Crinacle's Collaboration IEMs: Flagship Tuning for Mere ...

Discover whether Crinacle's collaboration IEMs truly afford the average audiophile a chance to ... Grab a Focal Clear for $990 and a FREE $100 gift card! 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Precogvision In-EarHeadphoneReviews 14minuteread Preface Well,thisissomewhatawkward:me,areviewer,basicallyreviewinganotherreviewer...andit'sCrinacle.Fortheuninitiated,CrinaclehailsfromSingaporeandiswidelyconsideredtobeoneofthebiggestauthoritiesonIEMs(in-ear-monitors)today.Inaseaofless-than-criticalreviewers(okay,morelikeshills),hemadeanameforhimselfwithhis(in)famousrankinglist,extensivemeasurementdatabase,andconcise,harshstyleofreviewing.Butwhatdoyoudowhenthestuffyou'rehearingjustisn'tlivinguptoyourexpectations?  Youtakemattersintoyourownhandsofcourse.Crinacle'sfirstcollaborationprojectwastheFearlessAudioxCrinacleDawn,a$1400behemoththatwas-putkindly-lessthanacommercialsuccess.Thiscanbeattributedtoanumberoffactors,primarilystemmingfrom1)CrinaclewantingtheDawntogainrecognitiononitsown,organicmerit,and2)theno-object-pricingthatputtheDawnoutofreachformostlisteners.Recognizingthis,todayI'llbeassessingCrinacle'slatestwaresthataretargetedatmuchmoreaccessiblepricepoints:  theKZZEXPro/CRN($37) theFiioFHEEclipse($150) theSeeAudioYumeMidnight($200) theMoondropB2:Dusk($330) Now,it'sonlyfairtonotethattherearesomebiasespresentonmyend.Inmanyrespects,Crinacle servedasapowerfulinspirationfor me andmystyleofreviewing.IstillfondlyrecallreadinghisreviewswhensearchingforsomeofmyfirstIEMs,enjoyinghowrefreshingtheywererelativetootherreviewsI'dread,andcross-referencingtherankinglist(somethingIstilldooccasionally).NeverwouldIhaveimaginedthatI'donedaybeassessinghisownIEMstosimilarstandards. Ofcourse,it'sforallthesesamereasonsthatyoucantrustmetonotpullthepunches. ReadontofindoutwhetherCrinacle'scollaborationIEMstrulyaffordtheaverageaudiophileachancetotasteflagshipleveltuningwithouttheexorbitantcost.  SourceandDrivability  AllcriticallisteningwasdoneoffofaniBassoDX300andiPhone13Miniwithlosslessfiles.Thestockcablesandthestocksiliconetipswereused.DirectA/Blisteningwasperformedwherepossible.Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreaboutmytestingmethodology,testtracks,andgeneralbeliefsinaudio,thenIwouldencourageyoutocheckoutthispage. TheStuffYouActuallyCareAbout  LikeCrinacle,Iamnotsomeonewhocaresverymuchaboutthe"tangibles",soI'drecommendcheckingoutotherreviewsonlineifyou'dliketogetabetterideaofwhatyou'regoingtogetintheboxwiththeseIEMs.  Theonlyboxartworthshowcasing(sorry,notrapCrinbecauseIdon'thavethepackagingfortheB2Dusk): Now,whatI can tellyouingreatdetailaboutiswhatyou'regoingtogetintermsofsoundquality,sowithoutfurtherado,let'stakeitawaytothesoundanalyses.  KZCRN/KZZEXPro  Price:$37/Configuration:1DD/1BA/1ES  https://kz-audio.com/kz-crinacle-crn.html You'reprobablywondering...thesearethesameIEM,sowhat'supwiththeseparatenames?TheansweristhattheZEXProwasreleasedbeforetheCRNasanexperimenttogatherfeedbackonhowanIEMwithCrinacle'stuningwouldbereceivedbyKZ'saudience.TheideaherewastodiscoverhowanIEMwithoutCrinacle'snameonitwouldperform,plusdipafingerintothewatersafefromthepossibilityofblowbacktoCrinacle'sname.Luckily,listenersmostlylikedwhattheyheard,sothesonically-identicalCRNwasreleasedshortlyafterwiththeCrinaclelogoemblazoned.  