Crinacle is certainly someone who does not need any introduction at this point. His YouTube channel has reached more than just the audiophile community, his store in Singapore is a must-do stop if you are a part of the hobby and in the area, and his new brand Crinear has made quite the impression in its early tenure in the IEM market.
Crinear started off with Meta, a 1,000 unit limited run that sold out within hours. This IEM was tuned with its name in mind, attempting to precisely nail the “New Meta” tuning target. Daybreak came next, Crin’s first production unit. This IEM comes in at $169.99, and is an extremely competent set, especially at the price. I would go as far as to say it’s the best IEM you can get your hands on at the sub $200 price point.
Crinear has been all about setting standards, and that's just what they did with their latest release, Reference. Reference is a $349.99, x2 DD x3 BA set that similarly to Meta is tuned with its name in mind, aiming to create the new industry standard for a reference IEM. Reference is something entirely new, and in this article I am going to break down why, compare it to a couple sets, and make my thesis for why this is one of the most intriguing IEMs you can get your hands on right now.
Build And Design
Reference sports a very handsome full aluminum metal shell, which undoubtedly adds to its longevity in anyone's collection and makes it feel durable and robust. There is a small hole on the faceplate for ventilation, right underneath the Crinear logo, but that’s it. Simplicity in the build I think is quite fitting given what this IEM is trying to achieve, and the metal shell feels very premium on Reference.
The silver cable compliments the shell nicely, and has swappable, right angled 3.5mm and 4.4mm terminations. I have seen some negative thoughts on the cable feeling stiff, which in some situations I can see being an issue, but personally I enjoy the cable. The chin slider works fine, I used it on runs and while drumming and the chin slider stayed tight and helped sport a tight seal.
The unboxing experience is very clean and simple with this IEM. Reference comes in a silver box, with a taco shaped leather pouch, 10 pairs of ear tips, 1 set of foam ear tips, for the 1% of you that actually use foam tips, and a user manual. That’s it – a simple, yet premium feeling unboxing experience that puts all the focus on the IEM itself, which is really what you’re here for. I like that about Reference, at the price point it gives you everything it should, with most of the focus going into what really matters. I think you get a tremendous value for how this set looks and feels at the price point.
Comfort wise I think Reference is par for the course. I got a great seal with this IEM using Baroque Stage ear tips, which I also found to be my favorite ear tip pairing with this set sound wise. The nozzle width is advertised at 6.0mm, so on the bigger side but about what we are used to with most IEMs these days. They are a bit heavier than your standard resin shell IEM, but not too heavy to where it takes away from the set. All in all, nothing about the comfort levels sticks out in a good or bad way.
Sound
So, when talking about the sound, we have to start with what the goal was here. Reference’s thesis is bold here, claiming to be “The World’s Flattest In Ear Monitor”. They use terms to describe this set like “Objective Neutrality” and "Repeatable Accuracy”, but what does that mean? Is this truly the world’s flattest IEM? I personally haven’t liked reference tuned IEMs in the past, so I was a bit skeptical going into Reference, wondering if it would actually be something special.
Reference sets itself apart by not giving a mathematically flat tuning, but rather a tuning that is balanced in such a way that is perceived as perfectly flat to our ears. They call this “Perceptual Flatness” which is described on their product page as such:
“While the Reference is engineered to achieve objective neutrality on paper, its tuning is further refined to deliver true perceptual flatness. Recognizing the inherent differences between in-ear listening and far-field speaker systems, a subtle ~2dB low frequency lift is applied to restore a sense of physicality often associated with high-end studio monitors in treated rooms. This careful adjustment bridges the gap between measurement accuracy and real world listening, ensuring the Reference not only measures flat, but sounds naturally balanced and lifelike in practice.”
Basically, Reference fixes the problem I have had with lots of other flat tuned IEMs. I feel like in the past, I haven’t loved sets like this because of the lack of life in the low end. I’m not a bass head by any means, but I still want to be able to feel it, and I am listening for rich extension and a physical nature. Reference does this while remaining truly balanced, a feat I have personally not heard yet with this style of IEM.
