TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero IEM Review

[MRC01]

Source? An audiologist (with a PhD in audiology) disagrees:

Regarding the ear canal changing shape over time. From an audiologist perspective, that really isn't an issue beyond the age of around 17-18 years old, as the bones/anatomy of the head is essentially fully developed by that age. That being said, 3/4 of the ear canal, is comprised of tissue, cartilage and fat. If say an individual was to undergo a massive weight loss, or a massive weight gain, then yes, the ear canal in theory, could change in shape to some degree. I have only seen this happen twice in about 15 years, one of the individuals had undergone a 100 lb weight loss.

As it sometimes happens, reality disagrees with this PhD. Years ago I got custom molds from an audiologist for musician's earplugs. They fit perfectly for about 5 years, then they weren't perfect but still worked. The fit gradually got worse over the years. Now it has been about 15 years. The fit is poor enough the earplugs are totally ineffective. The silicon like material from which they are made is still like new, not dry, hardened or cracked. I cut a hole through the center of foam earplugs to wrap the custom molds in the foam to get proper seal. Over those 15 years I have neither lost nor gained weight, nor had any other significant body changes, other than my hair being a bit thinner and more grey than it was.

Perhaps mine is the unusual corner case, but the shape of my ear canals definitely changed over the years.

 

[GaryH]

As it sometimes happens, reality disagrees with this PhD. Years ago I got custom molds from an audiologist for musician's earplugs. They fit perfectly for about 5 years, then they weren't perfect but still worked. The fit gradually got worse over the years. Now it has been about 15 years. The fit is poor enough the earplugs are totally ineffective. The silicon like material from which they are made is still like new, not dry, hardened or cracked. I cut a hole through the center of foam earplugs to wrap the custom molds in the foam to get proper seal. Over those 15 years I have neither lost nor gained weight, nor had any other significant body changes, other than my hair being a bit thinner and more grey than it was.

Perhaps mine is the unusual corner case, but the shape of my ear canals definitely changed over the years.

That's likely because silicone custom molds can change shape and wear down over time, even if this isn't obviously visible. This doesn't happen with acrylic molds.

 

[Chromatischism]

I have to say there may be some truth to that claim-compared to the other memory foam tips I've been using these seem to isolate better and emphasize bass but when comparing these IEMs w/ the Blessing 2 I did prefer the less bloated bass of the B2. With the other foam tips there wasn't much difference between the IEMs in terms of bass output.

That's because you're isolating the outside environment. I've noticed that when the noise floor comes up, bass is the first thing to go away with these IEMs. In a really quiet environment, you'll hear more bass, so it needs to be quality.

 

[Chromatischism]

I got around to loading my EQ filters into PEACE on the PC to see what my Topping EX5 would do with these.

Just as with my Pixel 4a 5G, the improvements in neutrality and impact are dramatic. These IEM's really are a different animal with this EQ, at low volumes and high.

It's so nice having the same EQ at the desktop and on the go. Thanks to Crinacle for making it easy.

When I crank it, it stays super clean and non-fatiguing. That's when you know you're there. Of course I have to be careful with this much power!

For the first time I have nearly the same sound whether I'm at the home PC with the Topping, at work with the Pixel, or in my 7.2.4 home theater with the Buchardts and Rythmiks.

The attached file is your key to audio nirvana. Just hit Import.

(do change the stock setting to snap to 0.1 dB increments instead of the default 0.5)

NOTE: the sound I get from the PC with the EX5 has less bass. As pointed out by @GaryH , there could be a difference in output impedance between my phone and the EX5. In the screenshot above you'll see I added more bass to the 20 and 80 Hz filters to make up for it.

 

[Chromatischism]

Don't believe me on this bass tuning; try just about anything from this album:

The Spirit Within

Raimu - album - 2022 - 10 songs

deezer.page.link

Foam tip users might prefer adding 0.5 to 1.0 to all the higher frequencies. For me with the small-bore silicone tips, it's right on the money. If I add more to the highs, modern pop-rock gets a little too edgy.

 

[Phorize]

As it sometimes happens, reality disagrees with this PhD. Years ago I got custom molds from an audiologist for musician's earplugs. They fit perfectly for about 5 years, then they weren't perfect but still worked. The fit gradually got worse over the years. Now it has been about 15 years. The fit is poor enough the earplugs are totally ineffective. The silicon like material from which they are made is still like new, not dry, hardened or cracked. I cut a hole through the center of foam earplugs to wrap the custom molds in the foam to get proper seal. Over those 15 years I have neither lost nor gained weight, nor had any other significant body changes, other than my hair being a bit thinner and more grey than it was.

Perhaps mine is the unusual corner case, but the shape of my ear canals definitely changed over the years.

The ear canal is cartlidge, and therefore can change shape, says the audiologist and former UCL Ear Institute lecturer with 25 years clinical experience sat on the sofa next to me.

 

[Cote Dazur]

After even more time listening to music on those iem, and reading all the post in this thread, I would like to contribute again with my experience and ask a question.
When the Zero are playing right, they are spectacularly good. As good as I have ever heard music reproduced in the over 40 years I have been an audiophile. I read a lot about the tips in this thread, I have tried them all, but to me they are not the key to accessing the excellent performance of those IEM. During the last few days of extensively listening to the Zero, for a while I was not so sure anymore why I originally liked them so much, it was then ranging from almost annoying to a little bright and abrasive to quite good with the occasional, wow it is amazing.

