Personally i think the only one who has vaule as good as the Zero is the Moondrop Chu - its much more mid and vocal focused sacrificing some of the bass and the “energy” that the Zero has. I like the Zero more but Its a solid competitor at the same price range and the Moondrop tips you get with it are great.
1 Like
I can respect that, as I haven’t heard the Chu yet. But the Zero can be at the top edge of what I find tolerable in the upper-mids and treble, considering I prefer having that note-weight and “energy” that you say the Chu is missing. The Chu goes further than that in the treble, and the non-detachable cord is a downgrade.
For my desired sound signature, Chu simply doesn’t fit my style. But I’m happy for you that it works well!
1 Like
well its 20$ i’d suggest you give them a shot, just for the sake of trying them out, also the tips that come with them are great (12 bucks just for the tips so its a solid deal)
im actually working on a 3 way comparison between the Chu, Quarks and Zero (basically and 20 and under noteworthy shutout)
And i wouldn’t say that the Chu treble focused its more that Vocals are front and center, if i were to compare them to the Zero. The Zero has better energy and bass but the vocalist is always in the group, while with the chu its more like the vocalist is 3-4 step more forward but you lose
I will make a point of getting to the Chu at some point, because yeah it is $20. But, in terms of my preferences, telling me a set has less bass energy than the Zero, when one of my chief complaints about the Zero is that it doesn’t have enough bass energy and sounds too thin is not the best way to sell me on the set 
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No rush man, its always nice to try different flavors 
who knows it might be great for some stuff that you listen to
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Thanks to this revelation, I’m going to return my 7Hz Zero, because there’s ZERO chance I’m carrying redundant tunings of the same set. But as a final send off, I’ve got a doozy planned:
7Hz Zero vs. Moondrop Chu
Versus
KBear Rosefinch
Versus
My now thrice-bought original budget king:
CCA CRA
It’s a fatal-four way finale! Coming soon!!!
4 Likes
RIP Oppoty. Never change, Blon.
1 Like
No more OPPOTY and shattered DRIAMS 
1 Like
Welcome to my latest look at IEMs. Today we start on fun journey. Welcome to:
Six For the Price of $20 or a Budget IEM Battle Royal
The idea of this started out with humble roots. I had the 7Hz Zero, had the CCA CRA for quite a while (until I lost an earpiece), and simply wanted to try out a couple of the other $20 sets I’ve heard things about. Then I grabbed more $20 sets that have come out recently, and before I knew it I was comparing six IEMs, more or less at once. Which I don’t recommend. Bouncing back and forth to different sound signatures has done a number on my ears. But that’s a me-problem. And I’m here to help you-problems: namely, which of these sets are worth it, when are they worth it, and even why you should pass on them. So, let’s get going on this journey with part one.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard - Jeremy Messersmith (for mids, male vocals and soundstage)
Poison - Slumberjack (feat. Sydnee Carter) (for mids, female vocals, some bass, layering and a soundstage check)
You Should Be Sad - Halsey (for bass, mids, female vocals)
Perception - Beard of Harmony (for guitars in bass and mids, male vocals, technicalities)
Traveling Upstream - Cody High (for pianos full register, technicalities)
Fire - Black Pumas (for technicalities including layering and timbre, soundstage)
One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, SIX!
So I think to start out, it’s the easiest to tell you what I listened to, and before I start with the comparisons (nee, nitpicking) lay out what general tier I find for each set. Because with these six sets, there are levels. First, though, introductions:
7Hz Zero
CCA CRA
CCA Lyra
Moondrop CHU
KBear Rosefinch
Blon Z200
Are You Sure You Go Here?
Next, I can fairly confidently trim this six to four. The BZ200 and Lyra and not bad IEMs. But I think both are a step behind the other four. The Lyra is a very competent neutral-warm type IEM. It’s got more bass and note weight than the Zero or the CHU and is only very mildly V-shaped compared to them. It has a pretty smooth upper-midrange as well, with a tasteful cut between 3-4k that counters the energy the Zero and CHU has. It’s a good complimentary sound to pair with either of those sets. The simple reason that Lyra isn’t worth grabbing is that the CRA exists. It’s cheaper and does the sound signature better than Lyra.
The CRA has a little bit more bass bump. In terms of degree, the Zero has just too little bass, Lyra has just enough bass, and CRA has just satisfying enough bass. Both CRA and Lyra slope the bass well and correct before going into the mids keeping bass bleed to a minimum, but the CRA is a little less recessed in the mids than Lyra. It’s a little more full bodied which I appreciate. That story continues into the upper-mids and treble. Lyra has a little bit more energy in the upper-mids and enough treble so I do not dislike it. But CRA brings just a little more control in the upper-mids and has just a touch more energy in the treble. CRA is a little better in the bass, a little weightier in the lower-mids, a little more controlled in the upper-mids, a little clearer in the treble, and it has a little bit better soundstage feeling more open and less intimate. All of this and CRA is a little cheaper too. All of these littles add up to make CRA just better than Lyra.
