[theintention]

It's still good value at that inflated price.

I agree honestly. The epitome of a budget all-rounder, one of the few sets I don’t mind using with Bluetooth even!

 

[Redcarmoose]

Ok, thanks! I think I will go with Vulkan. "More interesting", sounds like more fun.

But, if I like what I hear with Vulkan...I might go next with Falcon Ultra. That blue is hard to resist...and my wife loves blue so muuuuch

Cheers!

VULKAN, VULKAN......VULKAN.
Vulkan, Vulkan......Vulkan.

 

[kazinova]

7hz x Crinacle: Zero 2
Impressions

I loved the 7hz Zero, it was the cheap IEM that let me know for sure I wanted to invest in expanding my collection. Even after I had amassed a number of the sub-$100 usual suspects it was the set that I would toss in my pocket to take on the go, or it was a set that I would bring with me to listen to some music while I rocked my youngest to sleep. Even when I had access to the more expensive sets I upgraded to I would snag the Zero to have a simple, lightweight, warm-neutral set for when I didn't want to do critical listening and just enjoy the music I know I love.

I knew that I was pot committed to snagging the sequel as soon as it showed up online and once I saw the preview of the looks of the translucent new case design I was double sold, even if the price doubled. Fortunately the modest price increase goes along with modest frequency response improvements. And I am once again a happy customer.

Quick TL;DR at the top: you might be a happy customer too, as long as your expectations are in check. The Zero 2 is exactly the original with the same ergonomics and looks, with a warmer and more full bass and sub-bass response and a treble range that resolves about as much as anything else in the sub-$50 price range does.

What's in the box?!
If you have purchased a 7hz set before you'll recognize the yellow baggy of various eartips. There's a S/M/L sampling of small and wide bore eartips of the same material for users to try. Pretty barebones feeling compared to the presentation you get from other brands and models, but it serves up the minimum of options there. I'm very disappointed with the cable, not only is the cable thin-feeling and prone to tangling it commits the cardinal sin of being colored to match one of the three colorways and looks like a pretty bedraggled brown that clashes with the slick crystal blue of my selected set. Luckily the Kinera Ace cable matches perfectly and I've rolled with that.

There's nothing else really included, but it's a passing grade overall. I'm not expecting a swappable connection at $25. There are better cables to pair with this, tho.

Build & Fit/Feel
The shells are slightly less sturdy feeling than the original but are pretty par for the course with IEMs at this price point with the major exception that I've seen being the Blon Z300, but part of the appeal of the Zero design is the portability and lightness in-ear which would be removed with a denser shell material. So it's a slight step back in build but an improvement in looks in my book. It balances out to leaving me feeling about the same about the set.

It still feels comfy in my ears (YMMV, some didn't like the original's shape) and the same eartips I use with the original feel great on the 2 (Spinfit W1s, will I ever find a better eartip?!). And I know some don't put any credit to this around these parts, but the fact that I think they look cool and interesting makes me more likely to snag them on my way out the door than other sets. But you'll need to be okay with being a little flashy with your ear-canal jewelry or choose one of the other colorways to blend in better.

Sound Signature
The Zero 2 carries over the starting point of the original and attempts to remedy flaws, mainly that there wasn't enough bass for some, and Crin mentioned in his video that many complained about "shoutiness" in the upper treble. I never felt this way about the original so I was a little worried that the bass would rise and the treble would get crushed in the process, leading to a muddy mess. Thankfully I don't feel this way after spending a lot of time with the set.

Whatever treble improvements were made are pretty hard for my old-man ears to spot. In some songs with vocaloids and piercing sounds I can maybe detect a slight reduction in the harshness of particularly sibilant sounds. But outside of that the resolution and clarity of the treble seems about on par with the original Zero. Which means it's not world-changing, but just clear enough to give me 80% of what I'm looking for in most genres.

But the bass improvements are not as subtle, and also thankfully I'm feeling really positive on the changes here as well. I thought I wanted a neutral sound at all times as I was getting into the hobby, but I've realized I want more excitement in what I listen to and I want the versatility to listen to hip hop and classical on the same set. The Zero 2 has that for me, there's not the most slam ever, but there's enough to make electronica enjoyable and not so much that it bleeds into the mids that much. There's some loss of clarity in intense mib-bass focused parts of tracks but this isn't a super-technical set to begin with so I'm not feeling much of a loss.

It's really a case of having modest expectations with these types of low-end chi-fi sets and finding one that has a sound signature that you really love. There's so many options that there's bound to be a couple that you can probably enjoy. But this goofy little blue guy might be my favorite of the cheapy sets. I have a Fi-curious friend I'll be gifting a set to this week, hopefully I'll get a friend down here in the rabbit hole soon enough.

