Oh, come on! Your buds are simply a bit more funky, they have a style of their own.
Even so, in the end it’s just the looks.
2 Likes
No, I really don’t mind this huge gap in build esthetics being there. Just admiring the craftsmanship of one of the GOATs of the DIY world 
And I am just a rookie in my first year looking up to him to maybe get somewhere close that level some day, with still a long way to go 
4 Likes
Don’t underestimate your craftsmanship that Lavender is fire ! If picking on looks alone I’d be on it all day long.
2 Likes
Sorry for the late reply!
Either way, https://matrix.org/ is a messaging system that connects different platforms with state-of-the-art encryption.
Would love to see it!
I am thoroughly impressed by the Cayin RU7, it is so good in fact that I decided to use it with my desktop amp as well. Will burn it in some more but what really shocked me was how big the soundstage is, image separation is STELLAR.
2 Likes
LREY Portable Music Cronus - A fun companion
LREY Portable Music is an artisan brand from Philippines. A budding earbud enthusiast, I took to facebook to look for hidden gems - namely the not-so-popular artisan earbud makers. And that is where I found a nice presence of LREY. I started talking with them and placed a small order of 3 earbuds.
My first impression will be on Cronus (1750 PHP)
The Cronus cost me $45 including shipping to India, just the mmcx head units without any cable.
Shell Material: Brass
Driver: 32 Ohm Beryllium
Build and fit:
The brass shell is solid and has a tiny hole in the back for the airflow. Feels very well-made.
The mmcx connectors are quite high quality - providing a very secure connection with all the cables I tried.
The fit is very comfortable. Despite the weight of the brass shells, I can barely feel them in my ears - totally snug fit. They do not move even a bit with the movement of head either. I can use them lying down as well.
I have to say, though, the white high-density foams that come with these are not the best for the sound - smother the treble brilliance. I put low density foams on these and that instantly made the sound better!
Sound:
What immediately surprised me is the bold, full-bodied, meaty bass, while maintaining a quite balanced sound signature. Meaning the midrange is pretty transparent and the treble is sufficiently sparkling. This is definitely not a dark tuning despite the wonderful bass!
Cronus has an inherently fun tuning, without skimping on most of the technicalities. The bass immediately draws your attention - it goes deep, has a strong emphasis in both mid and subbass region, so packs a solid punch and generates a pretty satisfactory rumble. Despite the powerful presentation, it does not smother the midrange.
The midrange is crisp and has lots of details. The note has a big body and feels full but not bloated. The edges are well-defined but not piercing. Lower midrange is quite organic sounding, upper midrange has a euphonic nature. The tonality is balanced to warm. String instruments have a good crunch. Overall it is quite musical.
The treble is not negatively affected by the bass and the warm tonaity. It has a fair amount of energy; the notes are crisp and sparkling. There is simply nothing wrong with it. No uncomfortable peaks despite the energy. Even though brilliant, it is not pushed forward, rather is placed a step back from midrange.
The soundstage is wide, projecting a space well beyond the head, with a nice height; but the one thing it lacks is depth. Hence, the depth-wise spatial positioning of notes is not very good, so the stage is not exactly three-dimensional. It still has quite a nice imaging - not blurred at all. The whole stage is quite clean with prominent separation - absolutely no trace of congestion anywhere.
Overall, I would say LREY Cronus is a very capable earbud for the price. It sounds very fun, engaging, and yet sufficiently detailed all at once. It is very easy to drive also, I can connect it to my phone and achieve musical bliss at the drop of a coin. This is presently my on-the-go partner, paired with a mic cable from BGVP to pick up calls as well.
Cronus is a perfect mid-level example of LREY’s tuning potential.
13 Likes
Thanks for the review. Really interesting.
Any chance to have some comparisons to more well known buds to see how these play in the market as a whole? Thanks again
Thing is, I do not have any well-known buds. I only had the Rider 1, which I can make a comparison with from memory
Rider 1 had less bass volume and slam, more forward midrange and treble. Midrange and treble had more body and sounded slightly warmer. The stage had noticeably more height, making the presentation slightly bigger.
Cronus has more fun and engaging tuning due to the boosted and full bass slam, while having a clean midrange and treble. The soundstage seems wider, depth is at par, and height is less. Notes are slightly smaller in size as well.
Overall, Rider 1 comes off as more technical, and Cronus as more fun.
Unfortunately I do not have any other well-known buds, as I am not sure the chi-fi buds would be worth their value after being exposed to the artisan buds. I have already invested more than 1800 USD in this hobby and so far have only got one bud that does not suit my preferences. Cannot risk any more. All the others are/were extremely enjoyable.
This is my current collection:
Fun fact: There is a bud in this collection that sounds very, VERY close to my current TOTL on hand - Serratus, for half the price 
Will post more about it later.
8 Likes
Weren’t we close in serial number? Mine should be shipping any day. I’m being patient but my excitement is over the moon.
3 Likes
You want any of Alpha/Serratus/Ripples to compare?
1 Like
Not sure man but mine was #15…I’m chill as always being an old cunt…time goes quicker for us so yeah I’ll get mine before you 
3 Likes
Hi All, just wondering what are the top budget buds to recommend to friends? budget = $15 and under
Yincrow X6
FAAEAL Iris 2.0
Those are my recs
4 Likes
I second the Iris 2.0 
1 Like
If you want good bass, Goober has it down pretty well. Yincrow X6 and FAAEAL Iris Ancestor, the 2.0 has better technicalities but sacrifices quite a bit in the bass department.
1 Like
Yeap I’m 16 so should be done soon
2 Likes
My latest earbud, created by Dailymusic. Ventbud series, model V8-Be. 8 vents, 32 ohm Beryllium driver. Design was requested by me after seeing one of his latest creation. This is the most unique looking bud in my collection!
7 Likes
How do they compare to your Pipebuds? I’m listening to mine right now.
1 Like
Yet to receive. May be in another 2 weeks I’ll be able to tell you.
1 Like