TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero IEM Review

[AdamG]

Thread notice: Tried the nice way. Now we have to use the stick. Any further off topic posts will be deleted and poster will receive a complimentary Thread Ban. Don’t want to do this but, some of you persist in this back and forth nonsense.

 

[Garrincha]

LOL :
View attachment 231928



LOL II :
View attachment 232048

still laughing.... If somebody uses these IEMs and doesn´t hear these differences, he must be deaf!

 

[openbaffle3278]

So the Final Audio E tips to do not fit on these. The medium small bore included tips do work however.

 

[CedarX]

Can anyone recommend replacement cables for these? Mine broke. What do I need to look for?

Although any 2-pin 0.78mm may work, IIRC there are 3x common types of 2-pin cables/connectors and several other variants—it all depends how clean/flush you want your replacement cable. The Zero appears to have a fairly common 2-pin recessed connector.
See https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-different-types-of-iem-connectors.938264/

 

[Auditorius]

Just received the Truthear Zero and after finally finding the perfect tips that worked for my ears (stock Medium narrow-nozzle Silicone)… I misplaced one of them, as luck has it.

Anyone knows where, and if, it’s possible to buy the stock Truthear Zero silicone tips that it comes with (specifically the narrow-opening ones)?

 

[AudioKC]

This is a review, listening tests and measurements of the Truthear Crinacle Zero IEM review. It was sent to me by @crinacle as he has been a consultant on the project. It costs US $50.
View attachment 230789

I like that it has a bit of "bling" but not too much. The cord is just the right length for me (many IEMs are too short for my use). It is super flexible with very little microphonics. You get two sets of silicone pads in three different sizes which suites me fine. I wear the largest one and it stays nicely put.

The claim to fame of this IEM is that it complies with the Harman target. Let's see if that is the case.

EDIT: These are the included tips and the ones used for measurement and listening tests:
View attachment 231027

Truthear Crinnacle Zero IEM Measurements
Let's start with our frequency response measurement:
View attachment 230790

I must say I was not prepared for such a tight fit to our target! Other than a hair droop at 20 Hz and a bit deviation here and there, the response hugs our target a wet towel! Very nice. This renders our difference frequency response kind of useless:
View attachment 230791

Distortion is good enough at lower levels but gets a bit much at maximum SPL:
View attachment 230792
View attachment 230793

Group delay is not revealing for IEMs and such is the case here:
View attachment 230794

Impedance shows evidence of some tuning in bass frequencies:

View attachment 230795

The low impedance means many amps and sources can drive it but it is very low. Sensitive is on the low side as well for an IEM:
View attachment 230796

Truthear Crinnacle Zero IEM Listening Tests
As usual I start with my female vocals. My first reference track had excellent warmth courtesy of proper low frequency response. This continued from track to track with tonality that was just delightful. It not only sounds "right" but also enjoyable. The sound you get is like the best speaker in best room with no room modes. Of course there is no tactile feedback so deep bass doesn't sound the same but you get the picture.

I cranked up the volume on it and it kind of gets loud but I thought the bass started to gradually get distorted. Not a practical problem as you are not going to want to listen at those unsafe volumes.

I am sitting here typing this review and listening to it and marveling how nice every track sounds!

Conclusions
What on earth are you doing reading the rest of this review? Go and buy one of these! I don't care if you don't listen to IEMs normally. You want this IEM so you know what correct tonality is, when you listen with other transducers such as headphones and speakers. Think of it as the tuning fork that a musician uses! This IEM needs to be in your arsenal.

For those of you who use IEMs as I do in summer months (headphones wear too hot), you are in for a treat for peanuts out of your pocket. The science works. Kudos to @crinacle for advocating this execution. We are indebted to you for your contribution here.

I am happy to strongly recommend the Truthear Crinnacle Zero IEM. It brings that incredible harmony of technical excellence and superbly low purchase price.

----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Thank you for review.

I’m one of the first people who preordered these.

Excellent tinning, incredible bass and upper bass, but dont expect much in technicality and “layerness” of sound.

