For $20, you really can't go wrong. I'd have to say yes, they are. They punch well above their price tag.

Do they beat chu tho?

Depends on personal preference really, I personally think the Chus are better (They have more "bite" in the lower treble region which I really like at the volumes I normally listen to) but you will have plenty of people disagreeing here.

Of course statistially speaking the Chus will likely be the preferred ones (Strictly sound wise) over the audiophile population if we go by the Harman research since they deviate less from the target, that doesn't really mean you specifically will prefer them though.

I slightly prefer the sound of the Chu, but nonetheless I listen to the Zeros way more since they actually work… 😅

They are very good, but unfortunately the right side of mine died yesterday, less than 2 months of daily use😭

Possibly but we're at a point now where there's a lot of good headphones at that price point and pretty much guarantee you in a year there will be new $20 IEMS that everyone says put all the old ones to shame.

And I'm grateful that there's more good lower priced options I'm just trying to throw a little cold water on the hype on newer products which happens all the time.

Every year we are told that some new IEM is completely transformative at every price point and I'm just starting to think that most of this is salesmanship

Yeah that's not good, they're going to have durability issues like that might as well get a KOSS set

I own both and I prefer the Zeros. I actually bought the 7Hz as a gift for a friend, but i decided to get my own pair when i heard them. For me at least, the stage is wider, and the upper mids and treble sounds more detailed. Also I like the tuning a lot more, though i still like a 3db bump to the bass.

For me absolutely not. They have an 11k peak in my ears with any silicone tips that makes them unusable without EQ while the Chu does not.

Zero tips are not good, whereas Chu comes with nice spring tips.

Personally I would go Chu for the better tips despite the permanently attached cables, both of these IEMs are likely going to disintegrate from cheap build long before the cables die.

Do you still own the CRA? Would the Chu be an upgrade? I'm kinda skeptical with all the people saying their pair had such a short lifespan.

Yes and yes but it is still highly individual. Chu has less bass and mud which can be seen as an upgrade or downgrade but most importantly it has a smoother and better treble timbre in my my ears (CRA has a moderate 10k spike, nothing crazy)

But keep in mind that a lot of people don't complain about these treble spikes at all so they might not be getting them like I do or they might be getting them in different places at different magnitudes, or they may be getting them and just complain about treble timbre instead.

For example some have said the Chu has a slight metallic timbre. I can see what they mean I guess (I notice a slight 12k spike though nothing dealbreaking) but it still has a smoother and more natural treble timbre than any other budget IEM I've tried.

And yeah, a lot of people have complained about the Chu breaking. I have had no problem but I am also very careful to keep my ears clean so nothing can clog the filters. What I would recommend is just get the Chu anyway unless wasting $20 would really put you out in your financial situation or if you have a moral problem supporting a company with questionable QC.

Thank you for the complete answer. Will definitely put them in the "should try at some point" bucket.

Can't confirm these kind of stuff beating the xm4. All of my iems sound better than the xm4, including the quarks.