The box is within a glossy sleeve displaying the aforementioned cover art and a handy measurement graph complete with the basic tech specs. It’s not too garish, and I think does the job. After removing the sleeve, an understated box appears. I like it! First sound impressions were that they're a little bright, but not problematically so. Their bass presence also wasn't overwhelming, but I loved that I could hear the rumble in bassier songs without needing to crank up the volume. The sound is also very clear across the spectrum, and I can clearly focus on whatever element of the song I desire, or can just chill and experience the music. Between my other IEMs I can feel the compromise between bass strength and clarity in the highs, but I do not feel the same sacrifice on the Zeros. It’s a bit of a philosophical question: Do you want an accurate listen, or one that is perhaps more colored but more personally enjoyable? Though I started this hobby seeking the former, I’ve grown inclined towards the latter (within reason of course). Maybe if I had the RED as my first IEM I would never have become a reviewer. Upon first listening, I was surprised that the ZERO: RED sounded so good. There is plenty of bass, and the top end is extended, unlike on the Moondrop Aria. I would even say that tonality-wise, these IEMs are a benchmark and punch way above their price point. Another potential issue for people is the nozzle size. These are massive. My right ear is a good bit smaller than my left, to the point that all IEMs visibly fit differently between my ears. The nozzles on the Zeros almost do not fit my right ear, I can just barely get the foam properly compressed in to get a good fit. If you have really small ears, these might not be for you.

Build in general is good price considered. Its made of good quality plastic, feels ok in the hands. Faceplate is a change from previous zero, this time its red like the name. Shells are average to small size. They are light weight. Fit is good, quite comfortable even for long listening sessions. Fit stability is good as well. Fit breathability is average. This has a fat nozzle so proper fit might be a bit subjective to ear size. Score 3.75/5 At the end of the frequency spectrum, we get to the Air region or the Top End. This region consists of everything A passive electronic crossover ensures each driver gets only what it needs to perform at its best. The included pouch holds the IEMs comfortably but not much else will fit. Human hearing focuses inherently on this frequency range. So it’s crucial to get this range right. This region The soundstage of the RED is fairly constrained. Imaging is better with some stage depth and stereo positioning but there is little height and the center image isn’t particularly focused. The staging of the RED isn’t a deal breaker by any means but it does fall a bit behind some of the more recent budget IEMs.In terms of bass quality, the RED’s low end is among the best you can get in a neutral DD IEM before getting up to the more expensive and exotic stuff. There’s a notable sense of physicality and grit. This is most apparent in the midbass body of electric guitars - the textured tone of the amps are beautifully rendered…but only if it’s emphasized enough in the mix to be heard. The bass leans on the boomier side rather than punchy and there is a good amount of dynamics. The level of articulation in the bass notes is impressive and decay is finely tuned to never linger more than needed. As a whole, I’d say it beats out the bass of IEMs like the Blessing 2: Dusk. As noted before however, despite its quality I wouldn’t consider the RED to be a basshead IEM. There isn’t an excessive amount of bass for a pure fun factor like that of a CCA CRA/CRA+. 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. music because this is where you get a lot of buildup with guitars, vocals, and even the top-end of the bass guitar When these qualities are combined with its monitor-like tuning, the RED’s overall presentation is unique among the IEM market. The RED’s textured bass and tightly controlled treble response elevates its sound beyond seemingly similar IEMs. While its smaller staging could be improved, I don’t think it detracts too much from the sound and its coherency and articulation more than makes up the difference. I’ve heard a lot of budget IEMs. Most are me-too products in the race to the bottom with the usual trade-offs in tuning against its peers. The RED is not one of them. 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.

for reference, I prefer the tuning of the Tangzu Wan'er and the Moondrop Chu II (since I mostly daily drive the two) because of the detail, Imaging, and sound separation. I'm not much of the bass head, I'm more for the clarity and detail but Bass is still welcome. 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”. The shape of the RED’s shell is the same as the Zero with the biggest difference being the faceplate. Instead of a blue galaxy design, the RED has what I call a red “shoelace” look to it. I asked Crinacle about this in a Q&A stream at The Headphone Show and it turns out that there was actually a red mother-of-pearl design as well but people were split 50/50 on which they preferred. The “shoelace” was chosen in the end because it was easier to manufacture as it was 3D printed with a resin fill on tip. The only other difference is the shape of the driver vent.To return your product, you should mail your product to: 4F 405, Building F, No.2 Shangxue Science and Technology North, Bantian Street, Longgang Dist, ShenZhen, 518129 Guangdong, China Objectively, we can see that this fits that modern neutral + sub-bass tuning. A clean <200 Hz bass shelf with a slow rise and a healthy 8 - 9 dB upper midrange pinna gain. I don’t particularly notice that 13 - 14 kHz peak and in Resolve’s B&K 5128 measurements, it is not present. What I don’t like is that lid to the actual cardboard container is held firm by air suction, and there’s nowhere to grab it. You just have to let it slowly slide down and catch it once it comes loose. After opening it a few times, it gets easier. Inside the box one finds a nice set of eartips. Depending on where you live, the time it may take for your exchanged product to reach you, may vary. Please allow 3-5 business days for mail-in exchanges to be processed.

Eventhough I just got the Moondrop Chu II last week (and also enjoying it). I'm now looking for my Endgame IEM. Currently looking at the Truthear Hexa or the Project Red (Truthear x Crinacle Zero: Red). The RED retains the same 7.8 mm and 10 mm dual dynamic driver configuration of the Zero where the 10 mm acts as a subwoofer with a crossover at around 160 - 180 Hz. But beyond a simple re-tune, extensive work was done to modify the driver’s voice coils and revamp the crossover circuits for better performance. Furthermore, there’s an included 10 Ohm impedance adapter to further increase the bass response by leveraging the RED’s electrical impedance curve. I’m sure people will proclaim that the ZERO: RED proves that all pricy IEMs out there are a scam. I will admit that these IEMs will make me a harsher judge because the ZERO: RED have superb value for the price. Where more luxury IEMs take over is in technical performance. The included filters can come on handy, however it’s up to the user to figure out how to swap them. Like the original Truthear ZERO, the ZERO: RED uses a 10mm dynamic driver for low frequencies and a smaller 7.8mm dynamic driver for the rest. Please keep in mind that these are rough estimates and shipments can be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, like postal strikes or severe weather.

But I don’t love it. I appreciate it. Though it’s a great listen and there’s little to find fault in its sound, the RED doesn’t enamour me the way Crinacle’s previous collabs like the Moondrop Blessing 2: Dusk and Fearless Dawn did. To use a horrible cliche, the tuning of the RED is like a pair of studio monitors. Not that it sounds like one, but rather that the RED is accurate and timbrally correct in a way that is hard to argue against. But like studio speakers, there’s a reason why the stereo hi-fi industry exists: not everyone wants that. Finally, I will only evaluate the Red based on their performance, even though I will explain how it feels and seems physically and aesthetically. Unfortunately, because it retains the same large shell as the Zero, the nozzle diameter is over 6 mm. It’s large. There is a lip at the edge to help hold the tips in place but I actually think it’s the lip that makes me feel the size more than something like the Kiwi Ears Orchestra Lite with a similar nozzle size. In that same Q&A stream, Crinacle mentioned that it was needed to accommodate the large 7.8 mm and 10 mm drivers without affecting acoustic response. That said, the angle of insertion is very ergonomic so I have no complaints about comfort other than feeling the nozzle size. You can get quite a nice, deep seal with the RED.