TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero IEM Review

[xavx]

Indeed, everybody has different ears. Great for anyone who can wear them comfortably.
My point is rather for people interested in IEMs in general and even more the "chifi shaped" ones to rather buy them through any vendor allowing returns like Amazon.
Anything isn't worth damaging your ears despite being cheap, having great SQ and the strongest recommendation ever. There are other good IEMs. Am happy with my current IEM, just would have liked to keep the Zero for the different tonality.

 

[CedarX]

Great comments about the fit. Is it worth pointing the parallel with the Harman target discussions: it may work for most, but not for everyone… so what?

 

[nstzya]

The box needs more mention than the FR

My lady inadvertently opened my Amazon package and was naturally curious. When I told her it was just another electronic toy and opened it in front of her, she admitted that she’d thought it might be an adult toy. I had the sense that she was mildly disappointed.

 

[nstzya]

Yes, this earphone can be driven by an iPhone dongle because it has a low output impedance. Not so with every dongle.

But with low IEM sensitivity, using the Apple dongle I find I need to turn my iPhone volume to max. Is this perhaps intentional?

 

[asrUser]

I had the sense that she was mildly disappointed.

She probably expected some shits and giggles.

 

[_thelaughingman]

But with low IEM sensitivity, using the Apple dongle I find I need to turn my iPhone volume to max. Is this perhaps intentional?

I use these with the iPhone dongle and the volume for me doesn’t go past half before they get loud.

 

[pkane]

I use these with the iPhone dongle and the volume for me doesn’t go past half before they get loud.

I believe someone reported that there's a difference in output between iPhone dongles sold in the US and those in Europe. With EQ and preamp adjustment I use about 80% of the volume with my US dongle and that's about as loud as I normally want to listen.

 

[MRC01]

Or instead of all this typing you could just try the EQ and report back if it's an improvement over stock or not. I'd like to see more people try the highs of something closer to the IEF Neutral target and report their impressions. ...

Like you, I find the Harman curve doesn't sound neutral, but has too much bass & treble. I'm willing to accept this is different from the general population average. If your hearing is weird, then mine is too. I've been a musician and audiophile since I was a kid, so it's not about lack of experience or training.

 

[xavx]

Great comments about the fit. Is it worth pointing the parallel with the Harman target discussions: it may work for most, but not for everyone… so what?

To some extent only... you cannot easily change the fit of IEM/headphones while sound can be tuned to whatever you want using an EQ.
The fit is like shape & size for clothes and shoes like someone pointed out. Either they suit your morphology or don't. Harman target discussion is rather like talking about color for clothing or shoe.

 

[Jimbob54]

Like you, I find the Harman curve doesn't sound neutral, but has too much bass & treble. I'm willing to accept this is different from the general population average. If your hearing is weird, then mine is too. I've been a musician and audiophile since I was a kid, so it's not about lack of experience or training.

I think (pretty sure its been proven but too lazy to check) there is also a degree of normalising ones ears to a particular signature. I didnt used to like Harman levels of B/T- now I listen a lot closer to those levels than I did. This is partly because its easier to adjust all my phones to something close to the same target given all the measurements and EQ settings out there to get to Harman.

After all, some people swear the Beyer sound is the one true way. They are wrong of course ;-)

For my money, I have tried @Chromatischism EQ for these IEM which takes away a lot of the treble Harman hump and found it too "flat" (as in lacking life). But I couldnt swear that wasnt because I normally listen to things more tuned towards Harman. Im sure if I listened to these tuned that way exclusively for the next few weeks I might well get used to it.

Some people really need to chill out about the whole EQ/ Harman compliance "thing"- I use it as a yardstick for how something might sound and also as something to aim in the direction of for EQ.

 

[Chromatischism]

I have thought about that, too. We do become accustomed to a sound and at first, a change can be off-putting. The whole ear "break-in" thing.

I have changed my settings a few times, more recently adding a bit more to the highs. I can't add more because it starts to bother me, but what you do get is (IMO) a better shape. You can take it up or down from there by adding to or subtracting from all of the filters. For example, I may try adding 0.5 to all of the highs, or 0.1 or 0.2 to the lows (we seem to be really sensitive to small changes there).

 

[MRC01]

... Some people really need to chill out about the whole EQ/ Harman compliance "thing"- I use it as a yardstick for how something might sound and also as something to aim in the direction of for EQ.