The Z200 is a completely average V-shaped IEM. I have zero complaints about the bass. It’s of quality on par with the Lyra and CRA. It has recessed lower-mids, upper-mids that start out with good energy but have an audible drop in energy going into the treble, and a treble that could stand a touch more energy than it gives. In terms of soundstage and technicalities, it does what it’s supposed to do as well. But that feels like the problem with Z200: It pretty much does everything it should do, and does it well enough. It is a good, average IEM at a very palatable price. The only thing with that is that in 2022, even the $20 price point is filled with a sea of monsters. A year ago, this IEM could’ve been a hyped up set. This year, it’s a set that has competition that are flat-out killers.
Now We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming
If you can’t tell, I do believe the CRA, Zero, and CHU are a step above in this comparison, and I will get to my top-3 in time. But before I get there, I need to impress upon everyone reading this how much you should try out the KBear Rosefinch, if you fall into 2 specific use cases.
1). If you want a massive, unrestrained, “Boomy booty-booty buttcheeks” amount of bass, you NEED to try this IEM. The first time I listened to this set for a long session, I turned the volume up and the bass bumped so hard I started having a small headache afterwards. The amount of “too much” bass snuck up on me. This driver can absolutely thump! This tuning is definitely not for neutrality or accurate music reproduction. But the amount of bass, and the way the treble is tuned up to provide clarity, allows this IEM to be the best IEM I’ve heard at excessive bass levels. KBear goes for this in their cheaper IEMs, but this is easily their best implementation. If you like the KS1 or the Robin, this is an evolutionary jump compared to those. For $20 (and less if you can find it, I’ve gotten it for $12), this has the biggest quantity of bass of any set I’ve heard under $200.
2). If you are a believer in modding sets to get the best performance possible, you NEED to try this IEM. I’m a fan of Rosefinch in its stock configuration and felt no need to tinker because it’s a different flavor than what I usually listen to, and I liked it for that. I watched Akros’ review of Rosefinch and he lamented that KBear left a lot of potential on the plate, tuning it the way they did. He posited this is a VERY good driver, hidden behind a non-optimal tuning. In my opinion, Akros is correct!
I did a simple air-vent mod, and was shocked with what I heard. The bass became a lot more controlled and was of a quality on-par with sets like Tri x HBB Kai. The bass bleed was controlled, and the lower-mids were much cleaner (though now the recess wasn’t filled in with bass bleed. It’s still a net-gain). The shock was how much the soundstage and technicalities of the set opened up. Pulling the bass back and adding air (literally, in this case), while keeping the treble levels untouched to the ear, allows the driver to produce a massive upgrade in soundstage. It’s the best soundstage I’ve heard in a sub-$100 DD, outside of Olina. The composite biological driver this uses is class. It can make BIG sound, and it can make technical sound. I needed to know if you could marry the two versions into something special, so I taped the front vent and added that to the air vent. This put most of the sub-bass back into the sound, but kept the mid-bass reduction that tightened up the overall response. This is the best version of what Rosefinch brings to the table. The bass is big but completely under control. The mids have a good body, even though still a notable V-shape, and you retain the technical gains that the air vent put into the set. I even bought a second Rosefinch, to have the stock bass tuning because I do NOT want to touch my modded Rosefinch and mess up the tuning. And since I got them for $12 each, I’m still under $25 for the pair.
The reason I am putting this aside in its own tier, rather than making more direct comparisons to the other three sets left, is because those other sets have objective things I can point to in their favor for what they do better than the others. If I had only heard Rosefinch in stock form, I’d be able to do the same because this would be the default Basshead option I would recommend if someone didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars.
I cannot be that objective about Rosefinch anymore, because IMO this is a unicorn set. I’m not insane to say this is better than something like Olina or Kai, Starsea, or those other sets I have high regard for. It is not better. But this driver, if implemented in a better way with a better tuning, could absolutely compete with anything you throw at it. Part of my musical search is about finding the right sound signature that will appeal to me. Another part is about finding driver technology that does something different with the music I listen to.
A driver is a driver, is a driver…until it isn’t. At the $100 and under bracket, Olina has a driver that is more than other drivers. We can quibble about the tuning but nobody has listened to Olina and said it sucks. If you believe in modding, you owe it to yourself to try this driver out and see if it sucks. Because I promise you, it does not. It is a crime that KBear put this driver in a $20 set. I don’t know if this is just a test-drive, and they’re going to use this driver in a better IEM, or it’s a one-off. But this set is a wolf in sheep’s clothing: this driver is the best driver I’ve heard that isn’t Olina, under $100. And while I don’t have the breadth of experience, I can’t imagine there is a better driver anywhere near how much Rosefinch costs.
What Does All This Mean (so far)?
I feel very strongly about the merits of Rosefinch, but if you are not in these two particular use cases, I don’t think you will like this set the way I do. Hence, it sits in a space all its own. KBear Rosefinch is a special IEM that I don’t know what to tell you to do with. But I encourage everybody to try it and see where you fall.
Next time, we will get to what you actually paid to see (wait, what…?): CCA CRA vs. Moondrop CHU vs. 7Hz Zero. Which $20 set is my number one of all? That’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till part two!
