7Hz x Crinacle Zero:2 IEM Review

[markanini]

If you just show some selected, non-representative results, that needs to be corrected, otherwise people get a false impression. I don't acutally know csglinux but I like his site. Yet I cannot understand how he can after all these measurement results (channel imbalance, high distortion, non-flat impedance) recommend the Monrach MKIII, maybe it is kind of a paid review? I am positively sure that @amirm wouldn't recommend it.

He went ahead and posted a mixed review, and raw graphs showing any and all issues in full. And your conclusion is that he's a shill, and I'm an apologist?!...Maybe you've had enough internet for today?

 

[MacClintock]

He went ahead and posted a mixed review, and raw graphs showing any and all issues in full. And your conclusion is that he's a shill...Maybe you've had enough internet for today?

I did not read his review (nor do I have the intention to do so after having seen the measurements and your link does not even point to his review), just the bit you have posted that closes with a RECOMMENDATION. So It does not seem to have been all that mixed after all. Maybe you already have reached the limits of your thinking for today?

 

[DSJR]

Very much sounds like a seal issue- I doubt all 3 sizes can seal correctly in any one persons ear. Seal is EVERYTHING for IEM bass response. So its not the tips per se doing anything but the interface with your ear. Thats not to say well sealed tips of different material/bore etc cant impact the FR but a starting point always should be a good seal.

Try the alternating tone here- on a Harman-ish tuned IEM (ie decent bass response) the low tone should be of approx equal loudness to the higher tone. If not, incorrect seal- change tips or push them in harder.

Audio Seal Test

The Audio Seal test is designed to help you determine whether your earphones are correctly inserted. The test consists of audibly comparing two tones, one at 50 Hz and the other at 500 Hz, which should be heard at the same level. A weaker low frequency tone indicates a poor ear seal, resulting...

asiaudio.com

To quote a much missed Vulcan - 'Fascinating!'

I still like the Betron BS10 with larger tips. They do the 50Hz tone clearly, but together with the 500Hz tone, it's well down. I fitted the red tips from the Zero 2's to see what would happen and all the top seemed to disappear, so I resorted to the larger stock tips (the BS10s are so easy to fit and remove and happy to use these for general non critical listening).

Just trying the yellow tips on the Zero 2 and no, I think the reds suit my lugs best.

Sincere apologies if most of you knew all this already. I never considered IEMs like this before as previous attempts with cheap crap phone style types they fell out..

 

[chorf]

Has anyone compared these directly to something like the $1000 Thieaudio Monarch MKIII?
Is it actually better after EQ?
I like these so much I'm thinking of spending $200+ on trying custom tips for them ... but if I'm spending $200 - maybe I'd want to invest in something higher priced if they do sound that much better for a longer term investment? Obviously if it's not much of a audible difference then I wouldn't though.

AutoEQ ranking currently has them as the top ranking:
https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/blob/master/results/RANKING.md
Monarch MKIII: 91
7hz Zero: 84,
7hz Zero mk2: 73,
Truthear Crinacle Zero: 81.

Speaking of scores: I own the Zero 1 and 2 and Truthear Crinacle Zero also and by far prefer the 7hz's. This Zero 2 + EQ I think sounds the best.

So at least according to the ranking for compliance to Harman listener preference scores - I prefer the lowest ranking one after eq! Same with over ears: Prefer Jade II & Stax L300 over Sundara despite ranking lower)


I really love these IEMs though! They put me over the line where I think I'm going all in on IEM's and selling all my normal headphones including electrostatics! I don't listen to headphones much though: I mostly use them for mixing/tracking/noise reduction comparison type listening - so when I do listen I actually do need them as speakers don't really work so well for things like that. (If I was just listening for fun over-ears would probably more comfortable to me though)

Speaking of, these have better details than the Neumann KH150 + KH750's: probably as there's no room involved: but when the speakers get loud it's really no match due to the huge sound and feeling of the subs. Both are quite awesome though for different uses.

I'm in the same boat, tried a few tips and I'm already thinking about customs so I can just be done with it. My ear canals get very moist and all tips so far have a tendency to start slipping out. The best I've tried are the Spinfit W1s which are slightly sticky but I think my skin is slightly allergic to that kind of silicone. The Dunu S&S tips work well until the pain starts in my left ear. I love these zero 2s but I wish I could just put them on and not worry about them slipping for once.

