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AsianAntwan t1_j0o0bta wrote

See you next week when another $20 IEM somehow manages to outdo the Zero

334

Clickbaitllama t1_j0o1xbr wrote

Already happened with quarks dsp, tangzu wa'ner, and the hbb qkz

101

geumja-ssi t1_j0ocok1 wrote

here to recommend tangzu wan'er at the most

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Clickbaitllama t1_j0pqaio wrote

the wa’ners are crazy. It’s hard to find a more natural sounding iem, even at much higher prices imo

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thisfigue8 t1_j1k1otw wrote

Thanks for the rec. Went down a huge rabbit hole and got some. 24 hours later and I'm in love.

2

geumja-ssi t1_j1kr214 wrote

Enjoy, that’s my easiest top recommendation for the price so far

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thatcarolguy t1_j0o8uq5 wrote

I don't know anything about those other two but I'm glad somebody gets it. Salnotes Zero is just completely slaughtered by Quarks DSP.

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szymonhimself t1_j0q5xwx wrote

You are part of the problem.

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thatcarolguy t1_j0qj58b wrote

What problem?

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szymonhimself t1_j0qjmte wrote

Always hyping whatever new set comes out and acting as if the previous one is completely irrelevant.

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thatcarolguy t1_j0qk9aw wrote

False.

I hyped the Chu as the best at $20 (and just good at any price) because it was and I slagged off the Zero for being inferior.

Now I hype the Quarks DSP because it is better than the Chu. It doesn't mean the Chu is trash and you should throw it out. It does however mean that you shouldn't buy the Chu if you are just looking for the best sound for $20 and the USB-C connector works with your use case.

It also means that if you have the Chu already and want better sound and have $20 to spare and are ok with the USB-C connector then you should buy the Quarks as well.

4

szymonhimself t1_j0qkxcj wrote

I'm not terminally online so I don't know who you are

Just saying "X is irrelevant because of Y" is rarely the case in audio

I have 7Hz Zero, Chu and OG Quarks.

OG Quarks is the best tuned, Zero has decent technicalities, and Chu is straight garbage.

That is my opinion though, you're entitled to having a different one. Just your previous comment really ground my gears lol.

0

marsbars2345 t1_j0se19u wrote

You’re on Reddit so that first part is already false lol

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thatcarolguy t1_j0qlkx7 wrote

Then why accuse me of always hyping the new thing? For me the Zero was irrelevant on arrival and the Chu actually is irrelevant for someone who wants to buy the best $20 IEM today.

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szymonhimself t1_j0qvlgs wrote

Why is Chu irrelevant if you loved it so much?

−1

thatcarolguy t1_j0r79n8 wrote

Like I already said it's irrelevant in the sense that you shouldn't buy it if you are looking to spend $20 and get the best you can.

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Degru t1_j0qxkuu wrote

Hard disagree. Quarks DSP has better FR but almost no technical ability to speak of. And the DAC in it is super wonky and hisses .

4

AsicResistor t1_j0rrei5 wrote

Can you show me the technical ability con in the FR?
The only con I can give the QDSP is the noisefloor if they could fix that it would be the perfect IEM for me.

2

Degru t1_j0sla2z wrote

It doesn't show up in FR, that's the point. The detail and separation sucks, theres no dynamics or stage. The only people I see call it good are the ones who are already biased based on the measurements and don't have much listening skill.

Fwiw, the noise floor isn't the only problem with the DAC. There's some weird clock drift or buffer issue that makes it literally pitch shift up and down every few seconds, and it's very much measurable (and audible if you play a tone)

0

GeologistUnfair t1_j0qbsle wrote

Yeah, I feel like there's a cycle of hyped up products and like the $80 price point, and the $20 price point at least once every quarter

These have a low enough entry point then people talk themselves into buying them even if they don't need them.

How many people do you think on the zero, the chu and the blon 03. Or the aria, the snow, the legacy 2.

4

Nosapaw t1_j0o4puj wrote

would change the hbb qkz from that list and put the kiwi ears cadenza

3

Degru t1_j0qxep6 wrote

>quarks dsp

lol that one's so disappointing. Poster child for "good FR =/= good".