I use these for night time gaming or movies. It’s like subwoofers in your ears

Music all good with vibes and drives (electro, metal etc)

For instrumental I use my 7hz timeless. These are just more detailed and tuned differently in bass and midrange (with quite bright signature)

I love these two iems for different reasons.

Just spend 50$ on these. Incredible iem.


BTW I drive it from apple dongle. Tried Topping E50 with Schit Magni Heresy (sinad of both about -120db). I don’t hear any difference from apple dongle. So do not bother about dac/amp.

These iems + apple dongle = nowadays audiophile. Incredible, isn’t it? 57$

Also, these are very lightweight - sit very good during outside walks.

Need a better cable, the cable from manufacturer is a total crap.

 

[Madlop26]

Ok here they are; so I rapidly got my g5 and plugged them in, first impression, wow! this is at the level at my Monarch MKII.......just for $50 dollars? This is ridiculous.
So I embarked on 2 hours of AB testing (lossless Apple music> mac mini> SMSL SU9>Topping A90) Started Harman tracks, with no definitive differences, at some point, I even thought, is the truthear a little more detailed?. anyway, no clear difference until the track Tiger by Paula Cole, The Sub bass...The Monarch.. such a good control of the Sub bass, talking about level and definition, not any of my headphones can do that. Anyway, it was pretty, pretty close, and that is a lot to say. The truthaer demotes my 7Hz timeless as my second best liked IEM.

 

[AudioKC]

Ok here they are; so I rapidly got my g5 and plugged them in, first impression, wow! this is at the level at my Monarch MKII.......just for $50 dollars? This is ridiculous.
So I embarked on 2 hours of AB testing (lossless Apple music> mac mini> SMSL SU9>Topping A90) Started Harman tracks, with no definitive differences, at some point, I even thought, is the truthear a little more detailed?. anyway, no clear difference until the track Tiger by Paula Cole, The Sub bass...The Monarch.. such a good control of the Sub bass, talking about level and definition, not any of my headphones can do that. Anyway, it was pretty, pretty close, and that is a lot to say. The truthaer demotes my 7Hz timeless as my second best liked IEM.

Interesting take

I still love 7hz more for midrange and layering and less boomy bass, but with 20-30hz bass kicking hard.

It seems like people love different tunning and layerness of sound. These iem sounds flat to me, whereas 7hz timeless sounds like 5-15 different layers of music. Also speed of decay is different. Timeless is very fast, these in “speed” can be described as average, subjectively from my experience.

 

[Kong]

This is a review, listening tests and measurements of the Truthear Crinacle Zero IEM review. It was sent to me by @crinacle as he has been a consultant on the project. It costs US $50.
View attachment 230789

I like that it has a bit of "bling" but not too much. The cord is just the right length for me (many IEMs are too short for my use). It is super flexible with very little microphonics. You get two sets of silicone pads in three different sizes which suites me fine. I wear the largest one and it stays nicely put.

The claim to fame of this IEM is that it complies with the Harman target. Let's see if that is the case.

EDIT: These are the included tips and the ones used for measurement and listening tests:
View attachment 231027

Truthear Crinnacle Zero IEM Measurements
Let's start with our frequency response measurement:
View attachment 230790

I must say I was not prepared for such a tight fit to our target! Other than a hair droop at 20 Hz and a bit deviation here and there, the response hugs our target a wet towel! Very nice. This renders our difference frequency response kind of useless:
View attachment 230791

Distortion is good enough at lower levels but gets a bit much at maximum SPL:
View attachment 230792
View attachment 230793

Group delay is not revealing for IEMs and such is the case here:
View attachment 230794

Impedance shows evidence of some tuning in bass frequencies:

View attachment 230795

The low impedance means many amps and sources can drive it but it is very low. Sensitive is on the low side as well for an IEM:
View attachment 230796

Truthear Crinnacle Zero IEM Listening Tests
As usual I start with my female vocals. My first reference track had excellent warmth courtesy of proper low frequency response. This continued from track to track with tonality that was just delightful. It not only sounds "right" but also enjoyable. The sound you get is like the best speaker in best room with no room modes. Of course there is no tactile feedback so deep bass doesn't sound the same but you get the picture.

