Truthear x Crinacle Zero:RED IEM Review

[Hai]

Extremely bright? They sound great to me. Bought two pair for less than one Red.

Yea they just sounded pretty bright and off.

 

[staticV3]

They measure almost identically on a B&K 4620:


For the Salnotes to sound extremely bright in comparison, they must not have sealed properly, or they were defective.

 

[Human Bass]

Maybe the person is more sensitive to that peak

They measure almost identically on a B&K 4620:
View attachment 309026

For the Salnotes to sound extremely bright in comparison, they must not have sealed properly, or they were defective.

 

[JLGF1]

Maybe the person is more sensitive to that peak

Or they just prefer the Red roll-off.

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

My Preset

 

[Hai]

Maybe the person is more sensitive to that peak

It's probably this

 

[Rollingsound514]

I bough the Hola's a week after getting the Zero Reds, I wanted to see the difference and have a beater pair of IEMs with a mic cable for when I'm working out and stuff...
The difference between the Hola's and Zero Reds is profound, the Zeros are worth the price bump, easily.

Edit: I used the same tips that Amir used in the Zero Reds and it was perfect, can anyone who's played with the Hola's tips let me know the equivalent? I'm having a tough time finding a good fit

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

I would like a recommendation for a very cheap USB-c DAC / dongle.
There was something from Hidizs (Hifi Pro?!).
But that is no longer available...

 

[Rollingsound514]

I would like a recommendation for a very cheap USB-c DAC / dongle.
There was something from Hidizs (Hifi Pro?!).
But that is no longer available...

The apple usb c to 3.5mm dongle is like less than 10 bucks and measures shockingly well considering it's price and form factor. With these IEMs it should be more than adequate especially if it's for on the go

 

[solderdude]

They measure almost identically on a B&K 4620:
View attachment 309026

For the Salnotes to sound extremely bright in comparison, they must not have sealed properly, or they were defective.

Tonally between 20Hz and 6kHz they are very similar. Between 6kHz and 10kHz there is already a 5dB difference (brightness range).

Some people call sharpness (in the 8kHz - 15kHz range) brightness but they actually mean 'sharpness'.
On this particular fixture there is a 15dB difference !

Brightness is in the 2 - 6kHz range. So I reckon it is just a matter of using the wrong descriptors. We also do not know where someone's ear canal will peak and how high + it is seal and insertion depth dependent. In any case the 4620 measurement suggests there is a substantial difference in sharpness.
How much it actually is on someones head is an entirely different matter.

 

[markanini]

I would like a recommendation for a very cheap USB-c DAC / dongle.
There was something from Hidizs (Hifi Pro?!).
But that is no longer available...

The CX31993 dongle, it's like the Apple dongle but more powerful so you can keep using it with other sets that require more power, and a nice build, for the same price.

 

[Matias]

I got the same style from Keysion based on ESS 9281 chip, measures and sounds great.

 

[Dazerdoreal]

The youtube channel "Dan's Audio Review" - not me - offers sound demos. As you always listen through a sound demo through an other device with its own characteristics, it is not necessarily recommended to use them in order to find your preferered IEM. (I especially find people funny who think they can judge "technicalities" by doing so.)

But maybe they are interesting in this particular case as you can compare the brightness of the 7hz Zero and the Red with your own ears.
Zero
Red

As the measurements already show, the ~13k peak is way more accentuated on the 7hz Zero. I also hear it on my own.

 

[markanini]

As the measurements already show, the ~13k peak is way more accentuated on the 7hz Zero. I also hear it on my own.

I didn't really hear the general treble sharpness on the Salnotes Zero as a peak. If I did it would be song specific, because not all songs have the same energy at specific high frequency bands. It goes to show that coupler measurements are useful but not entirely reliable at either end of the frequency range.

 

[_Dekker]

Got the Red this week, already had the blue. The red for me is just about perfect: only a -3dB adjustment needed at 9.1kHz, could easily live without.
With the blue a -7 dB adjust was needed at 8kHz (solves grainy sound) together with two additional filters to get the bass right.
I use them with small nozzle tips which is just about doable, they still are big.
However the sound and especially the bass is simply awesome: tight tight tight.
Sound isolation is also good, so outside noises are muffled quite well.
My (eq-ed to Amir spec with pumped bass) hd800s does not do bass this well. It does give a more open space which however is not really missed when listening to the Zeros.

 

[Hercule]

Mine arrived today alongwith Space. At first sounds very clean and neutral but, need some time to get used to.

 

[Bow_Wazoo]

Yesterday I devoted myself to two interesting products. Zero Red and Hexa.
Considering the price, the Red sounds very authentic. Regardless of the price, the Red lacks resolution and attack.
I would go straight to the Hexa. In my opinion, they are much better!

 

[SalutaryGraveness]

They measure almost identically on a B&K 4620:
View attachment 309026

For the Salnotes to sound extremely bright in comparison, they must not have sealed properly, or they were defective.

That ~10dB peak boost around 10~13kHz is brutal. If that measurement is representative of the IEM then it will certainly sound too sharp. That's not a smooth treble.

In my experience those sharp turns in the frequency response will always degrade the sound quality. Maybe this is something worth checking out with the measurements done with the B&K 5128.

 

[SalutaryGraveness]

My left Truther Zero Blue broke So I decided to get these Reds a try for a change.

Fairly neutral and smooth sound overall. Very good timbre. I don't think I am missing any "resolution" or "detail" with these because that's not a thing with mostly neutral and smooth iems with good timbre.

Certainly less "exciting" that other iems like the original blue Zero. It wouldn't hurt to a add a bit more of that Harman-like treble with these, but still very good.

In other words, these are "there's really nothing wrong" in-ear monitors. All is left is just idiosyncrasy.

 

[Rottmannash]

Well, I finally broke down and bought a pair of these on Amazon, I needed something from Amazon and somehow or other I would up getting a free 30 day Prime trial, which I plan to terminate after 29 days (heh,heh!). But before I did that I ordered a 220 pound dumbell set which came with free Prime Shipping! (Yea, free Prime Trial!) and after ordering that I felt especially impulsive, so I ordered a pair of the Reds which should arrive Thursday.

New let's see if China has an electric car or three that I can save some shipping charges on in the next 26 days or so. (Thank you, Mr Bezos!)

...I've often felt "especially impulsive" even without Amazon purchases but like you I love a good deal and free shipping is enticing!