7hz Salnotes Zero - the "other" Zero

[mc.god]

Notice how Crinacle's choice of words is very precise: he did not criticize the original tuning, his preference, but rather, he adapted the tuning to what the market wanted.

"Some people felt like it [bass] was all right but many people complained that it was a little bit too little. And yes I've heard your feedback I've taken them into account, after all the kind of people who would buy a $20 IEM are going to be the kind of people who would expect a lot more bass out of their purchase. And so for the Zero 2 I've decided to go for much more mainstream "bassy sound", increasing the bass response by about 3 to 4 dB over the original."

"Overall the Zero 2 compared to the Zero 1 is going to be a slightly down tilted version, more "bassy", less "trebly", but at the same time because of the improvements to the driver it still sounds arguably cleaner. In conclusion the Zero 2 is essentially just incremental upgrades, small little improvements, but yet coming up with a product that is arguably still superior to its predecessor."

...arguably to the majority of the buyers.

It seems the trend of the moment, just like Moondrop made with Chu 2... It makes me notice how close these two are, with Chu 2 a tad brighter:

This reminds to me when OG Zero came out just few months after OG Chu.

As Crin himself said, for me both lost their "personality", but after all they are in business and they have to sell as much as they can.

 

[Matias]

Chu 1 was also brighter than Zero 1, so at least they kept this somewhat.

 

[Chyżwar]

Chu 2 are great, but they have too much bass for my taste.

 

[mc.god]

Chu 2 are great, but they have too much bass for my taste.

I can easily imagine Zero 2 and Chu 2 having a bit too much bass for me too, standing they both are about 2db more on bass region than the Hola that is already more than enough for me when I want a warmer, bassier listening.
Even more comparing Zero 2 to Sonus that I really love:

 

[SteveL]

Chu 2 are great, but they have too much bass for my taste.

The mass market evidently demands what to my ears is over-inflated bass. I expect I will need to EQ it down some on future IEM purchases because it's going to be hard to find a tuning like the OG Salnotes Zero, especially in the bargain price range.

 

[markanini]

[...]it's going to be hard to find a tuning like the OG Salnotes Zero, especially in the bargain price range.

Tin C2 is still in stock, IMO a better 7Hz Zero.

 

[alumnicesar]

Tin C2 is still in stock, IMO a better 7Hz Zero.

Is there a preference score for it?

 

[mc.god]

Tin C2 is still in stock, IMO a better 7Hz Zero.

It seems slightly more focused on mid-bass rather than sub-bass but at a level I'd probably enjoy, and more energy at 5.5Khz
If I remember well you modded it, your judge is based on stock or modded version?

 

[markanini]

It seems slightly more focused on mid-bass rather than sub-bass but at a level I'd probably enjoy, and more energy at 5.5Khz
If I remember well you modded it, your judge is based on stock or modded version?

Tin C2 IMO needs the (reversible) 350 mesh to shine. but if you like the 7Hz Zero then C2 stock isn't a stretch.

 

[Matias]

Can someone create a 3 band PEQ that simulates how Zero 2 sounds compared to a Zero 1, based on Crin's measurements?

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crinacle.com

 

[half_dog]

Can someone create a 3 band PEQ that simulates how Zero 2 sounds compared to a Zero 1, based on Crin's measurements?

In-Ear Fidelity – IEM Graph Comparison Tool

Easily compare industry-standard frequency response measurements of hundreds and hundreds of IEMs.

crinacle.com

It was done by eyeballing. Take it with a grain of salt

 

[muza_1]

Edit: Ups, I haven't realized it was already posted.

 

[Matias]

Thanks!!

 

[muza_1]

Thanks!!

I made one for the "711" coupler and there is some difference mostly in the bass region you could try both and see which one sounds better, it also would be a good experiment for someone with both units to see which EQ emulates better the sound of the Zero:2 on the OG Zero.

 

[Matias]

I tried the 5128 one from post 192 and I am listening to it right now. The new Remote app from RME makes it super easy to set and store EQs now in ADI-2 DAC.

Anyway, I like what I am hearing too. Looking forward to receive my Zero 2 and confirming this.

 

[muza_1]

I tried the 5128 one from post 192 and I am listening to it right now. The new Remote app from RME makes it super easy to set and store EQs now in ADI-2 DAC.

Anyway, I like what I am hearing too. Looking forward to receive my Zero 2 and confirming this.

View attachment 330680

The first filter is a Low Shelf filter it looks like a Peak one on your EQ.

 

[Matias]

Oops, here is it fixed. More sub-bass rumble now instead of mid bass. Still good.

 

[alumnicesar]

Oops, here is it fixed. More sub-bass rumble now instead of mid bass. Still good.

View attachment 330681

since the original 7hz zero already has a negative slope, i'd imagine the zero 2 would have a lower Harman preference score then because it is even bassier?

 

[half_dog]

View attachment 330669
Edit: Ups, I haven't realized it was already posted.

Your seems better them mine.

Oops, here is it fixed. More sub-bass rumble now instead of mid bass. Still good.

View attachment 330681

If one more filter can used I think it would get a better result of simulating the new version. The last one is to reduce the ~12kHz peak. That was my "no go" for the Salnotes Zero OG.

 

[muza_1]

Your seems better them mine.


If one more filter can used I think it would get a better result of simulating the new version. The last one is to reduce the ~12kHz peak. That was my "no go" for the Salnotes Zero OG.

I noticed that around the 10-12kHz region the measurement is almost the opposite between both couplers so I did not touch it, i don't have the Zero anymore but i dont remember the upper-highs being a problem for me it was a lack of bass and they were a little bit shouty in the 2-3kHz region.