CCA Lyra
Rank: C+
Rank With Personal Bias: C+
Blon Z200
Rank: C+
Rank With Personal Bias: C+
KBear Rosefinch
Rank: B-
Rank With Personal Bias: B
With Air Vent + Vent Tape Mods
Rank: B
Rank With Personal Bias: B
5 Likes
CCA CRA vs. Moondrop Chu vs. 7Hz Zero or Why Ice Cream Flavors Matter
It is not my style to say something is definitively better, in the realm of headphones/IEMs etc. This hobby is way too subjective for my (or any person or group’s) opinion to be the end-all of discussion. Much like ice cream, we can all agree ice cream is delicious (and if you don’t you’re a monster, but regardless just go with the analogy) but that doesn’t mean we all like vanilla, chocolate, or chocolate chip cheesecake flavor ice cream best. And just because praline’s cookies and cream is a very busy ice cream with lots of flavor technology, it doesn’t mean I will like it over strawberry.
I say that because a lot of times we get caught in a zero-sum game that one style of playback is best and if a earphone doesn’t do that style well, it is inferior. This is not a great way to go about assessing equipment, in my opinion, so this exercise is not going to be about picking one over the other, but about why each set has merit and a place in the discourse of IEMs worth owning.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Fundamental Elements of Madness - Dax Johnson (For soundstage, piano tonality)
Breaking & Entering - Tonight Alive (For female vocals, rock bass elements, layering and imaging)
Falcon Eye - Off Bloom (For mids, bass performance)
Warm It Up (feat. Young Sinatra) - Logic (Sub and mid-bass, overall clarity)
Savior - Rise Against (For rock bass elements, male vocals, layering and imaging, treble clarity)
I Scream, You Scream
So we have three different IEMs and I’d argue we have three different flavors of ice cream to play with:
CCA CRA - Neutral-Warm (Bass-boosted neutral would be accepted too)
7Hz Zero - Neutral-Balanced
Moondrop Chu - Neutral-Bright
Now you can tilt each set a bit to each direction with tips and other choices, like CRA can be more neutral-balanced, Zero can be a little warm or bright, and Chu can tilt completely bright with the choice of tips. But the place I landed was using each set to play to what I think their strengths are. So let’s take a look at what each set does across the wonderful sound spectrum.
Now When I Say Get Low…
When it comes to bass the simple answer for me is CRA has enough of it, Zero is just a little lacking, and Chu needs more. But I can dig a little deeper than being that black and white about it. When it comes to quantity, CRA is king, but when it comes to the actual quality, the sub-bass is not what draws me in the most. The mid-bass is. And I think it’s fair to say that part of the reason I want more bass out of Zero and Chu is because they do actually play bass well. I’m not asking it to overpower the mids and treble, or take away all the emphasis, but my opportunities to use them feel limited because they don’t have enough of the kick. When listening to Turn It Up, for example, I don’t want my bass to be polite. I want to bob my head with the “BUM-BUM-BUMMMBAH” not politely analyze the ‘bum-bum-bummmbah”. That lack of complete versatility, in giving me what all the music I listen to are asking for, hurts both Zero and Chu in the low end. The lack of mid-bass, especially, also affects the signature because of the lack of note-weight that both possess (Chu a little worse than Zero). For most normal listening, to my style, they’re just a little too thin sounding, and that is not my preference. CRA’s body in the low-end is most desirable to me.
One For Me, Two For You
All three of these sets are fantastic in the mids. Clean and clear as a whistle. But the complaint I just had about the Zero and Chu in the bass serves them well in the mids in some ways. I can’t ding those two sets for their bass being light, and not give them credit that one of the benefits of that is the mids are completely open for you to experience. While there can be a little bit of recess in male vocals, the fact they are not obstructed in any way does help mitigate any perceived weakness. I would say that where the timbre is to my preference with the CRA, there’s just a little bit too deep of a dip in the lower mids. It’s not much of a v-shape, but it’s a little more recessed than Chu and Zero.
Bang, Zoom, Straight to the Moon
I like all three renditions of the upper mids, though I will say this is where the biggest differences start to make themselves known. Chu is the most aggressive from here on out. It can be a lot of energy, especially at higher volumes. CRA is the most laid-back option, making a very smooth, easy climb through the upper-mids and balancing that with a little more energy in the early treble. Some have found that to be peaky, but I’m learning I don’t mind that kind of rise, over needing to take a cut out because it peaked too sharply. The Zero splits the difference where it has more energy than CRA but just takes the edge off of where Chu is at. Zero is RIGHT at the edge of too much, which is a delicate balance to maintain. At $20, it does an admirable enough job at doing so.
Likewise, treble brings three different interpretations: CRA gives you more treble, to balance the energy that is lacking in the upper-mids; Zero smooths off the early treble, to keep you from being blasted with detail, and Chu goes all-in and stays as energetic in the treble. The thing about how Chu goes about its treble though, is that it avoids being peaky in any way, and simply glides its way through the treble. So it is a lot of treble but it never stabs at your ear. You just have to be okay with the treble itself. In terms of just this region, I have to give it to Chu, it does something in the treble I haven’t heard at this price.
