hawk01
Active Member
hello all,
i am a relative newbie to IEMs and have been fascinated by the great value they deliver in SQ for such an affordable price point without diving into the more exotic stuff. i own mostly bullet types as these have proven the very best no-brainer perfect fit everytime. it's a straightforward shove it deep with small tips and go on with my life deal all the time.
i had a quirky fitment experience with the ergonomic, contoured shell varieties after owning the earlier KZ ZS series hybrid in 2019. it was a big PITA looking for that elusive tip that will fit and STAY that way for a decent length of time. the considerable weight also didn't help with the fitment issues!
FFW to date i see the stellar reviews of the 7hz crinacle zero:2 and it's less bassy version which piqued my curiosity. who wouldn't consider reference quality material for such an affordable price point?? i just had to take a leap of faith after having a dismal experience with ergonomically correct (but sometimes ill fitting) type IEM! lo and behold the zero:2 fits like a glove with the largish stock black tips with a quick tweak on the ears and stayed that way for lengthy periods. oddly at that it was just barely hugging the shape of my lobes as it didn't take much effort pulling them off. unlike the bullet types which i physically feel are deeply seated in comparison.
the zero:2 was an epiphany moment in my IEM wisdom! inasmuch as the zero:2 had mixed reviews on fitment having that odd angular shape and bulk i found it quite perfect with just the stock tips. it also sounded bliss to my ears without calling undue attention to anything.
now for the query part: the affordable price point rears it's ugly head with the stock cable which i cannot fault. it also works without ruffling the audiophile OCD feathers nestled very, very deep into my subconscious mind. BUT i think it may fail over time just looking at the flimsy build. so flimsy i am suspecting if there is even any trace of copper inside the shoddy external sheathing. BUT again my mortal ears cannot discern IF it had anything that could impact SQ in an objective, quantifiable manner.
to this i would like to seek guidance in buying decent aftermarket cables. the myriad of seeing 4 strand, 8 strand,16 strand, OFC copper, SPC, etc could easily lead one deep into snake oil country. i certainly will not buy something more than the measly US$13.00 it cost me for the zero:2 in my side of the pond. i do like the braided type as it can be tangle proof IME as it came with my bullet types.
thank you all for bearing with me for a few moments. cheers!
i am a relative newbie to IEMs and have been fascinated by the great value they deliver in SQ for such an affordable price point without diving into the more exotic stuff. i own mostly bullet types as these have proven the very best no-brainer perfect fit everytime. it's a straightforward shove it deep with small tips and go on with my life deal all the time.
i had a quirky fitment experience with the ergonomic, contoured shell varieties after owning the earlier KZ ZS series hybrid in 2019. it was a big PITA looking for that elusive tip that will fit and STAY that way for a decent length of time. the considerable weight also didn't help with the fitment issues!
FFW to date i see the stellar reviews of the 7hz crinacle zero:2 and it's less bassy version which piqued my curiosity. who wouldn't consider reference quality material for such an affordable price point?? i just had to take a leap of faith after having a dismal experience with ergonomically correct (but sometimes ill fitting) type IEM! lo and behold the zero:2 fits like a glove with the largish stock black tips with a quick tweak on the ears and stayed that way for lengthy periods. oddly at that it was just barely hugging the shape of my lobes as it didn't take much effort pulling them off. unlike the bullet types which i physically feel are deeply seated in comparison.
the zero:2 was an epiphany moment in my IEM wisdom! inasmuch as the zero:2 had mixed reviews on fitment having that odd angular shape and bulk i found it quite perfect with just the stock tips. it also sounded bliss to my ears without calling undue attention to anything.
now for the query part: the affordable price point rears it's ugly head with the stock cable which i cannot fault. it also works without ruffling the audiophile OCD feathers nestled very, very deep into my subconscious mind. BUT i think it may fail over time just looking at the flimsy build. so flimsy i am suspecting if there is even any trace of copper inside the shoddy external sheathing. BUT again my mortal ears cannot discern IF it had anything that could impact SQ in an objective, quantifiable manner.
to this i would like to seek guidance in buying decent aftermarket cables. the myriad of seeing 4 strand, 8 strand,16 strand, OFC copper, SPC, etc could easily lead one deep into snake oil country. i certainly will not buy something more than the measly US$13.00 it cost me for the zero:2 in my side of the pond. i do like the braided type as it can be tangle proof IME as it came with my bullet types.
thank you all for bearing with me for a few moments. cheers!
