TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero IEM Review

[GaryH]

anyway, i went on crinacles site and he shows 10 samples so im inclined to believe now.

So you don't trust a review unit sent by the collaborator/advisor on a headphone to someone else for measurement, but you do trust units measured by the collaborator himself? Color me confused.

 

[julian_hughes]

I received mine today. Fortunately they arrived in a plain brown box wrapped in plastic. The cringe images were there inside though. I bought mine from Shenzhenaudio and they arrived at my door in 7 days, with free shipping and no sales tax or import duty charged. I'm in UK.

The sound quality is really nice, like everyone says. I've listened to some rock and pop (Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Wings) and some Vivaldi and Handel arias, some viol consorts and currently a Rachmaninov piano concerto. I feel no inclination to use eq. These sound fine as is. The bass has real weight and impact but doesn't bleed into the mids. It's tuned much better than my Moondrop Kato & Chu in this respect and it has much more pleasant tuning than my JVC HA-FDX1 as well. One nice thing: I sometimes use an old iRiver H140 player. Usually any IEM or headphone with impedance under 60 ohms hisses noticeably. With these Truthears there is no hiss, just dark background on pause.

Comfort seems good, these are very lightweight. Isolation is good but not amazing. I think a bit better than the Katos as the fit is a bit more snug. I like the cable. It's about 145cm long, much more useful to me than the usual 120cm cables. It is very flexible and and has a slider. It's probably just long enough to hog tie a captured child.

The one obvious deficiency is that these are far too quiet with a smartphone. I think these must be the quietest IEMs I ever tried. You really need an amp or a dongle or you could find them actually impractical and disappointing. They are fine with dedicated players and via desktop amps obviously.

 

[staticV3]

@julian_hughes many smartphones (and some dongles) will detect the load impedance of your headphones and adjust the gain accordingly. The lower the impedance, the less volume you get.
If your phone is doing that as well, then you can trick it into high gain with a 3.5mm male to female adapter.
Plug in the adapter, the phone will detect that something is plugged in, but won't measure any impedance, so volume will not be limited.
Then plug the IEM into the female jack of the adapter and you can enjoy full volume.

 

[Robbo99999]

Mine arrived Tuesday. They're very clean and have a ton of bass, but not to the point that it's annoying since it's tight and not at all boomy. Very pleasant. They also, however have a distinct upper midrange/lower treble peakiness that imparts a nasal quality to voices. Try saying the word "and" in the most nasal way you can, and that's the distinct coloration of the pair that I received. I'm sure I could EQ the problem away, but if you're streaming on an iPhone (as opposed to listening to files) I'm not sure exactly how that would be possible. They're worth 50 bucks though, I guess, and the funky coloration aside at least I don't think I'm missing any of the clarity of my pricier Etymotic IEMs, so they're a good IEM for rough and ready use.

I'm posting the curve on the box because that's pretty much how they sound subjectively to me. WYSIWYG, and I gave the a "fine" in the poll.

You could try the Maiky76 EQ (based on Amir's measurement):

TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero IEM Review

Loving mine so far :)

www.audiosciencereview.com

That would reduce to some extent the problematic areas you face. It's possible your sample varies further from that measured or maybe the Harman IEM Curve doesn't quite suit you......but either way the Maiky76 EQ will reduce the problems you described.

 

[Robbo99999]

Then by all means go buy one retail and drop ship it to Amir. That’s how this works here.

(If he'd agree to measure it again).

 

[asrUser]

I never bought IEMs before and only got a Jotunheim 2. It's probably too powerfull for them. What amp would be better for IEMS? Some people recommended the Moondrop Dawn. I guess it's a way if I want to power them balanced. Then there's the Qudelix 5k if I want to spend a little more.

I received mine today. Fortunately they arrived in a plain brown box wrapped in plastic. The cringe images were there inside though.

It's funny how people are so afraid of the package.

 

[Phorize]

tbh if i was from USA i would probably do it

anyway, i went on crinacles site and he shows 10 samples so im inclined to believe now.

i guess we finally got a proper mh1c replacement

There's nothing stopping you buying one from schenzhen audio or similar and shipping straight to the U.S

 

[staticV3]

Some people recommended the Moondrop Dawn. I guess it's a way if I want to power them balanced.