AsthenameKZZEXProimplies,theZEXProistechnicallythesuccessortotheoriginalKZZEX.IfyouhavenotheardtheKZZEX,1)youprobablydon'twantto,and2)itsoundstotallydifferentfromtheCRN(andyes,let'sjuststickwiththisnamebecauseit'sshorter).Thismeansthatifyou'realistenerwhoenjoyedtheZEX,thentheCRNisprobablynottheIEMforyou,astheCRNwouldmostlikelysoundthinandanemicbycomparison.  ThebassresponseistheCRN'sfirstdistinction.Most ofKZ'stuningsemphasizemore"dirty"responsescloudedwithmid-bassbloat.WhiletheCRNmaintainsagenerousbassboost,thedegreewithwhichitslopesoffismoreofacontrolled45degrees.Itactsmoreasa'foundation'totherestofthesound,asIfindtheCRN's basstocomeacrossfairlysubtle,almostdampened.It'snotacontestbetweenKZ's"house"basstuningandtheCRN's;I'dtaketheCRN'sanyday.ButtheCRN'stuningstillhasitsissues,oneofwhichImightconsideradealbreakerforsomelisteners.Theplateautotheupper-midrangefrom3-5kHzpushesfemalevocalsforwardandexacerbatesissueswithsibilance.CombinedwiththeCRN'scharacteristically"gritty"decaythatplaguesmostBAIEMs,vocalistscomeacrossasfairlygravelyandhoarsetomyears.ThetrebleresponseoftheCRNalsohastimbreissues,likelybakedintoapeakat8kHz(devoidofthecouplerresonance)andalackofextension.  Editor'snote3/10/22:TheBAsandelectrostaticdriveroftheCRNwerediscoveredtobehighly-dampened,tothepointofwhichtheybarelyhaveanyeffectonfrequencyresponse.WhileitispossiblethattheyattributetotheCRN's"gritty-ness"andtimbreissues,itismorelikelythatthisperceptionisattributabletothelackofair.  Inshort?Thetuninghereislistenable,perhapsevencommendablewithinthecontextofthe$50crowd,butnotgreatasawhole.IcanalreadyfeelthosepitchforkscomingoutfromtheChi-Ficultists,butwhatevercomponentsKZusesintheCRNarenotgood,andI'dspeculatethatsaidcomponentslimitedCrinacle'sabilitytodirectthetuningoftheCRN.Inanycase,theCRN'stechnicalitiesarealsojustyourusualKZaffair:poorresolution,poorimaging,poordynamics;thelistofinadequaciesgoeson.  AsforwhetheryoushouldbuytheCRN...ehhh.Ifyou'rereallyafanofCrinacle'sworkandwanttosupporthim,I'dsaygoforit.Otherwiseyou'reprobablybetteroffstickingwithasingle-DDIEMliketheTanchjimTanya,CCACRA,orSonyMH755(ifyoucanfindone)astheirdrivertopologyismorerefinedforthispricepoint.ThecomplexityoftheCRN'sdriverconfigurationwasprobablymoreagambitatthe"moredrivers+cooldrivername=better"crowd,agambitthatdoesn'tquitepayoffifyouaskme.  FiioFHEEclipse Price:$150/Configuration:1DD/2BA https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/fiio-x-crinacle-fhe-eclipse-1dd-2ba-in-ear-monitor-earphone Here'sanothercollaborationthatmostofusneversawcoming.Why?Fewbrandsexemplifythe"slingmudatthewallandhopesomethingsticks"philosophymorethanFiiodoes(andforreferencetheiroriginalFH3literallysoundedlikemudandwasnotanIEMthatstuck).Infact,I'veheardsomanyofFiio'sIEMsthatmyconversations withSuper*ReviewonFiio'snewreleasescanbasicallybesummedupinoneline:"Yup,itsoundslikeaFiio". Forthesereasons,youcanimaginethatIwashesitanttosharemythoughtsontheEclipse.WouldCrinacle'stuningreallybeabletoturnaroundsuchanunremarkableIEM?  Theanswerismostlyanoinmyhumbleopinion.Granted,IdothinktheEclipse'stuningisalright,evenifit'sgoingforaverydifferenttypeofsoundthantheoneCrinacleusuallyindexesfor.Straightfromthemanhimself,theEclipseisabasshead'sIEMwithastrongbassshelfthatextendsoutto~350Hzwithsomemid-bass. ItsubsequentlybecomesaquestionofwhethertheEclipsehasthetechnicalchopstoplayballwithitswarmertuning,butthisiswheretheballgetsdropped. IhadsomechoicewordswhenIpennedmyimpressionsoftheFiioFH3,andtheymeritrepeatinghere:"ApparentlythisIEMusesaberylliumDD;frankly,Iwouldn'thavecalledit". ThedynamicdriverFiioisusingintheEclipseissimplynotgood.Quick,successivebasshitssoundsmeared,andtexture-here,Irefertoanaturalsenseoftactilityandreverbondrums-issorelylacking.  