7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM Review

[InfiniteJester]

Fair enough, I seem to have misread you.

Probably my fault. English is not my first language and I lack subtlety and resolution.

 

[mc.god]

I lack subtlety and resolution.

Then you need to eq yourself

 

[Batenxx]

There is something going on with these, for sure.

My experience is so different from others I have read.

Maybe it is unit variation, or a bad fit for some anatomies due to the short nozzles, but they just don't sound right to me.

Maybe is it just this:

Just made an account to comment on this as well. I received mine yesterday and I have the same issue. The bass is really weak while the higher frequencies sound to prominent. I've tried with all of the included tips as well as some much broader ones I had at home that definitely do close the ear channel properly. I think the best experience so far is with the blue tips included here, however it still sounds "flat" compared to my prior in-ear headphones I've used for 13+ years now (Philips SHE8500), which were ironically even more budget and yet had a far superior sound.

There is one thing I've noticed: when I put both of my hands over the ears, the bass increases quite noticeably. So is it a sound isolation issue? But it cannot be the tips. I've tried quite a few other, larger ones I've had at home. So is it the low insertion depth as some pointed out which makes these ones so dependent on anatomy?

Well, anyway, I've ordered the Zero Red and see if those do a better job for me. But yeah, the Zero:2s turned out worthless for my ears it seems. Really don't enjoy the thin sound. Probably I'll send them back to Amazon or something.

 

[Music1969]

Just made an account to comment on this as well. I received mine yesterday and I have the same issue. The bass is really weak while the higher frequencies sound to prominent. I've tried with all of the included tips as well as some much broader ones I had at home that definitely do close the ear channel properly. I think the best experience so far is with the blue tips included here, however it still sounds "flat" compared to my prior in-ear headphones I've used for 13+ years now (Philips SHE8500), which were ironically even more budget and yet had a far superior sound.

There is one thing I've noticed: when I put both of my hands over the ears, the bass increases quite noticeably. So is it a sound isolation issue? But it cannot be the tips. I've tried quite a few other, larger ones I've had at home. So is it the low insertion depth as some pointed out which makes these ones so dependent on anatomy?

Well, anyway, I've ordered the Zero Red and see if those do a better job for me. But yeah, the Zero:2s turned out worthless for my ears it seems. Really don't enjoy the thin sound. Probably I'll send them back to Amazon or something.

My Truthear Nova seems to have low bass too.

You need to insert them correct into the ear canal, the way you insert foam earplugs - lift ear up and back, then insert IEM.

This made a big difference to bass for me

 

[Matias]

The sound is not thin at all. It is definitely bad sealing. It happens. Either try 3rd party tips or give them away as gifts to someone who fits, and get a Zero: Red instead.

 

[Jimbob54]

Just made an account to comment on this as well. I received mine yesterday and I have the same issue. The bass is really weak while the higher frequencies sound to prominent. I've tried with all of the included tips as well as some much broader ones I had at home that definitely do close the ear channel properly. I think the best experience so far is with the blue tips included here, however it still sounds "flat" compared to my prior in-ear headphones I've used for 13+ years now (Philips SHE8500), which were ironically even more budget and yet had a far superior sound.

There is one thing I've noticed: when I put both of my hands over the ears, the bass increases quite noticeably. So is it a sound isolation issue? But it cannot be the tips. I've tried quite a few other, larger ones I've had at home. So is it the low insertion depth as some pointed out which makes these ones so dependent on anatomy?

Well, anyway, I've ordered the Zero Red and see if those do a better job for me. But yeah, the Zero:2s turned out worthless for my ears it seems. Really don't enjoy the thin sound. Probably I'll send them back to Amazon or something.

Broken or not getting a proper seal. Sounds like a seal issue, appreciating what you say about trying all the tips. That said, even if it is just a seal issue, if the supplied tips arent working, its hardly worth the cost of buying different tips if you dont have a known favourite style and size. Send them back

 

[InfiniteJester]

Just made an account to comment on this as well. I received mine yesterday and I have the same issue. The bass is really weak while the higher frequencies sound to prominent. I've tried with all of the included tips as well as some much broader ones I had at home that definitely do close the ear channel properly. I think the best experience so far is with the blue tips included here, however it still sounds "flat" compared to my prior in-ear headphones I've used for 13+ years now (Philips SHE8500), which were ironically even more budget and yet had a far superior sound.

