I feel you! I also had the same problem with the K371. In fact, out of the over 40 or 50 sets of IEMs I've had over the years (and I have tried countless aftermarket ear tips of every size, material, and shape) the only ones that I ever truly got a consistent fit and seal with are my Etymotics, and maybe one or two sets of Shures.
It's the same opinions raised by Amir in his video about headphone measurements, can't be that fringe.
The AKG K371 has serious user consistency issues as tested by Rtings. You can disagree with Rtings, but their testing criteria for fit/user consistency/stability is extremely robust. It's also a widespread complaint about the K371.
Some of my relatives lived behind the iron wall, where selection of electrical good was very limited. There's surely some alternatives to choose from, in todays global economy.The AKG K371 has serious user consistency issues as tested by Rtings. You can disagree with Rtings, but their testing criteria for fit/user consistency/stability is extremely robust. It's also a widespread complaint about the K371.
Dan Clark headphones have that "twisting pads" problem that required a direct acknowledgement from the company themselves and instructions on how to fix it.
I've seen a lot of complaints over the bore size/discomfort of the Zeros and absolutely none for, say, the ie200 or other IEMs with a much smaller bore.
That may be mostly anecdotal but I don't think it's misplaced. Ergonomic design contributes to frequency response and it seems a little difficult to hit the sweet-spot of SQ and ergonomics, since pad size, pad material and bore size also contribute largely to an FR.
Anyway, I don't come here to make generalizations. I'm disappointed that the well-measuring headphones I want to use just aren't that comfortable for me. I'm sure one potentially misinterpreted comment on an obscure audio forum isn't going to change the trajectory of headphone manufacturing opinion, so it'd be helpful if you offered some options rather than cherry pick from my comment to accuse me of something patently inconsequential.
Thanks
Friend. Brother. Homie.
You didn't understand my post then, but it doesn't matter, it's not an important point I was making, hence why I'd put it in brackets.
Indeed it's not, that's why I'm giving you a reason not to dwell on bad past experiences
Sounds like you're an outlier with larger canals than most, just as the Zeros' 6.8 mm bore sizes are significantly larger than most IEMs, and so will not fit comfortably many people who have canals smaller than this (likely moreso for those not of European descent). This is just bad ergonomic design if you want good comfort and fit across a large range of people, as smaller bores can always be effectively widened with larger tips, but the inverse is obviously not the case. Crinacle himself straight up admits the bores are large, and could have been made thinner but they chose not to because they couldn't be bothered to rework the acoustics that would be required. It's obviously more profitable for them to just make minimal physical changes and milk the original Zero design for all they can by releasing just a retuning of it in the Red.
Nope, subconscious cognitive biases are distinct from conscious beliefs.
So being able to distinguish my Monday from my Friday means I should doubt that I ate lunch both days?
Some people were accusing me of generalizing so I supported my case with examples of headphones with great FR and dodgy ergonomics. I wasn't "dwelling on bad past experiences."
This is fair, since he even mentioned that the 7.8mm driver necessitated the size and from his previous vids he was hellbent on having two DDs. Making it smaller would force them to potentially utilize a BA tweeter instead. There's a lot of good reasons to use this bore, and it does fit for some people.
True, although that is not my point, lack of consistency across different units is indeed a concern for some headphones.\
I was going to suggest Hexa but I think it has an even bigger bore.
Bores are large indeed at 6.2mm. But according to the post you linked, it is still within mean range for the 14 studies conducted so not too bad I'd say. In any case, this was exactly my point; there is so much variation in human ear and head anatomy, it is virtually impossible with our current manufacturing methods to manufacture a product that can fit everyone comfortably.
Ah okay. I meant lack of user-to-user FR consistency, not unit-to-unit. The K371 has drastic changes to the sound depending on seating, and the earpads have sealing issues for a concerning proportion of users. Rtings tests of this are available HERE.
Oh this is interesting! Exactly what I was looking for in terms of recommendations, thank you! I couldn't find specifics on the bore size but that FR is very promising, Moondrop is a reliable brand to my knowledge and it's actually cheaper than the Zero. Will have to check this out.
This.
www.audiosciencereview.com
The Red- far more natural sounding without EQ. If you can EQ, just get the cheapest/ easiest to source.
Since this is ASR, it's worth giving you the rundown on the objective differences. Feel free to ignore if you were looking for the short answer:
The Zero must definitely are not ergonomically "good"- the nozzle is too long as well as too wide and the rest of the shell is also too big. I suspect they realise this - I got the Hola at the weekend which is massively improved in this regard. The bore is just about the same width but about half the length and the rest of the shell is slimmer too meaning it sits "in" the cavity in my lugs (concha?) so its not constantly trying to lever itself loose.
