7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM Review

[Eleo]

I use the Zero 2 with the Apple dongle. I have two of them the lightning and the Usb C version. However, when I listen to my Ipad there's plenty of volume, while when I use my Windows 11 Pc I cannot get the same level. This is unfortunate as I cannot use EQ Apo on the Ipad. Is there any trick to solve this problem?

 

[Robbo99999]

I use the Zero 2 with the Apple dongle. I have two of them the lightning and the Usb C version. However, when I listen to my Ipad there's plenty of volume, while when I use my Windows 11 Pc I cannot get the same level. This is unfortunate as I cannot use EQ Apo on the Ipad. Is there any trick to solve this problem?

I think you can use Neutron Player as your music player, and that will be able to access the audio hardware directly and unlock it's full potential re volume. I think I've seen @staticV3 recommend this type of approach, but I'll tag him in this post to be sure. Ah, but then you might not be able to use EQ Apo in conjunction with the Neutron Player unlocking the potential of the device, not sure. Neutron Player has it's own parametric EQ though, but interface takes some getting used to.

 

[F1308]

Had a listen to your track there, sounds like movie music. As I was listening to it I was imagining some kind of fighting happening near a railroad track in the Wild West back in the era of the Cowboys & Indians.

Bullseye, but happening some four centuries before...

 

[Jimbob54]

I think you can use Neutron Player as your music player, and that will be able to access the audio hardware directly and unlock it's full potential re volume. I think I've seen @staticV3 recommend this type of approach, but I'll tag him in this post to be sure. Ah, but then you might not be able to use EQ Apo in conjunction with the Neutron Player unlocking the potential of the device, not sure. Neutron Player has it's own parametric EQ though, but interface takes some getting used to.

That would work if staying on android but using apps other than Neutron (or uapp) but you need to keep it connected. Doesn't "unlock" the device per se. Poster wants to use it with a PC.

 

[Robbo99999]

Bullseye, but happening some four centuries before...

Ha, ok, war music but also no railroad involved then! But based in North America for the scene?

 

[mikehoopes]

I remember I once asked Roland about the recommended impedance for the headsets I was planning to buy and was told to remain around 64 , if my memory does not deceive me.

I see a forum post that seems to match this: https://web.archive.org/web/20230927221857/http://forums.rolandclan.com/viewtopic.php?t=57734
...
Re: Best impedance for headphones plugged to Fantom 8 ?
Post by FGM » 11:34, 3 September 2020

Roland has finally answered my question and recommends staying as close to 65 Ohms as possible.

 

[mikehoopes]

The low distortion in the bass frequencies is one of the differentiators of this one for me, and the low distortion overall is quite revealing in good recordings.
Todd Sickafoose's Tiny Resistors album, with its myriad textural details, showcases this well.

This is bar none the best audio bang-for-buck I've encountered, and I regret not getting on the Zero bandwagon earlier.

 

[salmo]

I'm really surprised with sound quality! But those are my first real IEMs to be honest. I have really bad memories with cheap in-ear headphones, still remember ear pain haha. Here - totally different story - they comfortable, sounds nice (even without EQ, good default tuning), super cheap, only stock cable is not so good.

 

[Jimbob54]

Neutron also runs on MS-Windows. Perhaps the gain control would help? As mentioned, the NMP UI takes some getting used to, but the dev really knows his stuff technically.

View attachment 341462

Ahhhh, did not know that

 

[Chromatischism]

Ah, but then you might not be able to use EQ Apo in conjunction with the Neutron Player unlocking the potential of the device

You can–it will remember settings per output. A USB device will show as an output.

 

[Eleo]

Neutron also runs on MS-Windows. Perhaps the gain control would help? As mentioned, the NMP UI takes some getting used to, but the dev really knows his stuff technically.

View attachment 341462

Thanks. I'm going to try. But will it work with Amazon Music?

 

[Tircuit]

Speaking of the Truthear Zero, does anyone have that and the 7Hz Salnotes Zero 2 and can comment on which one is better post-EQ?

Amir says the Zero 2 is better when both are EQ’d. Without EQ he preferred the Zero. I bought both and found the same.

 

[Robbo99999]

You can–it will remember settings per output. A USB device will show as an output.

I thought Neutron Player bypassed windows if you allow Neutron Player exclusive access to control the device, but I could be wrong. If it bypasses the normal Windows audio stack then EqualiserAPO is unlikely to work. Someone would have to try it to know though, unless you've tried it or know someone who has.

 

[Robbo99999]

Thanks. I'm going to try. But will it work with Amazon Music?

