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TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero IEM Review

Rate this IEM

  • 1. Poor (headless panther)

    Votes: 13 2.2%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 21 3.5%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 73 12.2%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 493 82.2%

  • Total voters
    600

MrGoodbits

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

My Truthears x Crinacle Zero arrived yesterday, I love everything about them, sound, build, sound... Then I accidentally sat on them and broke a pin off the cable connector. Prefer to buy the exact same cable but can't find it. Feel like I'm just googling in circles. I kinda think the cable connector may be the "weakest link" in this equation because it was only slightly crooked when I went to bend it back and it just flicked right off. I'm new to the whole IEM cable thing, but def understand that microphonics / construction / connectors / flexibility are important and conductor is not.
 

Phorize

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Yeah, it would be worth checking, just to know what your experiences are like considering it might only be 0.5V. Mind you, we can work out from the sensitivity values of the Crinacle X Zero what your max volume would be with 0.5V.

EDIT: just working out from Amir's sensitivity graph, he's saying 74mv for an equivalent 97dB at 1kHz, and using the following online headphone power calculator that means that the sensitivity of these IEM's is 120dB/V:
View attachment 231993

So with the 1V of of US Apple Dongle you'd be hitting 120dB, and with the 0.5V EU version you'd be hitting 114dB at 1kHz:
View attachment 231994
Thanks. I'm reading that as fine then. I do find that subjectively at least they go alot louder than feels sensible.
 

julian_hughes

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

My Truthears x Crinacle Zero arrived yesterday, I love everything about them, sound, build, sound... Then I accidentally sat on them and broke a pin off the cable connector. Prefer to buy the exact same cable but can't find it. Feel like I'm just googling in circles. I kinda think the cable connector may be the "weakest link" in this equation because it was only slightly crooked when I went to bend it back and it just flicked right off. I'm new to the whole IEM cable thing, but def understand that microphonics / construction / connectors / flexibility are important and conductor is not.
If you're in the USA then a very good replacement is the Drop 2-pin cable https://drop.com/buy/drop-2-pin-iem-cables?defaultSelectionIds=935454 The cheaper one is better than the "premium". I have been using the basic ones on different IEMs for several years and they are durable, flexible and low resistance. No "microphonics" and they have a slider on the cable to keep the cables tidy in use. I live close to the ocean and the premium one corrodes and goes stiff whereas the basic one does not.
 

Orion76

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They are here. Order placed on Amazon 9/14, and they just showed up today, 9/19. Not bad!
 

Steve Dallas

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Received this from Bezos, Inc. a few days ago. The large silicone tips with large opening seal best for me. They sound great to me on everything I have thrown at them so far. The old LG G7 phone I use as an on-the-go music player drives them with plenty of headroom (volume control set to 40 through 50 depending on how loud the mastering is) with its Quad DAC and headphone amp. I have also tried the Monoprice Monolith USB DAC, and they are no challenge for that dongle. I turn it down a few clicks from default.

These sound far better than the $99 Shure IEMs I have been using, which are overly bright, err... I mean... "detailed, resolving, revealing." The Truthear cables are less prone to tangling, and are far less microphonic. The Shure cables also turned from clear to snot-yellow in only a few months.

Sound is on the warm side with good bass and sub-bass, but vocal clarity is still excellent and higher frequency detail is there as it should be. One of my midrange tests is Pat Benetar's Outlaw Blues on her Best Shots album. (While you are there, check out Painted Desert!) The guitar can be glaring. It should be perfectly listenable. Speakers and headphones with a broad peak in the wrong place make this excellent track unlistenable. The Zeros really do this track justice.

These are my new go-to IEMs, and I don't do honeymoon periods nor bandwagons. Fully expected to send these back. Nope. Staying here.

Definitely pleased for $50! More performant value products please!
 
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RHO

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

My Truthears x Crinacle Zero arrived yesterday, I love everything about them, sound, build, sound... Then I accidentally sat on them and broke a pin off the cable connector. Prefer to buy the exact same cable but can't find it. Feel like I'm just googling in circles. I kinda think the cable connector may be the "weakest link" in this equation because it was only slightly crooked when I went to bend it back and it just flicked right off. I'm new to the whole IEM cable thing, but def understand that microphonics / construction / connectors / flexibility are important and conductor is not.
Any 0.78mm 2-pin connector IEM cable will work.
Look on AE. Plenty choice there.
 

Garrincha

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I am not too worried about Amazon... But they will however get their money back from the seller. It's easy to have these generous return policies if it don't ever have to cost you one cent and the seller don't have any power on it.
I am also not worried about Amazon, but clearly somebody has to pay for it and most likely it is not Amazon, so in the end it is the costumer, i. e. people making excessive use of it transfer the costs to all costumers.
 
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DarwinDaDude

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Excellent, glad to hear it! Just to emphasize, (for readers), the small inner diameter ones have the bass that is shown in the measurements, Harman Bass:
This!!!
I went back and forth between the two different size aperture tips- just to assure myself that I was not imagining it. The difference is striking and should be measurable one would think. Treble with smaller bore tip appears less 'shouty' as well (masked a bit by the enhanced bass?)
 

PeteL

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I am alo not worried about Amzon, but clearly somebody has to pay for it and most likely it is not amazon, so in the end it is the costumer, i. e. people making excessive use of it transfer the costs to all costumers.
I don't know. That's today's reality. It's perfectly normal to want to try before you make a decision. I try to support local retailers that let me do that, but there are less and less, greatly because of online shopping. Plus of course I am not even sure it's even possible for this Item. There will be a cost to take back Items, but in the end, this cost is less than brick and mortar distribution. Nothing excessive there. If they are so certain that their products perform well, well there should not be that many, that's part of great customer service is. You don't know if you'll like something if you haven't tried it.
 