1

[deleted] t1_j0ot9z7 wrote

[deleted]

−16

szymonhimself t1_j0q5vt3 wrote

I think these idiots are circlejerking over the Tangzu Wanker now. 7Hz is so outdated now /s

4

GeologistUnfair t1_j0qblpz wrote

Yeah it's getting a bit exhausting.

I think it's a fine product, but it's so obvious the marketing is pushing a new flavor of the month. I can't tell you how many people are literally buy an IEM almost every month.

And hey it's the same price is ordering a pizza so it's not a terrible hobby but it just seems so redundant and manipulative.

3

Wolfhawk_46 t1_j0nyscx wrote

Try the Truthear HEXA

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e_hekuta t1_j0o5nyh wrote

Also tuned by him.

/s

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blending-tea t1_j0p41z5 wrote

everything is tuned by crin by now

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GeologistUnfair t1_j0qc0bb wrote

Yeah at this point calling him a reviewer is pretty absurd. He's basically a contract consultant/sponsor for every IEM company.

It's kind of funny because he was so critical of affiliate links. And he was right. But now he has found a way to justify this.

And look tuning, promoting IEMs is a fine career but you can't do that and be a credible reviewer. That's a pretty huge contradiction.

These kind of conflicts are pretty widespread with a lot of youtubers and a lot of different ways. Even Mr mobile was disclosing how Samsung paid for his entire trip to South Korea is entertainment and his lodging....

Of course they don't have final copy approval though! See what you will about newspapers but they didn't allow this b*******.

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imsolass t1_j0v1o1n wrote

But I think crin's fine because he doesn't actually review or rank the collabs he's done. It's like a 50-50 thing, he does his collab thing on the side and he also rates/reviews other IEMs that he didn't collab on

4

Paradoxx__- t1_j0w39ea wrote

but some will consider him less credible if he's invested in the competition, potentially giving his reviews lower scores than he normally would have

2

Ready_Throat5369 t1_j0o0gwi wrote

Isn't this meme like half a year late? The 7hz zero came out in like August

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Deporncollector t1_j0of95t wrote

To be fair it was a bit under the radar. I just recently bought my chu and i heard about this 2 weeks later. At some point I might uograde my chu to either an aria or dioko. Or just go back to over the ear but those cables are long.

I am still an IEM baby.

10

jooomoooo t1_j0o8arl wrote

imma be real i never liked the zeros
much prefer the chu

maybe a tip thing

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ProphetNimd t1_j0od844 wrote

I'd like them way more if they didn't feel like Lego bricks in my ears.

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Philbeey t1_j0ohzs1 wrote

Honestly for non critical listening or needing headphones on the go / sleeping. The Chu's fit my ears so well to the point I don't feel them at all

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GolemancerVekk t1_j0pcp40 wrote

Found the Lego Skywalker.

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Philbeey t1_j0qzswi wrote

What the bloody hell do your ears/ ear canals look like.

Then again I don’t have to fork out for customs so there’s that.

I’ve slept in AirPods, AirPods Pro, Chus, random low profile Sony ones

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CammyFloof t1_j0ns9wt wrote

Has anyone ever had a friendship with chu tho

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holomntn t1_j0nym0x wrote

I enjoy my Chus. In fact I'm listening to them right now. They are my default wandering around IEMs

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whatevsmang t1_j0ohsru wrote

I like it. I don't know why suddenly Chu become some kind of pariah or shit, it's still good.

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GeologistUnfair t1_j0qcb7k wrote

Because everybody already owns it and so now the companies and the YouTubers don't make any more money if they keep saying nice things about it. So it's the zero.

And two or three months it will be something else and everybody will say how the zero is overrated.

This will happen repeatedly until this hobby becomes a little less prone to hype cycles.

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whatevsmang t1_j0qjhes wrote

Don't worry. The only winner in this game is Crinacle.

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Matasa89 t1_j0p8n0k wrote

I like it, it's just a bit sad that the cable is so bad and can't be replaced. Many other cheap IEMs have decent cables, and they're replaceable too.

