Truthear Zero: Red

thaslaya's star rating 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
● Hiby FC4
● Ifi hipdac 3
● Kiwi Ears Allegro
● Truthear x Crinacle Zero

Source:
Listening was done through Amazon Music HD or Ultra HD.


Introduction:
Back in 2022 the Truthear x Crinacle Zero burst on to the scene and made quite a splash. It was not Crinacle's first collaboration but it remains one of his most popular to date. The Zero received generally favorable reviews and nestled in to a nice little spot in the ~$50 budget tier. Then in 2023 Truthear and Crinacle got together again to release the retuned Zero:Red. Again, the hype train barreled through the audiophile community and the RED has been well received garnering favorable reviews. At the time of this review, the Zero is listed for $49.99 on Amazon and the Red is $54.99. Below I will break down these two very similar models and highlight their differences. This will serve as a dual review for both the original Zero (hereafter refered to as Zero:Blue or BLUE) and the Zero:Red. The star rating and pros/cons listed in this review are specific to the Zero:Blue. For continuity purposes, the Red is on the left and Blue on the right for all comparison photos.



Build, fit, ergonomics:
The Blue and Red obviously share a lot of similarities. Both feature dual dynamic drivers. The shell shape and size are almost identical although the Blue is just slightly larger. The shells are made of resin but are hollow. This makes them lightweight but they also feel a bit cheap. The nozzles are long and wide and they are identical on both models. Those with small ears may have fit issues though I personally found them to provide good seal and comfort. The overall packaging and accessories are basically the same as well. The stock cable is thin, feels cheap, and tends to tangle easily. It's the same cable that comes with the Truthear Hexa and I didn't really like it then either. I prefer a thicker more robust cable but the stock cable is serviceable and some will surely like it. The included tips consist of 6 pairs of silicone with 2 various bore sizes and 1 pair of foam. I really liked using the stock tips with both Zeroes. They provide a good seal and are comfortable for long sessions. There's also a small carrying pouch included (again, same as with the Hexa) that I don't really like. Sure it's small and pocketable but provides little protection and again feels a bit cheap.

Sound impressions:
I would describe the tuning of the Red as warm/neutral with bass boost and the Blue a bit more v-shaped with a little more elevated treble. The soundstage is average for the price bracket and basically identical on both. Detail retrieval, imaging, and instrument separation are also average and about what you'd expect to find at this price point. Both Zeroes veer more towards musicality rather than technical performance.They lack the high level of technicalities of something like the Simgot EA500LM but are also not nearly as bright.

●Lows - Both models sport a deep sub bass extension. The bass on Red is more balanced and cleaner sounding. Using the included adapter brings out a bigger bass response and fullness approching basshead levels although it doesnt quite get there. However, if you purchase a higher impedance adapter, say 200 ohms, and you have a good enough amplifier then the sub bass can get BIG (as seen in the chart below). The Blue has more midbass presence and punch which makes it sound overall fuller and more robust although I can hear a bit of bleed into the midrange at times.

Credit to HBB for the measurements.

●Mid - Vocals are slightly more forward on the Red. The Blue have more energy in the upper mids/lower treble region which means they can be shouty with certain tracks. I feel that the mids on both models are well placed and are a highlight of the tuning. The timbre is organic and both male and female vocalists sound great. Guitars and other instruments also have good presence and are well represented.

●Highs - The best word I have to describe the treble in the Red is "blunted". Claps and hi-hats lack a definitive edge and crispness. I actually like that quality as it aligns with my prefered warmer tuning preference. However, I do wish the treble and amount of air were extended just a bit futher. The Blue have more energy in the lower mids and contain just a hunt of sibilance at times with snares and such. The highs on both roll off just a bit early and, because of this, the treble loses shimmer, sparkle, and air.

Summary:
Red vs. Blue. Which one is better? Well just like everything else in this hobby, that answer is highly subjective. Both models are similar shape, size, come with almost identical accessories, and the difference in price is only about $5. The answer isn't so much which model is better but which tuning is preferential. The Blue has a bigger default bass impact and fullness and there is a slight elevation in the upper mids/lower treble. The Red has a more warm/neutral tuning with a small sub bass boost and relaxed treble. The inclusion of the 10 ohm impedance adapter is what ultimately pushes me to recommend the Red over Blue. Using the impedance adapter adds tuning variety; adding extra bass is quick and easy. Even the Red's stock tuning is closer to my preference and is better suited for long listening sessions. Ultimately both models offer great value in the sub $50 price bracket. I think Truthear and Crinacle have created two great products that many would be glad to own.

Truthear Zero Red is a true Hi-Fi IEM in what may be the more classical definition of "high fidelity": it makes you feel as if you were live at the concert the moment you wear them and press play. These are really a true fidelity instrument and a very refined one, don't underestimate them because of the price: the tuning is, simply put, correct, you can hear all frequencies of the spectrum loud and clear. There are no annoying veils or bothersome muffling with this IEM, just pure joy and the sensation to have broken the barrier of reproduction to make a step in a live performance. Only a step though, as we get more analytical and take out our Sherlock Holmes magnifying lens we can hear that vocals are indeed a smudge thin and that in particular they feel empty as if they were an empty amphora; I try to explain myself better here: you have a correct lower end of vocals and you have a correct upper end of vocals, you just miss that very tiny accent in the central part of vocals. Things can seem pretty bad once one reads a review and that's because we don't understand at what scale we are talking. I am talking here in the micro scale, in the nano scale. It's just a tiny-iny little smudge in something perfect in that range. How tiny is this window in which vocals are lacking? And how much are they lacking. Ever so little. In fact just walking while you listen at these IEMS makes it impossible to detect this defect, I was only able to hear it while I was at home. On the go? No problem at all. This is probably due to the fact that zerored's tuning gives the accent on the presence region around 3 kHz, while you want to highlight 2 kHz to have a more natural presentation. 2 kHz is probably tuned a little lower to what would've been a full meaty vocal. Still a highly musical object in which female vocals shine particularly if we take out the tiny smudge mentioned above. Cymbals are also a little thin, very neutral, NOT lush, organic, 3D, realistic, shiny. Still very well resolved.You miss the metallic part of the sound and you get a bit of the *splash*/hiss typical of the neutral tuning. Bass (and in particular all sub bass) in terms of a natural presentation is a tiny smudge above what I'd like. I like a very natural presentation and I don't like a lot of bass. I like this quantity of bass on headphones, but on IEMs I feel the sub bass can't scatter properly and it's all directioned to my ear. It needs to scatter a bit, so I'd say I like a tiny smudge less. Still these IEMs go pretty close to my bass target, which is very difficult.