The sub bass is rich, textured, and powerful, but still remains complimentary to the rest of the frequency response. This is demonstrated well on a track like “hey now” by Kendrick Lamar. The 808 bass slams in the beginning of the song have a dominating presence, but as other production elements fold in, it takes the back seat while still flawlessly filling lots of space. I appreciate the boldness of the sub bass while not overpowering other instruments. That’s true balance.
The physical nature in the low end of Reference is a big standout for me. The lower region boost works, it restores the impact that you miss out on when you get a set that is tuned dead flat, and breathes life into what could be perceived as a generally lifeless, flat, thin sound. The bass isn’t necessarily a highlight on this IEM, but rather as the name suggests, it adds to a general sense of balance that is extremely complimentary to the rest of the frequency response.
The midrange is my favorite part of Reference. Most specifically, the sense of spaciousness between instruments. There is a thick quality to the instruments here that really stands out, paired with a quick, detailed snappiness. There is a very pleasant balance here that allows everything to breathe well, hearing the finer details in guitar resonance snare drum overtones.
A band that demonstrates what reference does well is one of my personal favorites, Slaughter Beach, Dog. This is a band with pretty much everything going on, multiple guitars, piano, bass, drums, and multiple vocalists. In the midst of everything firing at once, sometimes it can sound more like just a wall of sound. That’s not the case on Reference, as everything not only comes through with great detail and a strong presence, but it is also layered intentionally and placed delicately around the listener.
The treble region is executed well, and I think controlled perfectly. There is plenty of detail in the treble, but it never comes across as too harsh or bright for my ears. Cymbals were crisp, but not piercing. S tones were not hissy, and it does not sound too boosted or unnatural. I would even consider this to be sort of invisible, which overall matches the theme of this IEM. Like the lower region and the midrange, nothing is overtly sticking out here and taking away from anything. The treble is controlled and refined, rounding off an IEM that boasts in having nothing to boast about, besides of course ultra balance and perceived flatness.
Comparisons - Daybreak & Top Pro
Graph is from Super*Review's Squiglink
I wanted to put Daybreak and Top Pro up against Reference because of the goals behind all of these sets, as well as the tuning. Lets start out with Daybreak, which again is Crin’s first production IEM, the $169.99 IEM that came out late 2025. Daybreak is a truly incredible set, whose highlight is again the midrange. (Check out the graph, they measure almost identically). The bass on Daybreak measures to be more, but I think due to the 1 less dynamic driver, it does not sound nearly as textured and full as it does on reference. I would actually give the edge on the lower region to Reference. Ultimately, I think if you can’t shell out the extra ~$170 for Reference, Daybreak would give you a good idea of what this set is doing. However, the overall tonality, texture, impact, and extension is not quite as good as Reference. At the price point, I still think Daybreak is the best option.
Moving onward to Top Pro, I wanted to throw this in there because I think this set is incredibly balanced and achieves a similar sonic soundscape that Reference does. Top Pro, a 10 driver hybrid, came out last summer at $499. For starters, this is where you are going to get a bit more low end umph. Top Pro certainly has more of a bass impact, but I still think the quality is better on Reference. This is a quantity or quality thing. Top Pro is a bit brighter, and has a bit more bite to the upper regions than Reference does. I would also say that Top Pro has a more forward facing vocal presentation. These sets are both balanced - but in different ways. Top Pro has more low end quantity and makes up for it with more forward vocals and a brighter treble. Reference focuses more on the weight and texture of the low end, and has a smoother upper region.
Conclusions
I think Reference is the most exciting balanced IEM you can get your hands on right now. This set found a way to give you true balance without sounding boring, and that’s something I’ve been looking for for some time now. Reference is natural, cohesive, immersive, weighty, smooth, and full, all while being a set I could mix music with. It’s an impressive feat, and I believe sets a new standard in what balance really means. It's available now and I am excited to see what comes next from Crinear.