I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on "real" customs though. Has anyone here tried making their own custom tips? You can get DYI kits for custom silicone earplugs from a brand called Radians for not too much money, and there are a bunch of people out there who have moulded them to their IEMs. I've seen a few how-to videos on youtube. Sounds like something worth trying before going all the way. Someone here must have tried something like this before!

 

[markanini]

I'm in the same boat, tried a few tips and I'm already thinking about customs so I can just be done with it. My ear canals get very moist and all tips so far have a tendency to start slipping out. The best I've tried are the Spinfit W1s which are slightly sticky but I think my skin is slightly allergic to that kind of silicone. The Dunu S&S tips work well until the pain starts in my left ear. I love these zero 2s but I wish I could just put them on and not worry about them slipping for once.

I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on "real" customs though. Has anyone here tried making their own custom tips? You can get DYI kits for custom silicone earplugs from a brand called Radians for not too much money, and there are a bunch of people out there who have moulded them to their IEMs. I've seen a few how-to videos on youtube. Sounds like something worth trying before going all the way. Someone here must have tried something like this before!

Maybe try a few more inexpensive universal IEMs, chances are you will find something that fits you better. 7Hz Zero has rather shallow nozzles and not everyone will find the fit great, no matter what tips.

 

[ngs428]

I just can't decide.. I have the Zero reds, but these get some great reviews too.. I may have missed them, any good comparisons?

 

[Cote Dazur]

I just can't decide.. I have the Zero reds, but these get some great reviews too.. I may have missed them, any good comparisons?

First, not sure why you have a hard time to decide, at this price, not assuming anything about your wealth, just go for it. Not much to loose.
Some people like the Zero Red (or Blue) better, some like the Zero2 better, since how they fit your ears canals is as important as the measured FR, whom ever give you their opinion, it is only as good as their ear shape.
For what it is worth (not much), I prefer the Zero Blue, but I also enjoy the Zero2, just not as much.

 

[ngs428]

I hear ya. Not about the $. Reviews are certainly subjective based on fit, etc. maybe I will just wait for the new budget king which will surely come out again in no time.

 

[Jean-Paul Petrosyan]

Budget kings come and go every few months, but this one has a pretty unique stand out feature to me, which is the treble that won't be killing your hearing in the higher frequencies basically no matter how hard you try to achieve that (unless they won't fit properly). Most other, if not all sets in this price range seem to have narrow resonance peaks in the treble that show up on every measurement graph. That's a total no-go for me personally.

 

[Chromatischism]

Budget kings come and go every few months, but this one has a pretty unique stand out feature to me, which is the treble that won't be killing your hearing in the higher frequencies basically no matter how hard you try to achieve that (unless they won't fit properly). Most other, if not all sets in this price range seem to have narrow resonance peaks in the treble that show up on every measurement graph. That's a total no-go for me personally.

If you're talking about the 8 kHz peak, that's caused by the depth of insertion and is why it's in the same place on all the measurements using the same coupler. Your ears have it too, but it will move a bit depending on your ears and the fitment of tips.

 

[Jean-Paul Petrosyan]

If you're talking about the 8 kHz peak, that's caused by the depth of insertion and is why it's in the same place on all the measurements using the same coupler. Your ears have it too, but it will move a bit depending on your ears and the fitment of tips.

Thank you, but I'm aware of that. What I'm talking about is a second peak which is typically located somewhere in the 12-14 kHz range (can be seen in measurements of Moondrop Chu, Lan, 7hz Zero, Truthear Hola, for example; as well as many other much more expensive and "higher tier" IEMs). Typically I can hear it, which also results in perceptibly unnatural/wrong sounding and "brittle" and/or strangely sharp or "abrasive" treble. Considering it's nature that contributes to it shifting in both frequency and amplitude (and maybe even bandwidth?) hence making it very hard if at all possible to effectively remedy with EQ, it's the biggest FR related flaw an IEM can have in my opinion.

 

[phoenixsong]

Thank you, but I'm aware of that. What I'm talking about is a second peak which is typically located somewhere in the 12-14 kHz range (can be seen in measurements of Moondrop Chu, Lan, 7hz Zero, Truthear Hola, for example; as well as many other much more expensive and "higher tier" IEMs). Typically I can hear it, which also results in perceptibly unnatural/wrong sounding and "brittle" and/or strangely sharp or "abrasive" treble. Considering it's nature that contributes to it shifting in both frequency and amplitude (and maybe even bandwidth?) hence making it very hard if at all possible to effectively remedy with EQ, it's the biggest FR related flaw an IEM can have in my opinion.

