7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM Review

[Jagamov]

You have to experiment with different ear tips. No general solution here besides getting a seal.

I suspect this is the issue. None of the tips seal very well and the size of the IEM does not allow it do go very deep into my ear.

Thanks.

 

[olieb]

picture B

To me this hurts already from just looking at it.

None of the tips seal very well and the size of the IEM does not allow it do go very deep into my ear.

I have good experience with tips from extra soft foam that I make myself.

 

[Berwhale]

Yes, I know how headphones and ear buds work.

Have you tried the yellow tips? I think they a wider than the reds in the middle and may seal better for you. I've also found that foam tips work well - I've used medium sized Sonicfoam SF1 on the Zero 2's.

However, more recently, I have found that using smaller tips means I can insert the nozzles further and get an even better seal. I'm currently using medium sized Moondrop Springtips.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Sound quality is super thin. Plenty of highs, but midrange and bass are very low. I find that if I press them pretty hard into my ears that they end up having pretty good sound, but just naturally inserting them is pretty bad sounding.

Getting a good seal is key to extract the great sound those IEM are capable of. As anyone new to those, it takes time and patience.
To get a good seal, I have found out that applying too much pressure is not the best way, getting the nozzle to interface with the ear canal at the "proper" angle is much more important.

Do these just not fit my ear? Is this an issue with some of these "nicer" IEMS's?

It is not just your ears, I believe most everyone has a challenge. If not addressed properly, yes, those nicer IEM all have their learning curves.
I have 3 IEMs
Lucky for me, I started with the Truthear zero blue, lucky because the angle of the nozzle has the better alignment, of the 3, to my ear canal, so beside being really big, I found a position that yielded good sound, even if they are not the most comfortable because of their diameter.

Then I got the Hola, different angle, needed some tinkering to get to sound good, eventually got it.

Then the Zero2, the worst angle of the bunch for me. If I had started with the Zero2, I am not sure I would have had the patience to discover how great those IEMs can sound.

At this point, I can enjoy great sound with any of them, I know what they can produce and can quickly diagnose and correct a wrong positioning.

To me, it is a bit like when placing speakers in a room, their is a learning curve, but once you know how, it is fairly mundane.

 

[Jagamov]

I have good experience with tips from extra soft foam that I make myself.

Nice work, however not sure I'm going to go through that much effort.

Have you tried the yellow tips? I think they a wider than the reds in the middle and may seal better for you.

Yeah, I tried all of the tips. I don't think any of them are big enough.

However, you gave me an idea. I dug out the Beats and those tips fit the Zero 2's perfectly and they made a huge difference. Who knew? (LOL, just me.)

So, these Sonicfoam tips...Are they universal? Amazon?

Thanks for helping me think about it more...

 

[Jagamov]

Then the Zero2, the worst angle of the bunch for me. If I had started with the Zero2, I am not sure I would have had the patience to discover how great those IEMs can sound.

Thanks for the great reply. Makes a ton of sense.

From my last post, I tried the tips from my old Beats in-ear and thet made a huge difference. The Zero 2's actually fit my ear very well, but as you said, trying to push them in is not the answer. Tip seal for sure is.

Now to try some other tips. Are there tips you like to use that work well?

 

[Berwhale]

So, these Sonicfoam tips...Are they universal? Amazon?

They are these ones... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09L7CX9JD/ref=twister_B0832Y5P3P?th=1

They are quite a bit cheaper than the Comply ones i'd used previously. They don't last quite as long as the Comply, but that is more than offset by the price difference in my experience.

Amazon.com store here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/SONICFOAM/page/F0554AD7-4344-4FCE-B5F9-C96E0E11658B?ref_=ast_bln

 

[chuckt62]

Thanks for the great reply. Makes a ton of sense.

From my last post, I tried the tips from my old Beats in-ear and thet made a huge difference. The Zero 2's actually fit my ear very well, but as you said, trying to push them in is not the answer. Tip seal for sure is.

Now to try some other tips. Are there tips you like to use that work well?

Your issue might be similar to this (skip to 4:25):

 

[dorirod]

Your issue might be similar to this (skip to 4:25):

That's the crux of the matter. The physical geometry is different and will work for some but not for others.

Here's TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero (Blue, incorrectly said I had the RED earlier in the thread) vs 7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2

By the way, while doing this I noticed that the R side membrane is tilted in my case, not sure if it matters, guess some quality control issue(?).

 

[chuckt62]

Just push it back in.
I was wondering if those could be the source the 13-30Hz noise maybe being loose causing a weird higher frequency oscillation. Mine are not loose though and I couldn’t get them to budge. I also don’t know if I get the noise either. All the LF sources tried are of suspect quality.

 

[OnLyTNT]

That's the crux of the matter. The physical geometry is different and will work for some but not for others.

Here's TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero (Blue, incorrectly said I had the RED earlier in the thread) vs 7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2

View attachment 342457

By the way, while doing this I noticed that the R side membrane is tilted in my case, not sure if it matters, guess some quality control issue(?).
View attachment 342458

I agree. I don't get much trouble in general but with some EIMs even it fits and there is no sound issue still I don't feel %100 comfortable. This especially happened with KZ D-Fi. For Truthear Zero it goes deep into my ear canal, zero fit issue and it feels just a bit better and comfortable than Salnotes.