So, to me, now, the comments about the sound not being almost “perfect” are probably rooted to what I have found out to be behind the apparent volatility of the performance. In my experience they are extremely sensible to ear placement, not just seal of the tip, but also how they sit in the ear.
When they sit at the right spot, everything is great, FR, details, presence, natural, effortless. My opinion, at this point, is that if they do not sound spectacular to you, fiddle with them until they do, you will know when you are there.

My question to the group is: in light of my some how limited experience with IEM in general, particularly with the “high end” IEM, is it always like that for all of them? Very finicky to get them to sit to sound right? Or are the Zero particularly sensible to how they are positioned in the ears?

 

[staticV3]

@Cote Dazur
All IEMs are heavily dependent on you achieving a good seal for them to perform as intended.
Different IEMs will be more or less difficult for you to seal properly. Some housing shapes will be almost impossible to seal and painful if you manage to. Others will fit like a glove. It depends entirely on the shape of your ears.

 

[Alexium]

I have Dunu DN-1000 hybrid IEMs, they are not dependent on placement in the ear, depth etc., you only need to watch for the seal - it's a drastic, binary difference.

 

[Chromatischism]

So, to me, now, the comments about the sound not being almost “perfect” are probably rooted to what I have found out to be behind the apparent volatility of the performance. In my experience they are extremely sensible to ear placement, not just seal of the tip, but also how they sit in the ear.
When they sit at the right spot, everything is great, FR, details, presence, natural, effortless. My opinion, at this point, is that if they do not sound spectacular to you, fiddle with them until they do, you will know when you are there.

My question to the group is: in light of my some how limited experience with IEM in general, particularly with the “high end” IEM, is it always like that for all of them? Very finicky to get them to sit to sound right? Or are the Zero particularly sensible to how they are positioned in the ears?

Just to make sure I wasn't experiencing this, I have sat there pushing them in, pulling them out so they are looser but still sealed, angled them up, down, and sideways...and the sound for me does not change much.

One huge factor is what content people are testing these with. If your music is not of the denser variety it might be easier to not notice flaws.

 

[Berwhale]

Update on the Cambridge Audio Memory Foam Tips...

Amazon sent me small silicone tips instead of medium memory foam! So the tips are going back to Amazon. However, I tried a silicone tip on the Zero's before repackaging them and it fitted perfectly. I've ordered another set of medium foam tips directly from Cambridge Audio (still £10 inc.) and it seems almost certain they will fit the Zero's.

 

[Alexium]

If your music is not of the denser variety it might be easier to not notice flaws.

Suggest a good "test" track(s), please?

 

[Alexium]

I'm driving them with a DX3 Pro+; I often find myself listening at -40 dB on low gain. I do not need to turn the volume up at *all* to hear detail or bass.

Thank you for this info!
Does it mean DX1 should also be quite sufficient for the Zero?

 

[RHO]

Thank you for this info!
Does it mean DX1 should also be quite sufficient for the Zero?

That shouldn't be a problem.
I use these with my Meta Quest 2 and even that has plenty power to make them play loud.

 

[Berwhale]

Thank you for this info!
Does it mean DX1 should also be quite sufficient for the Zero?

I think the main problem with IEMs connected to desktop systems is that volume has to be turned so low that the noise floor of the desktop kit becomes audible (or channel imbalance with an analogue volume). The DX1 is likely to be fine, but can't say for certain without measurements.

 

[Chromatischism]

Very true. Some of us chose the EX5 due to the very low noise floor with sensitive IEM's (and we also have powered monitors on balanced XLR connections).

The Truthear Zeros are not as sensitive as some others, but they don't require a lot of power in an absolute sense, so you should still check reviews here for gear with very low noise.

With the Zeros (using my EQ), my EX5 is between 40-50 on the volume dial.

 

[Alexium]

That's an interesting consideration, thanks for pointing that out. I read somewhere that the Zero is hard to drive, hence my question about DX1, but apparently that's not the case (or maybe I misunderstood what that person meant).

Some of us chose the EX5 due to the very low noise floor with sensitive IEM's

Any idea whether those of you who chose EX5 actually heard the noise floor with your sensitive IEMs?
The DX1 seems to have amazing SINAD performance, certainly for its price, and way more than should be needed in practice. But if you're listening at -60 dB to begin with, the noise floor of -120 no longer seems utterly excessive.

 

[Lieglein]

I can confirm everything @Chromatischism said. I do have the exact same setup as him with the Truthear Zero, eq APO and volume knob is around 40-50 here as well. There is absolutely no noise and it generally is as clean as it can get.

 

[julian_hughes]

Update on the Cambridge Audio Memory Foam Tips...

Amazon sent me small silicone tips instead of medium memory foam! So the tips are going back to Amazon. However, I tried a silicone tip on the Zero's before repackaging them and it fitted perfectly. I've ordered another set of medium foam tips directly from Cambridge Audio (still £10 inc.) and it seems almost certain they will fit the Zero's.

Thanks for letting us know. I've done the same and ordered from Cambridge Audio.

 

[Chromatischism]

Any idea whether those of you who chose EX5 actually heard the noise floor with your sensitive IEMs?

I have used my FiiO FH3 with it, which are a lot more sensitive, and the EX5 is silent. For reference, the Schiit Magnius was not silent with those IEMs.