Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM Review

[Matias]

how about truthear hexa compare to this?

In-Ear Fidelity – IEM Graph Comparison Tool

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crinacle.com

 

[Jimbob54]

how about truthear hexa compare to this?

I'll tell you one thing for free. Hexa is easier to get a good fit /seal. Lighter and less bulky shell. Smaller nozzle.

Very similar frequency response too.

 

[eret9616]

I'll tell you one thing for free. Hexa is easier to get a good fit /seal. Lighter and less bulky shell. Smaller nozzle.

Very similar frequency response too.

I bought the original zero and Hexa, I sold the zero because its quiet heavy and not fit very well to my ears. oh... and they have similar frequency response

 

[abdo123]

is the inline transistor the same as having an amplifier with an output impedance of 10 ohm?

 

[Doodski]

is the inline transistor the same as having an amplifier with an output impedance of 10 ohm?

Huh? Describe more please?

 

[crinacle]

is the inline transistor the same as having an amplifier with an output impedance of 10 ohm?

Yes

 

[Doodski]

Yes

What is this inline transistor?

 

[abdo123]

What is this inline transistor?

it's a 10 ohm transistor offered with the earphones to add extra bass for those who want it.

 

[Jimbob54]

What is this inline transistor?

Resistor. I think.

 

[Doodski]

Oh! You had me excited there for awhile...

 

[Matias]

Oh! You had me excited there for awhile...

Admit you were thinking about using tubes there for warmer mids.

 

[_thelaughingman]

Admit you were thinking about using tubes there for warmer mids.

Guilty!! He’s Guilty!! Jokes

 

[Doodski]

Admit you were thinking about using tubes there for warmer mids.

Haha. I was really interested in something new maybe perhaps. One never reads about discreet in a IEM.

 

[brandall10]

I have the crinacle zero which is a fine IEM especially for this price but to manage expectations is nowhere near expensive IEMs like my Sony IER-Z1R

I had one of those for years, and while I didn't own the Zero at the same time, absolutely certain I would prefer the Zero unless EQ came into play. The Z1R has a somewhat wonky FR by comparison.

The Zeros are so good that I have no qualms just using them straight out of my iPhone vs using my PEQ'ed KSE1200 laptop rig when it's more convenient. The latter definitely has an edge back to back, but its not anywhere reflected in the price differential, it seems at least 80% of the performance. The improvement in distortion w/ the Reds almost certainly closes that gap by a fair margin. Looking forward to picking up a set.

 

[respice finem]

I’ve the same issue as you with IEMs so I use them seldom. The Truthear Zero (blue) are nice but I find them a bit too bass-heavy for my taste.

A not very elegant, but workable solution might be a less perfect seal, but, the initial bass heaviness gets better with time, at least in my case. I guess it's just a matter of getting used to the right amount of it.

 

[GaryH]

Nice post! But a simple question, which is the most relevant setup to use when deciding to use the IE 2019 v2 Target Curve that Amir is using? If both metal canal extension and KB501x pinna differ that significantly in 1-6kHz then which is the one that is relevant to the IE 2019 v2 Target Curve, and I suppose that would come down to which version was used during the creation of the IE 2019 v2 Target Curve?

I feel a déjà Zéro vu coming on As discussed in the original Zero thread, none of the measurements shown for that or this IEM actually use the exact same set-up as Harman did during the IE target creation (RA0045 coupler + GR0408 metal canal extension). Of course it would be beyond foolish to judge the accuracy of any genuine GRAS set-up by comparing it to a load of fake knock-off clone couplers and conclude the former as an erroneous outlier, as is evident from analysis by AutoEQ's Jaakko Pasanen of the response errors of Crinacle's fake RA0045 relative to Oratory's professional measurements using a genuine GRAS RA0045 for many IEMs (not including the Zeros though, and which yes, includes unit variation, but that's unlikely to explain all this variance, which notably trends towards an underestimation in the upper-mids / lower-treble):

And Crinacle's own comparison of this RA0045 clone to his genuine RA040X with a random IEM shows its response below the RA040X in the lower-treble (which itself likely underestimates the lower-treble compared to a genuine RA0045, see below, so the clone's error to the latter here is likely even more than this):

So after disregarding all the fake coupler measurements due to unproven accuracy for the Zeros (in fact potential inaccuracy from the data above), what are we left with? ASR's vs Resolve's measurements. If the charge is the former is less accurate in relation to Harman's IE-target set-up (overestimating the upper-mids / lower-treble), then this needs to be demonstrated empirically with a direct comparison to such a RA0045 + GR0408 measurement, not just claiming it so due to its use of a pinna via an invalid, convoluted hand-waiving comparison with DIY-modded fake knock-off couplers and pinnae. It could well be the case that Resolve's measurements using the 'damped' (there's a clue) RA040X + metal canal underestimate the lower-treble (as Crinacle's potentially but for different reasons), which has indeed been demonstrated by Brent Butterworth with the RA040X + GR0408 for other IEMs:

It could also well be the case that the above underestimation error of the RA040X is (approximately) canceled out by a potential overestimation error from the pinna, resulting in ASR's measurements being serendipitously more accurate to Harman's IE-target set-up. We don't know. The only way to settle all this is with measurements of the Zeros with the latter genuine RA0045, which Oratory uses.

 

[Doodski]

Yes, one CAN use EQ if one wants to tone down some harsh spikes in the FR. But firstly, one has to manage to identify these exactly (they may for each individual be located at slightly different frequencies and it is thus a very finicky task) and furthermore, it is much more convenient to not HAVE to use EQ. EQ is just a crutch.

It's like the test is on this site, going to 22kHz.

I'm glad I have this thread watched. carry, "ON!" Looks a bit like BS.

 

[AdamG]

Let’s get back on topic. A few long off topic posts relocated. Any further off topic posts in this review thread may result in deletion and possibly further sanctions. This is an official Review Thread and you all know the rules.

Please and thank you for your support.

 

[Dunring]

Just ordered one today, have to see what the timetable is. On their Aliexpress store, they said orders would ship in the order received. Pre-ordering seemed like a good idea in case they go out of stock quickly. Just sent my niece an original blue for her birthday (she's a singer) so she loves it. Plus I don't have to spend hours showing her how to use an equalizer over the phone I usually don't preorder anything, but they did such a good job on the Zero, it's worth it.

 

[jasonhanjk]

Once again thanks to Amir for the measurements. I gotta skip a few more meals.