ZiiGaat x Vivir Digital Rumba IEMs Review – Graphene Balanced Tone
ZiiGaat Rumba is a $35 USD pair of IEMS or in-ear monitors designed for the entry-level market, with a simple yet colorful shell, 10mm dynamic driver at the core and a flexible cable. Despite being some of the cheapest IEMS I reviewed ever, they are fairly good so today we will explore the Rumba and how they sound like.
Introduction
ZiiGaat has been a longtime favorite brand for folks looking for a bit of fun without breaking the bank. They are fully supported and sold by Linsoul and some of their earphones even made it to be top sellers, so when they announced such an affordable model I became interested to hear how it would sound like.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/46395j3
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4UUn0Ob
Build Quality – Design
ZiiGaat Rumba is a pair of IEMS that combines a 10mm dynamic driver with graphene coating on their driver with a dual cavity acoustic design to deliver the best sound possible out of that driver while keeping the price low.
The promised tuning aims for a relaxed and balanced sound, and technically, they have a somewhat mild SPL of 109 dB and a 32 OHM impedance. Rumba also has a rated power of 5mW and a max power of 10 mW, which tells us that they won’t like high volumes. Cable is detachable and based on 0.78mm 2-Pin connectors.
Subjective Usage
Rumba feels very lightweight and inside the shells there’s just one dynamic driver, so it makes sense that they’d be light. Despite their very cheap price tag, they come with a good cable, which is better than even some of the midrange IEMs I reviewed. It conducts no microphonic noise and the IEMS are comfortable to wear, having a medium – shallow insertion depth and coming with very good eartips from the start.
Passive noise isolation is around 10 dB at most, but for most frequencies it is around 5 dB as they sound quite open and they rely on the SPL alone to make up for noise. This is because they do not pressurize the IEM and do not have a strong sealing void, so for the most part they act as a semi open pair of headphones. This being said, there are positives, there is no void and no driver flex.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have combined Rumba with the latest DAC AMPs and sources I reviewed including FiiO K17, iBasso DX320 MAX Ti, Hiby W4, HIDIZS AP80 PRO MAX, FiiO M33. Acer Nitro 18 AI Laptop (with 3.5mm adapters), Luxsin X9.
Rumba is an averagely hard to drive pair of IEMS with a good combination wit most sources. They are not sensitive to hissing and background noise and can easily be combined with most entry-level sources without running into issues.
Overall Signature – Rumba sounds fairly natural, mid centric without an exaggeration in either bass or treble, a clean tone in the voices, and with a good combination of resolution and musicality to keep them enjoyable with most music styles. They are fairly balanced in every way, maybe outside of sounding excellent for their price point, offering a sound that could easily fit in the ~50 USD or even ~80 USD price segment. A source as warm and bassy as possible is recommended as bright sources can make them sound light and aggressive.
Bass – At the deep-end, bass starts from about 50 Hz, or even a bit higher, depending on the source and song, so you will get a tiny bit of sub-bass and mostly mid and upper bass which tries to make up in quantity for what they lack in extension. This creates a fairly good amount of boom and bam in the sound, but not a lot of actual punch and kick, the sound being a bit on the light side.
Midrange – Vocals are colored, with a fairly obvious peaking range in the upper midrange which makes guitars and certain cymbal crashes sound hot. This works well for pop, electronic, where they shine, but makes rock and metal music quite fatiguing. As expected in the price range, they have some crowd in complex songs, so technical death metal is not a recommended vibe with Rumba, and rather they work well for simpler, commercial music, handling Katy Perry and Lady Gaga well, but not Lorna Shore and Braindrill.
Treble – We get a decent extension up to about 12 kHz, with a peaking range between 6 kHz and 8 kHz that feels hot and gives music a bit of a metallic tinge. Treble rolls-off after 12 kHz which makes music focus on cymbal crashes rather than air and atmosphere. Glukoza and Leningrad surely sound awesome as they nail the intended synth and overall tone for pop songs but will struggle with metal and classical.
Dynamics And Textures – Textures are fast, on the somewhat dry end of things with dynamic range being natural – modern which means that there is some compression, but not forced, it will sound ok for most pop and modern music.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Rumba sounds best at low and medium volumes and will struggle with high volumes as they become more shouty and aggressive at higher volumes, and the bass cannot keep up with the midrange and the treble. I recommend them for someone who knows they love a lighter sound rather than for someone who wants a basshead pair of IEMS.
Soundstage – Staging is on the intimate side of things with instrument separation being medium. They work well for pop but not for music styles where you need stronger separation or a technical sound.
Value – Conclusion
Value is clearly the biggest selling point of the Rumba, as they cost very little but offer a good overall experience, from wearing to sound quality to ease of pairing, being a good pair of earphones to grab if you’re in a rush and want to experience some good clean fun.
At the end of the day, if your expectations are realistic for the entry-level price range, ZiiGaat Rumba will be a great buy that you will enjoy. With some roll-off at both ends, but a balanced, warm sound, they will be great for a generalist pair of earphones.
PROs
- High value with a good resolution for the price point
- Vocally audible and detailed
- Warm mid bass and upper bass
- Enough treble to keep shine and brilliance for pop and rock
- Fun and simple to use, pairs easily and is comfortable
- Clear vocals that make music easy to enjoy
Cons
- Comes with no transport case
- Roll-off at both ends
- Good generalist, unremarkable outside of their high value
- Colored tuning in the midrange with a hot upper midrange
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/46395j3
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4UUn0Ob
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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