Don’t Forget to Read to the End
Oh, it’s not just about the sound though, when it comes to these sets. There are nits to pick with all three sets: With the CRA and Zero, my biggest gripes are in their tuning. They are well-tuned but the Zero could just use a little more bass to body them up, to my taste. By contrast, the CRA could use a little better tuning in the mids, to be more in line with Zero and Chu. My biggest gripe with Chu is simply the attached cable. If they had made Chu $25 and made the cable detachable, I’d say it wins. But I can’t do that.
I think the irony in this situation is that the CRA is the IEM tuned best for my tastes and library, but I don’t think I would pick it first. If I was only staying in the $20 range, it is the most versatile across all genres, but it’s in the jack-of-all-trades, master of none category to me. There are sets in this range that are more special (relatively, of course), even if this one is plenty fun.
The Zero is the most neutral of these three sets, and that is a flavor that I don’t naturally gravitate to. That gives Zero a real value, as a set that would do things a little differently, and does it pretty competently across most genres. It makes perfect sense why this set has grown the reputation it has, but it’s still not a set that I would reach for all the time for personal listening. It is an amazing tool for judging other sets though, and I keep it for that.
What won me over, the most, with Chu is not that I like it’s sound better than the other two. But Chu fills a use case that no other earphone I have does as well: It is now my low-volume, in bed earphone. This signature is not what I want to listen to all day, but when it’s time to wind down I can slip these in my ears, play my music soft and gently lie on my side, without the earpiece stabbing my earhole. Even with my gripe about the cable, the fact that the shells are the perfect size to disappear into my ear give these a use for me that will get me to learn to appreciate this much upper-mid and treble energy.
What Does All This Mean? (aka where @Naturallymorbid gets his flowers)
I think this is why judging “better or worse” is a flawed way of going about things. Purely by my sound preference, I should pick the CRA. If I’m picking based on what I think is best across the entire frequency, even if I nitpick on the bass quantity, I should pick the Zero. But I found the Chu to be the one that actually breaks into my rotation, because it fills a niche that no other set I own can fill as well.
This hobby is forever interesting. That’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
CCA CRA
Rank: B-
Rank With Personal Bias: B-
7Hz Zero
Rank: B-
Rank With Personal Bias: B
Moondrop Chu
Rank: B-
Rank With Personal Bias: B
3 Likes
Screw flowers, i take cash
But i figured you would find the Chu interesting at the very least, they are quite different to the rest of the pack because they are a much more “mellow” IEM.
I have to say i havent tried the CRA ,but i will get one just out of sheer curiosity, but i have to say that the 20$ range is getting way better in the last year than i ever though possible
I’ve got both sets and 100% agree with this statement based on my personal preferences.
1 Like
Truthear x Crinacle Zero or Why Don’t I Have A Snazzy Title For This
I have to say when I’m feeling really inspired, coming up with words to say (or write in this case) isn’t all that difficult. I’m not the most bombastic, attention-grabbing type of person but when I feel something strongly I will let you know about it. My previous analysis of the $20ish price bracket would tell you as much. So why has it taken me a while to come to grips with what I’d want to say about the Truthear Zero? Let’s get into that, right now.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Fundamental Elements of Madness - Dax Johnson (For soundstage, piano tonality)
Breaking & Entering - Tonight Alive (For female vocals, rock bass elements, layering and imaging)
Falcon Eye - Off Bloom (For mids, bass performance)
Warm It Up (feat. Young Sinatra) - Logic (Sub and mid-bass, overall clarity)
Savior - Rise Against (For rock bass elements, male vocals, layering and imaging, treble clarity)
I Have a Certain Set of Skills…
This IEM has a reputation that has grown on the back of its tuning, and the person who tuned it. Everybody that knows about the Truthear Zero (From here known as TZero), knows that it is tuned, to effect, to bring the sound signature of the Moondrop Variations (and the tuning of that style) to an affordable price bracket. I have not heard the Variations so I have no frame of reference to judge that, but I can certainly say that nothing I’ve heard under $200 sounds like the TZero. And EQing other sets to a signature like the TZero does not do justice to what this signature sounds like.
The sub-bass effect that is its claim to fame is there and it is for real. Using one DD for just the sub-bass gets you the subwoofery rumble that you are promised, and it is done effectively. You also get the mid-bass tuck you are promised too. If you are not a fan of warm mid/upper bass this is your ticket, because the mid-bass is present in the barest sense possible. When you go from there into the mids, it is as clean as a whistle. The crossover effect doesn’t leave you knowing exactly where one driver drops off and the other picks up, but you almost feel like it. This is because the mid-bass cuts off so completely. The lower mids are also as present as necessary (but not much more) and the lack of warmth feeding into them keeps them feeling dry and analytical.
The upper-mids and early treble are the stars of this show because this set is bright and energetic. With the bass being mostly polite, and the low-mids sitting back, the upper-mids sound even more forward than they graph. The TZero has the most emphasized female vocals I think I have heard, as much about the amplitude as it is about the forwardness. There’s just a lot of energy, and that carries through to the low-treble. It has a dip further in the treble, which I would posit is an attempt to tame some amount of that energy you get.
