Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM Review

[godsmack50]

Maybe the Zero Red with the bass adapter added (which increases the bass).

Thanks for you help

 

[GaryH]

That actually might make it sound a little worse, because it might cancel out more of the treble (in terms of tonality balance), and the Zero Red already is quite lean on the treble, so that impedance adapter might make it sound less balanced overall than when used without.

Yep, this can be seen by the change in slope value (signifying overall tonal balance) from without to with bass adapter of -0.7 (a negative change indicating a duller tonality), as per Maiky's calculations.

 

[Blorg]

@godsmack50 if you can stretch to $120 the Sennheiser IE200 is discounted to that at the moment and is really excellent.

It's a bit warmer than this and has less energy in the upper mids as well, but then is a bit spicy in the high treble (but you probably can't hear that anyway if you were around in the 1980s)

You probably want to use aftermarket tips OR tape the nozzle, this improves the bass response, they have gimmick that lets you kill the bass with the stock tips depending on how much you push them on but it's a bit silly.

Amazon.com

This still isn't very warm, but it's warmer than the Red and it is very good.

Simgot EA500 is another very good single DD at $80 (or I think $65 in the sales) which is quite warm in the lower reaches but also has quite a bit of upper mids presence (which might not be what you want).

Warmer and for only around $20 or less you have the Truthear Hola and Tangzu Wan'er. Of these I prefer the Wan'er but if you want a darker sound, the Hola is darker. To be honest you might be better off starting with a $20 set than going straight for $100. There are many $100 sets that aren't better than these $20 sets.

Another one that is very definitely stereotypically "warm" is the Final E500, if you want warm I think worth considering. I don't personally think it's quite as good as some of these others, but it's certainly "warm", it has this slight bloat in the lower mids (below 1kHz) and a lower-than-most in the upper mids. While still being generally well tuned, but leans warm and slightly dark. It's also particularly small and comfortable.

Tanchjim Tanya ($25) has a similar form factor, but more V-shaped, I find the bass too bloated, but if you're specifically looking for "warm" might be a good one. The new DSP version I think is much better, but it's less warm, it cuts the mid-bass for more Harman-style bass.

Blon BL-03 ($30) is an oldie but still goodie. There's also a new updated HBB collab version of this, called the Blon Z300, which has been getting good reviews, I haven't heard it though. I suspect though from the graph and reports it would be a good bet.

The gold standard for "1980s warm" is Sony, but their warm IEMs I'm familiar with, like the IER-M7 / IER-M9, are much more expensive.

I think if you're starting out, start around the $20-30 price point rather than $100, there is so much good stuff there these days, and better to find out what you like spending less than more.

 

[Jeromeof]

I hit enter before finishing the message. I know, based on my experience, that my ear canal dimensions are considered average for my race (me being asian). Keeping this information in mind, I came to the conclusion that these IEMs definitely should not be recommended to everyone.

Turns out, Hexa is even bigger, sitting at around 6,4 mm. Truthear products are really not for everyone.

In all reports used in Figure 4, the ear canal aperture height is greater than the width. The height ranges from 8.88 to 12.5 mm, while the width ranges from 5.7 to 9.12 mm. It is not appropriate to average the averages, but the height appears to be around 8.5 mm, and the width around 6 mm. Regardless of the gender or ethnicity, dimensional trends are fairly similar. However, Thomas et al. reported that in their study ear canals in people of European descent are significantly larger than in those of Asian descent, which are significantly larger than in those of African descent. The general shape is [URL='https://hearinghealthmatters.org/waynesworld/2014/human-ear-canal/']oval[/URL]. The data from Staab features mostly female ears. That is because the goal was to determine the smallest ear canal sizes (other than children’s) that existing electronic components could be placed into a listening device when fitted deeply into the ear canal.