I cranked up the volume on it and it kind of gets loud but I thought the bass started to gradually get distorted. Not a practical problem as you are not going to want to listen at those unsafe volumes.

I am sitting here typing this review and listening to it and marveling how nice every track sounds!

Conclusions
What on earth are you doing reading the rest of this review? Go and buy one of these! I don't care if you don't listen to IEMs normally. You want this IEM so you know what correct tonality is, when you listen with other transducers such as headphones and speakers. Think of it as the tuning fork that a musician uses! This IEM needs to be in your arsenal.

For those of you who use IEMs as I do in summer months (headphones wear too hot), you are in for a treat for peanuts out of your pocket. The science works. Kudos to @crinacle for advocating this execution. We are indebted to you for your contribution here.

I am happy to strongly recommend the Truthear Crinnacle Zero IEM. It brings that incredible harmony of technical excellence and superbly low purchase price.

----------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.

Any donations are much appreciated using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/

Listen to them after 5 hours of burn-in, they sound great. Just right. No wonder most people like this sound profile (Harman Target) I like their tone, separation and sound stage. What I don't like are not enough sub-bass and low sensitivity compare to my many other IEMs. Most important they don't fit my ear comfortably (maybe due to their shapes). They also very large and thick (maybe needed to achieve the Harman Target) make it hard to sleep comfortably over them when I want to listen at night). These make it hard to keep them.

 

[Garrincha]

Interesting take

I still love 7hz more for midrange and layering and less boomy bass, but with 20-30hz bass kicking hard.

It seems like people love different tunning and layerness of sound. These iem sounds flat to me, whereas 7hz timeless sounds like 5-15 different layers of music. Also speed of decay is different. Timeless is very fast, these in “speed” can be described as average, subjectively from my experience.

Are you really sure with the speed of decay? Unfortunately I haven't seen measurements of the 7Hz Timeless, but from all other IEMs I have seen, independent of the driver type or number, the impulse response was more or less the same, so I regard this more as a myth.

 

[Garrincha]

Listen to them after 5 hours of burn-in, they sound great. Just right. No wonder most people like this sound profile (Harman Target) I like their tone, separation and sound stage. What I don't like are not enough sub-bass and low sensitivity compare to my many other IEMs. Most important they don't fit my ear comfortably (maybe due to their shapes). They also very large and thick (maybe needed to achieve the Harman Target) make it hard to sleep comfortably over them when I want to listen at night). These make it hard to keep them.

How did they sound before the 5 hours of burn-in? Wet? Sluggish? Rough?

 

[Madlop26]

Interesting take

I still love 7hz more for midrange and layering and less boomy bass, but with 20-30hz bass kicking hard.

It seems like people love different tunning and layerness of sound. These iem sounds flat to me, whereas 7hz timeless sounds like 5-15 different layers of music. Also speed of decay is different. Timeless is very fast, these in “speed” can be described as average, subjectively from my experience.

4 hours of AB testing, I have to stop now, my ear canals are so sore swapping EIMs, the Truthear has fallen a little bit more, I think the Monarch has more definition of the instruments in general, and one song that can really tell apart these 2 EIMs is "Trouble by Bonnie McKee". The Monarch MKII remains the King of the land, at least at my Home, regarding the 7Hz Timeless, it may deserve a similar match to know which one I like the second best.

 

[AndreaT]

Please listen to Music: Wish You Were Here from the Discovery Boxed Set: Shine On Your Crazy Diamond part I: Hidsz AP80 Pro FLAC file 16/44.1 digital output to to Topping E50/L30 II and TCZ IEM…transcendental experience when reproduced music feels without faults: there is dynamic, there is perfect tonality, retrieval of detail, loud does not hurt, soft is discernible (btw excellent isolation from ambient noise), no specific spectrum of frequency sounds recessed or excessive. Gain: Hidisz at 90, E50 -3.0 dB, L30 II at med gain, volume at 1:00-2:00 o’clock. Was I present at the mastering session of the tapes? Of course not. How do I know it is played at the pinnacle of possible? Well, I know I do as the experience is up there with the dawn in the Alps, the skiing on the Corvatsch, the motorcycle ride in the Fall and Beethoven 7th at Symphony Hall. These IEM are outstanding in every way.

