7Hz X Crinacle: Zero 2

Lets talk about the "improved" zero. The new Zero two comes in a simple box, inside is a new designed cable, its much thinner than the original the connector says salnotes while the little round logo on the splitter says 7hz, the two-pin connector has a weird bend to it but it doesn't hinder performance or comfort. It's the same look wise as the OG, the shape is an angled shape resembling a marshmallow peep to me. plastic is thick with a large seam being shown, look wise it's not impressive at all and ugly in my opinion. Still it seems to be made okay for the cost.

Performance:
The lower end on the Zero2 is well emphasized with both the sub and mid being prominent. Bass is warm and thick with just okay speed and control. This is not the worst Bass, but it is not the best I've heard, and I honestly think while the quantity went up the quality went down. Bass is enjoyable for casual listening though.
The Midrange has decent weight and okay separation, surprisingly male vocals are just okay while female vocals sounded more energetic. Positioning of the vocals are good with female being more forward but not shouty at all.
The treble is more safely tuned and while it is enjoyable it could really use more energy.
The Soundstage is tight and while it has average imaging it can fall apart with busy recordings.

Afterthoughts:
The ZERO2 is a pleasant and affordable Harman like tunning with nothing to boring and a safe tunning it is sure to be a hit with everyone but that said I'm not too impressed. I think it's good but I much rather like the EW400 better.

Thaslaya's ranking system:
☆☆☆☆☆ - Best in class/buy it now
☆☆☆☆ - Highly recommended
☆☆☆ - Sound for thee, not for me
☆☆ - Can't see the appeal
☆ - Product is a failure

Disclaimer:
This product was purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

Gear used:
●LG v30+
●Samsung Galaxy s22 Ultra
●Samsung dongle
●Hiby FC4

Source:
●Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD on an LGv30+. Iems were burned in for 30 hours prior to review.

Introduction:
●7hz x Crinacle Zero 2 features a single 10mm dynamic driver. Like the original Zero, the 2 is a collaboration with acclaimed YouTuber and founder of In-Ear Fidelity, Crinacle. They are currently priced on Linsoul's site for $24.99 and are offered in 3 color variations.

Build, fit, ergonomics:
●The Zero 2 are mostly built from plastic. The build quality leaves a bit to be desired but considering the price it's understandable. The nozzle is on the shorter side which could mean fit issues for some that prefer a deeper insertion. I was able to obtain a good seal and fit with the included multicolored tips with no discomfort over long listening sessions. The included cable is touted as an upgrade over the original by 7Hz but I personally don't care for it at all. I substituted for a Xinhs gold cable.

Sound impressions:
●Technicalities and resolution take a hit but that's expected at this price point. The soundstage seems a bit narrow but overall satisfactory.

●Lows - Right off the bat I can tell the Zero 2 have a slight bass elevation. Sub bass can dig deep when pushed and mid bass slam is present without taking much away from other frequencies. The quality isn't the best and sometimes gets a bit bloated on certain tracks.

●Mid - To my ear, this is where the Zero 2 excels and gets things just right. Both female and male vocals sound great and are pushed forward slightly. The weight and texture are nice and there's no shoutiness.

●Highs - Treble is rolled off. I would have liked a bit more air and extension. On some tracks I detected a tiny bit of sibilance in S's, T's, and cymbals.

●Balanced:
Switching over to the Hiby FC4 and Pac480 4.4mm cable, the soundstage seemed to open up a bit more. Note weight gets a bit of a bump across the spectrum and the bass digs a little deeper. The Zero 2 seem to come more alive and i can hear more of an energy across all frequencies. There is definitely good scaling with power but with that comes an added energy that may be fatiguing over long listening sessions.

●Sample Tracks
Below are a few songs I used to form my impressions. Let's break down a few.

"Begin Again" - Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version) - Taylor's voice has a bit of warmth and sounds great. The bass hits at the 0:31 mark and has a nice deep extension. Mid bass slam adds a nice weight without bleeding over into the mids. I do wish the soundstage was a bit wider and the treble extension went further to add more air.

"Sign of the Times" - Harry Styles - Harry's voice sounds perfectly placed at the beginning of the track. At the 1:21 mark the rest of the instruments hit and the whole spectrum gets more balanced with vocals taking a slight step back. Mid bass texture suffers on this track and sounds a bit bloated and boomy.

"Half of My Heart" - John Mayer - In the intro the guitar strumming timbre seems a bit off and metallic. John's voice is well placed at the front and has good timbre and weight. The elevated bass bleeds a little into the mids on this track.

