7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM Review

[CedarX]

I recently purchased a set of these inexpensive IEM's from Amazon along with a cheap JSAUX USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. The adapter description states "Not compatible with OMTP, TS and TRS microphone-only devices are not supported". OMTP looks to be a different connector type standard, but the IEM's I ordered don't have a microphone, so hopefully OK (TRS maybe?). I also ordered a set of earbuds (JBL Endurance Run 2). These do have a microphone (probably TRRS). Presumably the USB-C adapter itself is also TRRS, but will it work with both pairs of headphones?

With no mic, the connector is most likely a standard TRS. Should work with your USB-C to 3.5mm adapter (dongle).

With a mic. there are two main standards: OMTP and CTIA. They are both TRSS, but the pinout differs:

Some adapters/dongles are compatible with both (they have a detection feature).
Your adapter is only CTIA-compatible.
I don’t know about your JBL earbud. Worse case, it may not work, or one side won’t work.

 

[mc.god]

I don’t know about your JBL earbud. Worse case, it may not work, or one side won’t work.

Most of the times if there is incompatibility you'll hear very messed up and muffled sound that turns ok if you keep pressed the answer button on the cable.
I had the problem years ago with an old smartphone ordered directly from china, and solved it with a simple converter like this, that inverts the mic and gnd pins:
https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005004149629712.html

 

[XaviMartinez55]

I just received mine and It's easy to see why they are so popular........ You barely have to touch the Eq.

Possibly the prettiest highs I've heard to date (in my very short lived- few months only) cheap IEM journey. Mids are very clean, voices sound great -both male and female- , and bass is tight and clean.

I also have the Ziigaat Nuo........ it has better bass capability than the Zero 2 (more subbass indeed), however the treble peak is not as smooth as in the Zero 2. Doesn't hurt, but almost. Also louder -more sensitive I guess-

I'm glad I didn't purchase the OG Zero as I was thinking of...... in theory the Zero 2 is bassier but although clean, it still lacks bass to me.

I have on the way the KZ castor pro bass and also the Kinera Celest Wyvern Abyss..... hopefully among these 4 I'll find my go to daily IEM.

I don't consider myself a bass head (actually I listen mostly to 80's "audiophile" rock, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, but also classic jazz, Count Basie, to Lorna Shore...I have kinda extreme tastes...)

 

[CedarX]

I just received mine and It's easy to see why they are so popular........ You barely have to touch the Eq.

I have on the way the KZ castor pro bass and also the Kinera Celest Wyvern Abyss..... hopefully among these 4 I'll find my go to daily IEM.

If you are open to use EQ, why don’t you try to make Zero:2 work for you?

Or you don’t want to EQ at all and are chasing the “perfect” IEM that suits your taste exactly? This could be a long journey…

 

[XaviMartinez55]

If you are open to use EQ, why don’t you try to make Zero:2 work for you?

Or you don’t want to EQ at all and are chasing the “perfect” IEM that suits your taste exactly? This could be a long journey…

No it won't.......... I am almost there already !.

Eq is useful to make slight corrections, but if you have to draw a radical curve in order to like it, then imho you need to look for a different iem...... this being said, the only correctlon I am applying to the Zero 2 is to add some 80 Hz. However, you can hear that the bass rolloff won't allow to add much more, no matter how much you increase the low gain. It's really well tuned !

Again, I am happy with it but it seems the Nuo takes eq changes more effectively , it feels a bit more beefy and it's also a bit louder. I think it's like a "super" Chu II as it has a similar sound signature.

Also, it's a matter of taste..... I'll keep the Zero II as for some of the music I listen to is a perfect fit !..... only my personal opinion ! different strokes for different folks.....

 

[CedarX]

Eq is useful to make slight corrections, but if you have to draw a radical curve in order to like it, then imho you need to look for a different iem...... this being said, the only correctlon I am applying to the Zero 2 is to add some 80 Hz. However, you can hear that the bass rolloff won't allow to add much more, no matter how much you increase the low gain. It's really well tuned !

I assume you realize that EQ curves can be developed the other way around, by removing/lowering the stuff you don't like. Some are actually recommending this as the best approach: instead of adding bass, lower the rest of the spectrum using a negative high-shelf, or a wide negative peak filter (or a tilt-type filter if available).

IMHO, how large/small the correction is not really important, it is more about how many PEQ corrections I need to get a satisfactory/pleasing sound: a few filters (say 3-4), even with high positive/negative gains are easy to manage; many filters (say >10) and they interact with each other, or confuse me. It becomes impossible to set manually (by ear). In my case, that's when I conclude that an IEM is not worth for me--too many PEQ corrections needed.

EDIT: also saw your post about the Chu-II lacking bass. Are you sure you have a good seal with either the Zero:2 or the Chu-II? Trying different tips to no avail leads to only one conclusion: the fit may not work for you. It's a good reason to pass, no discussion here. But I'm not sure it's a definite conclusion about the lack of bass (to me both the Zero:2 and Chu:2 have plenty of bass... with the right tip, giving a good seal for my ears...).

 

[Tell]

No it won't.......... I am almost there already !.

Eq is useful to make slight corrections, but if you have to draw a radical curve in order to like it, then imho you need to look for a different iem...... this being said, the only correctlon I am applying to the Zero 2 is to add some 80 Hz. However, you can hear that the bass rolloff won't allow to add much more, no matter how much you increase the low gain. It's really well tuned !