And That There, In Fact, Is the Rub
To love this IEM, you have to love that upper range energy. Yes, the sub-bass is all there, but the rest of the signature is lacking. The mid-bass and low-mids are not energetic enough, to my tastes. If you would consider this amount of bass and mids neutral then I’m not a fan of neutral, particularly if you’re not going to balance the amount of upper-end energy. The upper-mids and treble are just so overpowering. The note-weight is substandard to my ear, and the mids are more dry than I care for.
But Why Aren’t You as Good as the 7Hz Zero?
The battle of the Zeros is a really interesting case study in the similarities of frequency graphs but why drivers matter. Based on graphs, I would think that the TZero bass is a little tucked, and that the upper-mids are in the same ballpark. In practice, the 7Hz is just at the level of acceptable bass in my opinion. It’s a little underdone in the sub-bass but has just enough mid-bass to get by. I feel the 7Hz is distinctly bassier, in the mid-bass, than the TZero. That difference affects the perception of the upper-areas because the lack of weight in the low-end leaves the signature imbalance so the energetic upper-range sounds perceptibly more energetic and forward. A superior driver (or drivers) may be able to take this type of signature and still make it sound balanced. Neither of the Zeros do that for me in a fully satisfactory way, but It is just too much for me to handle.
Versus KBear Aurora - These are definitely different types of sets. The Aurora is an energetic V-shape IEM, with its focus squarely in the mid-bass and upper-mids. This is an example of where balance and drivers matter. This tuning has a fault in it where the mid-bass energy extends too far and makes the lower-mids sound a little congested. The cleanliness of the mids is an advantage for the TZero. But the Aurora has better control of its upper-mid energy, thanks in part to the balance it possesses, thanks to that mid-bass energy. It sounds less like an IEM doing sub-bass and uppers, and more like an IEM doing the whole frequency justice.
What Does All This Mean?
What this means, as far as I’m concerned, is that this IEM (like any other) has a place and a use case. But I will release this IEM without a trace (sorry, the rhyme was right there) (not sorry, really). I think this IEM has a place as something to hear and test out if you can get along with a style of tuning that you find far higher up the food chain. I also think this IEM can have a place in your roster if you actively prefer a brighter sound signature. In those ways, I can commend the TZero for what it’s going for. The drawback to me is in the tech used. I just don’t find that the driver tasked with the non-subwoofer frequencies in the TZero is capable of pulling it off. It was a gallant attempt to bring a tuning you can’t find for less than 10x what this set costs (to my knowledge), but this attempt falls short of the goal. That’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank: B-
Rank With Personal Bias: B-
5 Likes
Nicely written up, brother. I remember when I was once interested in the Crin Zero - I’m happy I didn’t pull the trigger though. A lacking mid bass is definitely a no go for me.
2 Likes
Something I forgot to mention: if you don’t like the brightness of this set, it is a HORROR SHOW to tip roll. The nozzle is probably too big for your favorite tip. I could NOT force Final Type-Es on the nozzle to combat the shout. The only tip I had that fit and put a dent in balancing the bass was Spinfit CP155s. It was a mess!
2 Likes
Tripowin x HBB Olina SE or The Time I Cannot Deny the Power of Hype
I think I might be one of six people out there that did not fall head over heels in love with the Tripowin x HBB Olina. I am not a naysayer that believes Olina is garbage and you should pass on it, and that everyone hyping it is some thoughtless sheep. The Olina is a VERY good IEM, that has a few proclivities that did not work out for me, to make me want to buy it, listen to it, or love it. But the strengths of the CNT driver Olina uses are undeniable. As far as 1DD drivers go, CNT is among the cream of the crop. And so when the Olina SE was announced, with a revised tuning that was supposed to address the most common criticisms of the OG Olina, I was put on notice. When I saw the tuning for Olina SE I knew I was in trouble. Then I bought Olina SE and listened to it…and here are my thoughts.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Hell On Earth - REZZ & Yultron (For bass elements, low-mid clarity)
Windows - Abby Gundersen (For piano and violin timbre, resolution and clarity)
Marie Antoinette (2003 Rudy Van Gelder Remaster Edition) - Freddie Hubbard (For imaging, layering and soundstage, brass and woodwind timbre)
Wood Stove Whine - Muhammad Seven & The Spring (For male vocals, resolution, layering, mids focus)
PAPERMOON - Tommy heavenly6 (For female vocals, rock bass and treble elements, layering)
A Worthwhile Concept, Revised to the Creator’s Intent
I think this encompasses the mission statement of the Olina SE, to a tee. The OG Olina was meant to be produced as a less expensive gateway into the sound of the Tanchjim Oxygen, and family of IEMs that use the same type of driver. To say this was a rousing success is an understatement. I think the narrative that Olina is an “Oxygen killer” is the wrong way to think of it. The intent was never to kill IEMs in a higher budget; the intent was to bring what existed behind an artificial paywall of sorts down to a more affordable price point. And like with much of the market in 2021-22, the success of this model cannot be understated. Olina is a wonderful achievement for the market, but that isn’t to say it was flawless.
While people found workarounds for the few nitpicks of the Olina’s sound, it never totally spoke to me that this was must-own. I found that the bass was just a bit too light for the amount of upper-mid energy Olina put out. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “shouty” but the fact that the IEM always felt like it was on the razor’s edge of getting shouty turned me off from it. The fact that Olina SE was purported to be tuned with this in mind, to clean that up, made me feel very excited to try this set out.