Eq works very well with these IEMs as they are almost a full Harman (so probably closer to your preferencies in every region of the spectrum) like Crinacle likes to shout when he's hanging around (at least this is how I picture him, LeMeme) and they have a very low distortion (you can see here https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ruthear-x-crinacle-zero-red-iem-review.44865/ ), which means that they bear with eq very well on all the spectrum. With the Harman target by Oratory1990 horns become a more 3D experience. Still unfortunately cymbals sound thin. That might be probably due to the high frequencies region of the spectrum in which we are blind, analyzers pick up a lot of reflections in that area and data in this are is to be discarded. That means that probably a diy tweak might give some natural decay to cymbals.

Overall these IEMs sound resolving, clean, transparent, fast, as a true Hi-Fi item should be. Very realistic. I am worried about the idea of upgrading because they sound so good that the risk of buying something that costs 10 times as much that sounds worse is very real. As I am typing it may make more sense upgrading from these only going in the 1000 dollars zone and above. Yes, they sound so good.

Fully approved and three thumbs up for the Truthear Zero Red that score A- on my rating.

Appendix: Explaining of my rating:
-Anything beneath D: defective item
-D : as in decent
-C : good (most consumer items land here)
-B : very good
-A : perfection
-S : WOW (took my breath away)
My ratings do not consider price as a factor and are purely and solely based on sound quality.

Frequency response graph courtesy of Headphones.com

After owning my pair for a few months, I haven’t seen any more damage or scratches to the resin plastic they use for the casing. So, I think Truthear deserves a thumbs up for that. Do you own a pair ? let me know how yours are holding up in the comments below. The cable continues to be fine for the price and definitely better than the Moondrop Chu on the cable department. It hasn’t become sticky or anything. However on the ear hook part, I’ve seen like a white powdery stuff on it just like the Chu. I’m not sure if it is dust or something else. Moving on to the case, the case do collect scratches from my fingernail. The “leather” still seems fine overall. I’m still not sure this will hold up for long. And, I don’t like the rubbery feeling it has.

Enough about the durability and builds of the Reds, let’s talk about sounds. I’ve grown to like the Truthear Zero Reds more over time. I think it really is the best IEM you can buy under $100. Would it be better than the Hexa, Aria, Aria 2, Titan S, and other ? probably not. But 1 think for sure, is that I demo a lot of IEMs. And, overall I’m pretty satisfied with the Truthear Zero:Red. In my opinion, while there are better pairs over there. If you already own the Truthear Zero:Red, you’re not missing much from other pairs, even the expensive ones.

The Truthear Zero:Red performs well on Test Playlist #1, the Bass and Sub-bass are welcomed for a well-rounded listening experience across genres. Although this may come as a double-edged sword. As the bass and subbass can overpower the other frequencies to a point of hazing up tracks. Mids performance is quite good as the separation between instruments are noticeable but not amazing. In my opinion, vocals, especially male vocals feels a little recessed compared to other frequencies. I think this set works best if you have a library that are mostly filled with female vocal. Treble can get a little fatiguing at times, the fatiguing trebles can be heard especially in Aoyama Killer Story. Other tracks may also produce a fatiguing treble, however for me it is barely fatiguing most of the time. Imaging can be a little clouded in busier tracks and mid details can get lost in the mix. This hinders the performance on orchestral and hard rock/metal tracks. Soundstage, depending on the tracks listened can vary. Based on my experience, the soundstage is overall okay, neither bad nor good.

In my almost 5 months of use. The Truthear Zero:Red performs really well across medias. Movies, TV Shows, Games, Videos, and Music sounds excellent. Big well-made movies such as Oppenheimer, 1917, and Mission Impossibleead Reckoning sounds really good with the Truthear Zero:Red, delivering a well-rounded, grand, and magnificent sounds. Games such as Valorant performs well with the Truthear Zero:Red, however the lack of mic on the default configuration of Zero:Red made it slightly less appealing for competitive games where communication is needed. It is also worth noting the not so good imaging also hinder the performance of Truthear Zero:Red on games where elevation and busy environments are at play. About the 10 ohms resistor, I haven’t use it that much as I don’t think they are necessary. HOWEVER! Please do include things like this in the future, as it would be a good thing to give flexibility to the user.

Comfort wise, the reds feels a bit uncomfortable after wearing them for awhile. Around 3 hours of continuous listening, your ears can feel a bit fatigued. As the pressure from the nozzle are quite hard and the stock tips aren’t helping. Sound fatigue will happen if you listen with higher volumes. It’s also not recommended listen to such loud things as it might damage your hearing.

Overall, the Truthear Zero:Red offers an outstanding value for just $55. The tuning is well done, you can listen to a lot of genres and most likely be satisfied with them. Gaming performance is questionable, watching movies and listening to live performances are pretty immersive with these pair. Overall a pretty fun and correct IEMs to own and listen to.

Video Review Here