Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM Review

[TurtlePaul]

Hi there,

Does anyone know what contains the Bass+ adapter of the Zero Red ?
Is it just a 10 Ohms resistor ? In parallel/or series ?

Thanks

Each of the left and right channel has a 10 ohm resistor in series. So it contains two 10 ohm resistors. The ground passes through with no components in the signal path.

 

[FTB]

Thank you

I'm pretty ok with the sound of these Zero Red with the bass adapter (I'm less without it).
The thing is, as it is a rigid adapter, it's the best way to broke the jack connector with nomadic use...

Gonna make a flexible one.

 

[TurtlePaul]

Gonna make a flexible one.

Extension Cable

Plug one of these between your device and the adaptor.

 

[FTB]

Sure, way easier.

 

[ehabheikal]

Thank you

I'm pretty ok with the sound of these Zero Red with the bass adapter (I'm less without it).
The thing is, as it is a rigid adapter, it's the best way to broke the jack connector with nomadic use...

Gonna make a flexible one.

Or you can just eq from source. Try wavelet app if you are on android.

 

[totti1965]

Or you can just eq from source. Try wavelet app if you are on android.

What about the poweramp app?
Gemini and also Crinacle like it!
Gemini says:
"Poweramp Equalizer is the best, most versatile Android EQ, offering advanced parametric and graphic adjustments system-wide.
For automated, high-quality audio correction, Wavelet is ideal, while XEQ offers 10-band control and a multiband compressor.
These apps work across Spotify, YouTube, and other players"

 

[Chromatischism]

I found it extremely finicky implementing system-wide EQ on Android. The situation is even worse on Apple devices.

For reliable mobile use, EQ needs to be provided by the player and only work within the player, which means things like YouTube and other sources will be unequalized, unfortunately. Else you need to use a device like a Qudelix 5K.

 

[totti1965]

I found it extremely finicky implementing system-wide EQ on Android. The situation is even worse on Apple devices.

For reliable mobile use, EQ needs to be provided by the player and only work within the player, which means things like YouTube and other sources will be unequalized, unfortunately. Else you need to use a device like a Qudelix 5K.

Systemwide - As Crinicle has said in his legendary youtube video about equalizing: "if you use apple, go f... yourselfs"

The title of the video is: How to TUNE your headphones (the easy way!) and has a like to dislike ratio of 175 : 1 !!!!!

Timestamp: 0:50 min to 1:47 min

 

[PurpaSmart]

Welp, the left side of my red just died. I was hoping I could get more than 3 years out of them. RIP

 

[Glen20]

Welp, the left side of my red just died. I was hoping I could get more than 3 years out of them. RIP

So did mine. But it was just wax completely occluding the wax filter. Which I easily replaced. Repairing the cable I broke was only partially successful.

 

[raulillo88]

I've had these IEMs for about two months now.
I've tuned them using Maiky76's settings and Sancai tips, and I find them unbeatable for my ears.
Since I got these headphones, I've stopped looking for the next upgrade. For me, they're the endgame.
Even though I still have my headphones, I never use them anymore because these Zero:Red sound so much better.

 

[KenMasters]

I've had these IEMs for about two months now.
I've tuned them using Maiky76's settings and Sancai tips, and I find them unbeatable for my ears.
Since I got these headphones, I've stopped looking for the next upgrade. For me, they're the endgame.
Even though I still have my headphones, I never use them anymore because these Zero:Red sound so much better.

I also picked them up recently. I thought they were really good out of the box, but for my taste I found the midrange balance a little off, slightly S curvy - but it is the closest of any IEM I own to my preferred sound profile. So close in fact that they are the only pair of IEMs I've ever bothered to EQ.

Manufacturing and physiological tolerances notwithstanding and using Comply tips, this is what I landed on if you want to give it a try:

170Hz / +2.5 dB / Q 1.4
410Hz / +1.7dB / Q 2
1500Hz / -1.7db / Q 1.8

Pre -2.6dB

 

[eliash]

I've had these IEMs for about two months now.
I've tuned them using Maiky76's settings and Sancai tips, and I find them unbeatable for my ears.
Since I got these headphones, I've stopped looking for the next upgrade. For me, they're the endgame.
Even though I still have my headphones, I never use them anymore because these Zero:Red sound so much better.

For almost a year or so, I used them during vacations and on the terrace (with double wired KBear cables plus symmetric amp connection, no common ground!).
I agree that they are unbeatable for in-ears (on my absolute scale), especially I like their low distortion level.
Nevertheless, I am using MorphIt to correct them from an assumed "Generic Harman IE Target curve" to a "Generic Studio target curve" to get rid of the Harman bass enhancements. Sometimes I even use the parametric EQ to cut the low shelf at 32Hz by 20dB plus 3dB at 50Hz (Q=0.71) to avoid stage noise and over-exaggerated bass.

But on the terrace, when it is rather quiet outside, I prefer my wide open Stax L700 with their portable DAC/HV-Amp over all (pure flat). Still the reference for me!

 

[Matias]

I also picked them up recently. I thought they were really good out of the box, but for my taste I found the midrange balance a little off, slightly S curvy - but it is the closest of any IEM I own to my preferred sound profile. So close in fact that they are the only pair of IEMs I've ever bothered to EQ.

Manufacturing and physiological tolerances notwithstanding and using Comply tips, this is what I landed on if you want to give it a try:

170Hz / +2.5 dB / Q 1.4
410Hz / +1.7dB / Q 2
1500Hz / -1.7db / Q 1.8

Pre -2.6dB

Mine are here, to match pretty closely the JM-1 curve as per the print.

 

[KenMasters]

Mine are here, to match pretty closely the JM-1 curve as per the print.

Interesting, thanks! Not too far off from my own, validating!

 

[raulillo88]

For all you don´t like Harman curve, I've been doing last days a couple EQ, which to me have been a gamechanger. There are much neutral and "Hi-Fi" sounding.
First, I have take 10 measurement there are in hangout for different Truthear Zero:red units, to do an average curve. Later I've done the EQs.

There are two flavors:
- Warmer: which is mostly a JM-1 curve with a tad more medium and high bass. Is basically same curve as Crinear Reference.
- Neutral: This is a little mod for the previous EQ with little wider Q for bass peak and a little more treble (in this case following Harman curve treble). This is which I'm using because I prefer a little more treble for better sounding. I think it is not too much treble, but every ear is different.

Hope you enjoy

 

[BillG]

Truthear Zero:RED — hybrid Harman IE2019 / Usound1V1 PEQ

Parametric EQ for the Zero:RED blending two targets: Harman IE 2019 below \~1kHz, Usound1V1 above \~1kHz, crossfaded smoothly across the 707Hz–1.4kHz octave rather than switching abruptly.

Why: Usound1V1 (Usound, a MEMS-driver acoustics company) is built on the same Harman research but trims the 1–7kHz region a bit — it's aimed at the common complaint that Harman IE2019 runs hot up top. This keeps Harman's well-established bass/midrange and swaps in Usound's gentler treble above it.

Caveat: Usound1V1 has no published paper or numeric dataset — it only exists as comparison charts. The sub-1kHz portion below is exact (AutoEQ's own computed correction for this IEM). The >1kHz portion was derived by extracting the target delta between Harman and Usound1V1 from published comparison charts and applying it to that exact correction — a careful approximation, not a lab-measured figure. Flagging it so nobody mistakes it for more precise than it is.

Fits the computed hybrid target to \~0.12dB RMS / 0.34dB max error.

Raw FR measurement sourced via autoeq.app's Zero:RED entry.