Yeah, I think I take back what I said about the EB2S. Just put them in my ears for the first time in a while and I’d say they lack mid bass and sub bass presence, causing the timbre to be off for me personally. I strongly prefer the FAAEAL Iris 2.0. Now I’m even more interested in the X6.
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March Madness may be over, but Spring Insanity is just beginning!
Impressions to follow once they have ear time, and after I figure out how much juice they need (big 300 ohms over here!).
Edit: Initial impressions: slightly recessed mids, but these deliver in the low end and the highs, while not overbearing or missing, are nicely balanced. Fun, non-fatiguing listen that would probably be endgame (or close to) for Hip-hop and EDM. These are going to make great companions to my Serratus and Grand Rider 2, and probably my Grand Alter Saber 2 (won’t know until they get back from tour lol). Recommended with the caveat that these are best served by either a desktop or portable amp. They aren’t impossible to drive, but they are THIRSTY!
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someone is selling a Totem on AVExchange if anyone is interested
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I just bought a chaconne - but this may be too much temptation to resist.
If it’s still there in the morning I am buying it. That is as far as my restraint goes.
EDIT: deal is not great - works out at under 10% off when shipping included. At that level of discount I would prefer to give Jim the money directly and have a brand new bud.
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Nice pickup on the Chaconnes. I have a feeling you’re gonna dig 'em. Your library is right in their wheelhouse. Congrats on the new buds! 
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Anyody has tried the HD600 (openbacks) and could compare with the Serratus? 
Ripples are home and @Lcg842 is getting reacquainted with them.
She’s making sounds only I usually get to hear…
Take that as you will 
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“Rippled for her pleasure”? The marketing writes itself!
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I do like me a good play on word
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Hi
For my master thesis, I aim to develop a concept for a semi-personalised wireless earbud. Therefore, I am gathering data on user experiences of their wireless earbuds / IEM’s. If you have some time I would love to hear your opinion on the tppic
With this link, I would like to invite you to take part in an anonymous questionnaire (of roughly 10 min) about wireless earphones / in-ear monitors. The aim of this questionnaire is to get an overview of how wireless earphones are currently used and how familiar the public is with personalised products.
https://tudelft.fra1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4VNIVL2GWSUqUoC
Thanks in advance for your time and feel free to share it with others!
So Jim sent me a sample Bell shell and I gotta say they fit like a glove! I’m excited to actually try a set with them
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Hey, all! I just recently received my pair of rikubuds Grand Saber 2 and decided to share some thoughts on them, bear in mind I wont use any technical terms and it is mostly a “do I enjoy them?” kinda post lol
First of all, Kevin is a great guy, he went above and beyong after a scare of a package that never reached me, thanks for that.
Anyway, on to the buds themselves…damn! Like a lot of other people these are the first earbuds I have used since the earbuds that came packed in with my ipod Classic like 15 years ago or something. I never found them super comfortable, they would hurt after a while but after listening to iems for some time now and reading about how earbuds are so similar to open headphones I got curious.
I was a bit wary about the fit because of previous experience all those years ago with other buds but these are super comfortable, I can wear them for hours without any physical annoyance and, same for the sound! They are very inoffensive, to me, which makes me keep going for “just one more song” on and on. And even then they are quite fun, the bass is very present but not overwhelming at all, in my opinion. I mostly listen to rock, metal and some hip hop every now and then and I think Kevin nailed it with the description for these since I think they are a great fit for all of these.
I am really enjoying the soundstage as well, they do sound kind of like open headphones and there are songs where I definitely feel/hear the sound coming from further away than the earbuds.
If I had one complain it would be the cable, I had the 3.5mm termination so I didnt get the choice of one of those braided cables he uses with the balanced versions (if I am not mistaken), and the one I got is kinda plasticky and kinda goes everywhere but it is fine.
I am using a Qudelix 5k to power them and no complains in that regard, more than enough to drive them to comfortable levels in my opinion.
So, to answer the original quesiton… do I enjoy them? Hell yeah! They are a ton of fun to listen to and the combination of me constantly wanting to listen to “just one more song” along with the being quite comfortable is a killer combo in my book.
Anyway, back to Mastodon!
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I got my copy with a different cable (even though it’s still 3.5 mm) and couldn’t be any happier with it.
But I’d asked Riku what would he recommend to minimize the microphonics.
Having said that, my setup came with a different storing case! Yours looks much more pro.