There is one thing I've noticed: when I put both of my hands over the ears, the bass increases quite noticeably. So is it a sound isolation issue? But it cannot be the tips. I've tried quite a few other, larger ones I've had at home. So is it the low insertion depth as some pointed out which makes these ones so dependent on anatomy?

Well, anyway, I've ordered the Zero Red and see if those do a better job for me. But yeah, the Zero:2s turned out worthless for my ears it seems. Really don't enjoy the thin sound. Probably I'll send them back to Amazon or something.

It may be the insertion depth. I'm not an expert at all, quite the opposite, in fact, but they do have the shortest nozzles out of my whole collection and they present issues I haven't had with any other set.

I cannot endure them when listening to metal, for example, they sound so harsh and, simultaneously, bloated and distant, that I cannot stand a single song. And that is something that you wouldn't expect at all after watching the frequency response. I tuned my other IEMs to the same target as the Zero:2, and I don't find them harsh at all. So it must be some kind of resonance in my ear canal due to the short nozzle and not a product of the FR on itself. Either that or there is a lot of unit variation, and my set has a different response, which I doubt.

I have read about several people having the same issue, so I think that it is not as incredibly uncommon as some would say.

Hard to think that a 19,66€ IEM could be so useless. I wanted to use them while traveling, because I'm not comfortable doing so with my more expensive IEMs, but they are not even worth it for that.

I'm contemplating buying either the EW200s or the Ziigaat NUOs for traveling. I won't buy another 7Hz after this experience. Apparently, the NUOs have a deeper fit and much better soundstage at roughly the same price.

 

[Batenxx]

Broken or not getting a proper seal. Sounds like a seal issue, appreciating what you say about trying all the tips. That said, even if it is just a seal issue, if the supplied tips arent working, its hardly worth the cost of buying different tips if you dont have a known favourite style and size. Send them back

I've even bought 2 because they were at a discount and I've seen the positive reviews and people on social media and forums praising them. So unlucky that they don't work for me. I'm a bit jealous of you all who get the perfect sound out of it. I hope the Zero Red's are better for my ear anatomy (considering if this is really the issue).

 

[markanini]

I've even bought 2 because they were at a discount and I've seen the positive reviews and people on social media and forums praising them. So unlucky that they don't work for me. I'm a bit jealous of you all who get the perfect sound out of it. I hope the Zero Red's are better for my ear anatomy (considering if this is really the issue).

I learned some time back to be wary of hyped up products, no matter who is hyping it.

It may be the insertion depth. I'm not an expert at all, quite the opposite, in fact, but they do have the shortest nozzles out of my whole collection and they present issues I haven't had with any other set.

I cannot endure them when listening to metal, for example, they sound so harsh and, simultaneously, bloated and distant, that I cannot stand a single song. And that is something that you wouldn't expect at all after watching the frequency response. I tuned my other IEMs to the same target as the Zero:2, and I don't find them harsh at all. So it must be some kind of resonance in my ear canal due to the short nozzle and not a product of the FR on itself. Either that or there is a lot of unit variation, and my set has a different response, which I doubt.

I have read about several people having the same issue, so I think that it is not as incredibly uncommon as some would say.

Hard to think that a 19,66€ IEM could be so useless. I wanted to use them while traveling, because I'm not comfortable doing so with my more expensive IEMs, but they are not even worth it for that.

I'm contemplating buying either the EW200s or the Ziigaat NUOs for traveling. I won't buy another 7Hz after this experience. Apparently, the NUOs have a deeper fit and much better soundstage at roughly the same price.

It's probably not fair to judge a brand based on one budget set, corners have to be cut. Assuming manufacturers like to increase profits, it's a stretch, I know...

My best travel IEM is Truthear Red, nozzles extend properly and fit is very secure. I was considering EW200 at some point but reports say that they are not suited for someone treble sensitive.

 

[phoenixsong]

I learned some time back to be wary of hyped up products, no matter who is hyping it.