"Save Your Tears" - The Weeknd - A nice intro with snare hits that don't have a hint of piercing quality. Sub bass hits well and deep at the 0:10 mark. The Weeknd's voice has good timbre and weight and seems to be well balanced. The highs have a bit of muted quality due to the treble roll off.

"I Hope You're Happy Now" - Carly Pearce & Lee Brice - A nice hitting bass right at the start does a good job of staying in its lane. Carly's voice has good timbre and weight. It is more forward throughout the song whereas Lee's sounds more balanced. A little more treble would help here to even out the spectrum.

●Summary:
The Zero 2 has carved out a space for itself in the very crowded ultra budget tier. At only $24.99, it is a competent iem and a fairly solid all-rounder. It excels with more intimate, vocal heavy music but starts to struggle on complicated tracks. If you're looking for a slightly bass elevated, warm tuning with forward vocals, rolled off treble, and you have $25 burning a hole in your pocket then definitely give the Zero 2 some consideration.

Today, we are going to review the saltnotes Zero:2,which is the second generation of the Crinacle collab with Saltnotes at the ultra affordable sector. Its UK price is £25 .


ACCESORIES
The Zero:2 comes with a great 3.5mm cable.It do not retain memory or tangle for no reason.
It also comes with a generous amount of tips which is sonically perfect and with plenty sizes to choose from.


BUILD
Zero:2 is a 1 DD iem with swappable cable.Its 2 pin socket on the iem seems very durable and solid.
The shell is transparent and is decorated with a pulled metal front plate, which makes it stylish and nice to look at.


DRIVABILITY
If you are pairing it with a phone (in my case S22 Ultra) like me, you might need a portable dac or amp to go with it. Although the sound quality is the same,the sound is just not loud enough for me.
But if you are pairing it with other source like a PC or laptop,it should be fine.

BASS
The mid-bass and sub-bass is slightly elevated than I would have expected. It is more pronounced in most of the songs than I would have expected, but would not affect my rating towards it. However,I feel the bass has a slightly loose nature to it, it is slightly blunted and slow, I think it might have to do with the drivers in the zero:2.
Fine performance in the bass for the price given.(4/10)


MID
Disclaimer:I do not listen to male vocals a lot, so take this rating with a grain of salt.

For male vocals,they sound good,but lacked the texture, body and details to make them superb.However, the male vocal's emotions and tuning is fine, so I would give it a passing grade.(5/10)

Female vocal is very good on the Zero:2. The female vocal is properly placed, not too forward nor laidback, it is clean, full-bodied, energetic and emotional. To me, the only problem that I can think of, is its details can be better on the female vocal. Do not get me wrong, the details are good enough, but not enough to support such an impressive expression of female vocal.(6.5/10)

Any other instruments that lives in the midrange like violin, flutes are slightly emphasised, they are clean, real but nothing really special to talk about.(5.5/10)

TREBLE

For me, the treble is a bit soft. I think that the treble and air frequency are not extended enough and their presence and emphasis is not enough. It makes the iem to sound less sharp and might have made the soundstage smaller as a result as well,but I am not a really big fan of the treble, makes song less enjoyable overall.(4/10)

TECHNICALITIES
I would say that the resolution of this iem is quite good for me, many details are present in this iem throughout my listen,but the problem will be they are slightly blurry and not sharp enough to make you notice them.
The imaging is actually so real to life and is so impressive as well that it sort of competes with my other much more expensivce iems, very impressive work.
The soundstage is where it falls short a bit, it is very crowded and tight. It is a bit below average, normal for this price range.

COMPARISONS
vs SE215
Zero:2 Blows the se215 out of the water in every possible aspects. The se215 has a muddy bloated bass,the missing midrange,non exsistence treble and absolute blanked out details and the much higher price tag.It is genuinely a massacre in every possible aspect and marks the Zero:2 as the easy winner.

VERDICT
Although I have noted out a lot of problems of the Zero:2, But I actually love it as an overall package, i am sure under $100, there will be no any other competitors even close to it.This slightly warm tilted, detailed iem has all the respect I can give it with its measly £25 price tag.

(SHAMELESS) SELF PROMOTION
I hope this review is good enough for you guys to enjoy,I am now working on the youtube channel as seen above, I still have my Moondrop Variations, Sony IER-Z1R, HIFIMAN Ananda and a few more reviews waiting to be dropped.Please subscribe and comment on things that I can improve on, hope that you guys liked this!

Video Review BelowPlease watch and comment on places that needed improvements, subscribes is also appreciated! I have a few iem ,headphones ,dacs and dap review scheduling to be uploaded. Thank you!)