I finally have the 7Hz Salnotes Zero: This is 20USD?! Are you kidding me?



Right now I would like to apologize to the folks here, for the review or thoughts that I am going to share based on what I am hearing from the Zeroes is that, I would be all over the place and not in a formal format, for I got sick this week and I have been recovering, getting better day-by-day but I feel much better compared to the previous days when my sickness was at its maxium effect. Also I admit I won’t be able to showcase tracks that shows the strengths or even the weaknesses of the Zeroes, for I have this tendency of my brain just shutting down, and just go autopilot, every time I play tracks that I love listening to therefore I cannot tell you guys much technicalities like some of the experts here.

Ok so to give you my thoughts, the title says it all, how the hell is this 20USD?! Like 7Hz, what kind of black magic fuckery did you do to make a 20 dollar IEM like this sound very clear and clean, hell it even rivals the Moondrop Starfield I have which is a 110 Dollar IEMs back then! Sure it is negative, I was expecting that the sounds of these are going to be like at least the Final Audio E1000 in terms of sounds, meaning there is good tonality but meh resolution but no, this has better resolution! and it is almost the same as the Starfields, sure it’s not going to be Kato levels of resolution but my god for 20 freaking dollars, that is impressive and a tale that the IEM game for years to come is only to get more impressive more than ever. The soundstage on these is pretty freaking good, for I thought it was going to be one of those IEMs where I can consider average soundstage due to its given price but damn, it’s very good and wide, not as good as my Seek Real Airships, but there is soundstage in these that I can have no problems living with. The sound signature is one of my favorites, for I am a neutral/balanced head and these have it according to the graphs I saw from HBB, crin and other well known respective hifi reviewers. I knew from the get go this is not going to be a bassy IEM, but I am fine with for I prefer a bass that is just the right amount, not too little, not too much just the right amount of bass for my bass. Mids are freaking detailed from these and as I said I am expecting an average overall sound, but not this fucking proved me wrong and was able to enjoy my library the whole day especially on tracks that emphasizes mids more and the Zeroes do a freaking good job. The highs, just the right amount for me and it’s not one of your treble murderers for your ears, the high-end spark I hear from these especially to acoustic tracks, man again, how is this 20 freaking dollars?!

Ok so quick things, the stock tips? I have been using the one that is out of the box and I have no problems with it, probably it’s because I don’t have any tips left that I can use for it, I mean if you want a bit of bass and tame the treble a bit, the E-Types do that. The cable is fine, I mean it’s not going to be a very high-quality cable like the Xinhs cables that I have but it’s good enough to be used, also it’s detachable unlike the Chus. The build is plastic, I mean it’s 20USD but I don’t mind it since I cannot complain about it for its given price, I mean if I was given a choice like a metal build but attached cable or a plastic build with detachable cable? I would go for the 2nd choice. Also despite the looks and me being skeptical of the fit, it is surprisingly ergonomic meaning it just fits me right.

Some cons, let’s see the bass is not that typical punchy bass to those who are into bass, there is bass but it’s not going to be your bass that is in your face, therefore bass heads not for you. The treble can get a bit too much to some even though in my case it’s not like that, so be sure to have ear tips that tames those highs a bit to those who are sensitive to treble. Speaking about the highs according to major hifi, there is going to be peaks from the treble that is going affect and cut through the timbre at times, a bit of a let down, and I can say it’s true but most of the time I can tolerate it since you know 20USD. Let’s see the plastic build as I said, might not be your cup of tea for I know there are some prefer an overall metal build just like the Chus, but for me I am fine with it for the plastic build seems solid enough for it to last long.

So yeah overall, I think THIS is a must have to those who are in a budget, new to the hobby or even freaking veterans! Everyone should at least have tried the Zeroes, I mean for me, I bought this for just 15 bucks just 5 dollars cheaper and it is the best 15 dollar purchased I have made this year! And yes! I prefer these over the Chu and the Aria, especially the Aria for the Aria is just too boring for me nowadays.

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Welcome to Zero’s reality check :cookie:

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One of the rare cases, that I can appreciate reality at the moment.

Slowly getting into iems. More of a bud guy, but for 20 bucks decided to try it after seeing the positive reviews. It is awesome!

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:100: Pretty much my thoughts exactly as I said in my review. Prefer these over the Starfields/Aria and Chu for sure. #zerogang

Also, try Olina filters. Helps tame uppermids/treble at high volumes. Zero scales even better now :notes:

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just slapping one on top of the stock filter?
was thinking about trying double filter Olina also so maybe two birds with one stone

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Another trick you can try, because I gave in to light, reversible modding (Yeah, yeah, yeah…)

But seriously, the front vent tape mod is all I’d need on this. You get better bass quantity, especially in the sub-bass (it’s still a little light overall and male vocals stand out as recessed, but it’s a noticeable increase in weight). This also helps with the perception of the upper-mids, and is another route to improve the volume scaling. Soundstage increased a bit for me as well (staging was average for me, to start).

