[tgx78]

Wait i think your CRA just evolve again, I saw it under GD5 week ago. Can you compare them ?

Someday I will. They are in two different locations. CRA at home, GD5 at work.

 

[r31ya]

Finally got my CRA, still trying it out.
Currently listening to this with it, super nice


feeling the strings out without having that "ouch" moment, pretty damn nice.

but yeah, it has deeper v. especially coming from vocal forward Zex Pro (which i already miss)

 

[seanwee]

Finally got my CRA, still trying it out.
Currently listening to this with it, super nice


feeling the strings out without having that "ouch" moment, pretty damn nice.

but yeah, it has deeper v. especially coming from vocal forward Zex Pro (which i already miss)

bass boosted neutral imo

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

IMO the CRAs mids are borderline recessed, but they brilliantly balance between being bass-boosted neutral and a mild vee shape. Technicalities are inferior to heart mirror but I have to be A/Bing to hear it. I don't have other single DD to compare with beyond these two pair.

I prefer ZEX Pro for the enhanced detail and punch in the mids, but it's not a significant difference in overall sound quality; very marginal improvement at best.

 

[r31ya]

IMO the CRAs mids are borderline recessed, but they brilliantly balance between being bass-boosted neutral and a mild vee shape. Technicalities are inferior to heart mirror but I have to be A/Bing to hear it. I don't have other single DD to compare with beyond these two pair.

I prefer ZEX Pro for the enhanced detail and punch in the mids, but it's not a significant difference in overall sound quality; very marginal improvement at best.

The one that immediately apparent is the that the staging is different.

Not sure if i recalled it right but ZEX Pro have more intimate soundstage, vocal front, bass and other instrument in the back of vocals.
CRA put bass alongside and sometimes in front of vocals.
And Zex pro have seems to have better imaging and separation thanks to its multi driver setup.

Other than that difference, so far CRA is a great buy at $20.
being able to hear metalic note without going "ouch" or "thats weird" is pretty nice.
it need short/mild burn in to soften the bass a bit. since right out of the box it sounded very blunt.

 

[seanwee]

The one that immediately apparent is the that the staging is different.

Not sure if i recalled it right but ZEX Pro have more intimate soundstage, vocal front, bass and other instrument in the back of vocals.
CRA put bass alongside and sometimes in front of vocals.
And Zex pro have seems to have better imaging and separation thanks to its multi driver setup.

Other than that difference, so far CRA is a great buy at $20.
being able to hear metalic note without going "ouch" or "thats weird" is pretty nice.
it need short/mild burn in to soften the bass a bit. since right out of the box it sounded very blunt.

Thats why a lot of people find that the heart mirror is more detailed than the CRA. The bass in the CRA is tuned for fun first and clarity second. Its a tuning choice rather than a technical deficiency as multi-kilobuck iems with this kind of bass tuning also suffer from a slight hit to overall clarity.

This graph best illustrates the difference

 

[SpaceOperaVillain]

I'm not going to have enough time to put together a full review for CRA or ZEX Pro, but I did A/B test them for about an hour next to Heart Mirror using a very challenging reference track a few weeks ago on Qobuz at 16/44. You can follow along in YouTube at 720p.



Overall this is a brilliant Concerto and the xylophones, vibraphones, and timpani throughout offers a detailed assessment of percussive hits with predictable decay in their tones. Each passage provides a range of micro details based on the volume and dynamics of the playing. <in Morgan Freeman voice> There's a brilliant use of triangle on display here, sometimes mirroring the note strikes of the melody and at other times providing a just a bit of sparkle on its own, as triangles tend to do. </ thanks, Morgan>

Using a specific reference point - the last minute of Con Forza, the opening track - the CRA comes last among these three, ZEX Pro in close'ish second, and Heart Mirror in 1st for slam, detail, and timbre in the horns. You can really hear the BA pulling its weight on the ZEX Pro throughout this track and I have to say that, at least to my years, it does a really darn fine job. On the CRA, everything is comparatively soft and rather round-edged, and this includes adjusting some of the bass down a few dB and increasing heat in the mids and upper treble. It just can't hang.

At 4:35 the timpani kicks in with the horns in the right channel and strings in the left. Again, Heart Mirror is the superior pair here. There's plenty of tension building in the brass and the timbre has a great edge. The back and forth of each mallet strike on the timpani is clearly audible. When the rest of the percussion starts to unload in the final 30 seconds of the clip, the slam on Heart Mirror is absolutely visceral and manages to retain detail in the rest of the frequency spectrum between the strings and horns. Whatever is going on in the driver tech for this pair is still a cut above and beyond anything KZ has in its inventory, and it doesn't have anything to do with tuning.

ZEX Pro is a very close second, but you hear the horns sound a bit further back than they should be, and the edges to the percussion hits aren't quite as well defined out of the XUN driver. I'd say the XUN has precisely 96.5% of the Heart Mirror's low end texture based on subjective measurement. When the BA kicks in again on the triangle noises, the details just kinda roll out from the upper mids and treble from both it and the MST driver. Whatever it is that these 2 drivers are doing, Morgan is grinning again.

