Anyone who wants AMAZING sounding in-ears/headphones for $16... read this!

[Guitarzan69]

I ended up getting the Salnotes Zero, and I must say that for the money they are nice. Fitment for me is real solid, no need to keep pressing them into my ear. Doesn't require them to be buried, but sit rather comfortably in my ear with just a small tap to ensure a seal. Sound quality is also nice for the price, no exaggerated frequencies that my old worn out full stack playing, acoustic drum rehearsing, amps on stage at full volume ears can tell. Even turned the phone EQ to flat with these. Good bang for the buck.

Edit: Also, first post. Woot Woot

 

[SwirlyMaple]

I ended up getting the Salnotes Zero, and I must say that for the money they are nice. Fitment for me is real solid, no need to keep pressing them into my ear. Doesn't require them to be buried, but sit rather comfortably in my ear with just a small tap to ensure a seal. Sound quality is also nice for the price, no exaggerated frequencies that my old worn out full stack playing, acoustic drum rehearsing, amps on stage at full volume ears can tell. Even turned the phone EQ to flat with these. Good bang for the buck.

Edit: Also, first post. Woot Woot

Nice! I'm still really liking the Zero too. They're sturdy, have a great cable, fit well, and sound fantastic. I still slightly prefer the sound of the Chu (if I'm really splitting hairs), but as an overall package I'd recommend the Zeros over them. Glad you're enjoying them!

 

[State of Epicicity]

I tried the 7Hz Salnotes Zero, but they did not fit my ears no matter what tip I tried, so I constantly ended up lacking low end. I did think the mids and highs felt transparent, but I found myself too distracted by the lack of bass due to the ill fit to enjoy the rest of the frequency spectrum. I don't doubt they'd be great if my ears weren't weird.

 

[NightWalker]

i found a review of 4 IEMS.thinking to get the TANGZU Wan

 

[SwirlyMaple]

I tried the 7Hz Salnotes Zero, but they did not fit my ears no matter what tip I tried, so I constantly ended up lacking low end. I did think the mids and highs felt transparent, but I found myself too distracted by the lack of bass due to the ill fit to enjoy the rest of the frequency spectrum. I don't doubt they'd be great if my ears weren't weird.

Did you try third-party eartips? These work better for me than any of the stock ones. If you have larger ear canals, these give a great seal and fit the Zero perfectly:

Edit -- looks like Amazon links get filtered, but here's the product if it helps anyone. I find these superior to any stock eartip I've tried so far:

 

[aflynt]

I tried out the Comply tips with the Moondrop Chu. It wasn't really much better than the stock tips for me. I think I must have a shallow ear canal because I have a similar issue with my KZ ZX10Pro set as well. The body of the IEM doesn't really rest on my ear at all, they just kind of float there supported only by the tips themselves. The 7hz Timeless and TinHIFI C3 both seem to have a more shallow stem and fit my ears and isolate very well.

I will again sing the praises of the Tin HIFI C3. For $50 they almost match the performance of my $220 7hz Timeless and fit and isolate even better.

-Aaron

 

[State of Epicicity]

Did you try third-party eartips? These work better for me than any of the stock ones. If you have larger ear canals, these give a great seal and fit the Zero perfectly:

Thanks for that! I only tried the included ones. I already returned the earbuds and reverted to some over the ear Bluetooth headphones that I enjoy. The model is E7, and they're made by several brands no one has heard of.

 

[Guitarzan69]

OK thanks for this post OP (SwirlyMaple), I am now hooked on IEM on the cheap and have tried two different ones out. I will say my experience is limited as I just got into the headphone/IEM game as of late.

First pair Salnotes Zero:
Initial impression was wow, I can hear lots of new content and it's pretty clear. Compared to my only set of Headphones, HD6XX, the Zero are bright with no exaggerated lows, but a real nice mid.

One week later:
ZS10 Pro. Took me a second to figure out the orientation, I'm old, but I finally got it. Really liking the different sized memory foam tips compared to the Zero that came with rubber tips in assorted colors but no different sizes. After some fussing I gave them a try. The volume needed to be turned down compared to the Zero, must be easier to drive. The sound is more full, less shrill and more pleasing to me. Bass is a little stronger, highs are a little more subtle but not lost or dark and the mids sit about the same but seem less pronounced since the lows are stronger.

Conclusion:
I prefer the ZS10 Pro over the Zero for fit and sound. The ZS10Pro provides more isolation that would come in handy playing with a band and acoustic drums. For a few extra bucks, I am happy with the ZS10 Pro set and will hold off urges to try more out until I splurge on a real spendy pair. Now I need to see which one is more accurate.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

OK thanks for this post OP (SwirlyMaple), I am now hooked on IEM on the cheap and have tried two different ones out. I will say my experience is limited as I just got into the headphone/IEM game as of late.

