Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM Review

[sharock]

Which graphs? As measured on the B&K 5128 with its (purportedly) more accurate upper treble response, the Zero Red has poor treble extension (which contributes to perceived 'detail'), worse than $10 earphones:

The $10 earphone that you can't buy anymore?

 

[GaryH]

They come as bundled freebies with several of Sony's cheap Bluetooth receivers which you can still get. The point is the Red has worse treble extension than 10-year-old cheapo earphones, as well as the original Zero.

 

[sharock]

They come as bundled freebies with several of Sony's cheap Bluetooth receivers which you can still get. The point is the Red has worse treble extension than 10-year-old cheapo earphones, as well as the original Zero.

So buy a bluetooth device we don't need to get some cheap earphones that look like they isolate so badly you can't hear the extra treble extension?

You just seem to roll out this MH755 dead horse to beat everywhere.

That being said, if I could get a pair for £10 I definitely would try them out.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

They come as bundled freebies with several of Sony's cheap Bluetooth receivers which you can still get. The point is the Red has worse treble extension than 10-year-old cheapo earphones, as well as the original Zero.

Considering I sometimes find the Red a bit bright/shouty without the impedance adapter, I'm okay with the reduced treble extension.

I should clarify that this is only with some songs at higher volumes. The Reds are unquestionably my the best iems I've owned. Some of that probably has to do with the amazing fit I get with them.

 

[markanini]

Which graphs? As measured on the B&K 5128 with its (purportedly) more accurate upper treble response, the Zero Red has poor treble extension (which contributes to perceived 'detail'), worse than $10 earphones:

View attachment 290754

As well as worse than the original Zero:

View attachment 290755

Crinacle says consistent insertion is challenging. BK5128 can't be that reliable for direct treble comparisons.

 

[crinacle]

How about a buy and try and then giving an honest assessment? Could add some credibility to the discussion.

As per every single interaction I had with this guy, it's pretty clear that he's only interested in badmouthing and insulting anything that I do. I can predict that if he does buy one, he'll do so for no other reason than to trash it. Guaranteed.

 

[staticV3]

How about a buy and try and then giving an honest assessment? Could add some credibility to the discussion.

I bought like eight pairs of mh755 back when genuine units were still sold on eBay.
With EQ, I think they're fantastic. I still use them on my PC almost every day.
Stock though, they have brain-numbing bass and shouty mids:


Edit: oh whoops I think @GPJ was referring to the Red..

 

[Jimbob54]

I bought like eight pairs of mh755 back when genuine units were still sold on eBay.
With EQ, I think they're fantastic. I still use them on my PC almost every day.
Stock though, they have brain-numbing bass and shouty mids:
View attachment 290787

Edit: oh whoops I think @GPJ was referring to the Red. Haven't bought those yet, probably never will as there's no way my tiny ears can fit that huge shell

How do you get a good and secure seal with the 755? Between the janky odd length and twisty Y legs and featherlight shells I cant get them to stay put regardless of tip. Which of course renders them less than useless to me.

 

[staticV3]

How do you get a good and secure seal with the 755? Between the janky odd length and twisty Y legs and featherlight shells I cant get them to stay put regardless of tip.

The included size S tips fit me perfectly and the cable I replaced with MMCX connectors plus an aftermarket cable.

 

[Robbo99999]

Which graphs? As measured on the B&K 5128 with its (purportedly) more accurate upper treble response, the Zero Red has poor treble extension (which contributes to perceived 'detail'), worse than $10 earphones:

View attachment 290754

As well as worse than the original Zero:

View attachment 290755

Those MH755 are insane value when you think about it, plus they've seemingly been around for so long. It's a pity you can't buy them separately anymore.

 

[markanini]

Sony MH755 set the bar for treble, for me. Not too sharp or dull. Not too dry or splashy, just right. The mids are colored, in a reverse-N shape, that makes them rather genre specific. This can be seen in their graph. I've gone through some 10+ sets of genuine MH755. After approximately four months of daily use they develop a channel imbalance.

 

[Robbo99999]

Sony MH755 set the bar for treble, for me. Not too sharp or dull. Not too dry or splashy, just right. The mids are colored, in a reverse-N shape, that makes them rather genre specific. This can be seen in their graph. I've gone through some 10+ sets of genuine MH755. After approximately four months of daily use they develop a channel imbalance.

Do you reckon that's due to wax blocking up something in the IEM? In my experience headphone drivers are pretty stable and don't degrade, but I have no long term experience of IEM's.

 

[asrUser]

As per every single interaction I had with this guy, it's pretty clear that he's only interested in badmouthing and insulting anything that I do. I can predict that if he does buy one, he'll do so for no other reason than to trash it. Guaranteed.

This sounds like Sharur.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Do you reckon that's due to wax blocking up something in the IEM? In my experience headphone drivers are pretty stable and don't degrade, but I have no long term experience of IEM's.

If I had to guess, it's probably poor solder joints.

 

[Robbo99999]

If I had to guess, it's probably poor solder joints.

Wouldn't that just result in the electronic connections failing, which would either mean total failure (no sound) or cracking sound when moved perhaps.

 

[Elitzur–Vaidman]

Wouldn't that just result in the electronic connections failing, which would either mean total failure (no sound) or cracking sound when moved perhaps.

The wires could be poorly soldered to the iem's drivers which could increase the impedance? If they're single-driver IEMs that would manifest as a sensitivity reduction instead of a FR change.

 

[SalutaryGraveness]

I was pondering over getting this one or the Moondrop Lan. Then I realized that the Truthear Red are kinda close to the Harman reference from 2016 (that you can find in the autoeq repo). Using my Moondrop Starfield as reference, I would say that while the bass response looks better... the treble extension seems a bit worse. And the treble extension was something I already wished was a better with my Starfields.

The moondrop Lan on the other other hand are cheaper, smaller, studier and prettier. With not so good but still decent bass response and probably better treble. Also better sensitivity and impedance

 

[Berwhale]

Royal Mail says my Reds are arriving tomorrow, so I finally get to decide

 

[markanini]

View attachment 290813

I was pondering over getting this one or the Moondrop Lan. Then I realized that the Truthear Red are kinda close to the Harman reference from 2016 (that you can find in the autoeq repo). Using my Moondrop Starfield as reference, I would say that while the bass response looks better... the treble extension seems a bit worse. And the treble extension was something I already wished was a better with my Starfields.

The moondrop Lan on the other other hand are cheaper, smaller, studier and prettier. With not so good but still decent bass response and probably better treble. Also better sensitivity and impedance

Maybe take it with a grain of salt when comparing measurements between different couplers. But, I'm also curious how these sets compare. I already have the Lan and my Red is in transit.

 

[MacClintock]

Mine arrived today. I was quite relieved to see that the rather thick nozzle fitted without problems or causing pain. The sound quality is really very good. They can safely be used without any EQ, without sacrificing sound quality. I perceive no shoutiness, so it is really advantageous not being 100% Harman tuned between 2 and 5 kHz.
If one wants to be very nitpicky, one can show a road of diminishing returns, starting from the KZ D-Fi (got it for $20), the Truthear Zero:Red ($55) and the Moondrop Variations ($520). The D-Fi and the Red have a bit thicker lower mids ("mud") (150-600Hz), the D-Fi the most uneven treble (at 6 and 12 kHz), the Red being in the middle and the Variations being the smoothest. So the Variations does offer the best high fidelity, but for about 20x and 10x the price, respectively. The differences in sound quality are there, but quite minor (especially compared to the Red).