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whatevsmang t1_j0p8xtb wrote

That I cannot argue. To support OP, if you you have to pick between Chu or Salnotes Zero, Zero is the objectively better option with simply for its detachable cable. But there's no reason to get Zero if you already got a Chu since signature wise they're sound so similar.

3

Matasa89 t1_j0pc16r wrote

Well there's also the size. The Chu is nice and small, while the Salnotes Zero is freaking massive. I've used the Truthear Zero and it is nice in sound and punchy, but the fit is just... it hurts my ears.

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thatcarolguy t1_j0o8zqr wrote

Why not? It's a good IEM regardless of price and used to be the best at that price before the Quarks DSP.

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CammyFloof t1_j0o9fix wrote

It's super harsh and metalic

−1

ThelceWarrior t1_j0ozxli wrote

It really isn't unless you are getting a bad fit.

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thatcarolguy t1_j0pfzvj wrote

Maybe just individual variation. How does the Aria sound to you? For me it's the most harsh and metallic audio device I have heard in my life no matter how it fits and no matter what tips I use due to an EXTREME 12k peak.

With the Chu I get a mild 12k peak and it still sounds pretty good. CRA, a moderate 10k peak and it sounds ok. Salnotes zero, moderate to large 11k peak and it sounds not great.

2

ThelceWarrior t1_j0pq697 wrote

Mh you might have particularly low tolerance to highs then, I would definitely not call the Aria harsh by any standards.

Also don't read too much into the peaks on graphs beyond 8K in general, they generally aren't necessarily there for your ears but only for the coupler.

1

thatcarolguy t1_j0ptyku wrote

I wouldn't say it's because of tolerance. I "objectively" get a huge 12k spike in my ears with the Aria. If it behaved the same way in your ear canals I suspect you would hate it too but it probably doesn't.

2

CammyFloof t1_j0r8v7r wrote

DT990, your used to awful treble

−1

ThelceWarrior t1_j0rb29d wrote

Eh I don't really use them anymore due to their treble lmao.

Also come on Chus and 7Hz Zeros aren't anywhere near as bad as the DT990s are.

3

CammyFloof t1_j0w2hwl wrote

Zeros are better, I gave chus another try with the same tips I used with Zero and no I cannot get behind them

1

ThelceWarrior t1_j0w76lh wrote

Eh I have both and sound wise it's up to preference really, technically speaking the Chus are closer to the Harman target so they will likely be slightly preferred overall but it's a minor thing anyway.

1

thatcarolguy t1_j0pfugi wrote

Not for me. It actually has somewhat relaxed treble. The Salnotes Zero is harsh and metallic for me with a big 11k spike.

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minuscatenary t1_j0omau5 wrote

My Chu’s are better than the two sets of Truthear Zero’s I’ve already sent back.

People need to stop looking at prices and actually focus on the level of detail an iem can put out and how it responds to EQ’ing. I am not touching any of Crin’s shit if he thinks the design of the TE Zero was proper. It is not.

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Altruistic_Ad5493 t1_j0pv1gk wrote

Bro thinks crinacle designed the truthears 💀

4

minuscatenary t1_j0pvqou wrote

It has legit tuning issues. The shape of the IEM cavity affects tuning.

Listen to anything where a resonant filter cuts through something like vocals where the formants cross into both drivers and compare against a good single driver array. You’ll instantly hear how there is some muddy reverberations that remove detail.

Crinnacle is just a kid with a YouTube channel and a website, not a sound designer. If the shape of the IEM cavity is what causes this, Crinnacle should have known better.

3

Altruistic_Ad5493 t1_j0pwhiy wrote

I think you are overstating crinacle's role in the creation of his collab IEMs

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GeologistUnfair t1_j0qcjp0 wrote

His fans want to have it both ways. He gets all the credit when things go right and when things go wrong it's everybody else's fault. The truth is we do not know the exact nature of his relationship.

He has distance themselves from the KZ project, talked about how he's increased his collaborative efforts in other projects.

