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Over a month ago, you might have seen my video unboxing of the Truth Ear Zero Blue version 2.
In-depth comparison of Truthear Zero Blue 2 with Zero Blue 1 and Zero Red, focusing on design, comfort, and sound performance.
Key Takeaways
- Zero Blue 2 offers improved comfort and fit due to smaller nozzle and lighter design.
- It is the most efficient and easiest to drive among the three models.
- Sound tuning remains balanced and well-executed, consistent with Crinacle’s reputation.
- Blue 2 does not scale significantly with more powerful sources but performs very well with weak sources.
- Zero Red provides a more energetic and bassier sound compared to Blue 1, while Blue 2 refines comfort and efficiency.
Summary
- Truthear Zero Blue 2 is a refined version of the original Zero Blue with a thinner, lighter design and smaller nozzle diameter (5.5mm vs 6mm).
- The smaller nozzle improves comfort and compatibility with more ear tips, especially foam tips which are now denser and thicker.
- Zero Blue 2 has extremely low impedance (5.8 ohms) and high sensitivity (~119.5 dB), making it very easy to drive even with weak sources like smartphones.
- Compared to Zero Blue 1 and Zero Red, Blue 2 is the most efficient and user-friendly, offering a comfortable fit and good sound seal, especially with foam tips.
- Sound tuning across all three models is a collaboration with Crinacle, known for balanced, well-tuned IEMs under $100 with good technicality and musicality.
- Zero Blue 1 has a Harman-inspired tuning with a somewhat recessed midrange and less bass punch, which some users found less engaging.
- Zero Red improves on Blue 1 by offering a fuller-bodied, brighter, and more energetic sound with more bass and color.
- Zero Blue 2 maintains the core tuning style but with some significant improvements in comfort and efficiency; however, it shows limited scaling with high-powered sources.
- All three IEMs are praised for their balance of detail, layering, and timbre, making them excellent budget options.
- The video discusses the practical differences and user experience to help listeners decide if Blue 2 is a worthy upgrade.
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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And you might be wondering what happened to that after the unboxing because it took me so long to come up with this video.
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Well, simply put, I was informed by Sanjen Audio that Truth Ear decided to do final changes before they release it, so I was told to hold any kind of review.
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And they sent me finally this production unit of Zero 2. And on top of it, I did receive quite a lot of question.
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Hey, Andy, it does look like the same, no different at all from the Z Blue one.
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So, is there any kind of different about? Is the nozzle bigger and blah, blah, blah, so many question.
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It is pretty much still the same type of IEM, pretty much the same Zero from Truth Ear, which is dual dynamic driver inside and plastic made.
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And, yes, they indeed have some differences, despite the similarity with the design itself, the build itself.
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It is thinner, thinner by 1 mm because what I have done is that I have lined up all three of them side by side.
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Blue one, red and also blue two, and both red and also blue two was thinner by 1 mm.
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It is also lighter by 1 gram.
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The nozzle itself, which is the most important part because so many people were wondering.
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Apparently, so many people have issues with original blue one because it was considered to be quite big.
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And I admit it is big, it is at around the diameter itself at around 6 mm and the length itself is also 6 mm.
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And this one here is just 5.5 mm.
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0.5 mm only different, but it does make a difference.
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And also the red, pretty much similar to the blue one, which is also 6 mm.
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Having smaller nozzle means that you're going to have something which is like, say, I would consider as smaller bore ear tips.
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So, which means that the two ear tips which is included, the silicon ear tip and also the foam tips, now comes with the kind of build which I would consider as an improvement.
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Improvement because the foam tip especially looks a bit thicker now because of the smaller bore and the same can be said for the silicon tip.
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If you have issue with huge nozzle, and I would consider 6 mm kind of a bit big.
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Blue 2 comes with 5.5, so it is a lot more adaptable to many type of ears.
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People with smaller ear cavity will not have any issue and it it improves comfort.
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Because you're going to get ear tips, especially the foam ear tip, being denser and thicker.
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And being denser and thicker also means that this thing now would be definitely more comfortable.
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I can guarantee you, you will not feel it after the mark of one hour.