Theissuesdon'tquitestophereeveniftheyaremoreminor.Theupper-midrangeoftheEclipseissomewhatawkwardlytuned(Ifinditrunsahairhotatlouderlisteningvolumes),andthere'sapeakat5kHzinthetreblelendingtopercussioncompression.Asisalsocommonwiththesemorecoloredtypeoftunings,theEclipse'simagingchopsarebelowaverageanditsuffersfromagenerousamountofcongestionwhereininstrumentsonthestageperceptivelymeshintooneanotherandsoundindistinct.  Now,I'mwellaware:theEclipsewasneverintendedtobecompetingagainstall-roundersliketheMoondropAriaandtheEtymoticER2XR. Andcreditwherecreditisdue,theEclipse'stuningiscertainlynotasbadastheoriginalFH3'swhichsoundedhonky(a1kHzbumpinthepinna,really?)andgenerallyplainoddfrommemory.Still, theEclipseisacoloredlistenthattriggerstoomanyalarmbellstomyears. Myotherissuestemsfromtherebeingother,bass-heavyIEMslikethisthatarenoticeablymoretechnicalforafractionofthecost(seetheCCACRAforexample).WhileI'vecertainlyheardworsefor$150,theEclipsedoesn'texactlyliveuptothehighexpectationsthatcomeattachedwithCrinacle'sname.  SeeAudioYumeMidnight Price:$200/ Configuration:1DD/2BA https://hifigo.com/products/seeaudio-x-crinacle-yume-midnight-iems TheMidnighthasbeensittingonCrinacle'sgraphtoolforthelastcouplemonthswithmebasicallysalivatingtogetmyearsonit.Letthegushingcommence. ...oratleastthat'swhatI'dliketosay.Hearmeout.  AsCrinacledeemedit,theoriginalYumewasbasicallyaone-trickwonderthatwaspredicateduponitsclass-leadingtonality.So,thegoodpart:thetuningoftheMidnightisstillexcellentandarguablyevenbetterduetoanoticeablymoreextended,elevatedresponseinthetrebleairregions.ThefewtonalflawstheMidnightstillexhibitscanbasicallybesummarizedasthefollowingtomyears:  Itdoesn'tactuallysoundliketheMidnighthas~10dBofsub-bassboost. Whetheraproductofthecurvatureofthebassshelforthedynamicdriverbeingemployed,IwouldnotclassifytheMidnightasaparticularlybassyIEM.Isupposethatcouldbegoodorbaddependingonwhatyou'relookingfor,butfromtheperspectiveofquality,theMidnightalsodoesn'treallyslamandithasbelow-averagebasstexture.  TheMidnighthasa3-4dBrecessionataround5-6kHz. Whenpercussivehitsconnect,theinitialsenseof crack thatshouldbetheresoundsundefined,almostmissing.CombinedwiththeMidnight'ssuperbtrebleextension(seriously,considermeimpressedonthisfrontfor$200),thisresultsinanairy,featherysortoftrebleresponsethatcancomeofflackingasenseofweight.  Buttheparteveryonereallywantstoknowabout:technicalities.Why?AsIalludedtoabove,theOGYumehadaseriouslackofnotedefinitionandbasicallysoundedlikea$50IEMintermsoftechnicalities. Bycomparison,IcanconfirmMidnight'snoteattackisatleastnoticeablysharperonfirstlisten.However,I'mnotsureI'mconvincedthisisa"technicalYume"otherwise,astheMidnightremainsplaguedbyanumberoftheflawsthatusuallycomeattachedtocheaperhybridIEMs.Transientscomeacrossfairlysmotheredandplastickyindecay,andthere'sanartificialstraintothetreble'stimbre,perhapsnotunlikesomeTWSIEMsthatI'veheard. TheMidnight'sstagingislargerthantheOGYume's(which'llusuallyhappenwhenyouboosttrebleextension),butnothingremarkable.Overall,Ithinkyou'dbelookingat"B-/B"leveltechnicalitiesiftheOGYumewasa"C+".TheMidnight'sadecenttechnicalperformerbutnotnecessarilyimpressivefor$200,especiallyrelativetotechnicalfrontrunnerslikethe7HzTimelessortheShuoerS12.  