The Moondrop Dawn comes in 4.4mm Bal ($70) and 3.5mm SE ($65)

 

[stevenswall]

I never bought IEMs before and only got a Jotunheim 2. It's probably too powerfull for them. What amp would be better for IEMS? Some people recommended the Moondrop Dawn. I guess it's a way if I want to power them balanced. Then there's the Qudelix 5k if I want to spend a little more.


It's funny how people are so afraid of the package.

I mean, the blue sparkles are already pushing it. Needs to be more Stealth like.

 

[Pattern]

The Truthear is a bit deficient around 50-60 Hz and from ~100-200 Hz:
View attachment 232205

Whereas the 7506 has a bit of an emphasis in those regions:
View attachment 232206

This, combined with the fact that IEMs lack the tactile bass of over/on-ear headphones (bass felt on the pinna and surrounding skull), could well explain their observation that the Truthear have less bass impact. (Also the overall predicted preference ratings are actually the same for both the Truthear and the 7506, at 81%, as calculated by Maiky and Oratory respectively).

Having listened to them for years and years it's almost difficult to believe those measurements. Their bass isn't bad but I feel that in actual listening they definitely sound like they have a hard treble enphasis to me. I love them though mind you.

 

[GaryH]

Having listened to them for years and years it's almost difficult to believe those measurements. Their bass isn't bad but I feel that in actual listening they definitely sound like they have a hard treble enphasis to me. I love them though mind you.

The measurements do show that treble emphasis though.

 

[pjn]

Just arrived - they sound great, but I'm wondering which comply memory foam adapters will work.
All the silicone based just fell out of my ear in fairly short order - the memory foam adapters seemed to work the best but are still a bit uncomfy and not entirely stable.

Full disclosure - I bought some Apple earpod pros about a year ago and they had a good enough selection of adapters that I found a fit - they also let you know when they fit - different sizes for each ear. However, I don't really like sticking things in my ears and I wasn't desperately sad when I ran them through the washing machine.
It is possible that IEMs are just not for me.

However, I feel that these are worth making an effort with as they really do sound great - good bass, lots of detail and so a good "reference".
Comply don't have them as a choice on their website.

 

[Worth Davis]

Got a pair, gonna have to work on the seal...i have big holes and I can not lie.

 

[Chromatischism]

The sound quality is really nice, like everyone says. I've listened to some rock and pop (Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, Wings) and some Vivaldi and Handel arias, some viol consorts and currently a Rachmaninov piano concerto. I feel no inclination to use eq. These sound fine as is. The bass has real weight and impact but doesn't bleed into the mids. It's tuned much better than my Moondrop Kato & Chu in this respect and it has much more pleasant tuning than my JVC HA-FDX1 as well. One nice thing: I sometimes use an old iRiver H140 player. Usually any IEM or headphone with impedance under 60 ohms hisses noticeably. With these Truthears there is no hiss, just dark background on pause.

Yup I see what you mean – it's the same reason I always make sure my subwoofer to loudspeaker transition comes down by 100-150 Hz as you get much better clarity that way. Harman and default Dirac would have you take the bass boost up to 200 Hz or sometimes more, which is too congested sounding.

So you don't think they sound bright at all? I'm trying to wrap my head around this. My FH3's are borderline neutral to just slightly bright to me, and that's with more bass and less treble if you believe the measurements. Is it just my ears?

These also have more "upper bass bleed" than my home theater system but it doesn't sound as obvious to me on the IEM's for some reason. Perhaps it would if I tried the Truthear Zero.

The one obvious deficiency is that these are far too quiet with a smartphone. I think these must be the quietest IEMs I ever tried. You really need an amp or a dongle or you could find them actually impractical and disappointing. They are fine with dedicated players and via desktop amps obviously.

That is my primary obstacle. I'd rather not take more accessories to work.

 

[cacophonix]

Read the review, and ordered it last week. Received it in about a week's time, and am truly loving it. I mean, i don't have much experience with IEMs, and own HD660s driven by singxer SA-1 and denafrips Ares 2. But the zero driven by my iphone 12 pro max is truly an enjoyable experience. Solid bass, good highs, and decent mids. Very highly recommended. Makes me wonder how this compares with other highly regarded mid-range IEMs. I don't mind spending a bit more, if i can get a real step up in quality. But hearing how good these are, i am not even tempted to find out.