The Human Ear Canal Length and Dimensions | Hearing Health & Technology Matters

Ear canal dimensions of the aperture, isthmus, and area beyond the isthmus, but before the tympanic membrane are important for earpieces that fit in the ear canal.

hearinghealthmatters.org

Ear Canal Dimensions | Wayne Staab, PhD | hearinghealthmatters.org/waynesworld/

Ear canal dimensions (ranges and averages) are superimposed on an illustration of the ear canal, with emphasis on the aperture, isthmus, and prior to the TM

hearinghealthmatters.org

This is very interesting as I do struggle to get a seal with most IEM eartips - in fact the truthear are one of the few that with a mixture of the foam and the largest tip I can get a good seal. Etymotic being the obvious exception.

For other ones I usually resort to my 'hack' which I posted here:

Simple Earbud 'hack' for those who never get or keep a good seal

This might be useful for people who find it hard to get a good seal with their IEM's. It might be just me, but with the default earbuds that have come with any IEM I can almost never get a good seal (comfortable) with no matter what tip size I use. The only exception was until recently with my...

www.audiosciencereview.com

My main use-case for using an IEM is on a long walk - and that is usually where the problem with the seal crops up - probably a mixture of sweat and extra movement usually causes whatever 'normal' sized eartips to pop out.

 

[markanini]

This is very interesting as I do struggle to get a seal with most IEM eartips - in fact the truthear are one of the few that with a mixture of the foam and the largest tip I can get a good seal. Etymotic being the obvious exception.

For other ones I usually resort to my 'hack' which I posted here:

Simple Earbud 'hack' for those who never get or keep a good seal

This might be useful for people who find it hard to get a good seal with their IEM's. It might be just me, but with the default earbuds that have come with any IEM I can almost never get a good seal (comfortable) with no matter what tip size I use. The only exception was until recently with my...

www.audiosciencereview.com

My main use-case for using an IEM is on a long walk - and that is usually where the problem with the seal crops up - probably a mixture of sweat and extra movement usually causes whatever 'normal' sized eartips to pop out.

Just using stock tips I've not lost seal a single time. Large nozzles are gowning on me. (Large shells aren't)

 

[godsmack50]

@godsmack50 if you can stretch to $120 the Sennheiser IE200 is discounted to that at the moment and is really excellent.

It's a bit warmer than this and has less energy in the upper mids as well, but then is a bit spicy in the high treble (but you probably can't hear that anyway if you were around in the 1980s)

View attachment 292665
You probably want to use aftermarket tips OR tape the nozzle, this improves the bass response, they have gimmick that lets you kill the bass with the stock tips depending on how much you push them on but it's a bit silly.

Amazon.com

This still isn't very warm, but it's warmer than the Red and it is very good.

Simgot EA500 is another very good single DD at $80 (or I think $65 in the sales) which is quite warm in the lower reaches but also has quite a bit of upper mids presence (which might not be what you want).

Warmer and for only around $20 or less you have the Truthear Hola and Tangzu Wan'er. Of these I prefer the Wan'er but if you want a darker sound, the Hola is darker. To be honest you might be better off starting with a $20 set than going straight for $100. There are many $100 sets that aren't better than these $20 sets.
View attachment 292666

Another one that is very definitely stereotypically "warm" is the Final E500, if you want warm I think worth considering. I don't personally think it's quite as good as some of these others, but it's certainly "warm", it has this slight bloat in the lower mids (below 1kHz) and a lower-than-most in the upper mids. While still being generally well tuned, but leans warm and slightly dark. It's also particularly small and comfortable.
View attachment 292676
Tanchjim Tanya ($25) has a similar form factor, but more V-shaped, I find the bass too bloated, but if you're specifically looking for "warm" might be a good one. The new DSP version I think is much better, but it's less warm, it cuts the mid-bass for more Harman-style bass.

Blon BL-03 ($30) is an oldie but still goodie. There's also a new updated HBB collab version of this, called the Blon Z300, which has been getting good reviews, I haven't heard it though. I suspect though from the graph and reports it would be a good bet.