It's probably not fair to judge a brand based on one budget set, corners have to be cut. Assuming manufacturers like to increase profits, it's a stretch, I know...

My best travel IEM is Truthear Red, nozzles extend properly and fit is very secure. I was considering EW200 at some point but reports say that they are not suited for someone treble sensitive.

Ye I have bought hyped stuff costing much more that don't suit me- we learn from the pain :')

Although the Zero 2 still seals well for me, I totally agree that its fit and nozzle length is noticeably more problematic than the average IEM. Also, it's true that Simgot IEMs are known for being bright

 

[Batenxx]

So I ended up somehow breaking my Zero:2s, I sh*t you not. I tried pressing them deeper into my ear than before and suddenly it felt like I caused a vacuum in the right ear. Result: suddenly the right one doesn't produce any sound anymore. Not a big deal since I intended to send them back anyway, but what the hell happened?

 

[InfiniteJester]

So I ended up somehow breaking my Zero:2s, I sh*t you not. I tried pressing them deeper into my ear than before and suddenly it felt like I caused a vacuum in the right ear. Result: suddenly the right one doesn't produce any sound anymore. Not a big deal since I intended to send them back anyway, but what the hell happened?

Are you sure the cable didn't disconnect from the right monitor? It happened to me a couple of times. It is also the first IEM that has this issue for me.

 

[rdo]

Just made an account to comment on this as well. I received mine yesterday and I have the same issue. The bass is really weak while the higher frequencies sound to prominent. I've tried with all of the included tips as well as some much broader ones I had at home that definitely do close the ear channel properly. I think the best experience so far is with the blue tips included here, however it still sounds "flat" compared to my prior in-ear headphones I've used for 13+ years now (Philips SHE8500), which were ironically even more budget and yet had a far superior sound.

There is one thing I've noticed: when I put both of my hands over the ears, the bass increases quite noticeably. So is it a sound isolation issue? But it cannot be the tips. I've tried quite a few other, larger ones I've had at home. So is it the low insertion depth as some pointed out which makes these ones so dependent on anatomy?

Well, anyway, I've ordered the Zero Red and see if those do a better job for me. But yeah, the Zero:2s turned out worthless for my ears it seems. Really don't enjoy the thin sound. Probably I'll send them back to Amazon or something.

I have very similar experience with this headphones. I finally checked around 40 tips untill i found a pair that made the sound acceptable. Still not better than some old IEMs that i have. So easier is just to return the IEM and search for other that fits you better.

But what i've learned is that tips have far more influence that i thought and sadly that i can't predict the tip effect based on shape, size or material. Also the IEM shape, seal and comfort are not less important than the measured FR

 

[Jimbob54]

I have very similar experience with this headphones. I finally checked around 40 tips untill i found a pair that made the sound acceptable. Still not better than some old IEMs that i have. So easier is just to return the IEM and search for other that fits you better.

But what i've learned is that tips have far more influence that i thought and sadly that i can't predict the tip effect based on shape, size or material. Also the IEM shape, seal and comfort are not less important than the measured FR

I would go so far as to say that if constant good seal is not there, the measured FR is pretty irrelevant to that user as that wont be what they are getting. And if they arent comfortable for the user's use case it doesnt matter how good the seal is or the FR as they wont want to wear them. Only after both of those factors are sorted is it even worth worrying about the impact of the tips on the FR. I suppose absent of a personal measuring rig, everyone should try and get comfort and seal with the stock tips used to measure (at least the same material and nozzle size if not flange size).

 

[InfiniteJester]

I would go so far as to say that if constant good seal is not there, the measured FR is pretty irrelevant to that user as that wont be what they are getting. And if they arent comfortable for the user's use case it doesnt matter how good the seal is or the FR as they wont want to wear them. Only after both of those factors are sorted is it even worth worrying about the impact of the tips on the FR. I suppose absent of a personal measuring rig, everyone should try and get comfort and seal with the stock tips used to measure (at least the same material and nozzle size if not flange size).

The thing is that I believe that I get a good seal, because the bass is very strong (too much for me), but I still have weird issues with these IEMs.

