Getting the go bag ready for a week in Mexico (because August in Mexico, why not?):
l to r: BTR5, Serratus (32Ω Edition), Riku Grand Archer 1, “Dark Lucybud” (64Ω Comp Ti), FDX1 (for isolation when needed)
Am I missing anything?
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He has also released the Serratus Black Sand, $250. It’s not like he’s going upwards and upwards, he’s also releasing improved versions of his previously well-loved sets:
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That is actually quite interesting approach to tubing. I wonder if this is this Serratus 2.0 or something in between. And if it would work out as good in different shell to MX500
It’s the Serratus v2 project, yes.
I give Jim credit for not increasing the price on Black Sand past $250 because I totally thought he would, but he was at $200 ($250 max) this time a year ago with Serratus/Alpha/Tantalus, and now in the releases since Ripples (which he’s currently pulled from the available options) it’s Totem at $299, Sunniva at $350, and Desolation Sound at $599.
You cannot argue in good faith his prices aren’t going up, up, up when he’s pulling older (cheaper) models
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We are living in a free market society anyway. If the market rejects, he will have to adjust. Otherwise, MX500 shells and drivers are always there on Aliexpress if you are willing to get your hands dirty.
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I’m not arguing against a free market system, and in fact, I can understand/extrapolate out fair reasons why his prices are increasing: chiefly that besides normal R&D and labor costs, if Jim increases his prices to control demand, I can respect that.
But he is currently pricing out a section of clientele that bought his earlier models. Both things are true
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I’m quite shocked that he has a $500 model now. I remember some folks already PM’ed me about how “overpriced” the Serratus was after my kinda-positive review of those buds.
But all the bests to him. I admire the guy living out my dream: turning preference tuning into real products and get people head over hill for them. When I make my earbuds, my colleagues told me they sound like sh*t 
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Absolutely. I don’t pretend like I have the mechanical skills or the ear to make something that could possibly be this wildly popular. People like Jim and Riku, etc., are a credit to the hobby.
And there certainly are always options to getting gear if price is an object. So it’s not an actual loss. At the end of the day, it might be doing lots of people a favor to remind them to enjoy the gear they do have because whatever you love is already awesome enough 
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Then that makes his older ‘cheaper’ sets a bargain then?..He needs to move away from the MX500 shell to make me want to hand over 600 bucks for a set…Still really enjoying Riku’s AR3’s with a lot of my library and the fit as I’ve said before is amazinging comfortable for me…thanks @Rikudou_Goku 
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I am not trying to vouch for him, but if he is making buds with more improved tuning over the last one, price is bound to go up as R&D costs pile up. He is not compromising on the hardware quality either.
No worries. I do already acknowledge the truth of this
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Repaired Serratus picked up today with a FOC mesh bag and some extra foams…a one month UK to Canada turnaround, now that’s quality customer service 
oh and the 3-4db midbass reduction foams for the Sunni’s too 
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Another fun and insightful review from AWSMDanny
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I love my set and although I’ve got the mid bass foams I’ve not yet felt the need to fit them…Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love with rubber rings fitted ie no foams is 
even Serratus can’t replay Kate’s music to this level. Control, separation, imaging are all spot on the set doesn’t have a massive soundstage but everything pops and is placed perfectly illustrated by Waking The Witch
A keeper for me for sure
Edit…to add, this set’s no slouch when it comes rock technicalities either Sweet Leaf done like a boss 
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If you were to double the budget to $25-$30, would it garner a bud that is significantly superior to the $10-$15 buds you suggested? Would it then have all three attributes referenced, technicalities, bass and fun.
Looking to dip toe in buds, not beginner level but straight to intermediate level, just below advanced level, far from riku custom expert level (swimmers reference lol)
Like on the level of the Simgot EA500 IEM or the just released Simgot but in a bud.
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NiceHCK EB2S pro (the blue one). That’s the one you want, at that $20-30 price
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Thank you 
, you da man.
From “NiceHCK Audio Store” on AE?
Yeah. There’s multiple reputable stores that sell NiceHCK stuff and that’s one of them
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Just a technical observation regarding TGXear’s… the bell used by AC/DC at the start of the Hells Bells cast by John Taylor & Co in Loughborough UK sounds perfect on my Sunni’s…the initial strike then that texture 
and the decay sounds like you’re standing outside a church on any given Sunday (just wish AC/DC were playing lol)…it beat out Serratus and Z1R with those respective technicalities Clapping hands thank you Jim
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