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Ah, the cable is not microphonic it is just rubbery haha but it is otherwise fine.
As for the case, yes, he told me he ran out of the bigger ones so he sent me that one which I appreciate and really like
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Anyone got a set of Venture electronics Zen Omega’s? if so what’s your thoughts
Nope, but I’ve had the OG Zens, Zen 2.0, and Zen 3.0, and I’ve tried the Zen LLs. If the Omegas are like the rest of the Zen series they’ll be quite warm and the mids will be the star of the show. As the series has progress, extension on either end of the spectrum (bass and treble) has gotten better, both being pretty rolled off in the OGs and both being reasonably well extended, but still leaving the mids as the star by the 3.0s. Also, the level of detail retrieval has steadily risen as the series has progressed as well, both perceived detail and actual detail retrieval. Detail isn’t a strong suit on the OGs, though its not bad, but quite a bit is lost in the rolled off treble and the higher levels of warmth. By the 3.0s, the detail retrieval is actually quite good and the treble being more extended and more forward also increases the ease with which you pick up the detail, particularly low level detail. How much any of this applies to the Omegas, I’m not sure, but I would guess that they have some of these same characteristics. I figured this would at least give you an idea of whether or not they’d be something you might be interested in.
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Thank you sir 
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Here is a short comparison of TOTL DIY earbuds that I managed to lay my hands on, that are:
-
TGXear Serratus - a custom version, which comprises 500Ω driver and transparent bell shells; originally they used to feature 300Ω driver and MX500 shells.
-
RikuBuds Grand Alter Saber 2 - with no huge alterations made to them, although Riku offers quite a few visual options to choose from; these have 80Ω driver.
Since I’m not an experienced audio reviewer and I’m not able to fully transcribe what I hear and feel, I will try to focus on the main differences between those two models, leaving the general description, measuring and characteristics behind. Serratus has already been reviewed quite a few times, therefore I don’t really think I could add anything more worthwhile to it.
Okay, enough with excuses. Let me start with the basics.
One of the biggest advantages that GAS2 has to offer is its 80Ω driver, which makes it far easier to drive. Surely, Riku’s buds do benefit from plugging them into an amplifier, but they sound great even without one.
Meanwhile, Serratus actually needs a decent source, even in its default 300Ω configuration. Not only due to 4.4mm BAL termination (which is the most popular option, though one may get it with 3.5mm SE), but also due to their scaleability.
At first I paired it with Tanchjim Space that, in spite of its little body, is quite powerful for a dongle (4 Vrms and 230 mW of power on the 4.4mm end). The results were breathtaking, they really were. But after connecting TGXears to TempoTec March III (4 Vrms, 630 mW) they became even better… The sounds gained a little weight to them and the bass got slightly punchier, too. From what I’ve seen more and more people tend to pair Serratus with tube AMPs, which actually seems to make a lot of sense.
When it comes to comfort - even though my ears aren’t that demanding and almost all buds fit me well, the Val39 shells won me over. TGXear bells aren’t bad, they just don’t feel that secure. Having said that, they’ve never fallen out of my ear or anything.
GAS2 scores another point for its cable - covered with a very thin, transparent sleeve that makes it soft and less prone to microphonics. Serratus braided cable appears more solid, but isn’t that easy to handle.
The most important thing: sound.
As many of you already know Serratus easily became the king of technicalities. It’s neutral, yet highly defined and accurate. Sometimes it may appear as too bright, especially to people that are sensitive to high frequencies. But no one questioned their amazing holographic staging.
Neither did I, at least not before I got GAS2.
In the direct A/B comparison GAS2 feels slightly wooly, though I feel that “analogue-y” is more on point. The mids aren’t as forward as in Serratus. The particular notes sound smoother - not that sterile, not that digital. It’s warmer, softer maybe, all right, but it’s still highly resolving. It’s funny, but Riku’s buds are minutely better at replicating hi-hats, making them more audible, yet not harsh, not painful.
The stage itself seems to be a little wider, but most importantly it’s the height that’s much better. That’s what saves GAS2 from sounding congested.
Based on the above write-up one could think that those two earbuds differ so much that it should be easy to pick them apart.
In reality, it’s not.
If I hadn’t compared them side by side, second by second, I’d have had hard time saying which is which. Both of them put a big smile on my face and tend to give me a hell of a lot of fun. Both guarantee a proper jaw-dropping experience on first listen.
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You answered this…
Hybrid or OTL amps are what I’ve found pair best with Serratus too