I have been experimenting with the ∆ 10dB and the JM-1 targets and the congestion and muddiness/veilness go away. They improve the soundstage a fair amount and the sound is no longer as distant, but the harshness while listening to metal is still as bad, or even worse.

Preamp: -2.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain -1.6 dB Q 1.400
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 31 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 1.300
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 33 Hz Gain -6.4 dB Q 0.500
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 37 Hz Gain 0.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 470 Hz Gain 2.5 dB Q 0.700
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 1400 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 1.200
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 2900 Hz Gain 2.1 dB Q 2.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 6000 Hz Gain 3.2 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 8200 Hz Gain -7.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 10000 Hz Gain 6.8 dB Q 2.000
Filter 11: ON PK Fc 12000 Hz Gain -3.1 dB Q 2.000

At any rate, I still prefer this profile over their custom one.

This is how many user profiles I have tried (I also tried every single one that was included at the app):

It can be seen how hard I tried to make them work. And this doesn't even count how many differest tips I have used.

 

[Somafunk]

A question for those who return these iem's ?, why don't you sell them on and take a small hit on £/$ as when they are sent back to the likes of Amazon, being such a low cost/value item, more than likely the iem's merely get dumped rather than repackaged/resold due to sanitary concerns and the cost of repacking.

It's an utter waste of resources (I could go on a rant regarding amazon and how they deal with with returns but that's another thread regarding sustainability)

 

[InfiniteJester]

A question for those who return these iem's ?, why don't you sell them on and take a small hit on £/$ as when they are sent back to the likes of Amazon, being such a low cost/value item, more than likely the iem's merely get dumped rather than repackaged/resold due to sanitary concerns and the cost of repacking.

It's an utter waste of resources (I could go on a rant regarding amazon and how they deal with with returns but that's another thread regarding sustainability)

Agree.

I went partially mad with this book and it bothers me a lot to think about stuff being dumped this way.

That is without even considering the impact to the environment. Which is something I try my best to not get obsessed with after almost dying of starvation in the past due to my concerns with animal cruelty and agrarian exploitation.

 

[Jimbob54]

The thing is that I believe that I get a good seal, because the bass is very strong (too much for me), but I still have weird issues with these IEMs.

I have been experimenting with the ∆ 10dB and the JM-1 targets and the congestion and muddiness/veilness go away. They improve the soundstage a fair amount and the sound is no longer as distant, but the harshness while listening to metal is still as bad, or even worse.

Preamp: -2.3 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 20 Hz Gain -1.6 dB Q 1.400
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 31 Hz Gain 0.6 dB Q 1.300
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 33 Hz Gain -6.4 dB Q 0.500
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 37 Hz Gain 0.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 470 Hz Gain 2.5 dB Q 0.700
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 1400 Hz Gain -1.2 dB Q 1.200
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 2900 Hz Gain 2.1 dB Q 2.000
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 6000 Hz Gain 3.2 dB Q 2.000
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 8200 Hz Gain -7.5 dB Q 2.000
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 10000 Hz Gain 6.8 dB Q 2.000
Filter 11: ON PK Fc 12000 Hz Gain -3.1 dB Q 2.000

At any rate, I still prefer this profile over their custom one.

This is how many user profiles I have tried (I also tried every single one that was included at the app):

View attachment 356530

It can be seen how hard I tried to make them work. And this doesn't even count how many differest tips I have used.

Agreed. That's a different thing in play than seal or comfort. Can't say I've used mine enough or am a good enough listener to pull out such details but these obviously don't respond well to the anatomy or preferences of some users

 

[Batenxx]

Update on my situation. Just now my Truthear Zero Red arrived and no matter which tips I use, the bass is SIGNIFICANTLY more pronounced. It's like day and night. Especially when I use my own tips from my old in-ear headphones. So ultimately this begs the question: is it really anatomical reasons why the Zero:2s sound so thin for me.

 

[markanini]

Update on my situation. Just now my Truthear Zero Red arrived and no matter which tips I use, the bass is SIGNIFICANTLY more pronounced. It's like day and night. Especially when I use my own tips from my old in-ear headphones. So ultimately this begs the question: is it really anatomical reasons why the Zero:2s sound so thin for me.

What are you plugging your Reds into?