I kinda messed around and ended up on the Zero train. I just picked up a bunch of ≥$50 IEMs to test, and now it’s all going to end up being “Why are you not as good as the Zero?”

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@CTOXmas They don’t have any filters so just slap it on top of the speaker cover thingy.
@GooberBM Will try this!

Facts. Haven’t heard the Titan S and Crinacle’s collab yet, but aside from that the Zero is my go-to until Olina and ER2XR :+1: Aside from the EJ07, I hope 7hertz will release an upgraded Zero with more drivers and bass, and tamer uppermids.

I just got the Salnotes Zero yesterday, and the hype is justified. These things are STUPID for $20.

Pros: Comfort, fit, imaging, detail, relaxed signature.
Cons: A bit light on bass, all notes lack weight.

I can’t believe this is what you get for $20 these days in an IEM. I bought the Moondrop Starfield 18 months ago for $105, and these have better imaging, detail and clarity. The Starfield was warmer throughout the signature, with better bass, but the Zero isn’t far off.

My only complaint about the Zero is a lack of heft to notes, as the review above suggests. Bull’s-eye. Everything feels a bit thin. I think part of that is Crin’s preferred tuning, as I’ve used his EQ profiles in the past, and they emphasize detail and midrange over bass and tone weight. It also may be the limitation of a $20 IEM.

But Good Lord, I no longer will provide many over-ear and on-ear options for those who seek recommendations for a budget closed-back. The value-to-performance ratio for IEMs right now is just nuts.

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Stay in this dream bubble. You have the budget set you love, so stay away from the rest of them. Keep this feeling alive lol

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Yep. Good call. I’m not an IEM guy, as I wanted the Zero more as a “F*ck it, it’s $20” flyer. And what a high flyer it is!

Still, the Truthear Hexa and Kiwiears Cadenza also are getting insane reviews as IEMs that punch above their weight. Curious about them, but I really only need one pair of IEMs. I’ll stick to multiple pairs of over-ears. :slight_smile:

I wish I felt this way about the Zeros, but that lack of note weight you mentioned kills them for me. I’m not a basshead or a guy who needs warmth, but I am a drummer so I need the lower half of the sonic range to have some authority to the notes. If the note weight issue was only in the mids or upper half, I could probably overlook it, but because it’s throughout the range it makes almost everything sound wrong for me.

Also, I really do think this is an issue with how Crinacle’s tuning presents because I have noticed the note weight issue to varying degrees on all of his collabs that I have tried, most notably the Zeros, the Diokos, and the B2 Dusk. Thankfully, these days there are plenty of great budget options out there, but I’m still kinda jelly because for those folks these work for, they seem to be a really exceptional budget performer.

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Yup, 100% agree. Those sets sound too thin bro they need to eat more. If you like authority and noteweight you should check out the Serratus. They slam SO HARD at higher volumes - I literally feel the drivers vibrate inside my ears. Hit me up if you wanna try them - they’re just sitting around right now since I don’t have my amp (you need 300ohms to try drive them though).

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I have a pair of the Serratus and they’re quite good. They definitely have note weight and definition in spades!

Edit: BTW, Serratus and TRI TK-2 are a great combo. If you’re a fiend for timbral accuracy, this pairing nails it.

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I wouldn’t be as enthusiastic about the Zeros if they cost $100, as the missing lower end would hurt my brain more if I knew I spent $100. But $20? These things sound fantastic for that price-to-performance ratio.

The Zeros also are a good sonic fit for me right now. I own LCD-X 2021 and HD 6XX as my over-ears, and neither of those are legendary for their top end.

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The thing about that is the $20-50 budget range has moved fast enough that you don’t have to make that sacrifice about missing the lower end, if you don’t want to.

I’m putting in the work to find alternatives to Harman-neutral, and I’m not stopping until I have sufficient sidegrades from the 7Hz Zeros and Cadenzas of the world

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That is a hell of a crusade you’re going for, man! but I support you: the budget range is the best to get diversity as one can spend 100 bucks for basically one generic and safe set OR get 3-4 différent tastes of sounds.

May i suggest you the Kbear KS1? I bought it after an Intoit reviews Video, and I don’t regret it: their warm signature is a bliss in the right circumstances! I mainly use it with a TRN BT20 for my workout sessions.

edit, to not seem lesser teched than the concurrent above :

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I’m a fan of KBear but I don’t like the KS1. It’s too bloated, and even though it’s got elevated treble it has a cut in the frequencies I need boosted. For me, it’s a mess. Both Rosefinch and Storm are better than KS1 IMO, by a substantial margin

Now you have my attention. These 2 sets have just magically appeared on my radar list :thinking:

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