First pair Salnotes Zero:
Initial impression was wow, I can hear lots of new content and it's pretty clear. Compared to my only set of Headphones, HD6XX, the Zero are bright with no exaggerated lows, but a real nice mid.

One week later:
ZS10 Pro. Took me a second to figure out the orientation, I'm old, but I finally got it. Really liking the different sized memory foam tips compared to the Zero that came with rubber tips in assorted colors but no different sizes. After some fussing I gave them a try. The volume needed to be turned down compared to the Zero, must be easier to drive. The sound is more full, less shrill and more pleasing to me. Bass is a little stronger, highs are a little more subtle but not lost or dark and the mids sit about the same but seem less pronounced since the lows are stronger.

Conclusion:
I prefer the ZS10 Pro over the Zero for fit and sound. The ZS10Pro provides more isolation that would come in handy playing with a band and acoustic drums. For a few extra bucks, I am happy with the ZS10 Pro set and will hold off urges to try more out until I splurge on a real spendy pair. Now I need to see which one is more accurate.

Thanks for the report and review! These "Chi-Fi" IEMs are a fun world. The audio quality is frighteningly good, and the companies behind them seem to keep making even better ones every few months to undercut their competition. I might have to give those ZS10 Pro's a try!

 

[NightWalker]

i just bought the Truthear HOLA but im having issues with the eartips,the M feel too small and the L feel too big,and there are no comply foam eartips to buy from those IEMs,any idea where i can buy eartips that fit the Truthear HOLA

 

[NightWalker]

Did you try third-party eartips? These work better for me than any of the stock ones. If you have larger ear canals, these give a great seal and fit the Zero perfectly:

Edit -- looks like Amazon links get filtered, but here's the product if it helps anyone. I find these superior to any stock eartip I've tried so far:

those can fit the HOLA IEMs too?

 

[DLC86]

those can fit the HOLA IEMs too?

From what I've seen they're pretty standard size, I had other eartips by various brands at home and they all fit fine on the Hola.

 

[NightWalker]

From what I've seen they're pretty standard size, I had other eartips by various brands at home and they all fit fine on the Hola.

thank you!!

 

[holoholo]

Hey @James Freeman, any updates on IEMs to try?

 

[James Freeman]

Nope, still using the Kiwi Ears Cadenza and 7Hz Zero.
But more often I use big overhead headphones, AKG K371 and HiFiMan Sundara.

 

[SpaceMan]

I've had these for a couple days now. They sound great; I haven't had any fit issues, they are comfortable to me. I'm hoping the build/design quality is lasting. My main point of references are ATH M50x, MSR7, and AirPod Pros.

 

[texhex]

The harder a look I take at these the more cautious I'm becoming. I'm overly concerned about the screens becoming dislodged and falling into my inner ear canal. I just received the replacement screens which are an all-in-one design (which is better than the original) but are still very troubling.

They have the screen, o-ring, paper filter, and adhesive applied in one piece. It's very nice compared to the original but man, just like the original, they do not fit as securely as I would want (literally just held in with light adhesive).

A word of caution to anyone using these ultra budget IEMs, the screens could fall out at anytime and go straight into your ear canal.

These are going into the drawer for now and never back into my ears.

 

[Piing]

I've joined the CHU Club. They are a perfect replacement for the Zero Audio Carbo that I have been using for more than 8 years.

Just $16, but not only the quality, the presentation is also expensive

 

[quadgear]

Top 20$ IEMs on the market, they are the most compliant with the Harman curve in that price range and some say x100 their price range.

7Hz Salnotes Zero (most neutral, removable 2pin cable)
Moondrop Chu (slightly brighter than 7Hz, non removable cable)
Tangzu Wan'er (slightly warmer than 7Hz, removable 2pin cable)

A few months ago the Chu dominated the 20$ range, until the 7Hz Zero was released 3 months ago, Wan'er was released this November.
Once they found the trick to make great sounding Harman compliant IEMs everyone started to make one, it all occurred in the last 6 months or so.


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The Tangzu Wan'er works perfectly for me. No harshness or sibilance, and they fit well. Recommended.

 

[EOengineer]

I grabbed the chu a month ago and still haven’t unboxed them to give them a shot. I did get a kick out of my wife’s confusion when she saw the packaging though.

Maybe I will test drive them this weekend. I’ve not loved in ear monitors I’ve tried previously but I’m hoping these work.