__________________Zero 2
0 --------------- 5 ^------------ 10 BASS
Dioko--------Heyday----------Legato

__________________Zero 2
0 -------------- 5 ^------------- 10 MIDS
Beats --------Quartet--------Canon II

________________Zero 2
0 -------------- ^ -------------- 10 TREBLE
CRA-----------Zero------------Dioko

Take all of this with a grain of salt, I haven't listened to much so I included my points of reference with the scales so you know how your experiences stack up to mine. I always assume everyone on here has exclusively cheap sets, or massively expensive collections. I'm somewhere on the mid-low noob end of the spectrum.

Main albums/music used to test:

Pop-Alt-Rock-Alt

 

[fidgeraldo]

VULKAN, VULKAN......VULKAN.
Vulkan, Vulkan......Vulkan.

Hahaha...I can't go against this!!!

Ok, they are currently out of stock. The only place I could find them in the EU is "Hifi Passion".
I'll wait...

Thanks!

Cheers!

 

[Redcarmoose]

Hahaha...I can't go against this!!!

Ok, they are currently out of stock. The only place I could find them in the EU is "Hifi Passion".
I'll wait...

Thanks!

Cheers!

That style of fun never goes out of style. Bass like speakers in a room, and sophisticated separation into imaging! Every time I pull them out for a listen, I’m still amazed? Enjoy!

 

[iFi audio]

There are no reviews yet as it is newly released. I’m looking for a DAP of this level so have tried to find out all I can.

Tempotec say it sounds like the (more expensive) V6, so neutral with slightly boosted mids. They have been curiously quiet about the processing hardware, but the audio infrastructure looks great for the introductory price.

Battery should be good, and the build should be solid. A lot of V6 owners talk of QC issues, especially faulty ports. The combination of QC and low information about features means I’ll skip this one, but there is a very good chance I’ll regret it.

I ordered one of these at the discount rate, I can't do a full-blown review, but I will post my thoughts here, and it should be here at the beginning of next year.

Cheers!!

 

[theintention]

7hz x Crinacle: Zero 2
Impressions

I loved the 7hz Zero, it was the cheap IEM that let me know for sure I wanted to invest in expanding my collection. Even after I had amassed a number of the sub-$100 usual suspects it was the set that I would toss in my pocket to take on the go, or it was a set that I would bring with me to listen to some music while I rocked my youngest to sleep. Even when I had access to the more expensive sets I upgraded to I would snag the Zero to have a simple, lightweight, warm-neutral set for when I didn't want to do critical listening and just enjoy the music I know I love.

I knew that I was pot committed to snagging the sequel as soon as it showed up online and once I saw the preview of the looks of the translucent new case design I was double sold, even if the price doubled. Fortunately the modest price increase goes along with modest frequency response improvements. And I am once again a happy customer.

Quick TL;DR at the top: you might be a happy customer too, as long as your expectations are in check. The Zero 2 is exactly the original with the same ergonomics and looks, with a warmer and more full bass and sub-bass response and a treble range that resolves about as much as anything else in the sub-$50 price range does.





What's in the box?!
If you have purchased a 7hz set before you'll recognize the yellow baggy of various eartips. There's a S/M/L sampling of small and wide bore eartips of the same material for users to try. Pretty barebones feeling compared to the presentation you get from other brands and models, but it serves up the minimum of options there. I'm very disappointed with the cable, not only is the cable thin-feeling and prone to tangling it commits the cardinal sin of being colored to match one of the three colorways and looks like a pretty bedraggled brown that clashes with the slick crystal blue of my selected set. Luckily the Kinera Ace cable matches perfectly and I've rolled with that.

There's nothing else really included, but it's a passing grade overall. I'm not expecting a swappable connection at $25. There are better cables to pair with this, tho.



Build & Fit/Feel
The shells are slightly less sturdy feeling than the original but are pretty par for the course with IEMs at this price point with the major exception that I've seen being the Blon Z300, but part of the appeal of the Zero design is the portability and lightness in-ear which would be removed with a denser shell material. So it's a slight step back in build but an improvement in looks in my book. It balances out to leaving me feeling about the same about the set.

It still feels comfy in my ears (YMMV, some didn't like the original's shape) and the same eartips I use with the original feel great on the 2 (Spinfit W1s, will I ever find a better eartip?!). And I know some don't put any credit to this around these parts, but the fact that I think they look cool and interesting makes me more likely to snag them on my way out the door than other sets. But you'll need to be okay with being a little flashy with your ear-canal jewelry or choose one of the other colorways to blend in better.



Sound Signature
The Zero 2 carries over the starting point of the original and attempts to remedy flaws, mainly that there wasn't enough bass for some, and Crin mentioned in his video that many complained about "shoutiness" in the upper treble. I never felt this way about the original so I was a little worried that the bass would rise and the treble would get crushed in the process, leading to a muddy mess. Thankfully I don't feel this way after spending a lot of time with the set.