The gold standard for "1980s warm" is Sony, but their warm IEMs I'm familiar with, like the IER-M7 / IER-M9, are much more expensive.

I think if you're starting out, start around the $20-30 price point rather than $100, there is so much good stuff there these days, and better to find out what you like spending less than more.

ok, I'm going to look at all the ones you showed me, there it's complete and simple, and therefore among those that you quoted me below 50 dollars, which would be your choice (with the quality and the sound that I research ) ?

 

[godsmack50]

@godsmack50 if you can stretch to $120 the Sennheiser IE200 is discounted to that at the moment and is really excellent.

It's a bit warmer than this and has less energy in the upper mids as well, but then is a bit spicy in the high treble (but you probably can't hear that anyway if you were around in the 1980s)

View attachment 292665
You probably want to use aftermarket tips OR tape the nozzle, this improves the bass response, they have gimmick that lets you kill the bass with the stock tips depending on how much you push them on but it's a bit silly.

Amazon.com

This still isn't very warm, but it's warmer than the Red and it is very good.

Simgot EA500 is another very good single DD at $80 (or I think $65 in the sales) which is quite warm in the lower reaches but also has quite a bit of upper mids presence (which might not be what you want).

Warmer and for only around $20 or less you have the Truthear Hola and Tangzu Wan'er. Of these I prefer the Wan'er but if you want a darker sound, the Hola is darker. To be honest you might be better off starting with a $20 set than going straight for $100. There are many $100 sets that aren't better than these $20 sets.
View attachment 292666

Another one that is very definitely stereotypically "warm" is the Final E500, if you want warm I think worth considering. I don't personally think it's quite as good as some of these others, but it's certainly "warm", it has this slight bloat in the lower mids (below 1kHz) and a lower-than-most in the upper mids. While still being generally well tuned, but leans warm and slightly dark. It's also particularly small and comfortable.
View attachment 292676
Tanchjim Tanya ($25) has a similar form factor, but more V-shaped, I find the bass too bloated, but if you're specifically looking for "warm" might be a good one. The new DSP version I think is much better, but it's less warm, it cuts the mid-bass for more Harman-style bass.

Blon BL-03 ($30) is an oldie but still goodie. There's also a new updated HBB collab version of this, called the Blon Z300, which has been getting good reviews, I haven't heard it though. I suspect though from the graph and reports it would be a good bet.

The gold standard for "1980s warm" is Sony, but their warm IEMs I'm familiar with, like the IER-M7 / IER-M9, are much more expensive.

I think if you're starting out, start around the $20-30 price point rather than $100, there is so much good stuff there these days, and better to find out what you like spending less than more.

I looked at all the ones you showed me, and it's true that it may be better that I turn to an IEM under 30 dollars, one that doesn't look too bad is the Tangzu Wan'er, I think it would be the right IEM for the sound I'm looking for, it's more of a reputable brand, and the price is very good !!!

 

[Blorg]

Just using stock tips I've not lost seal a single time. Large nozzles are gowning on me. (Large shells aren't)

FYI, this specific IEM measures a bit weird in the treble with larger bore tips. I generally prefer wider nozzle tips but not sure with this one, I'm using CP100+ with it which works well for me. The lower dips over 10kHz here are all with wider bore tips, the narrower ones seems to keep the dips up better. Disregard if you only mean the nozzle and not the tips, just something I noticed with this particular IEM, Crinacle I think maybe mentioned it as well. The same goes for the stock wide vs narrow bore, it's quite consistent in what it does between wider bore and narrower bore tips. This is I imagine due to differences in resonances and I haven't done extensive listening comparisons, brief ones, the difference wasn't immediately apparent.