Furthermore,theMidnightisatextbookexample-forbetterorworse-ofwhyI'vebecomeincreasinglyconvincedthatfrequencyresponseisnotthefinalauthorityonwhatwehear.TheMidnightsportsbeautifulextensiononbothendsofthespectrumandaclose-to-idealfrequencyresponse,yetitdoesnotsoundhi-fidelitytome.Still,Idigress.TheMidnightisdefinitelycompetitiveanditoffersacompellingpackageforthelistenerwhodesiresbalancedtuningandstrongtrebleextensionat$200.Thisone'sworthgivingashot.  MoondropBlessing2:Dusk Price:$330/Configuration:1DD/4BA https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/moondrop-x-crinacle-blessing2-dusk-1dd-4ba-in-ear-monitor-earphone AthemeyoumightobserveisthatmostofthesecollaborationsarenotbuiltaroundwhatI'dnecessarilyconsidertobegoodIEMs,atleastintermsoftechnicalities.MostofthembasicallyservetoshowcaseCrinacle'stuningskillmorethananything.Butwhathappenswhenyoutakeawell-establishedbenchmarkIEM,theMoondropBlessing2,andputitinCrinacle'shands?  I'vegushedabouttheDuskinthepast(seehere),butIdon'tminddoingsoagain.Forstarters,thetonalbalanceoftheDuskissimplyexceptional.Ithasaterrificsub-bassshelfthat'scontrolledandatjusttherightamplitudetosatemostlisteners'appetites.Themidrangeisdead-balanced,perhapsahairthintosomelisteners,butrightalongthelinesofneutralitytomyears.TreblewouldprobablybetheDusk'sbiggestweaknessduetosomeroll-offpast10kHzandsomethingofavalleyinthemid-treble.Inanycase,whilethemarkethasgottenmorecompetitivewithtuningsincetheDusk'srelease,therearestillfewIEMs underagrandthatgotoe-to-toeinthetuningdepartment.TheDuskjustsoundsorightwhenyou(I)hearit;itexpertlymeshesneutraltuningwithakickoffundown-low.  UnliketheotherIEMsinthisround-up,theDuskactuallyhasrespectabletechnicalitiestoo:slightlyaboveaverageimaging,aboveaveragemacro-contrast,andasolidsenseofinternaldetail.It'sstillnotaperfectIEMintheintangibledepartmentofcourse.ThedynamicdriverbeingusedintheDuskisuncharacteristicallydry(it'snotasblandasaBAwoofer,butit'spushingit)andthere'ssomegritty-nesstodecayinthemidrangeandtreble,perhapsaproductof1)theparticularKnowlesdriverhandlingthetrebleand2)arecessionsomewhereinthemid-treble.You'realsotradingsomeminorimagingchopsrelativetothenormalBlessing2.  ButthesearenigglesthatIcouldapplytoevenmostflagshipIEMs.IftheBlessing2wasalready"nothingtopsthisunder$300"good,sufficeittosaytheDuskstandsinaclassofitsownatthispricepoint.Tome,theDuskistheshiningexampleofwhat'spossiblewithcollaborationIEMs;furthermore,it'snodoubtpartiallytoblameforwhyI'vebeensocriticaloftheothercollaborationIEMsabove.Itreallysetsthebarthathighand,here,Ithinkit'sonlyfittingIstealalinefromCrinacle:"BuyDusk".  TheBottomLine  DespitemyharshcommentsregardingtheCRNandEclipse,Idon'tnecessarilythinkthey'reevenbadIEMswithinthecontextofthemarketasawhole.I'vecertainlyheardmuchworse.Still,collaborationsseemtoworkbestwhenthere'sastrong,existingframework,especiallyintermsoftechnicalperformance.Whenyoucombineadequatetechnicalities(Midnight)orabove-averagetechnicalities(Dusk)withstrongtuning,thebarissuddenlyraisedsignificantly. Thatinmind,whatI'mmostinterestedinnow isanotherflagshipcollaborationIEMfromCrinacle.Giventhesuccessofhischeapercollaborations-anappetizertohisstyleoftuningifyouwill-Idon'tthinkit'sunrealistictoexpectanotherflagshipcollaborationIEMtoperformbettercommerciallythantheDawndid.Thismightbeunrealistic(asCrinaclehasstatedthattheMidnightisthelastcollaborationforalongtime),butitdoesn'tstopamanfromdreaming.  --- DiscusstheseIEMsontheHEADPHONECommunityForumHere. --- «BacktoBlog RelatedArticles LETSHUOEREJ07MReview:TheUnderdog 8minuteread SymphoniumHeliosReview:UncompromisedEngineering 11minuteread 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