Again, I am happy with it but it seems the Nuo takes eq changes more effectively , it feels a bit more beefy and it's also a bit louder. I think it's like a "super" Chu II as it has a similar sound signature.

Also, it's a matter of taste..... I'll keep the Zero II as for some of the music I listen to is a perfect fit !..... only my personal opinion ! different strokes for different folks.....

You do have a point that one could find another pair of headphones if you have to change the frequency response radically, but there might be other reasons to not do it, like fitment, looks, price, features etc.
And when it comes to the Zero 2 it distorts so extremely little that you can actually EQ quite hard without having to worry about anything. Though of course you have to make sure that you don't clip in the digital domain, but as already said you can just lower the gain on your individual EQ adjustments instead of increasing it. You could just EQ as normal and apply a lower preamp gain if your chosen EQ allows for it

 

[XaviMartinez55]

Yes I know what substractive eq is ...fully agree, sometimes a low pass or a high pass is all you need... I am also a big big friend of tilt eq's (sometimes one knob is all you need !)

Regarding the seal, I believe it's not really the issue, as medium sized eartips are enough to fully seal my ear canal.

As for bass, I believe it's a matter of personal taste, however in that respect, I have a set of Soundpeats Clear BT iem's which have UNBELIEVABLE bass....... they have a 12 mm driver so I guess I am judging based off that. When I bought the Chu II, they didn't have half the bass that the Soundpeats had -although they had better clarity-

But again coming back to the Zero 2, really nothing wrong with it, very well tuned as is !

 

[hihat]

Jumping back into this thread after a while to provide a few anecdotes.

I saw someone say that it isn't the earphones that require burn-in but it's the brain that adjusts to the EQ of the set. I think that's true and I can now more happily tolerate what I previously experienced as the louder highs of the Zero 2. I rarely use an EQ anymore as it's inconvenient. Only very occasionally do I find myself wanting to use EQ.

As I have small ear canals getting blocked ears can be a frequent problem. I had ear canal microsuction a month or so ago and the difference that it made to using the Zero 2s really was massive. I'd suggest anyone to try this even if you don't feel as if you have hearing reduction due to wax build up.

Finally, I took a complete tolerance break from caffeine of more than a month. Absolutely zero caffeine intake for this period (no tea, no coffee, no Coca Cola etc.). I found that when I made myself a strong coffee (I'd estimate around ~140mg) after this tolerance break that I was unequivocally high. My body temperature rose so much I had to take some top layers of clothes off! I had a peak of over 2 hours where I was listening to Astral Projection and was so high that I could probably have gone raving without the need for any other drugs! It felt like it should have been illegal for how high/stimulated I was

For those of you who used to or still do listen to music under the influence you'll understand this effect. I was amazed at how being high from coffee made music sound so much better. I'm otherwise sober for many years but after taking a coffee tolerance break I found I could enjoy music so much more intently.

Take of this what you will!

 

[CedarX]

Finally, I took a complete tolerance break from caffeine of more than a month. Absolutely zero caffeine intake for this period (no tea, no coffee, no Coca Cola etc.).

So caffeine may have an impact on perceived sound quality… Made me think: how would we setup a controlled blind test to verify this?

 

[Heinrich]

I had ear canal microsuction a month or so ago and the difference that it made to using the Zero 2s really was massive.

... and still folks think the wiggles of IEMs in trebble seen on a test rig matter. I wonder what the acoustical impedance of ear wax is, and if either KEMAR or Gras have it ;-)

 

[JediMa]

Which EQ do you use? On my phone i have just slider ones and I can't change the values of 200 and 6000

 

[BeeKay]

Which EQ do you use? On my phone i have just slider ones and I can't change the values of 200 and 6000

Why EQ at all?

 

[JediMa]

Why EQ at all?

View attachment 437934

Because Amirm in his review adviced to change to values and I wanted to try like he said

 

[staticV3]

Why EQ at all?

Because Amirm in his review adviced to change to values and I wanted to try like he said

I agree that even the very well tuned Zero:2 can be improved using EQ.
(link to my preset here)

Which EQ do you use? On my phone i have just slider ones and I can't change the values of 200 and 6000

What phone and what app with the sliders?

 

[JediMa]

I agree that even the very well tuned Zero:2 can be improved using EQ.
(link to my preset here)


What phone and what app with the sliders?

Samsung S25 and I'm using Wavelet, neutron player or musicolet

 

[staticV3]

Samsung S25 and I'm using Wavelet, neutron player or musicolet

You can turn PEQ presets into Wavelet presets using squig.link and autoeq.app.

Just be aware of Wavelet's suboptimal response accuracy: https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/s/ibgORclPsD

Neutron Player supports PEQ natively, so no need to convert anything.
Amir's, Maiky's, mine, and any other PEQ preset can be applied directly there.

 

[JediMa]

You can turn PEQ presets into Wavelet presets using squig.link and autoeq.app.

Just be aware of Wavelet's suboptimal response accuracy: https://www.reddit.com/r/oratory1990/s/ibgORclPsD

Neutron Player supports PEQ natively, so no need to convert anything.
Amir's, Maiky's, mine, and any other PEQ preset can be applied directly there.

Thank you!

 

[Tres]

I bought a pair of the Zero 2 too.

Very happy with the sound. On android I managed to get a lot of different eq settings which I downloaded and applied.

On my iPad I’m struggeling to get a decent app for doing the same. Does someone have suggestions ?

 

[staticV3]

Does someone have suggestions ?

Neutron Player can EQ local tracks.

For systemwide EQ, buy a Qudelix 5K.