 

[JohnnyDigital]

I've just come across this review and it's the first person I've seen say bad things about this TRUTHEAR ZERO Red, I'd like to point out that I know absolutely nothing about these IEM Zero and ZERO Red headphones but I keep hearing good things about them, right up to his review where he ends up throwing them out at the end because they're so bad, what do you think, is his test reliable and to be taken seriously or is it all nonsense ?

Sharur's videos are mostly nonsense. I believe this is his way to try to get his Youtube channel going, and that's all there is to it, I think. Persobally, I wouldn't take him seriously, and I'd just ignore the guy, if what you're after is useful information.

He attacks known audio gear reviewers on Youtube, such as Zeos and others, new products that gain a lot of attraction, Zero:Red being his new target, and of course previously the ASR forum itself, to gain his part of the attention these things get.

 

[Blorg]

I looked at all the ones you showed me, and it's true that it may be better that I turn to an IEM under 30 dollars, one that doesn't look too bad is the Tangzu Wan'er, I think it would be the right IEM for the sound I'm looking for, it's more of a reputable brand, and the price is very good !!!

If I had to pick just one, around that price, it would be the Wan'er. It's basically a Moondrop Aria (MSRP $80) in a plastic shell for $20 and sounds very similar. A little less high treble but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I am not generally bothered by spikes over 10kHz anyway but those that can still hear those frequencies, I think that's usually a negative with the Aria. This is really is the sort of thing that >$100 would have been a good price for only a few years ago (the Aria itself replaced the $109 Starfield and $189 KXXS and they were considered great value when they first came out).

 

[kysa]

I looked at all the ones you showed me, and it's true that it may be better that I turn to an IEM under 30 dollars, one that doesn't look too bad is the Tangzu Wan'er, I think it would be the right IEM for the sound I'm looking for, it's more of a reputable brand, and the price is very good !!!


View attachment 292680

The packaging reeks of plastic, and the included cable belongs in the trash.

In this price range, I would recommend the 7hz Zero because:
a) There is a very accurate FR measurement from oratory1990 on a real GRAS coupler for this IEM. EQ is all you need, really.
b) the quality of the wire and the eartips included are a head above Wan’ Er.

However, if you feel like spending money - my personal recommendation is the TKZK Ouranos.

 

[JohnnyDigital]

Also just ordered the Zero:Red, BTR7, and a bunch of tips such as the Dunu S&S and Spinfit W1. Not sure if the tips will even fit, but for the tips collection, haha.

Will report what I think of the Zero:Red later.

 

[markanini]

FYI, this specific IEM measures a bit weird in the treble with larger bore tips. I generally prefer wider nozzle tips but not sure with this one, I'm using CP100+ with it which works well for me. The lower dips over 10kHz here are all with wider bore tips, the narrower ones seems to keep the dips up better. Disregard if you only mean the nozzle and not the tips, just something I noticed with this particular IEM, Crinacle I think maybe mentioned it as well. The same goes for the stock wide vs narrow bore, it's quite consistent in what it does between wider bore and narrower bore tips. This is I imagine due to differences in resonances and I haven't done extensive listening comparisons, brief ones, the difference wasn't immediately apparent.

View attachment 292682

Which of the aftermarket tips you tried measure, or sound, closest to stock narrowbores?

 

[kysa]

Sharur's videos are mostly nonsense. I believe this is his way to try to get his Youtube channel going, and that's all there is to it, I think. Persobally, I wouldn't take him seriously, and I'd just ignore the guy, if what you're after is useful knowledge.

He attacks known audio gear reviewers on Youtube, such as Zeos and others, new products that gain a lot of attraction, Zero:Red being his new target, and of course previously the ASR forum itself, to gain his part of the attention these things get.

What’s wrong with "attacking" audio gear reviewers though? Z Review is a creep subscribes to amp audiofoolery. Why not expose him?

 

[AdamG]

I looked at all the ones you showed me, and it's true that it may be better that I turn to an IEM under 30 dollars, one that doesn't look too bad is the Tangzu Wan'er, I think it would be the right IEM for the sound I'm looking for, it's more of a reputable brand, and the price is very good !!!


