Oh and dont forget that the TRN models have modular connectors, so can simply switch them.
I only know 2 things they have done bad before.
One is the 16-core cables they sold not having all the cores soldered, this was a long time ago, around 2019.
The other thing is that one of their buds/iems (forgot which) was called a beryllium diaphragm but in reality it was not (I think it was PET). This one was relatively recent…not sure when but at least in the 2020-2023 range I think.
Big selling point there I forgot about. Convenience is no small thing, and not everyone has a bunch of random cable adapters lying around like I do.
Not great, but the bar’s pretty damn low with the companies that make these adapters.
Sometimes using adapters can cause fit issues with these tws adapter/cases.
Yeah, the bar is very low in this world but in this case the offenses they done are also pretty mild tbf.
I’ve ran into those case issues myself. A lot of IEMs don’t fit in them in general.
Thank you for chiming in. I appreciate your perspective. I feel like this Bluetooth stuff is very much a niche within a niche so not much conversation surrounding it.
actually, if you REALLY want ambient mode. I believe this has it.
But looks worse in every other way, from BT version (old 5.0), SBC/AAC/APTX and fixed MMCX connector and the price. (has that zipper case that I hate.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/uiirld/fiio_utws5_vs_shure_tw2_comparion/
I did consider it. Ambient mode really is a dealbreaker for me when considering it for a regular, daily use. Like you said though, ultimately worse in every other way than the closest competition. Maybe their next version will check all the boxes.
Do you want ambient mode because you want to be able to hear your surrounding? If that is the case consider just getting an earbud with the one of the TRNs.
Yeah, just need to be aware of my surroundings the majority of the time and be able to have conversations with others in the house regularly since I work in an office at home. That, and plain old paranoia.
Mostly I’m just being a big nerd and like playing with the tech. Autism doesn’t help. Shit gets in my head and turns me into a mad scientist sometimes.
I have the Focal Bathys to listen to, and a few earbuds with AptX Lossless (Sennheiser MTW4, Bose QC Ultra Buds, and B&W Pi8 in particular). Most of those have good transparency too. Particularly the Bathys and QC Ultra.
I’ll be patient and wait for someone to make a Holy Grail adapter. Eventually, someone’s bound to.
No I dont mean iems (those are NOT EARBUDS!!). I mean real flathead earbuds.
Those are essentially open back hps in the size of an iem.
Sorry for not being clear. I knew what you meant, but with those there’s no need to go wireless for the environmental awareness.
I’m also not a fan of how most of them sound. The only one I’ve tried and kept is the FiiO FF3.
EDIT:
Oh, and on that note, I’d LOVE if someone were to come out with an honest-to-goodness, decently tuned, open-back IEM.
I do have an MMCX version with the Grand Alter Saber 3.
Will two new models use the same BCD as in ze51b ?
How to spend Sat evening? tip rolling of course)))
It would be interesting to try driver with more flat lower freqs. Currently its 250hz peak requires to pick tips carefully for me.
The main criteria is to find tips where all basses from this video sound good and also not to lose BCD magic on other tracks.
Current state: short tips with tighter and dipper fit work best for me (short foams, tang sancai wide, spinfit omni) + Dunu Candy. If I touch iems with fingers while listening - it sounds heavenly! Clarion, BGVP wide, KBear 07,7hz h08, Spinfit W1 - good. KZ Starline, AFUL, Aoshida e20 tips - ok. Bamboo and 7hz h07 sound unballanced to me. Dunu SnS tips don’t work at all. Moondrop Spring tips and Angelears AE100 are too soft and give less bass. Feaulle h570 tips sound most natural but lacks that vibration, Divinus wides give too much on the other hand. Sadly some of them have border for leap and slide.
Nice. I probably should do a little more exploring in that space sometime. I just have to be careful not to stretch my audio slush fund too thin. It’s carryover from my previous job, and I usually have to sell something to buy something these days.
What’s your recommendation under $300?
(Also, Fate anime series inspired naming convention detected.)
Well as I said, If you want a to hear your surroundings and want some good sound, of course i would rec my own GAS3 (MMCX) (which is like the Sony IER-M9 in bud form).
That peak is due to the BC actually working. Pretty much all BC (bass shaker type) operate there.
I’m doing the same thing above the Atlantic 
I’ve settled on Comply foams for fit and BCD magic, but it would be nice to smooth out that resonance. I have some Sencai Wides with me. Anatoli recs Velvets. They were the first ones I tried but I was trying a variety of different sources (desktop gear) and the output impedance was making them sound all kinds of wonky 
Bearing in mind I’m finding the Punch to be the best tuning of any IEM I’ve heard yet, would the GAS3 still be your recommendation from your lineup? Of course, I understand that flat heads can’t do the same thing as something with a seal.
I’ll definitely put that on my to-do list after Christmas. The one graph I saw on your site (not the GAS3) looks crazy smooth in the treble!
When I’m ready to pull the trigger, what’s your preferred contact method?
The graph looks pretty different, you can take a look at the graph for the Sony IER M9.
Its hard to know what you like in buds as preferences between iems and buds dont really convert 1:1.
(Note that graph is just me using PEQ to imagine how the bud would like if “converted” to iem, very much not something you should read deep into.)
Just PM me here, or mail me.
Contact links here: https://rikubuds.com/
Thanks for the clarification. Honestly, I haven’t heard a flat head bud yet I’ve loved. The FF3 was more of an “I don’t hate this. At least it has some bass.” experience. Not much wow factor there, and I rarely use them. Would definitely like to have something better.
Noted.
The KZ QDC have same polarity as 2-Pin. I think it is only QDC themselves that have the polarity reversed. And you can cut away the QDC shroud on the KZ to make it regular 2-Pin 