Let’s Get Mikey to Try it. He Hates Everything…
Okay, it’s hardly true that I hate everything. In fact, I go out of my way to find things to like and point to the positive. This is because while something might not be to my taste, it is possible that it could be exactly what someone else wants. And if I only put my perspective on it, without context or nuance, then someone will not be able to get a full picture of what’s out there. I generally find myself liking sets that don’t get all the hype and fanfare, and I’ll admit that I tend to be a little harder when I critique collaboration sets. It’s not entirely rational, but a collab has to knock my socks off to get me to gush over it.
Good thing I’m not wearing any socks then, right? The first thing I noticed the first time I listened to Olina SE is exactly how clean the sound is. The mids are a delight, with no bleed from the bass and no film from a lackluster treble. There’s no recession where some elements will stand out over the others. What is supposed to be forward at any given point is exactly what you get. It’s delightful.
The bass isn’t going to be overpowering or juicy, but that isn’t the intent of Olina SE anyway. This set has good, engaging bass that, again, is exactly where it’s supposed to be when it’s supposed to be there. You get good mid-bass slam and adequate sub-bass, which is exactly what helps set up the stellar low-mids. The upper-mids is where it just didn’t come together for me with OG Olina. Olina SE adjusts the upper-mids, bringing them down a couple of decibels, then gliding it all the way into the treble without any extra notches or dips. So basically, you get bright and present female vocals and upper-mid performance, with a gentle but steady slope through to the treble. There’s much more control, and while a little of that energy up top is taken off you get the right balance to make Olina SE much more listenable.
The treble feels a little bit tweaked, compared to OG Olina. To my ear, I would say the slightest amount of extension and air is missing compared to OG. This affects the perception of soundstage for me just enough, where I don’t think Olina SE lost a lot, but I would just edge OG Olina in front of it. The other technicalities involving imaging and layering and such are on-par. This is a wonderful technical set at this price point. I would say that Olina SE is a more balanced set than OG; OG is definitely what I would call neutral-bright, and while I wouldn’t call Olina SE neutral, it is a little closer to it than OG was.
But Why Aren’t You as Good as the 7Hz Zero?
This is one of the times where my gimmick is ridiculous. Olina SE is absolutely better than 7Hz Zero. It’s better because of the driver, first and foremost. The driver in the Zero cannot hang in the same class as the Olina driver, full stop. This is important, because while graphs would say that Zero and Olina SE are tuned very similarly, the experience shows how much the technology matters as well. Olina SE has more mid-bass, but not by so much that it should be a completely different experience, and yet it is. I’ve always nitpicked Zero that it doesn’t have enough note-weight for my taste, and Olina SE definitely takes that little bit of extra mid-bass and puts it to great use. I’m never going to mistake Olina SE for a bassy set and it wouldn’t be my go-to for EDM or a genre that depends on bass, but it is just more satisfying than Zero. Then, Olina just shaves a couple of dB off the pinna gain so that you get a little more control in the upper-mids, without losing presence. Olina SE’s combination of tuning and technology nail the sound better than I’d heard anything under $100, including OG Olina!
Versus Tri x HBB Kai - In the category of “I could actually afford to get this, and not regret my terrible life choices (in terms of being a responsible adult)”, Kai and Olina are the best you can get. We can just get right to the point here though; Kai and Olina (either version) are complements to each other. They do not do the same things, in the same ways. Olina SE’s emphasis is in the upper-mids and into the treble, Kai’s is in the bass and low-mids. Olina is for being taken for a ride by the music, while Kai is for getting lost in it. Olina is the friend that spend Saturday night out on the town with and then in the morning you feel like you lived a little, while Kai is the friend you get the coffee with on Sunday to process how great Saturday night was. And in this case, because they’re both tuned by HBB, it’s doing both things with a pair of siblings. And they get you. That’s what makes HBB so good with his tunings; if you’re on the same musical wavelength as him then you can have a fully formed relationship with all of his sets because the progression from QKZ to Olina, and I’d imagine up to Kinda Lava and/or Mahina where I’d expect the complete maturity that comes with “time’ (in the analogy sense but in the IEM hobby I really mean money and more mature tech) simply makes sense as a family. On that time curve, Olina and Kai feel like when you’re in your early 20s. You’re still young and stupid, but you’re starting to find yourself, what you stand for, and how you want to present that to the world. Moreso than Mele or QKZ, Olina and Kai have that sense of themselves and which one you’re going to gravitate to can change on the mood. But musically, I think sometimes I’d rather live a little with Olina SE just a bit more often.
