Truthear X Crinacle Zero Review – The Hype And The Aftermath
Pros — Build and accessory pack
– Comfortable fit
– Proper “subwoofer” driver configuration
– Sub-bass response is unique, with more focus on the density of notes than impact
– Good layering
Cons — Sub-bass has softened impact, might be an issue for those expecting robust bass
– Truthear Zero has thin, lifeless lower-midrange
– Scooped mid-bass region hurts impact of snare hits and thins out baritone vocals
– Dark, grainy treble
– Upper-mid shout may sound more pronounced due to lack of treble presence
– Middling technical performance
In this Article
INTRODUCTION
Reviewer collaborations are all the rage now. At the beginning, it was more of a novelty than a marketing shtick. At present, it’s rarer to not see a “tuned by X influencer” tag instead.
Truthear is a relatively new brand, but they chose to collaborate with Crinacle for their very first mainstream offering. Crin has been tuning IEMs for a while, and some of them have been quite popular e.g. the Blessing2 Dusk. Truthear Zero is the latest in the line of Crinacle-tuned IEMs and has a rather unique dual-driver setup where one driver acts as a true “woofer”.
Does the novel driver setup and Crinacle’s signature tuning manage to elevate the Zero above the rest of the competition? Or is another flavor-of-the-week that will soon have the spotlight stolen? Let’s find out.
Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. ShenzhenAudio was kind enough to send me the Truthear X Crinacle Zero for evaluation.
Source used: Questyle CMA-400i
Price, while reviewed: $50.
PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES
The packaging of the Truthear Zero has the trendy “waifu” cover art. In fact, the unit I received also came with an acrylic replica of the pictured character, named “Virgo”.
Otaku-fanservice aside, we also get 6 pairs of silicone eartips (2 types), 1 pair of foam tips, and a nice carrying case. The stock cable is good for the price, though the memory hook is stiff. The carrying case looks and feels nice, but offers little protection.
BUILD QUALITY
The entire shell is made out of resin with a glittery faceplate. I quite like the hue of blue on the Truthear Zero.
There is one vent near the 2-pin connector, which are recessed thankfully. Crossover circuit can also be seen near the connectors. While the build is generally good, the shells are smudge prone and slippery. So keep a cleaning cloth handy.
COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT
The Truthear Zero are very comfortable due to their pseudo-custom shape, and they offer good isolation.
SOURCE AND EARTIPS
The IEMs were tested with stock cable and eartips. Questyle CMA-400i was used as a source. The Truthear Zero is fairly easy to drive with any budget dongle.
DRIVER SETUP
Truthear Zero uses two dynamic drivers in an asymmetric orientation: one near the nozzle (tweeter) and the woofer is closer to the center of the shell.
The larger 10mm “woofer” uses an LCP diaphragm with a PU suspension. The smaller “tweeter” clocks in at 7.8mm, and while the diaphragm and suspension material remains same, the voice coil is changed to a lighter CCAW material.
The crossover circuit acts almost as a low-pass filter with the low-frequencies being solely handled by the woofer, and the tweeter having no response in sub-bass frequencies.
TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES
Truthear Zero has a near-Harman 2019-esque frequency response. This essentially means a “clean boost” of sub-bass from 200Hz downwards, and an aggressive rise to the upper-mids from the low-mid region.
Also, this leads to a strange hollowness in the mid-bass region, something “mid-bass bad” crowd will probably try to pass off as a positive, but it is not often the case.
Speaking of bass, the Truthear Zero has a detached sounding sub-bass akin to a 2.1 speaker setup. This is perhaps the intended tuning decision. Sub-bass has good density and dominates the scene in many electronic and live tracks. However, there is a softness to the sub-bass that makes it sound more polite than one would expect. Sub-bass rumble is not the strongest either.
Mid-bass is utterly devoid of body and slam. The bass is thus solely defined by the sub-bass emphasis near 50Hz. As a result of mid-bass hollowness and a near 12dB rise in the upper-mids, midrange is dominated by the upper-registers.
Snare hits lack body, baritone vocals sound thin, soaring male vocals get screechy and strained. Female vocals in bass-light tracks veer towards shoutiness.
Add to that the dark treble, which lacks sparkle and extension. As a result upper-mids gain further focus. Needless to say that this kind of tuning did not work well with my metal/rock focused library, and the occasional acoustic tracks and singer/songwriter pieces were marred by the shoutiness in the upper-mids.
Staging is average, imaging is mostly left and right. Not a technical tour-de-force in those regards. Layering is surprisingly good though, probably one of the strengths here. Overall resolution is middling.
Microdynamics are good, while macrodynamic punch is lacking due to the lack of mid-bass and dark mid and upper-treble.
SELECT COMPARISONS
vs Final E3000
Final E3000 has a more physical, impactful bass. They have superior male vocals in comparison but female vocals are noticeably more laid back than the Truthear Zero.
E3000 also has better treble definition and extension, wider staging and far superior imaging. The areas where the Truthear Zero trounce the E3000 are: build, vocal clarity, and far simpler amplification needs. E3000 need a good source to shine, which adds to the cost.
vs BLON BL-05S
Compared to the Truthear Zero, BL-05S lack bass impact and rumble. Bass is in fact the weakest aspect of the BL-05S.
Things get very different as we move upward the frequencies, with the BL-05S being far more resolving in treble and mids. Imaging and separation are superior on the BLON as well.
One caveat of the BL-05S is that they need cable and tip change, whereas Truthear Zero is good to go in stock form. If you need a more technically accomplished pair under $50, BL-05S will be a better pick.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Truthear Zero aces the frequency response graph game. If you primarily base your purchase decisions on a pair of IEMs hitting a specific target, the Truthear Zero will be right up your alley. Also, those preferring Harman-ish tuning should be happy with the tuning here.
Unfortunately for me, most rock, metal, and pop songs sound odd and lack the body and density I expect, especially if the vocalist is male. The Zero fare better in instrumentals and female vocal based tracks, but there are better options in this price range if those are your priorities.
In the end, the driver configuration is the most interesting aspect of the Truthear Zero, and there is nothing wrong with that. They just do not stand out enough in terms of technicalities, and the shouty vocals followed by dark treble doesn’t make things better.
I hope Truthear reigns down the upper-mids and focuses on refining the treble on the next release, and if a dose of mid-bass is added with that – color me interested.
MY VERDICT
3/5
Unique driver combination marred by a sheer lack of technicalities.
DISCLAIMER
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Our generic standard disclaimer.
You find an INDEX of our most relevant technical articles HERE.
