Man, 700Ω driver in that totem - that Is some impedance… I’m sure they’ll both be fantastic buds, looking forward to all the impressions to come soon!
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I own a few 600ohm buds, but TBH I’m not looking to add more high impedance buds really. Most of my bud listening use cases are when I don’t want to be tied to my desk and desktop gear so buying buds that require a desktop chain means they don’t get listened to as often as they should. Though I do have one pair of 600ohm bery buds that were made for me by FranQL over on head-fi and they sound good through portables with some juice. Anyways, it’ll be interesting to see what people think.
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From what I heard the carbon is pretty similar to the Ripples but with a steel Bell shell
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I can see why that’d be the lifestyle - for me personally, buds only really work within a quieter, stationary position because of the lack of seal. 700 Ω though?! That is insane and I don’t think the ol’ BTR7 would drive em properly.
Listening to the Serratus gave me a really useful understanding of what I personally need in a bud. The Riku Lancer is about all I need. Can’t wait for my pair to show up, super hyped.
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A 15mm bio fiber driver…. Oh man! 
I really just don’t see myself meshing with buds for fit and isolation day to day though. 
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This is the same reason why buds are my end of night listening transducer type. I usually stay up later than the fam so I can get some quiet time but I like buds especially because I can still hear my surroundings in case the dog barks it the baby wakes up. Outside of that I usually use my IEMs during the day
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Right, I feel the same way. My little guy is a very light sleeper and he tends to sleep walk so it’s important I can hear if he wakes up and starts walking around. The Sundaras are great but the sound leakage is absolutely ridiculous Lmao it’ll definitely wake up the wife.
Buds are a good middle ground no doubt.
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Has the TGXear Alpha been discontinued as doesn’t seem to be on the website anymore…
…
Bud adjacent news but it looks like Jim might be dropping a Serratus IEM this summer
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What? Could you link source for this information? 
Ed: ok found it: Post in thread ‘TGXEAR discussion thread.’ TGXEAR discussion thread. | Page 63 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
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RikuBud Lancer 1 (vs. Clip Buds)
Ok, so after a decade, I got a new earbud. Jeeej! So, let’s see. I need something to compare with, so I dug up my Sansa Clip Earbuds from long time ago. So:
- Clip Buds
- RikuBud Lancer 1
Tips
- Foams.
- Foams.
1 == 2
Same.
Build and look
- Light and nice looking. Robust.
- Light and nice looking. Customizable.
1 == 2
Both are light and nice looking. Clip Buds looks a little more special and have a little thicker earshell. Lancer is build from standard parts but you can select colors and cable.
Comfort
- Excellent.
- Excellent.
1 == 2
I forgot how excellent the comfort was. When IEMs came, for the longest time I hated the invasive fit. Buds are so easy to wear.
Fit
- Abysmal.
- Lancer is even worse as Clip Buds have a plastic ring around which makes it somewhat harder to move.
1 > 2
I also forgot how abysmal is the fit. Buds are easy to move and any, even minimal, movement drastically changes the sound. Like the most finicky speakers, as soon as you move out of the sweet spot, the sound goes down the drain. Additionally, the most natural way to wear the buds isn’t the best sounding one.
Isolation
- None.
- None.
1 == 2
Like an open back headphone. Very open. With both good (you hear the environment) and bad (you hear the environment) sides of it.
Tonality
Sub-Bass
- Rolled off but present.
- Rolled off but present and clear.
1 < 2
Lancer is the winner here, with clear and present sub bass. However, both are rolled off.
Test tracks:
The xx - Fantasy
Bass
- Big, punchy and somewhat boomy.
- Subdued.
1 > 2
The presence and force of the bass is better on Sansa Buds.
Test tracks:
Cage the Elephant - Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked
Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On
San Holo - They Just Haven’t Seen It
Midrange
- Natural with a hint of haze and reverb.
- Prominent. Slightly bright and aggressive but clearer.
1 > 2
Both have good midrange. Lancer is on a comparative brighter side, Sansa’s are darker but closer to neutral. Clarity is better on Lancer, but Sansa’s are more enjoyable.
Test tracks:
Daniela Andrade - Crazy
JFDR - My Work
Treble
- Sibilant. Uneven.
- Good.
1 < 2
Lancer is clearly superior in treble. Tuning, clarity, the whole works.
Test tracks:
Colonia - Red Light Zone
Balance
- Sibilant treble throws off balance. V shaped.
- Despite having smoother treble, the balance is on the bright side. Bass parts are clear, but higher frequencies dominate.
1 > 2
Both are having issues. On Sansa’s treble is sibilant and gritty. On Lancer, prominent upper midrange is dominating, while bass is subdued. Fatiguing. I give slight nod to the Sansa’s.
Test tracks:
James Blake - Limit to Your Love
Lost Frequencies - Are You With Me
Skrillex - Bangarang
Technicalities
Detail and Imaging
- Slightly muffled. Good imaging.
- Clear. Good imaging.