 

[Madlop26]

Please listen to Music: Wish You Were Here from the Discovery Boxed Set: Shine On Your Crazy Diamond part I: Hidsz AP80 Pro FLAC file 16/44.1 digital output to to Topping E50/L30 II and TCZ IEM…transcendental experience when reproduced music feels without faults: there is dynamic, there is perfect tonality, retrieval of detail, loud does not hurt, soft is discernible (btw excellent isolation from ambient noise), no specific spectrum of frequency sounds recessed or excessive. Gain: Hidisz at 90, E50 -3.0 dB, L30 II at med gain, volume at 1:00-2:00 o’clock. Was I present at the mastering session of the tapes? Of course not. How do I know it is played at the pinnacle of possible? Well, I know I do as the experience is up there with the dawn in the Alps, the skiing on the Corvatsch, the motorcycle ride in the Fall and Beethoven 7th at Symphony Hall. These IEM are outstanding in every way.

not a fair comparison, that song sounds magical even from my iPhone speakers.lol

 

[Garrincha]

Ok here they are; so I rapidly got my g5 and plugged them in, first impression, wow! this is at the level at my Monarch MKII.......just for $50 dollars? This is ridiculous.
So I embarked on 2 hours of AB testing (lossless Apple music> mac mini> SMSL SU9>Topping A90) Started Harman tracks, with no definitive differences, at some point, I even thought, is the truthear a little more detailed?

So this woud mean it really is almost exclusively FR and once it is right, there is not much to gain anymore (at least for IEMs).

. anyway, no clear difference until the track Tiger by Paula Cole, The Sub bass...The Monarch.. such a good control of the Sub bass, talking about level and definition, not any of my headphones can do that.

You mean the stock tuning or with EQ? Because I own the Hifiman Sundara and the Sennheiser HD 800. Both have out of the box a rather weak sub-bass, but with EQ almost as much as one wishes, even serveral dB above Harman if this should be desired.

 

[Madlop26]

So this woud mean it really is almost exclusively FR and once it is right, there is not much to gain anymore (at least for IEMs).

You mean the stock tuning or with EQ? Because I own the Hifiman Sundara and the Sennheiser HD 800. Both have out of the box a rather weak sub-bass, but with EQ almost as much as one wishes, even serveral dB above Harman if this should be desired.

I have the HD800s, EQ to Harman, and still, i feel my Monarch outclass them in sub bass, I guess is the ear sealing able to deliver a powerfully defined subbass?, for open headphones, we are talking lots of energy, imagine to get to the level of the Monarch when you feel like your head trembling, but not to a subbass noise but a define subbass musical note, only inferior to the experience when listening music with my dual 13 inch subs. But you may be right I will try more EQs and see

 

[AudioKC]

Are you really sure with the speed of decay? Unfortunately I haven't seen measurements of the 7Hz Timeless, but from all other IEMs I have seen, independent of the driver type or number, the impulse response was more or less the same, so I regard this more as a myth.

It might be a wrong word, decay, but it sounds “faster”, whatever it means. It might be related to something else, for example of treble time response where my brain make it feel like a “faster sound”. I have no idea how to measure it, but I’m not alone in that feeling

 

[RHO]

Although any 2-pin 0.78mm may work, IIRC there are 3x common types of 2-pin cables/connectors and several other variants—it all depends how clean/flush you want your replacement cable. The Zero appears to have a fairly common 2-pin recessed connector.
See https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-different-types-of-iem-connectors.938264/

That's why I said 2-pin 0.78mm and not 0.75mm or QDC connector.

 

[Peluvius]

Ugh. Gotta love that walled garden. Not.

It is lush and green in here, come.....

 

[Saidera]

An Australian reviewer had this to say: 'Just cause Crinacle puts his name on something, doesn't make it amazing Neither bad, nor good. Doesn't make an impression, but still ok IEMs.' This was a month ago. Now we have the measurements, and we know that these are designed to be a standard IEM. There aren't many alternatives are there?