I get you; I am sensitive to treble peaks/resonances too. Hence the reason I love pairing the spring fit tips with these, as later proven by peak-free measurements shared by another member

 

[Chromatischism]

I get you; I am sensitive to treble peaks/resonances too. Hence the reason I love pairing the spring fit tips with these, as later proven by peak-free measurements shared by another member

Are you saying the Moondrop Spring tips can eliminate the 11-13 kHz (varies) resonances that most IEMs have? Can I see these measurements?

 

[staticV3]

Are you saying the Moondrop Spring tips can eliminate the 11-13 kHz (varies) resonances that most IEMs have? Can I see these measurements?

Here's the post that phoenix was referring to: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...crinacle-zero-2-iem-review.50534/post-1867085

More graphs here:

 

[Chromatischism]

Here's the post that phoenix was referring to: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...crinacle-zero-2-iem-review.50534/post-1867085

More graphs here:
View attachment 347856View attachment 347857View attachment 347858

Ahh I see. I remember seeing that on my phone but not being able to make heads of it.

 

[mc.god]

TRN claims similar results for their T ear-tips, that have a somewhat similar structure as Springtips:

https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005001304899571.html

I bought some of them and find them nice and comfortable but still didn't try them thoroughly and I'm not sure I'll be able to tell the difference in an unbiased way.

For the price it's worth a try.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Here's the post that phoenix was referring to: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...crinacle-zero-2-iem-review.50534/post-1867085

More graphs here:
View attachment 347856View attachment 347857View attachment 347858

Fascinating, I always wondered if measurement would back the comments on how different tips alter the perceived sound of IEMs, thank you. This shows evidence it does.
Now, I would love to read a review/measurement conducted by @amirm with maybe the next IEM test and his opinion on the subject.
Additionally, I find very interesting, the graphs show that the treble is very affected, but from the same graph, the different tip
apparently do not change anything to bass. Interesting and surprising, different tip usually do affect seal, a major factor on perception of bass in any IEM.

 

[MacClintock]

Thank you, but I'm aware of that. What I'm talking about is a second peak which is typically located somewhere in the 12-14 kHz range (can be seen in measurements of Moondrop Chu, Lan, 7hz Zero, Truthear Hola, for example; as well as many other much more expensive and "higher tier" IEMs). Typically I can hear it, which also results in perceptibly unnatural/wrong sounding and "brittle" and/or strangely sharp or "abrasive" treble. Considering it's nature that contributes to it shifting in both frequency and amplitude (and maybe even bandwidth?) hence making it very hard if at all possible to effectively remedy with EQ, it's the biggest FR related flaw an IEM can have in my opinion.

I totally agree, that is really the only major disadvantage of many otherwise fine budget IEMs. Notably the Moondrop Chu and 7hz Zero, are in the top ten of the infamous Harman compliance rating, yet having these horrible peaks.

 

[carpman]

TRN claims similar results for their T ear-tips, that have a somewhat similar structure as Springtips:
I bought some of them and find them nice and comfortable but still didn't try them thoroughly and I'm not sure I'll be able to tell the difference in an unbiased way.

For the price it's worth a try.

@mc.god I think I saw your post a while back on those TRN tips and having embarked on the pilgrimage to find tips that actually seal my fussy ear canals (having failed with every silicone tip prior) I bought the TRN T Ear Tips (size Large, also tried Medium) and they actually worked ! So to date, the only two tips I've got to work on my ears (via Zero 2s and also Tanchjim IEMs) are the Sonicfoam SF1 Mediums and the TRN tips (Large). Don't know what that says about my ears, but thought I'd post it here as it's so hit and miss getting tips that seal well and are comfortable, but I have to say, when you do, it really is worth it.

In terms of sound (and here I'm not trusting my ears or brain), but I felt that the foam tips were a little more "rounded" and "warm" (nicer for my preference), the TRNs seemed less warm and a little more bright. But that could be total bull crap - just my intuition after a good while listening. I'd be more than happy with either, if I could choose one I'd go with the foam tips and I really like the TRNs on my Tanchjim Zeros.

I'd love to see real measurements on the Sonicfoam vs silicone TRNs just to see what actual effect they have on the sound.

C.

 

[pk500]

I just can't decide.. I have the Zero reds, but these get some great reviews too.. I may have missed them, any good comparisons?

The Zero Reds are $55; the Crin Zero 2's are $22. That's less than $80. I would venture that nearly the cheapest over-ear in nearly everyone's collection here costs more than these two IEMs combined.

But if money is that tight, then screw the reviews: Go with what your ears and brain like the best.