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It is so extremely lightweight, it is so extremely comfortable, especially with the foam tips.
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It does seal really well, especially if you use the foam tip, but not so much when you use the silicon tip.
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Even with just 0.5 mm smaller nozzle, it is definitely a lot more user friendly now.
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With just 5.8 ohm of impedance, I repeat, 5.8.
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Crazy low, right? And sensitivity at around 119.5 dB.
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Almost 120 dB, you can expect this Blue 2 here to be super, super easy to drive.
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Super efficient. So let's just get a bit a bit of perspective comparing it against the other two year zero.
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For example, the blue one was rated at around 10 ohm, just under 11 ohm.
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With 117 dB of sensitivity, so it was already very efficient.
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And the red, in fact, was a bit higher at 17 ohm and 117 dB of sensitivity.
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So all of three of them are super easy to drive, suffice to say.
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And even without the especially without the impedance adapter, they are just very efficient.
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But this is definitely the most efficient among all of them.
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And through indeed, when I attach it to my Sony Xperia 1 Mark 4 here, very easy.
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Or should I say very weak source, like this 3.5 mm single-ended, I was already getting the kind of sound which I would consider as wholesome.
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Something which I would consider as, you know, full authority with the dynamic itself.
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The sound doesn't doesn't sound like, you know, it's lacking in anything.
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I am hearing the kind of sound which I would consider, which I would be able to use without complaining.
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But the bigger question now is that, does it scale with power?
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Does it scale with if you attach it to something like this, Ibus DX140 here?
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Okay, first and foremost, I think the good thing about it is that it does not sound shouty at all.
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Despite being super sensitive, super efficient, so which is a good thing.
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But I feel that it does not scale that well as compared to some other IEM.
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Because I am hearing perhaps at around 10% of improvement when it comes to resolution imaging.
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Because it was already super efficient and super sensitive, even when used with highly weak source.
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Like this Sony Xperia 1 Mark 4 here, so no issue at all driving this Truth Ear Zero Blue 2.
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I have all three of them lined up here side by side.
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Truth Ear Zero series in collaboration with Crinacle.
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Starting with this exceedingly popular, exceedingly successful Truth Ear Zero Blue Mark 1.
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And this equally successful and popular Truth Ear Zero Red.
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They are almost like sold out in many places that I am aware of.
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And now we have this Truth Ear Zero Blue Mark 2.
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The big question now, does it offer any kind of improvement?
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Is it an upgrade, especially if you already have these two excellent Truth Ear Zero here?
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Let's talk about it. Let's talk about the common thing first before we talk about the differences.
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We are talking about Crinacle here. Crinacle, the guru, the master when it comes to sound tuning.
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Sound frequency, you name it. He has been in this game for ages, much longer than most other people.
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And the three IEM that you see here is essentially a collaboration of tuning.
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Which he regard as being the very best for budget segment for under 100 US dollar.
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And I agree with him. The crowd agree with him because the sale volume of these two alone.
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Would suggest that definitely this thing is super successful. So, let's talk about the sound and the performance itself.
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How do they sound? Essentially, this Zero Blue 2 is still the very same kind of tuning.
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You can expect from Crinacle with some differences, significant differences which I will touch a bit more later.
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So, in common, I would consider all three as being very well tuned.
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Very well tuned because I am hearing the kind of balance between technicalities, dynamic and musicality.
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Fairly analytical, fairly detailed, resolution is good, layering separation is good.
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And of course, timbre is fairly good. Fairly good because I would explain later the differences.
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Let's talk about the first one here, Truth Ear Zero Blue Mark 1.
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I do have some issues with this Truth Ear Zero Mark 1 because I just going to touch again on the subject of the nozzle.
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6 mm is kind of large for an IEM. If you have very big nozzle, then you have to work on the ear tips.
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And it is not easy to find the kind of ear tip, especially the kind of ear that I have.
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I need to use something which is less conventional and in return, I get inconsistent performance.
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Which impact my listening experience with Truth Ear Zero Blue Mark 1.
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And also, in general, I would consider that this Truth Ear Zero Blue Mark 1.
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The tuning itself kind of a bit Harman inspired because earlier on.