CRA in comparison is soft everywhere, like a camera lens that's slightly off-centered, preventing the image from being as sharp as it could be. When the timpani is building it nearly sounds like a single tone with poor texture and definition and I can't quite make out the mallet strikes. The brass is very subdued and distant in the mix, and the strings blend into a single tone, and instrument separation is really suffering in the quieter parts of the track. When the big finale arrives in the percussion, front and center, it's just a bit meh and lack luster. It sounds fine and you'd be impressed with this piece if you hadn't heard it on anything else, but it's leaving a lot of detail on the table.

~~~ "ok, thanks for that riveting analysis, Poindexter" ~~~

So what if you just want to kick back with some Curtis Mayfield? Well, my dudes and dudettes, none of this crap really matters. They're all good, and I find CRA to be really enjoyable for motown, hip-hop, and rap where the extra thump matters. But CRA also sounds great on classic rock. They sound great on grunge and they're detailed enough to sound fine for metal. They sound good on folk. They're a great set.

Is ZEX Pro and Heart Mirror "better"? They undoubtedly are, but for most people engaged in casual, passive listening, they're probably going to prefer the CRA.

 

[r31ya]

I'm not going to have enough time to put together a full review for CRA or ZEX Pro, but I did A/B test them for about an hour next to Heart Mirror using a very challenging reference track a few weeks ago on Qobuz at 16/44. You can follow along in YouTube at 720p.



Overall this is a brilliant Concerto and the xylophones, vibraphones, and timpani throughout offers a detailed assessment of percussive hits with predictable decay in their tones. Each passage provides a range of micro details based on the volume and dynamics of the playing. <in Morgan Freeman voice> There's a brilliant use of triangle on display here, sometimes mirroring the note strikes of the melody and at other times providing a just a bit of sparkle on its own, as triangles tend to do. </ thanks, Morgan>

Using a specific reference point - the last minute of Con Forza, the opening track - the CRA comes last among these three, ZEX Pro in close'ish second, and Heart Mirror in 1st for slam, detail, and timbre in the horns. You can really hear the BA pulling its weight on the ZEX Pro throughout this track and I have to say that, at least to my years, it does a really darn fine job. On the CRA, everything is comparatively soft and rather round-edged, and this includes adjusting some of the bass down a few dB and increasing heat in the mids and upper treble. It just can't hang.

At 4:35 the timpani kicks in with the horns in the right channel and strings in the left. Again, Heart Mirror is the superior pair here. There's plenty of tension building in the brass and the timbre has a great edge. The back and forth of each mallet strike on the timpani is clearly audible. When the rest of the percussion starts to unload in the final 30 seconds of the clip, the slam on Heart Mirror is absolutely visceral and manages to retain detail in the rest of the frequency spectrum between the strings and horns. Whatever is going on in the driver tech for this pair is still a cut above and beyond anything KZ has in its inventory, and it doesn't have anything to do with tuning.

ZEX Pro is a very close second, but you hear the horns sound a bit further back than they should be, and the edges to the percussion hits aren't quite as well defined out of the XUN driver. I'd say the XUN has precisely 96.5% of the Heart Mirror's low end texture based on subjective measurement. When the BA kicks in again on the triangle noises, the details just kinda roll out from the upper mids and treble from both it and the MST driver. Whatever it is that these 2 drivers are doing, Morgan is grinning again.

CRA in comparison is soft everywhere, like a camera lens that's slightly off-centered, preventing the image from being as sharp as it could be. When the timpani is building it nearly sounds like a single tone with poor texture and definition and I can't quite make out the mallet strikes. The brass is very subdued and distant in the mix, and the strings blend into a single tone, and instrument separation is really suffering in the quieter parts of the track. When the big finale arrives in the percussion, front and center, it's just a bit meh and lack luster. It sounds fine and you'd be impressed with this piece if you hadn't heard it on anything else, but it's leaving a lot of detail on the table.

~~~ "ok, thanks for that riveting analysis, Poindexter" ~~~

So what if you just want to kick back with some Curtis Mayfield? Well, my dudes and dudettes, none of this crap really matters. They're all good, and I find CRA to be really enjoyable for motown, hip-hop, and rap where the extra thump matters. But CRA also sounds great on classic rock. They sound great on grunge and they're detailed enough to sound fine for metal. They sound good on folk. They're a great set.

Is ZEX Pro and Heart Mirror "better"? They undoubtedly are, but for most people engaged in casual, passive listening, they're probably going to prefer the CRA.

Yeah, personally. Changing from zex pro to cra kinda shows how good zex pro is.
Cra is not bad mind you, so far its still pretty close to zex pro while being more rounded than zex pro and it give edge on some genre.

But zex pro have a bit more edge in imaging and clarity. Things like Violin is clearer and separated from other sound.
And yes, due to the sound staging sometimes some sound is placed is way back.
Also, unfortunately ZEX Pro have sibilance and oddity in certain instrument give it pretty problematic flaw.
I get used to the odd sound over time. But not that sibilance.