Whatever treble improvements were made are pretty hard for my old-man ears to spot. In some songs with vocaloids and piercing sounds I can maybe detect a slight reduction in the harshness of particularly sibilant sounds. But outside of that the resolution and clarity of the treble seems about on par with the original Zero. Which means it's not world-changing, but just clear enough to give me 80% of what I'm looking for in most genres.

But the bass improvements are not as subtle, and also thankfully I'm feeling really positive on the changes here as well. I thought I wanted a neutral sound at all times as I was getting into the hobby, but I've realized I want more excitement in what I listen to and I want the versatility to listen to hip hop and classical on the same set. The Zero 2 has that for me, there's not the most slam ever, but there's enough to make electronica enjoyable and not so much that it bleeds into the mids that much. There's some loss of clarity in intense mib-bass focused parts of tracks but this isn't a super-technical set to begin with so I'm not feeling much of a loss.

It's really a case of having modest expectations with these types of low-end chi-fi sets and finding one that has a sound signature that you really love. There's so many options that there's bound to be a couple that you can probably enjoy. But this goofy little blue guy might be my favorite of the cheapy sets. I have a Fi-curious friend I'll be gifting a set to this week, hopefully I'll get a friend down here in the rabbit hole soon enough.

__________________Zero 2
0 --------------- 5 ^------------ 10 BASS
Dioko--------Heyday----------Legato

__________________Zero 2
0 -------------- 5 ^------------- 10 MIDS
Beats --------Quartet--------Canon II

________________Zero 2
0 -------------- ^ -------------- 10 TREBLE
CRA-----------Zero------------Dioko

Take all of this with a grain of salt, I haven't listened to much so I included my points of reference with the scales so you know how your experiences stack up to mine. I always assume everyone on here has exclusively cheap sets, or massively expensive collections. I'm somewhere on the mid-low noob end of the spectrum.

Main albums/music used to test:

Pop-Alt-Rock-Alt

Nice overview! I gifted my Zero 2 to my roommate, and later on she was telling me how she has never heard some of the sounds in her favorite music until this set. It’s such a great gift for people who have no idea about this realm.

 

[kazinova]

Nice overview! I gifted my Zero 2 to my roommate, and later on she was telling me how she has never heard some of the sounds in her favorite music until this set. It’s such a great gift for people who have no idea about this realm.

One hundo percent, I'm really excited to see if I get the same response. I'll never forget the shock I felt switching between my ancient Beats headphones and the first IEMs I got. Wondering if my ears were working correctly, that feeling hasn't happened again for me.

I'm assuming chasing that feeling is what all the ten-trillion dollar end-game sets are all about.

 

[fidgeraldo]

Salvador's always right!

Cheers!

 

[Leonarfd]

LETSHUOER S15
Just finished a review on S15, I have been very impressed. First planar I truly like.
While design is either liked or hated, the sound seem to be liked by most people.
Feel free to read if its of any interest, thanks.

Correct Head Gear item:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/letshuoer-s15.26854/review/32494/

 

[Vonbuddy]

What's the current go to most of the time IEM?

Probably the Mest 2.

 

[theintention]

One hundo percent, I'm really excited to see if I get the same response. I'll never forget the shock I felt switching between my ancient Beats headphones and the first IEMs I got. Wondering if my ears were working correctly, that feeling hasn't happened again for me.

I'm assuming chasing that feeling is what all the ten-trillion dollar end-game sets are all about.

I had this feeling happen to me testing out the E20 lol as soon as I put one of my other sets in I was amazed. It’s rare but it can still occur!!

 

[Leonarfd]

Boys.

I have reached audio nirvana.



My very very very good and trusting buddy sent out his LE STORMs for me to demo and picture.

Well, these have ruined me. Nothing will ever sound the same. I am absolutely blown away.

Its always fun to try some of the best IEMs out there even if its out of our budget, enjoy. Also one of your best photos I have seen. Epic.

 

[domq422]

7hz x Crinacle: Zero 2
Impressions

Absolutely killer review and photos, man! Great job.

LETSHUOER S15

Its always fun to try some of the best IEMs out there even if its out of our budget, enjoy. Also one of your best photos I have seen. Epic.

Thank you so much @Leonarfd - from the man himself. I am honored. This is definitely most likely, a once in a lifetime opportunity and with all the listening time I'll get, I'm going to enjoy it very much. Your S15 review as always was killer, fantastic job all around, my friend.

 

[Scubadevils]

LETSHUOER S15
Just finished a review on S15, I have been very impressed. First planar I truly like.
While design is either liked or hated, the sound seem to be liked by most people.
Feel free to read if its of any interest, thanks.

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/letshuoer-s15.26842/review/32474/

I’ll have a read of this over a beer… it better not be too good a review