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Crinacle has been known to favor a bit on that, you know, Harman style kind of tuning.
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Which means that you can find the mid-range, especially the mid-range kind of a bit subdued.
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Kind of a bit distant, the placement of the instrument, the vocals and everything.
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As compared to the other two, kind of a bit far off, you know, further away from the listener.
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And the kind of lower frequency, whether it be mid-range itself, it lacks the punch and the rumble.
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But that thing is fixed with the appearance of Truth Ear Zero Red.
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It does appear a bit more engaging, a bit more fuller bodied now with the entire frequency range.
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And a bit more energetic as well, and a bit brighter as well.
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Just slightly brighter and slightly more bassy, and it is also a bit more colored.
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So, which means that it is even less neutral sounding as compared to this Truth Ear Zero Blue Mark 1.
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Now, the question is, how does this Zero Blue Mark 2 improve upon the other two?
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It offers maturity, maturity in the way it present the sound, the dynamic transient.
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The flow of the sound itself, the pace, rhythm and timing.
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It sounded more like an IEM which is priced higher than 100 US dollar.
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Yes, I am not joking. I am talking about the kind of sound which I am hearing from the likes of High Senior Mega 5 EST.
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Or even Let's Sure Cadenza 4, that kind of maturity.
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And the next one, the timbre. I absolutely love the timbre presentation of this Truth Ear Zero Blue Mark 2.
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Because I think one of the key improvement which Crinacle has been focusing to improve.
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From the previous iteration of these two is that the timbre itself.
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Because I do admit, especially with this Zero Red, a bit digital sounding, as how I would put it, less analog sounding.
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It does not, you know, sound, let's say, natural enough to my taste, to my hearing.
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But this one here, it sounded natural, organic, Sennheiser HD 600 kind of natural organic touch to the sound itself.
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And I absolutely love it. And all three of them, definitely non-fatiguing.
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You can expect that from all three of them. It is energetic, all three of them.
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But they are not in any way, I would consider as being offensive, especially this Blue 2 here.
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I'm talking about the upper mid-range, the segment of the upper mid-range.
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It is a bit more pronounced now, the presentation of the mid-range itself, especially when it comes to vocal, male and female.
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And the instrument as compared especially to this Zero Blue Mark 1 or even Zero Red.
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But it does not exhibit that much of coloration, which is a good thing.
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So I'm talking about a balance of being transparent at the same time being colored to make it like, you know, a bit more of flavoring to make it exciting.
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And the lower frequency, I love the fact that Truth Ear Zero Blue 2 offer better balance in the lower frequency now.
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With mid-bass, with sub-bass as compared to especially with this Zero Blue Mark 1.
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Because Zero Blue Mark 1 kind of a bit focus too much on the sub-bass, but not so much on the mid-bass.
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And Zero Red here focus a bit more on mid-bass rather than the sub-bass, but it is still strong.
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Much stronger than this two, but this one more natural sounding.
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Again, the keyword here is natural, organic, and the timbre itself is just being realistic.
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As for the rest of the technical aspect, Zero Blue 2 and Zero Red already share equal footing.
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When it comes to the quality and the performance of technicalities, other than the sound stage, of course.
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And Zero Red is in fact, a bit more holographic as compared to this Zero Blue Mark 2.
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And of course, these two are a bit better if I were to compare with this original Zero Blue Mark 1.
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So, again, back to your question. I think it is very clear.
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The improvement that this Blue 2 offer over the other two is that it is more mature now.
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It is also better balanced with the timbre itself, especially with the organic sound that it offers.
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I absolutely love it. And with the pace, rhythm and timing, it is definitely non-fatiguing at all.
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I can listen to this all day long without any element of fatigue coming from the sound itself.
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If you are looking for something which is non-fatiguing, definitely Zero Blue 2.
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Improve upon what was already non-fatiguing IEM from these two here.
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So, should you go for it? It is an upgrade, then my answer is yes.
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Thank you so very much for watching the video until the end without skipping, I hope.
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Topics:Truthear Zero Blue 2Truthear Zero BlueTruthear Zero RedCrinaclebudget IEMin-ear monitorsearphone comparisonIEM comfortaudio reviewefficient IEM