At the end of the day, he is effectively being paid for his brand, more so than his expertise.

3

Coel_Hen t1_j0ojk8x wrote

I have both, and I retired the Chu in favor of the Zero, but it was because of the horrible ear hooks and sticky little cable, not the sound. I bought them both to get a feel for different sound signatures before spending money on headphones anyway, and they both helped a little with that.

The Zeros are emergency back ups in my pack, but at work, I mostly listen to my Airpod Pro 2s and use the Aria when they're charging. At home, it's strictly headphones. I use the felt pouch from the Chu to store my Qudelix 5K. Coupled with the little bubble wrap pouch that the 5K came in, it is an awesome storage and transport solution. I tossed the Chus into a laptop bag in case I ever forget to take something along to plug into (or pair with) the laptop. I actually like the sound of the Chu, though.

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Matasa89 t1_j0p7vro wrote

Yeah I wish Moondrop made it cost a bit more, but add a 2 pin connector to make the cables replaceable. I don't understand why they made the cables non-removable but also gave it a trash tier cable...

I would love to replace the connector with something else, if I could.

13

kuaiyidian t1_j0pt16u wrote

Quite a bummer tbh. Ever since I got the Chu I've been trying to find a Chu but with removable cable

3

peperoni69_ t1_j0punfg wrote

i think they are trying to do the koss model of making a good sounding headphone but without removable cable so people keep buying the same iem forever when their cable breaks

3

RubenRag t1_j0pk5dd wrote

Because it’s £19

−1

Matasa89 t1_j0pk8rd wrote

Yeah, but could’ve been a few bucks more and still be great, ya know? I wish it was, because it deserved more, it is so good.

Also the CCA CRA is even cheaper and it has replaceable cables.

5

Marathalayan t1_j0oxlxs wrote

Is AirPods Pro in terms of sound better than arias ?

1

GeologistUnfair t1_j0qcrgg wrote

I don't think so, but this subredded is filled with a lot of Americans/ apple enthusiast. 90% of Americans under the age of 30 using iPhone and there is a bizarre cultural obsession with that company.

3

Coel_Hen t1_j0p06lz wrote

IMO, yes, but I haven't heard the original Pros. They aren't 3x better though, but they cost 3x as much. If you're looking just for sound and don't need to make calls with them or use Siri with them or something, then the Arias are a better value. They are close to the Pro 2 in sound quality.

0

RubenRag t1_j0pk2pv wrote

That sounds like an awesome storage and transport solution, I can truly imagine being overawed with the storage and transport solution described above

Awesome

adjective adjective: awesome extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring awe. "the awesome power of the atomic bomb" or felt bag

0

GeologistUnfair t1_j0qbdej wrote

I feel like everybody in this hobby has the exact same opinions.

Blon 03. No quarks. No now it's chu. Now it's the zero.

There's going to be a new budget flavor of the month.

Everyone's going to own a dozen of these things..

To be fair, I think they're perfectly fine IEMs but the hype machine seems largely designed to get people to buy them all, and end up with a bunch of redundant products.

9

AmbitionForeign9940 OP t1_j0qcmy1 wrote

That's a good point. But these budget IEMs are great for newcomers to find out what they like or dislike.

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Taraxian t1_j0rtass wrote

Yeah honestly the whole thing is that once you have a ton of competing products at a price point that low it's natural for everyone to end up collecting a bunch of them as the "flavor of the month" changes, that's just how people work

That's honestly the whole reason you can call chi-fi IEMs a "hobby" and not just, you know, a product

2

_redOne_ t1_j0o8ole wrote

After two chu’s died on me, I gave the zeros a chance and I like them better but the design hurt my ears after a while :(

7

thatcarolguy t1_j0o8ph4 wrote

Salnotes Zero completely failed to dethrone the Chu for me but Quarks DSP convinced me to divorce it.

7

dadu1234 t1_j0qo2on wrote

the quarks are just too uncomfortable for me

3

thatcarolguy t1_j0qotum wrote

Interesting. To me there is pretty much nothing there to make it any more or less uncomfortable than the tips you have on it.

