TBX

11 Aug, 2022

Truthear x Crinacle ZERO

Not every day do you get to try the first product of a brand new company, and even more rare that it impressed me this much. The ZERO is not one of the first in-ear headphones that features a 2 dynamic drivers setup, but is one of the few that utilize them to include an actual subwoofer in an IEM, a 10mm driver to handle the bass in addition to a 7mm full-range driver. And in my opinion, this setup works wonders.

I'll quickly talk about the build quality of the pair to get it out of the way. A smooth plastic shell that feels very nice to the touch, and a sparkly and wavy blue design that's quite beautiful to look at. The Zero comes with 6 sets of silicon tips and a pair of foam tips, which is always welcome, and a fake leather pouch for all your travel needs. The stock cable is a braided 2-pin cable that's quite thin, but I'm already using Moondrop's KATO cable and their Spring-tips so personally it doesn't quite matter to me. Overall a good package, I'd say you'll get more stuff than other IEMs of the same bracket, and not to mention a lovely anime waifu on the box as well.

Looking at the frequency response graph should give you an idea of how the pair sounds: a nice and flat mid-range response that goes into a hard bass at under 200hz. What you're seeing is where the 10mm driver crossover with the full-range 7mm driver that gives the Zero and actual subwoofer setup. In addition, being tunned to the Harman in-ear target gives the pair a good amount of bass that is incredibly separated from the mid-range. The clean split let the vocals and the instruments to shines on their own away from the bass, and the bass never muddied out the mid-range. Although the downside is the dip in the sub-bass that makes it doesn't hit quite deep enough for my taste, and feels a little bit lack it depth even though there is quite the amount of bass.

The mid-range is extremely clean. It's forward and lively in the upper mid-range, not too much and not shouty, although the lower mid is a bit lacking for my taste. It is quite an analytical sound in the mid-range but I'd enjoy a warmer signature. The treble range is quite good while a little bit harsh, but for this price(70aud) I'd say I'm nitpicking it a little too much. And the low price shows in the technical performance of this little IEM. The detail and sound staging is nothing to write home about, not bad but it is not going to impress anyone.

Overall, for the price, this is a great option. Great tunning, average technicals, 7.5/10 overall but definitely top 5 in the 100 bucks bracket.