Thanks to Amir for the review, and thanks to Crinacle for this collab.

 

[GaryH]

I'm trying to wrap my head around this. My FH3's are borderline neutral to just slightly bright to me, and that's with more bass and less treble if you believe the measurements. Is it just my ears?

Rather than treble-related that's likely due to the broadband upper-midrange excess around 800 Hz to1.5 kHz, around where our hearing is most sensitive (of course you could test this by EQing down your FH3 in that region and seeing if that reduces perceived brightness). The Truthear has an excess that partially overlaps with that but extends to higher frequencies:

 

[Jimbob54]

Just arrived - they sound great, but I'm wondering which comply memory foam adapters will work.
All the silicone based just fell out of my ear in fairly short order - the memory foam adapters seemed to work the best but are still a bit uncomfy and not entirely stable.

Full disclosure - I bought some Apple earpod pros about a year ago and they had a good enough selection of adapters that I found a fit - they also let you know when they fit - different sizes for each ear. However, I don't really like sticking things in my ears and I wasn't desperately sad when I ran them through the washing machine.
It is possible that IEMs are just not for me.

However, I feel that these are worth making an effort with as they really do sound great - good bass, lots of detail and so a good "reference".
Comply don't have them as a choice on their website.

Not sure how wide the comply tips go on the internal bore but the truthear have some pretty wide nozzles, they take spinfit 5.5mm diameter so see what comply have in that sort of diameter. The universal fit comply tips might be a tiny bit too small.

If my truthear arrive soon I'll have a test

 

[julian_hughes]

So you don't think they sound bright at all? I'm trying to wrap my head around this. My FH3's are borderline neutral to just slightly bright to me, and that's with more bass and less treble if you believe the measurements. Is it just my ears?

I'm 55 and my hearing still goes to 14 or 15k (well, it did last year when I checked|) but it is less sensitive and probably less even than it used to be. I probably wouldn't notice a bit of brightness, or else wouldn't mind it as much as most younger people. Also I'm using quite large foam tips, a bit bigger than the ones that came with the IEM and I think, as well as giving an excellent seal, they can take a bit of brightness off compared to silicones (not entirely sure about this but it seems like it to me).

 

[Robbo99999]

Yup I see what you mean – it's the same reason I always make sure my subwoofer to loudspeaker transition comes down by 100-150 Hz as you get much better clarity that way. Harman and default Dirac would have you take the bass boost up to 200 Hz or sometimes more, which is too congested sounding.

View attachment 232367

So you don't think they sound bright at all? I'm trying to wrap my head around this. My FH3's are borderline neutral to just slightly bright to me, and that's with more bass and less treble if you believe the measurements. Is it just my ears?

View attachment 232370


These also have more "upper bass bleed" than my home theater system but it doesn't sound as obvious to me on the IEM's for some reason. Perhaps it would if I tried the Truthear Zero.


That is my primary obstacle. I'd rather not take more accessories to work.

I think "it's just your ears" as you postulated re the FH3 sounding neutral or slightly bright - as in the Harman IEM Curve may not represent neutrality for you, maybe due to HRTF differences you have that might be quite unique which could mean you require quite a different target curve. Either that or maybe you're not getting a good seal with the FH3 and thereby that makes them brighter? Or maybe instead it's as simple as you've just burned your brain into how the FH3 sounds - if you listen to it enough then it will start to sound normal in tonality.....and it'll only be when you change headphones or listen to some flat studio monitors that you'll realise that the FH3 was quite dull.

 

[Chromatischism]

I'm 55 and my hearing still goes to 14 or 15k (well, it did last year when I checked|) but it is less sensitive and probably less even than it used to be. I probably wouldn't notice a bit of brightness, or else wouldn't mind it as much as most younger people. Also I'm using quite large foam tips, a bit bigger than the ones that came with the IEM and I think, as well as giving an excellent seal, they can take a bit of brightness off compared to silicones (not entirely sure about this but it seems like it to me).

That has been my experience.