1 < 2
Lancer wins it on clarity. Imaging is good on both.
Test tracks:
Coldplay - Midnight (Kygo Remix)
Dire Straits - Love Over Gold
Soundstage
- Wide.
- Medium.
1 > 2
Stage is wider on Sansa’s.
Test tracks:
Above and Beyond - Satellite / Stealing Time
Dynamic Range
- Compressed
- Dynamic
1 < 2
Dynamic range is better on Lancer.
Test tracks:
Dire Straits - The Man’s Too Strong
Purity Ring - hearthsigh
Sinead O’Connor - Last Day of Our Acquaintance
Overall
1 < 2
Lancer has detail an dynamics on it’s side, while Sansa gets it in wide soundstage. Overall, Lancer is technically superior.
Value
- Freebies with Sansa players. Long discontinued. Can be found second hand for cheap.
- 50 EUR + shipping
Can’t do honest comparison as Sansa Buds are long discontinued. But, must say I’m impressed as this was freebie bundle. I didn’t have much expectation, but listening to it I was shocked how good they are.
Regarding Lancer, things are a little more complex. They are technically very good, but tuning didn’t vibe with me. Maybe Berserker would be more to my liking. Is this good first entry into buds? In general, maybe better to try with something like X6 for a first step into the buds’ world.
Overall
Sansa Clip+ Buds
Pros: bass, midrange, soundstage
Cons: treble, slight veil
Rikubud Lancer 1
Pros: sub bass, treble, clarity, dynamics
Cons: subdued bass, fatiguing upper midrange, fit
I didn’t use earbuds for almost a decade. I forgot a lot about them, but it “all comes to back to me now”. Good one is great comfort. What is bad is sound inconsistency that is the worst among any kind of transducers.
I pulled out Sansa Buds after lot of time and end up pleasantly surprised. Very good midrange, fun and good bass and nice soundstage. Biggest issue is the treble which is Beyer-kind of annoying, with pronounced sibilance. There is a slight veil in the sound but tuning is warm and enjoyable. Soundstage is also impressive.
Lancer, on the other side, is more on the brighter side of tuning. This helps with the clarity, no veil on this one. Sub bass is also impressive, I expected a much bigger roll off. Treble is nice and smooth, no aggressive sibilance like on Sansas. Dynamics are also impressive, you can feel the gradations of sound and sub bass is punchy. Timbre in general is near excellent, if a touch dry.
Mid bass, however, feels recessed. But, the biggest issue is overly accentuated upper midrange, which kills the enjoyment for me. At any louder volume it makes it sound shrill and fatiguing. The deviation here seems much smaller than e.g. in the treble on Sansas, however, this one I find much harder to ignore. I had similar issue with Olina as upper midrange is very sensitive part of FR. Other part is the fit, which is general problem with earbuds, but Lancer seems even looser than Sansas. Lancer has a lot of traits to love (timbre, most of tuning choices, technicalities, looks) and if tuning was a little different I would be fully impressed with them.
The fit puts a general question, what are earbuds good for? Myself, I see it as a very light and comfortable alternative to open backs. Also, quieter, if you are using them in the office environment. The sound is smaller then the full size headphones and sound consistency is horrible but if comfort and (inside) noise are a problem, they can be the alternative. I find the use for them in the office (when I need additional comfort and colleagues need additional quiet) and at home, when I need to hear the family. Also, they are very good for in bed use. But sound wise, I would not recommend if you don’t need these compromises. There is a reason why IEMs eclipsed buds in general use.
So do I recommend the Lancer 1? As a first bud? No, get something cheaper. In general? Only if you are insensitive at upper midrange. For my tastes, no.
In general I find RikuBuds a great brand. Looks and cable are great, communication and shipping swift, prices reasonable and model choice is big. I am still interested in Berserker or Saber as I feel that those tunings would much better fit my preferences.
Addendum I: EQ
Wavelet 2.4kHz -3dB
OK, now this transform the sound significantly. Without fatiguing aggression, now the mid bass returns back in focus. Sound is now balanced. Timbre is near excellent and for pure enjoyment it smokes something like S12 and in general, this is among the best timbral IEMs/buds I’ve heard. Technically, this are very impressive buds.
Addendum II
In the meantime, I did get the TGXEar Serratus, but I was waiting for 4.4 to 3.5 adapter, as I don’t have balanced source. If I find time, I will try to compare the Lancer with it. Should be interesting.
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Wait!..Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…!
One of those photos looks like they glow in the dark, and that got my attention!! LOL
P.S.- Yes, I’m a fan of glow in the dark things, too! 
Ohhhhh my goodness!!! These photos are so pretty!!! Stooooopppp ittttt!!! But don’t, lol. 
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I believe this:
is just some light from UV curing.
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It’s UV fluorescence, so it is kinda glow in the dark, but not auto fluorescence. Pretty cool though
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Yup, it only glows when put under direct, strong UV light source. The picture is from curing process
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Ehm, what color would you like if it was possible? 
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The photos were the easy part, my wife is the real artist!
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