Which is the reason i want to try CRA which some considered "better" than ZEX Pro,
But all in all this is just my second day with cra. I still feeling it out this week.

 

[rayliam80]

So I've been listening to my CCA CRA + KZ Silver/Blue Upgrade Cable (@RikudouGoku rec from his list) + Azla Crystal tips for about 15 minutes now. I'm listening to tracks from the Buena Vista Social Club album via my Liquid Spark desktop stack (LS Amp and the matching DAC (AK4490 chip)).

- I didn't try stock cable. But I did try the stock tips (medium) which were already installed when I opened box. Stock tips are very good. I think the majority of casual users will not feel the need to change them out unless there is an issue with getting a proper seal.

- AZLA Crystal tips, which also arrived in this order, tame the bass slightly and make it feel a little more balanced. But it's pretty close with the stock tips. I wanted to try these tips with other IEM in my collection as well, but they do work for the CRA, which is nice. The tips cost more than the CRA though. It's not really a great bargain in direct comparison.

- Mild V-Shape, very slight recess of vocals, especially with stock tips. Very dynamic sounding. Details are better than was expected. Spacing/soundstage and overall presentation also seems way more mature, articulate than what the price would suggest it to be. Percussive hits like the congas are distinct in the stereo space. Good separation/dynamics between the upright bass and the other stringed instruments. I'm hearing some details like tiny clicks in the recording (drum sticks hitting each other when the drummer takes a rest) that I don't always hear in other IEMs/Headphones.

- If I had to quickly nitpick, I have a slight issue with the tonality/texture of the brass instruments I'm currently hearing. I would like a warmer, richer tonality as they seem a bit thin and cold sounding. But it isn't a major issue to me, at least.

Overall, these are very good and for only $20 via Amazon? Crazy....

 

[HAMS]

Yeah, personally. Changing from zex pro to cra kinda shows how good zex pro is.
Cra is not bad mind you, so far its still pretty close to zex pro while being more rounded than zex pro and it give edge on some genre.

But zex pro have a bit more edge in imaging and clarity. Things like Violin is clearer and separated from other sound.
And yes, due to the sound staging sometimes some sound is placed is way back.
Also, unfortunately ZEX Pro have sibilance and oddity in certain instrument give it pretty problematic flaw.
I get used to the odd sound over time. But not that sibilance.

Which is the reason i want to try CRA which some considered "better" than ZEX Pro,
But all in all this is just my second day with cra. I still feeling it out this week.

I'm confused which one is sound harsher? CRA definitely has more treble on graph but also more bass.

 

[r31ya]

I'm confused which one is sound harsher? CRA definitely has more treble on graph but also more bass.

Personally
Zex pro is fair bit more sibilant.
Cra is a bit softer

Graph wise, not sure on the why but i can tolerate that 5k peak, but i can't tolerate that 8k peak.

Its not fun when you listen to your daily rotation song with zex pro then got hit by piercing sibilance despite you have listen to the song with 6 different gear and it sound just fine with them.

 

[tgx78]

8Khz peak is ear simulator resonance point that is normalized.

 

[r31ya]

8Khz peak is ear simulator resonance point that is normalized.

Its pretty close to crin own graph, i didnt use it since crin didn't have cra graph to compare

That being said, if the peak wasn't that high, why it felt more sibilant that my other gears?

Is it treble tolerance thingy?
Because, i really like zex pro.
Its just that sibilance causing issues.

So far cra is mighty fine, but so far it doesnt immediately wow me in the way zex pro did..
Part of the wow is how it was tuned quite differently with kz go to tuningtuning tough. Mid forward ftw.

 

[DynamicEars]

Its pretty close to crin own graph, i didnt use it since crin didn't have cra graph to compare


That being said, if the peak wasn't that high, why it felt more sibilant that my other gears?

Is it treble tolerance thingy?
Because, i really like zex pro.
Its just that sibilance causing issues.

So far cra is mighty fine, but so far it doesnt immediately wow me in the way zex pro did..
Part of the wow is how it was tuned quite differently with kz go to tuningtuning tough. Mid forward ftw.

1. different driver measured as different level sometimes esp with this kind of EST or magnetostatic etc. The sonion EST have lower level of intensity than they are appeared on FR.
2. dampers. CRA using dampers on nozzle end, ZEX Pro seems dont have dampers, this can make certain frequencies echoed / bouncing on nozzle

 

[saldsald]

Its pretty close to crin own graph, i didnt use it since crin didn't have cra graph to compare


That being said, if the peak wasn't that high, why it felt more sibilant that my other gears?

Is it treble tolerance thingy?
Because, i really like zex pro.
Its just that sibilance causing issues.

So far cra is mighty fine, but so far it doesnt immediately wow me in the way zex pro did..
Part of the wow is how it was tuned quite differently with kz go to tuningtuning tough. Mid forward ftw.

SPLs are not very good at representing the responses of a multi driver IEM but better for single DD or single BA sets IMHO. And it is not very useful to compare any SPLs of two different IEMs.