Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM Review

[Chyżwar]

it's actually from 4k to 8k according to this: https://autoeq.app/ (switch to harman iem 2019)

Here you have more correct measurements:

 

[alumnicesar]

Here you have more correct measurements:

View attachment 337226

the diffuse field tilt target, especially at -0.8, is arbitrary. There is no science behind it

 

[TurtlePaul]

the diffuse field tilt target, especially at -0.8, is arbitrary. There is no science behind it

Yeah, funny that everyone can criticize Harman’s methodology but when it comes time to get dozens of people to do hundred of blind listening test then nobody else is willing to organize and fund the research.

It is like when people criticize Amir’s opinion but they haven’t tested hundreds of DACs, amps, headphones and speakers. To some degree you need to defer to those who are doing the work (even if you disagree).

 

[Chyżwar]

the diffuse field tilt target, especially at -0.8, is arbitrary. There is no science behind it

I'm constantly surprised how some people who obviously don't conduct any research in the field of psychoacoustics arbitrarily judge what is science and what is not Never mind. The measurements I showed are close to how I perceive the sound of Truthear Hexa. That's all.

 

[alumnicesar]

arbitrarily judge what is science and what is not

judging science isn't arbitrary, it either has research behind or it doesnt

if you like it, that's fine

 

[markanini]

The scientific aspects are important for publishing articles in journals. Since my concern is content consumption I'll defer to listener impressions primarily because neither current or upcoming measurement protocols will come with guarantees for IEM preference. I say this as someone who has a history of IEM purchases based on measurement data.

 

[sweetchaos]

Due to a user request, here's a late GIF comparison between the 2 IEMs:

TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero IEM vs Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM

 

[OnLyTNT]

I' ve just got my pair, they arrived today. I tried inline adapter but didn't like it at all. More bass, less treble energy is definetly not for me. I like it as it is. Red sounds just a little bit more balanced than Blue. I am quite happy

 

[Dazerdoreal]

Tbh it is incredible to me that there is a demand for more bass on the RED.

Not only because the bass level already pretty much hits my personal sweetspot, but also because its mid-centric sound signature does not suit high bass levels at all.
It will just be muddy. (Subjective, of course)

 

[markanini]

Tbh it is incredible to me that there is a demand for more bass on the RED.

Not only because the bass level already pretty much hits my personal sweetspot, but also because its mid-centric sound signature does not suit high bass levels at all.
It will just be muddy. (Subjective, of course)

It's a balancing act betweent the bass and the upper mids 2-5kHz area. Red is somewhat relaxed in upper mids and it's already tuned with optimal bass levels stock. If OTOH Red had more upper mids it it would !tolerate" more bass boost.

An enlightening excersize is to experiment with low shelf EQ and nozzle damping on an IEM that's a little proud in the upper mids. You will hear first hand how the frequencies ranges interact.

 

[EasyGuy]

Thanks for the recommendation Amirm! I love these, I was on the bluetooth gears, but now because of this, I'm buying a hifi mp3 player and maybe find a better IEM than this.

 

[Rhodo]

My first post on ASR! Went down the rabbit hole reading reviews and info here over the winter holidays and made two orders: Vanatoo T1E+s and these Zero Reds. These arrived today and I'm pretty blown away by them on their first impression! I'm used to a pair of Senn HD598s I've had forever and a pair of Bose QC35s I bought for noise cancelling, but these little 50$ wonders are giving me far more detail from my usual music. Little unsure about how in ear headphones will be comfort wise long term, but I've had them in for a bit over an hour now and am having no issues.

Only complaints at the moment are that they're a bit fiddly to get put together with the best fitting ear piece and that this braided cable is absolutely going to get destroyed by my pets if I accidentally leave them on my desk. I'm worried they're going to be too delicate to last long term. Sound wise though I've nothing to complain about yet, time will tell.

Shocking how much sound quality you can get nowadays for so little money.

 

[ngs428]

@oratory1990 just posted his EQ presets for the Reds…

https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/s/kkZ3U6qfca

 

[ParadisDruid]

1st comment here, thanks for having me. These are my personal impressions of the Zero Red.

For context, I've had them for about 2 weeks, using them with narrowbore tips, out of an US model Apple dongle and mainly listening to Metal, Jazz and Trance. 1st impression was that the bass goes very low but not very loud, however could tell the ~200 Hz region was a bit lacking - easy to notice as deeper, wooden snare drums tend to live there and were lacking impact. The treble is a bit strange, it sounds somewhat distant but detailed at the same time. My set has a spike around the hihat area, making them present but kinda disjointed- You can check this on Dream Theater's 6:00. Not really a big issue (certaily no need to EQ it out). Still, noticeable.