3

dadu1234 t1_j0qpg84 wrote

it's a bullet style, so there is nothing to support it, as it doesn't sit on the ear. It's not bad but it's just not for me.

1

[deleted] t1_j0op9eo wrote

[deleted]

1

mtndewritos t1_j0p0187 wrote

Correct.

2

Temmian t1_j0q3a14 wrote

Is there a version with jack instead?

3

mtndewritos t1_j0r9e7p wrote

The OG Quarks, but it has different tuning. The magic of Quarks DSP is in its usb c jack. It came pre-EQ'd out of the box.

3

Fidelius_VT t1_j0nvsrv wrote

Im really excited to try them! I really did not like the chus treble it sounded very grainy to me.

4

GLSRacer t1_j0obeaz wrote

I've had the Chu and Aria Snow for a while now. The Chus are pretty great for the price. I do find the Chus a bit fatiguing with some types of music, but I can listen to the Arias all day. I just ordered the Salnotes Zeros after seeing Crinacle's video and I'll be interested to see how they compare. For the price I don't think that you could go wrong with any of these.

4

hgoel0974 t1_j0oqwxt wrote

They're pretty good for $20 except for comfort, unfortunately I only used them for about 2 weeks since I ended up also getting the Truthear Zero at the same time, which are basically perfect for me.

4

GeologistUnfair t1_j0qcxwu wrote

So many people here bought both of these. Can we possibly entertain me again that these companies and their marketing strategy and their YouTube affiliates, are finding clever ways to convince us to keep buying new s***?

It's only a matter of time before there's a new $20 IEM they will convince you to buy.

I'm not okay. There's nothing wrong with it. It's still only 20 bucks but... It just seems a little convenient that every two or three months there's a new $20 budget. King and everybody just buys it.

And then 3 months later, the hype dies down and something replaces it.

5

hgoel0974 t1_j0qnany wrote

That's how products work in-general though, they're all competing on price point and since it's "just" $20 there's a large audience which won't mind buying them just to see what they sound like.

5

mournfulmonk t1_j0pw2dd wrote

I literally wrote my take on the Chus lmao and this hits hard. Also 7hz zero now gets bested by the Tangzu Wan'er.

3

xangchi t1_j0peu8o wrote

This is everyone in this sub. From one love story to another.

2

G65434-2_II t1_j0qyubv wrote

So, were the Chus being proudy, gave attitude, and would no compromise?

2

Heldaeus t1_j0rntud wrote

I had three pairs off chus “die” on me. They work fine if I pull out the filters but then they don’t sound as good.

2

soldmilton t1_j0o5p48 wrote

I did till they started falling apart...

1

SltySptoon t1_j0o8ji8 wrote

Sadly mine broke after trying to untangle the cable and pulling the iem out

1

jd52995 t1_j0ptrtj wrote

How would these compare to the ks zs10 pro?

1

lackofself2000 t1_j0qby2f wrote

So I have an 18 hr trip to Japan in April. I'll have a DAP with 3.5 and 2.5 bal. I have the KST ZST and like them a lot when EQ'd using autoeq values, way more than the moon drop starfields with EQ. The DAP I'm getting might not have an eq as good as Plexamp so I'm looking for something that might not need as much EQing. They need to be able to be worn for 8 hrs, so I'm thinking of foam tips as those will also give more isolation from the jet engines.

Would I like the Zeros?

1

WildAd9319 t1_j0rf30y wrote

Ahhhh. The endless drivel of cheap Chi-fi ear plugs.

1

LolosoBatatinha t1_j0om8ty wrote

Just saying, the planars revolution is probably on the best things to happen to the audiophile community this year

−1

cc781983761 t1_j0pgj5d wrote

Try the Apple earbuds headphone

−1

Lypertek t1_j0o2yty wrote

KZ EDCX sounds better than the Zero to me.

−4

Gaybulge t1_j0pjw4x wrote

For someone who wouldn't even put IEMs in another person's ears, this whole IEM-related drama is hilarious to observe.

−8