My Salnotes Zero 2s have been waiting for customs clearence for two weeks , it must be very busy for customs at this time of year. Today, the clearence has been started, fingers crossed

 

[roladyzator]

I've got these yesterday and the red tips fit me well enough, so I didn't try other yet.

I liked them out the the box, though I prefer them with Amir's EQ suggestions - it makes treble detail just a tiny bit easier to notice.
I'm very surprised by these not having any annoying treble issues - I've never had that in any IEM before.

Of course I'm still experiencing the "new toy" effect, so I notice new things in my favorite tracks every now and then. To get that for $25 is pretty awesome.

But even once this effect wears off, I can't imagine things getting significantly better (subjectively, for me) from here.

 

[fredristair]

I bought these under recommendation from this forum but unfortunately these do not fit either with any tips. Are there any superior Harman tuned IEMs with smaller nozzles than these (which apparently are the standard size)? Thanks if you know of something - I wouldn't be able to EQ from Qobuz on my phone, fyi.

 

[markanini]

I bought these under recommendation from this forum but unfortunately these do not fit either with any tips. Are there any superior Harman tuned IEMs with smaller nozzles than these (which apparently are the standard size)? Thanks if you know of something - I wouldn't be able to EQ from Qobuz on my phone, fyi.

Generally Moondrop Lan is the one to beat, but most will find the bass lean without EQ. I'd say it's worth it if you can use a DSP cable or a Qudelix.

 

[L5730]

I've ordered the 7Hz Zero2 from Linsoul via Bezo-zon UK. £25.99 -5% coupon until Jan 21st.
I just hope they fit my ears. I've a Sony Discman with those nasty earbuds that I used a lot in 6th Form and foam covered buds with a Motorola ROKR E1 throughout Uni years never found either of those terribly comfortable but did nothing about it.

At only 50 mV for 94 dBSPL compared to say 129 mv with Superlux HD668b, I wonder what the lowest cost but decently measuring USB dongle would be for these, EU/UK Apple USB-C (with USB C/A adaptor and OTG cable)?

 

[KosherButcher]

I bought these under recommendation from this forum but unfortunately these do not fit either with any tips. Are there any superior Harman tuned IEMs with smaller nozzles than these (which apparently are the standard size)? Thanks if you know of something - I wouldn't be able to EQ from Qobuz on my phone, fyi.

I have the same issue. In fact, the only IEMs that I’m ever able to really get good seals with are ones with either straight/bullet shells, or extra long nozzles. And I’ve tried almost every ear tip known to man, including making my own extensions with rubber tubing (but that alters the sound way too much). My Etymotics are the only IEMs that I own (out of at least 50) that I can get a reliable seal with. It’s quite frustrating.

 

[SteveL]

I've got these yesterday and the red tips fit me well enough, so I didn't try other yet.

I liked them out the the box, though I prefer them with Amir's EQ suggestions - it makes treble detail just a tiny bit easier to notice.
I'm very surprised by these not having any annoying treble issues - I've never had that in any IEM before.

Of course I'm still experiencing the "new toy" effect, so I notice new things in my favorite tracks every now and then. To get that for $25 is pretty awesome.

But even once this effect wears off, I can't imagine things getting significantly better (subjectively, for me) from here.

That's how I feel about my OG Salnotes Zero (with very modest EQ). After nearly a year I am still astonished every time by how great they sound and if you ask me what I think could be improved on by another IEM I have no answer. My reference point is live classical music, and with any good recording (and standards of recording quality in the classical world these days are uniformly very high), that's just what they sound like.

 

[roladyzator]

I've ordered the 7Hz Zero2 from Linsoul via Bezo-zon UK. £25.99 -5% coupon until Jan 21st.
I just hope they fit my ears. I've a Sony Discman with those nasty earbuds that I used a lot in 6th Form and foam covered buds with a Motorola ROKR E1 throughout Uni years never found either of those terribly comfortable but did nothing about it.

At only 50 mV for 94 dBSPL compared to say 129 mv with Superlux HD668b, I wonder what the lowest cost but decently measuring USB dongle would be for these, EU/UK Apple USB-C (with USB C/A adaptor and OTG cable)?

Using the 1V Samsung Dongle with USB Audio Player pro, -20 dB volume setting is a bit louder than the maximum volume I allow myself to listen to.
So it looks like I'm only using about 100 mV.

Also tried with my phone, which has 0.7 V rms output - plenty of volume.

 

[bargainguy]

Got mine this morning. Ordered for $16.99 all in from Linsoul, took three weeks to get here from the far east.

Initial impressions are excellent. Hearing nuances I normally hear on reference headphones.

My solution to the L/R identification dilemma is to paint a white stripe around one base connector:

 

[Sebby]

Got mine this morning. Ordered for $16.99 all in from Linsoul, took three weeks to get here from the far east.

Initial impressions are excellent. Hearing nuances I normally hear on reference headphones.

My solution to the L/R identification dilemma is to paint a white stripe around one base connector:

View attachment 342898

From here it looks like you mounted the cable reversed and swapping the phase