Yep. It's a controlled study of preferences over a population. That is a valuable yardstick - should neither be ignored, nor worshipped.

 

[Georgeadv]

Do these run well with apple dongle?

 

[Jimbob54]

Do these run well with apple dongle?

USB C dongle? US version or EU ? On Apple or Android?

 

[Georgeadv]

USB C dongle? US version or EU ? On Apple or Android?

The lighting one lol… does eu or us have a difference? Also does it matter if i use an apple or android device :O

 

[Jimbob54]

The lighting one lol… does eu or us have a difference? Also does it matter if i use an apple or android device :O

EU one is hobbled at lower output on USB-C- dont know about the Lightning version - assume so

On Android device (so the USB C one) the dongle adheres to a software volume cap too- which can be bypassed using some apps that can then defeat the cap (UAPP being one).

So yes, to answer your question properly we need to know which region device you are using and which OS you are on. If I were you I would edit your original post to say Lightning using IOS and which region version.

 

[Georgeadv]

EU one is hobbled at lower output on USB-C- dont know about the Lightning version - assume so

On Android device (so the USB C one) the dongle adheres to a software volume cap too- which can be bypassed using some apps that can then defeat the cap (UAPP being one).

So yes, to answer your question properly we need to know which region device you are using and which OS you are on. If I were you I would edit your original post to say Lightning using IOS and which region version.

Had no idea…

Lighting europe iphone

 

[Robbo99999]

I think (pretty sure its been proven but too lazy to check) there is also a degree of normalising ones ears to a particular signature. I didnt used to like Harman levels of B/T- now I listen a lot closer to those levels than I did. This is partly because its easier to adjust all my phones to something close to the same target given all the measurements and EQ settings out there to get to Harman.

After all, some people swear the Beyer sound is the one true way. They are wrong of course ;-)

For my money, I have tried @Chromatischism EQ for these IEM which takes away a lot of the treble Harman hump and found it too "flat" (as in lacking life). But I couldnt swear that wasnt because I normally listen to things more tuned towards Harman. Im sure if I listened to these tuned that way exclusively for the next few weeks I might well get used to it.

Some people really need to chill out about the whole EQ/ Harman compliance "thing"- I use it as a yardstick for how something might sound and also as something to aim in the direction of for EQ.

I think it's possible to learn to get used to listening to any old sh*t, just think back to the crappy systems you might have listened on as a kid or somekind of mono radio speaker in the depths of your childhood or something - you can get used to and enjoy any old sh*t if you're exposed to it long enough - it doesn't mean you're getting the best out of the music though in terms of being able to delve into all the layers equally or just plain enjoying it as much. But you're right that your brain can get burned into a new tonality fairly easily, but I do think there is an optimum tonality that lets you explore the layers of music more equally & optimally (on average for music out there), and that's not taking into account EQ'ing out unevenness in the frequency response which would bring further levels of detail. I don't think you can just write off the importance of the frequency response by talking about "chill out about the whole EQ/Harman compliance thing"....but you probably don't mean it in such an extreme way. My position is I believe in a smooth frequency response and the Harman Curve or subtle variations on it tuned to people's own experience. (You're possibly not that far off where I'm coming from, just I wanted to qualify the "chill out about the whole EQ/Harman compliance thing" you mentioned because there are indeed some funky looking frequency responses out there from headphones!

 

[Ken Tajalli]

I got one based on the review.
Let me start by saying, it is worth three times the price, compared to some.
Does it need eq? no, it does not.
There is plenty of deep bass too.
But ultimately , I am returning them, they are not for me !
On the negative side, they are a little bulky, the formed cable end is too rigid for my liking, and the sound, a little life-less .
I am comparing to an IE 400 pro.
I got these, to do away with the Sennheisers. The Senn's need to be eq'ed , but when done, they sound more life-like .
BTW , you can run these on a dongle from a phone, they go loud enough for me, specially that, since you don't need to eq, there is no preamp reduction either, so every last bit of power available , goes towards loudness .

 

[Jimbob54]

I don't think you can just write off the importance of the frequency response by talking about "chill out about the whole EQ/Harman compliance thing"....but you probably don't mean it in such an extreme way.

I'm not sure we share the same definition of "extreme". Or "chill out" for that matter.