Neutron Forum - Index page

That's the Neutron Player forums, you might find something there.

 

[staticV3]

Running Neutron on Windows won't help I'm afraid.

It only does on Android where volume is limited by the Apple dongle's default 25% UAC2 HW volume, in conjunction with Android's inability to control UAC2.

On Windows, you can seamlessly control UAC2 with the default volume slider.

There is a second volume limiter built into EU versions of the Apple dongle, which limits volume by a further 6dB.
Some Apple devices can override that and unlock the full 1.0Vrms even with EU dongles.

Perhaps that's what's happening here.
@Eleo's iPad bypasses the the EU volume limit of his EU dongle, unlocking the full 1.0Vrms that the same dongle plugged into Windows is incapable of.

I would suggest measuring the output voltage of the dongle using a basic multimeter, plugged both into the iPad and in Windows. That'll tell us more.

 

[Matias]

I am comparing 7Hz Zero 1 and Zero 2 to my reference Truthear Zero Red.

Zero 2 x Red: Zero 2 more subbass, more high treble than Red. Red more mid centric and better balanced.

Zero 1 x Zero 2: Zero 1 has less bass, vocals more forward. Zero 2 lots more bass, less vocals and again that extra high treble.

Zero 2 is closer to the Red but with a few more distracting things like the extra bass and treble, making it slightly U shaped imo.

Zero 1 is leaner and more vocal forward, more distant from the Red, but if it fails by omissions at least it does not have anything distracting.

So imo Red still reigns supreme, and both Zero 1 and 2 are a step below in different directions. Between both, it's hard to say yet. Each has its flaws, hard to choose which is the "least worst". Anyway the Red for 55 usd full price, not counting sales prices, is still cheap enough to just get the best one and have it all good.

Comparing all 3 using 4.4 balanced on Tanchjim Space and Tidal high-res fwiw.

 

[staticV3]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding? On my Android device, when I plugin USB dongles, I get a popup that asks me whether I want to allow UAPP or NMP to directly take over the audio stack (supporting hi-res etc).

I'm not sure what happens with NMP on MS-Windows although I do have it installed and use the UPnP functionality for ripped CD's (w/PEQ). I have plenty of volume.

I don't know. Nothing that you've said contradicts my post.

Which part specifically do you think you're misunderstanding? And in what way?

 

[staticV3]

I thought you were saying that NMP (on Android) doesn't bypass the Android constraints like UAPP does. But, I admit that all the layers of who is doing what in terms of volume control can be confusing, at least to me.

Got it.
Neutron bypasses Android's Audio pipeline and unlocks UAC2 hardware volume control.

It, just like UAPP and Hiby, can be used to disable the Apple dongle's UAC2 hardware volume limit to increase the playback volume on Android, for both local audio files placed back within the App, as well as any other App like Spotify, YouTube, etc.

The proprietary, additional volume limiter of the EU dongle on the other hand, cannot be disabled using these Apps.

 

[gcompari]

I bought both the 7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 and the Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED following reviews from Audio Science Review.
In particular I was interested in the very low distortion, so as to be able to equalize the earphones in an optimal way.
After trying both, it seems to me that there is something that doesn't work as expected.
If you try to listen to sinewaves from 30Hz to 12Hz, the intensity of the perceived sound drops (naturally, particularly
if the signal intensity is not high), but you begin to hear other noises that are not compatible with the measurements
of distortion shown by ASR tests.
These are higher frequency disturbances (harmonics?) that resemble venting air.
I tried changing the pads, inserting them into the ear canal with greater force,
keeping them pressed in the ears, but the noises remain.
I tried several samples of the Zero:RED and Zero:2 and I asked my friends to try them to rule out a personal hearing problem: everyone hears the same noises.
I therefore tried with the Sennheiser CX 1.00, the Sennheiser CX 2.00g and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x which
Inner Fidelity measured some time ago, reporting low distortion levels of up to 100dBA and these noises cannot be heard.
For the test I used some PCs and:
- SMSL DO100+Topping L30ii
- SMSL C200
- Topping E30+L30
- Topping D10s+Sabay A10h
- TempoTec Sonata HD Pro
- Hidizs S8
- E1DA #9038SG3
- E1DA #9038D
- balanced and unbalanced cables

Always the same result.

As signal generators I used RTA -> Signal Generator (Ymec DSSF3 from http://www.ymec.com/products/dssf3e/ that is free
for the signal generator module).

Can anyone do the same tests and let me know if the same thing happens to them?
(P.S: sorry for my bad English...)

 

[Chromatischism]

Have you tried this?