Versus Tri Starsea - The two of these IEMs stand above the rest of the sets I’ve either owned or tried as of this point. They feel like they have a lot of similarities in playback, but a major divergence point exists: Olina is young, energetic, and more brash; It doesn’t have bad bass, in terms of quantity, and does what it’s supposed to there. The low-mids are well-done and clean, present but not the focus. The upper-mids are the straw that stirs the drink here. But unlike the OG, Olina SE gives you the energy here without being right up against the line of “too much”. You pay attention because you like what they’re doing, not because you need to rein them in. Starsea has a lot of those same characteristics, but there always feels like there’s a but; Starsea does what it’s supposed to in the bass, but it’s not afraid of a little bit more thump in the mid-bass. And if you’ve figured me out by now, mid-bass means a little bit more for me. Starsea’s low-mids are well-done and clean, present but not the focus. But they have that little more oomph, just being a little warmer and less neutral sounding. The upper-mids and treble give you the energy without being right up against the line of “too much” but they get there without feeling like they’re trying so hard. Maybe it’s the BA drivers doing the work in the mids and treble, but the Starsea just feels a little more effortless than Olina SE. I love the smoothness Starsea has and how comfortable it is in its own playback, but I’m growing fond of the mature brashness of Olina SE. It is a keeper to me.
What Does All This Mean?
The short version: Olina SE is really good. You probably should buy it.
The longer version: In my opinion, it’s definitive that Olina SE is better than OG Olina; if you have neither and you’re going to get one, I’d run to get SE. I would also say that if your budget cannot break $100 (besides dumb things like shipping and taxes etc.), you don’t want to futz around in the hobby and you just want something that will sound really good, play anything back, and you don’t have to think about it, then just get Olina SE and get out.
That said, I’d go to $130 (or less if you wait for a sale and get closer to $100), and get Starsea, if I could only have one. Starsea threads the needle between what Kai and Olina are, and gives me what I feel are the best characteristics of both, so I don’t have to compromise. I don’t need two sets to engender the feelings I can get from Starsea. I find myself having that fully formed relationship with one person. Starsea is just kinda wifey. But I can still have a really fun Saturday night out with Olina, on a lazy Monday morning. And there’s nothing wrong with that, at all.
Rank: B+
Rank With Personal Bias: A
4 Likes
I felt that. 
I am glad you felt it worth your money spent.
I am glad you heard the driver so to speak.
Thanks for taking the time to share with the community 
2 Likes
Alright, your write ups are becoming a lot more poetic and I’m here for it haha what an epic comparison and an easy way to put the sound into perspective. I genuinely don’t have a reason to buy the Olina SE but I wish I did - I feel like the OG Olina almost kickstarted the new budget wars that we see happening in front of us now. It was a beautiful concept by HBB to try to crack open the diminishing returns notion and give folks on a budget a fantastic option that could compete with sets triple the price.
5 Likes
QKZ x HBB or The Completion of the Sound Table
I feel like one unintentional consequence of my IEM journey is that I have come a long way in identifying what good budget sets look and sound like. I can’t do anything short of counting my blessings that I found my way to the IEM hobby this past year. Before this, the options available sound as though they were barely satisfactory. My original collection of IEMs belies this fact. 2022 has been an incredible year for getting extremely good sound into your ears at reasonable prices. As we make our way to 11.11 and the big IEM sales of the year, I think it is paramount to understand where the state of the market is. I took a giant step to this end when I did my $20 collective shootout a little while back. But, as always, a new contender has stepped forward and put its foot into the ring. So here I am, giving the QKZ x HBB a shot. Let’s see how this goes.
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
Hell On Earth - REZZ & Yultron (For Bass elements)
Windows - Abby Gundersen (For piano and violin timbre, resolution and clarity)
Marie Antoinette (2003 Rudy Van Gelder Remaster Edition) - Freddie Hubbard (For imaging, layering and soundstage, brass and woodwind timbre)
Wood Stove Whine - Muhammad Seven & The Spring (For male vocals, resolution, layering, mids focus)
PAPERMOON - Tommy heavenly6 (For female vocals, rock bass and treble elements, layering)
Starting Over Won’t Be Easy
Because this hobby never stops moving, impressions and opinions have to be as fluid as water. But as that goes, what you thought a year ago, a month…a day won’t be what stands today. Especially when the hype train gets onto something, it becomes hard to stay out of the way. That’s kind of what happened with the QKZ x HBB. With a slew of well-received collaborations already on the ledger, an obvious next move was to hit the ultra-budget range. And that’s how we’re here today.
The first thing to consider is “Why does this set exist, and who does it serve?” For me, that’s not as simple a question as it appears on the surface. This is a bassy set, but I don’t listen to it and feel like it is a basshead set. It definitely is not a balanced set, and certainly is not a bright set. So to get to the bottom of the question, we have to take the time to go through what the QKZ is, to figure out what it is not.
Knowing What You Know Just Makes it Harder to Think Straight
As I’ve stated, and if you know an HBB set, this is going to be a bass-emphasized IEM. In my time with it, I’ve found quite clearly that this IEM is based in the sub-bass region. And a word that gets bandied around that I think holds water for this set is “potent”. This sub-bass absolutely, unapologetically gets at you. What is surprising is the amount of control, and dare I say restraint, the QKZ shows in the mid-bass. This is not to say that the mid-bass is light or underemphasized. That is not the case at all, but the general idea would be with this much sub-bass showing up, the mid-bass would be thick and thumpy. In fact, the mid-bass is tuned to compliment the sub-bass and let the rumble step forward. Considering how you would normally have to go further up the price tree to find a tuning with this kind of craft, it is to be commended that we get it here.