Ended up settling on a low shelf to up the bass drum and snare area, a small cut at ~1.5KHz to counter a bit of the harshness of distortion effects and a little high shelf that adds detail on cymbals without going overboard and neuters the hihat spike.

Main gripe is the eartips - The narrowbores have a very stiff end, and that makes the entrance to my ear canals sore if inserted too deep. Also, the body of the tips themselves have a non-smooth transition between the skirt and the curved portion that irritates my left ear especially. I wonder how Spinfits (which I'm told are the kings of comfort) would affect the sound - Haven't seen measurements with alternative tips.

I agree with some other people who noticed how easy it was to go a bit overboard with volume in this set, it just never falters and it's always crystal clear. All in all, very happy with the purchase.

 

[Dunring]

Just got another pair in today of the Reds and also have the 7hz Zero:2 and Moondrop Chu 2 to compare it to in this price range. For gamers, the Zero Red is best without the adapter, since bass in an explosion heavy environment is annoying with the other ones. The Zero:2 I think is as good as it gets for music, but the Red is excellent if you just want one pair for music and gaming without switching IEMs. The Moondrop Chu II is fun for the bass quantity and not bad quality. If hiphop or EDM makes you bounce in your chair, these will float your boat. Mids and treble not as enjoyable as the other ones though. If you just want music and not to need EQ for different devices, the Zero:2 I think is most versatile. The silver ones are the most conservative for color choices, I got the blue and it's fun, but wish it was darker. I just sold a Hifiman HE6se today and I'm shocked how good IEMs have gotten for the ridiculous low prices compared to a similar sound quality headphone. I've had so many $300-$800 IEM's that can't even compare to the current crop of $25 Zero sequels.

 

[Phosphenetre]

Edit: there is an inline resistor which reduces sensitivity some but effectively boosts bass:
View attachment 286757

Hey @amirm, unless I'm misunderstanding something, doesn't the graph with the 'Bass+' resistor adapter show a very close match to the target, better than the response without the adapter? It certainly seems to deviate from the target less overall. Yet it appears you prefer the Zero Red without the adapter and assessed it in that configuration. If one is to not use EQ (because the source doesn't support it, say), wouldn't the obvious choice be to use the IEM with the adapter?

 

[Jimbob54]

Hey @amirm, unless I'm misunderstanding something, doesn't the graph with the 'Bass+' resistor adapter show a very close match to the target, better than the response without the adapter? It certainly seems to deviate from the target less overall. Yet it appears you prefer the Zero Red without the adapter and assessed it in that configuration. If one is to not use EQ (because the source doesn't support it, say), wouldn't the obvious choice be to use the IEM with the adapter?

There are some trade offs using the adapter. It pretty much tilts the response in favour of the bass- it doesnt just increase the bass.

It makes the Red that bit harder to drive - so some less potent phones/ dongles might struggle.

I take Amir's comments about not messing with the adapter to mean he doesnt think it worthwhile as he will always have access to EQ. If users cant/ wont EQ then its an entirely personal judgement as to whether to use or not.

 

[alumnicesar]

Hey @amirm, unless I'm misunderstanding something, doesn't the graph with the 'Bass+' resistor adapter show a very close match to the target, better than the response without the adapter? It certainly seems to deviate from the target less overall. Yet it appears you prefer the Zero Red without the adapter and assessed it in that configuration. If one is to not use EQ (because the source doesn't support it, say), wouldn't the obvious choice be to use the IEM with the adapter?

preference score without adapter is 82.4: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...zero-red-iem-review.44865/page-4#post-1598166
preference score with adapter is 82.5: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...zero-red-iem-review.44865/page-8#post-1599508

 

[Matias]

I have been switching between my favorites, the Truthear Zero Red, and the new 7Hz Zero 2. To me the Red is still the better balanced of the 2 and remains my favorite. While the Zero 2 comes very close, is prettier, more comfortable and costs half the price, one could argue that it is the better value. But paying 25 or 55 usd for excellent sound quality is the same to me, the price difference does not matter tbh.

 

[jools]

I have been switching between my favorites, the Truthear Zero Red, and the new 7Hz Zero 2. To me the Red is still the better balanced of the 2 and remains my favorite. While the Zero 2 comes very close, is prettier, more comfortable and costs half the price, one could argue that it is the better value. But paying 25 or 55 usd for excellent sound quality is the same to me, the price difference does not matter tbh.

Haha... the prices are so low that most of us seem to have tried several of them. I came home to find a pair of Truthear Hola this evening. It'll be interesting to compare them with the zeros (both types) but they're at work. For now they sound good and the cable is impressive given that they're even cheaper than the 7Hz zeros. Weird that the ear loops seem to be intended for someone with 20cm diameter, highly protruding ears but a bit of bending should fix that.