Jimbob54

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

My Truthears x Crinacle Zero arrived yesterday, I love everything about them, sound, build, sound... Then I accidentally sat on them and broke a pin off the cable connector. Prefer to buy the exact same cable but can't find it. Feel like I'm just googling in circles. I kinda think the cable connector may be the "weakest link" in this equation because it was only slightly crooked when I went to bend it back and it just flicked right off. I'm new to the whole IEM cable thing, but def understand that microphonics / construction / connectors / flexibility are important and conductor is not.
Tripowin zonie in whatever termination you need. Around £18 from amazon.
 

welsh

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I ordered mine on Bezos store. They arrive Saturday. Will compare with the super low distortion of Fiio FD5.
Just ordered from Amazon uk. I have (probably) too many IEMs, but these are a no-brainer buy for £50. I always use a portable headphone amp when out and about, so the relatively low sensitivity won’t be a problem. It’s fantastic that one can get such great value these days - my first in-ears back in the day were Shure twin-drivers that were dreadful, and expensive…
 

fivecolors

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Dude, we are talking about the frequency response and tracking the preferred curve.
Audibility is a different ball game, if you are following the thread will have other inputs - tip size and type, my ear anatomy, my biases etc.
If all you want is to compare listening, sorry cant help with that. I have been a member of headfi for almost 20 yrs, you will find your answers there.....
You should read what you just wrote to yourself. I would think "Audibility" is what it's all about, Dude.
 

AdamG

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Not from Qobuz or to my knowledge any other mainstream streaming service on iOS you can't. I'd love to be corrected of course as although I don't mind setting up eq at home like most users portable to me means of one device (my phone). Add this to the fact that a tiny percentage of users on any platform would ever consider eq even if it were trivial (which it isn't from a general user point of view), and the case for the Harman compliant iem or headphone is made.
I would assume that you are aware of the Qudelix 5k and that it works fine with Apple iOS with the right cable. Then you have Eq/PEQ and an Amp. This usb cable works great and comes in 3 lengths: I don’t know if it’s available in the UK but I would think it is. I love my Qudelix use it every day. Bought a second one just for the bedroom.

https://a.co/d/f2xIyVx
 

julian_hughes

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I don't know. That's today's reality. It's perfectly normal to want to try before you make a decision. I try to support local retailers that let me do that, but there are less and less, greatly because of online shopping. Plus of course I am not even sure it's even possible for this Item. There will be a cost to take back Items, but in the end, this cost is less than brick and mortar distribution. Nothing excessive there. If they are so certain that their products perform well, well there should not be that many, that's part of great customer service is. You don't know if you'll like something if you haven't tried it.
Look, this guy has told you before and he is telling you now. He is a fully self-certificated moral and audio arbiter. Are you going to be so disobedient that he will have to spend his precious, very special, very righteous energy on telling you again in the future? Please comply.
 

Robbo99999

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This!!!
I went back and forth between the two different size aperture tips- just to assure myself that I was not imagining it. The difference is striking and should be measurable one would think. Treble with smaller bore tip appears less 'shouty' as well (masked a bit by the enhanced bass?)
More bass will make the treble feel less pronounced.
 

julian_hughes

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Dude..... I have been a member of headfi for almost 20 yrs...
If you can't bully strangers into agreeing with you by addressing them as dude, and then explaining to them that you have been on head-fi for 20 years, well shit, what is the world coming to?
 

Chromatischism

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Bubbleupnp is android only unfortunately. Apple users are screwed for eq with streaming.

Edit: above I'm talking about use on the go. On iOS Mconnect will stream tidal and Qobuz via upnp to neutrons upnp server running on the same lan. That said, these are pretty terrible solutions from a general consumer point of view.
Ugh. Gotta love that walled garden. Not.
 

GaryH

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I was not talking about the divergence from the Harman curve, but the channel and item variation, which is much lower and even well possibly withing the measurement bracket. But others have tried to teach you this, maybe you just do not want to understand this.
Crinacle's pinna-less IEM set-up has high precision/reproducibility (little variance between repeated re-seated measurements in part due to easier consistent sealing). If it didn't he wouldn't be able to get results like this with many different units of the Truthear Zero:
Screenshot_20220919_211541.png


To be fair, that's not bad channel matching and not bad unit to unit variation. That unit to unit variation would be audible though as it looks like a tad over 1dB Low Shelf 105Hz variation for the Salnotes, so I know from using EQ that this would be an audible difference, but I still think that is not bad when it comes to channel matching & unit to unit variation.
I think you may be used to seeing the greater variances in over-ear headphone measurements. Yeah the channel matching isn't bad, but not great for an IEM either, as I said. Of course if you go down in cost even further to, say, a $5 IEM like the Sony MH755, expectations for QC-related aspects like channel/unit variance obviously need to be lowered. (By the way, I wouldn't and have never said they're perfect, but also note there are reports of several versions of the MH755 over the years, with newer ones possibly using the bassier MH750 drivers, which is supported by the measurements. So the MH755's apparent high unit variation from Crinacle's measurements may fool the uninformed.)

My point about the unit variation though was that due to the 7Hz Salnotes Zero (how do they come up with these names? :D) already being quite a bit below Harman in the bass, if you're one of the (potentially) 1 in 3 unlucky sods to get the one with 1.5 dB less bass still, it's going to be seriously lacking in that department, (and as I've said before, at least for me, overshooting the target in the bass, particularly sub-, is preferable then undershooting when it comes to IEMs, in order to compensate for the complete lack of tactile bass). In other words, unit variation matters somewhat more when the average response is not close to the target. The Truthear Zero has low unit variance though so what you see from the measurements is likely what you'll get, potential shoutiness and all.
 
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