The low-mids are decently forward and represent themselves well. Male vocals, particularly, get to stand up and show out. Thanks to the way the bass pulls back, they get to be a priority. Given the emphasis in the low-mids, the place the QKZ takes a step back is in the upper-mids. Female vocals are a bit pulled back and the energy you’d be accustomed to from 1-4k is muted. The area is done pretty smoothly, but this is not the set to don if you’re going to belt out a medley of, say, Celine Dion. And that is okay because it knows what kind of set it is.
But that might be my problem; the smooth control that exists in the upper-mids continues into the treble so the playback has not a hint of sibilance or sharpness. It also, though, does not carry enough energy deeper in the treble. If this is what is considered a dark sound signature I can accept that, but I struggled a bit with it. What I first heard as a bit of recess in the mids, I eventually figured out was missing treble causing a lack of resolution. This will be an important point we come back to.
But Why Aren’t You as Good as the 7Hz Zero?
The simple reason is because these two IEMs aren’t trying to do the same thing. The Zero is the IEM that sits in the middle of my Sound Table, representing what neutrality can sound like for me. The QKZ is nowhere near neutral, if I haven’t been clear by now. Where the Zero would excel with PAPERMOON over QKZ, it cannot possibly hold a candle playing Hell On Earth. So if the QKZ isn’t worthy of a seat in the middle, we need to see where it does belong.
Versus CCA CRA - This is getting closer to the answer but we’re still not there. CRA is much more balanced than QKZ. It does not have the same amount of sub-bass to my ear, no matter what the graphs say, but the CRA has better mids, both in the low and especially in the upper-mids, as well as superior treble. For all-around playback, I would certainly reach for the CRA first.
Versus KBear Rosefinch - This is the interesting comparison because of the 5 IEMs that I believe are truly worth your time and attention at the $20 price point (Moondrop Chu is the other. There’s truly no point in comparison between the two; they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum, at heart) Rosefinch shares the most space with QKZ and is the most direct competitor. And yet, I hear these sets and think it’s like an F1 car racing against an Indy car. Both of these sets are bass-emphasized sets, but the QKZ lives in the sub-bass while the Rosefinch is more prominent in the mid-bass area. Through the mids, we have another dichotomy; the QKZ is stronger in the low-mids and the Rosefinch is more energetic in the upper-mids. These two divergences lay definite philosophies at our feet: The QKZ is meant to be more authoritative in the lower registers. You are supposed to feel this IEM in all of its power and control. The Rosefinch is a bit more of a wild child. It hits harder, because of that mid-bass boom, and it keeps the low-mids out of the way to let that mid-bass thump without restraint. While I don’t think the QKZ is that far behind Rosefinch in upper-mids (both carry a smooth gain and slope through the area) Rosefinch tallies just a little more energy in this region which it needs with all of that mid-bass. Through here, I’d simply say these two sets are taste-dependent. If you are somebody that needs the low end to be powerful but have a bit more control, QKZ makes sense over Rosefinch (in stock form. Ya’ll are already tired of me gushing about modded Rosefinch so I’m going to KISS it here). By contrast, I would say that Rosefinch is more dynamic. Because my preference is mid-bass over sub-bass, Rosefinch speaks directly to me. For me, this comparison lives and dies on the treble: Rosefinch crushes QKZ on treble. Listening back-to-back, it is immediately apparent that QKZ may have treble extension, but where that extension is, my ears don’t hear all of it prominently. As my ears start to drop the sound signature at around 12k and beyond, a bump out that far does me no good. But the cut from 8-12k reduces the resolution and kills the clarity for me. It doesn’t make the rest of the signature bad, but it keeps it from excelling. When listening to QKZ exclusively, your ears can get used to its signature and they sound really good. When I put something in with better clarity, then hear QKZ, I can’t unhear the lack of resolution. And, while I can totally admit that Rosefinch has unnaturally boosted treble, between the two, I will prefer unnaturally boosted to severely dampened.
What Does All This Mean?
As I’ve alluded to multiple times, I do believe we have five Knights of the $20 Round Table: Moondrop Chu is the Bright Knight, 7Hz Zero is the Neutral Knight, CCA CRA is the Warm Knight, KBear Rosefinch is the Mid-Bass Knight, and QKZ x HBB is the Sub-Bass Knight. I think every one of these sets is valuable, they could all have a place in your collection, and that no one option stands above the others as clearly superior (except He Who Shall Not Be Named…but again, you don’t want to hear that).
For my preferences, these are the five $20 sets I would recommend, and the situations that I recommend. I will find my way to listening to other cheaper sets, because they are easily accessible, in terms of price, and I’m in this hobby. Even when you’re satisfied with where you’re at, there’s always the next hit just around the corner. And if you’re okay with it, I’ll be there to tell you why that new hotness isn’t better than the Old Guard. (For example: TinHifi T2 DLC is a perfectly competent IEM, that has a good enough tuning, but a terrible treble cut that kills the resolution. There is zero reason to buy it at $60 that I can justify).
The world, simply, has moved on and you have to be special at something. Even at $20.That’s the only way to earn your seat at the Sound Table. That’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Rank: B-
Rank With Personal Bias: B-
4 Likes