above 10 kHz. This is where we have air and this is where we get a sense of shine and sparkle in our music.

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.

DRIVER SETUP​Truthear Zero uses two dynamic drivers in an asymmetric orientation: one near the nozzle (tweeter) and the woofer is closer to the center of the shell. Every time you reach for earphone/IEM cables to connect them to your earphones/IEM, no matter how neatly you "wrapped" them up, they end up in a giant Gordian knot of frustration. Tangled cables are the bane of modern existence, and everyone owning a wired pair of earphones/IEM can attest to this.

The red faceplate looks really striking and gives the IEMs a premium look rarely found at this price point. It’s nice that the faceplates don’t catch fingerprints, so the ZERO: RED will probably look fresh for a long time. The faceplate art makes the ZERO: RED striking in person. 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.

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).

In a QA stream, Crinacle claimed that the crossover had been overhauled to improve THD performance across the audible range. I don’t think it has much to do with better electronic components rather than changing the frequency where the drivers cross over to each other. Build, Comfort & Features: Both IEMs are identical form build & comfort perspective. The RED comes with additional high impedance converter though. 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. Truthear Zero has a near- Harman 2019-esque frequency response. This essentially means a “clean boost” of sub-bass from 200Hz downwards, and an aggressive rise to the upper-mids from the low-mid region.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