View attachment 292680

Create a separate thread and ask your questions about recommendations there.

Let’s all get back on the topic of the product reviewed and the test results.

Please and thank you for your cooperation and support.

 

[Blorg]

Which of the aftermarket tips you tried measure, or sound, closest to stock narrowbores?

SpinFit CP100+ sound very close to the stock narrow bore and I think fit me a little better, they are a little tackier and do that SpinFit bend to your ear thing that is their whole USP. The stock tips on this weren't bad at all though, better than average.

 

[JohnnyDigital]

In ASR you will not find much support for claims of technical performance / resolution / technicalities as these are subjective and not measurable.

If these things do exist, they are found in the measurements. We just need to figure out 1. what people mean by these terms exactly, and 2. where they can be seen in the measurements.

It makes sense that if the term refers to something "magical" or if it's implied, it will be ignored. But it would make sense that terms like 'resolution' referring to accuracy of some sort would exist somewhere in the measurements.

 

[MacClintock]

There is a new cheap IEM from KZ, called D-Fi, I paid less than $20 for it on Aliexpress. It has 4 tuning switches that slightly modify the bass. It has a metal shape and feels quite premium, more than double the weight of the Red, just needs a better cable, which can be replaced for $10-20 with a solid one. The Red cable is also bad, tangling up too easily. The FR is very similar to the Red, even with a bit smoother treble above 10 kHz (if one can trust the measurements, no B&K available from crinacle).

 

[JohnnyDigital]

I won’t recommend Zero* to any person. I can't wear these IEMs with either the stock tips or the ones I bought because they barely fit in my ear, putting pressure on my ear canal. The next crin collab with Truthear, if any, should be guided by Hexa's bore size.

Makes sense that you can't recommend them since you can't subjectively wear them. Understandable. Doesn't make it a bad product for those who can wear them, though, which could still be the most people.

 

[Robbo99999]

If these things do exist, they are found in the measurements. We just need to figure out 1. what people mean with these terms exactly, and 2. where they can be seen in the measurements.

It makes sense that if the term refers to something "magical" or if it's implied, it will be ignored. But it would make sense that terms like 'resolution' referring to accuracy of some sort would exist somewhere in the measurements.

To me a term like "resolution" means when tonality is correct and as much of the frequency response is correct as possible without sharp dips or peaks, so all parts of the frequency response are optimised, thereby resulting in a headphone that allows you to enjoy the overall pleasing tonality, but also be able to pick out all the elements within the track so that there's not one element over or under emphasised - which means you can let your brain switch between resting attention on various parts of the music, rather than having specific parts of it pushed at you artificially (& likewise others de-emphasised so you can't pick them out & follow them in the music). That's where testing the EQ on a selection of reference tracks that you know well enables you to ascertain if you're close to achieving it, as to me it should provide the best experience between all your well-recorded reference tracks. That's what "resolution" means to me, and some of my headphones do that better than others - either due to distortion reasons and/or "lucking out to some degree" with some more optimal frequency response curves after EQ - because what is measured of a headphone on a website is not exactly what you're listening to due to unit to unit variation as well as sometimes some individuals anatomy quirks changing how that model of headphone couples with your own ear & face/head - all of which change the frequency response that you receive at your own eardrum vs "what would be expected" from the measurements. It can also help to have some Anechoic Flat speakers that you can use as a reference too, to enable you to compare (in my case loosely) what I hear with my headphones on my reference tracks vs my Anechoic Flat speakers. But that's what "resolution" means to me. But you're right that people often use the same terms but they can mean something different to them, which is why measurements are reliable and reviewing a headphone without measuring is nonsense, and also why it's quite hard for people to really share what they are hearing (here on the forums & in other places)....but people should still share their impressions of their headphones & what they hear, just we have to understand the limitations & pitfalls of such discussions.