinno is in my opinion quite well-controlled and in terms of quantity, is quite well-balanced and suited for longer daily use. My biggest gripe would be with its quality. There just doesn’t seem to be good technical capability for it to extend well and also achieve good micro detail retrieval. These areas seem to be subpar, especially for their asking price.

Overall

The Cinno impresses with its imaging and soundstage, and its balanced and pleasant tonality helps elevate its tuning. I enjoyed the musicality and versatility across my music library that the ZiiGaat Cinno provided. However, its limited technical ability is one of the aspects that stick out like an unfortunate sore thumb. This is quite a pity as the Cinno could have been the perfect IEM for me under a hundred bucks.

Conclusion

The Cinnos have a polarizing tuning and with the slightly toned-down bass and chopped-off highs, they definitely won’t appeal to everyone. These do have clear limitations in technical ability as well. They aren’t the most impressive earphones upon first listening. Yet I found myself reaching for these ever so often on my daily commutes and I just fell in love with the way they were so easy to listen to and I have a personal bias for the tuning and the tonality. With my personal bias, I would give these a relatively high rating. Still, I would advise all to approach more cautiously to see if these are your cup of tea since they are a significant step up in price from the Nuo and represent a significant investment.

Overall Grade: B+

Click HERE for our grading list for earphones