Just reporting back regarding ifi Zen DAC+CAN: I can confirm that the CAN has a lower noise floor (i guess lower output impedance), so I actually don’t hear a hiss on my Yanyin Canon (10 Ohm impedance), whereas I hear it on just the DAC. Do I hear a difference between just DAC and DAC+CAN, now that I have over 5x the available power? Not sure, but at least my 300 Ohm earbuds get allll the power it every needs, and I can also power 500-600 Ohm earbuds in the future, so I guess I’m futureproofed lol
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I don’t know if this guy ((Gaucho Motorismo)) sells the stuff he makes (I am waiting for his reply) and how does it sound, but he makes some pure earbuds porn!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ4U20-vC70/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
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He doesnt. (he is in my server.)
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Damn, you are fast. Have you had a chance to listen to something he makes? I have seen he is giving them out
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No, I havent. But they sure look amazing.
How come? Just curious.
I make my own earbuds, cant exactly go around reviewing others.
(and I have no interest in branded buds anymore.)
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Ok fair enough. You could rank them to see how much worse they are then yours 
So @Rikudou_Goku ,
I don’t know if I have to thank you or curse you.
I bought dirt cheap Vido mx500-shelled buds as per your advice ( Vido – écouteurs HIFI HD filaires, oreillettes classiques, stéréo, musique, unité de pilote dynamique, basses lourdes, casque, Microphone, MX500, 3.5mm, 15.4mm | AliExpress ).
Off the bat, I noticed 3 things:
- they hold/fit in my ears with no problem at all, despite my horizontal anti-targuses. the fit is more secured than on lbbs
- they actually have some bass!
- they don’t sound bad at all! they of course lack sub-bass, and the voices are too thin, but fot that price I find the performances amazing! I might do an A/B comparison with the LBBS, but I may prefer the tuning of the Vido against the lbbs’
So now I know that a whole new world of sound expenses awaits me. I don’t really know where to start, and I’m not even sure I want to go down that road for now; but I won’t be able to ignore it.
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Lol yeah, earbuds are phenomenal value for quality. But you know where to start - Rikubuds! There are other, more expensive commercial sets too. If you want, the earbuds thread on headfi is super active: Earbuds Round-Up | Page 4247 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org. can find lots of reccs there!
Also, if you kinda fiddle with the fit, and also get the right tuning, I believe Riku himself said there’s sub-bass in his earbuds 
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In the Berserker lineup.
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Can confirm!
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I guess I’m in for a Riku’s offer reading, then
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I’ve been pretty over the moon with buds these days and barely listen to IEMs anymore.
Rikus buds have all been fantastic - of the four I’ve tried (Saber Lancer Rider Berserker) Rider might be my favorite!
And tgx’s Serratus is now my favorite audio experience to date!
We need more earbud love here!
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Not an avid watcher of anime but I do read a lot of manga and read a lot of LN and thanks to @Rikudou_Goku, I’ve (re)discovered Hiroyuki Sawano. Been listening to the Kingdom OST this morning and I’m finding that the Fiio FF3 is PERFECT for this.
Had to bump the FF3 up on my own personal ranking list because of how epic it sounds!
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Cross posting from Headfi but I can't resist any chance to spark more interest in earbuds so here we go:
Thought I’d leave my thoughts here cause I have been absolutely enamored with these two sets - Alpha and Serratus are my two favorite sets of all time:
Serratus:
Amazing separation, clarity, and presentation. Imaging and stage very good. Beautiful balanced/neutral tuning from bass to treble. Center images very well - almost like speakers. Timbre is spot on - everything sounds so natural and right. I liken it to the U12T but without the wonky timbre. Super addictive to listen to! Also very distracting because it demands my attention - I can’t listen to this during work hours or I will end up just listening to the music intently!
Alpha:
Similar to Serratus in technicalities as far as details and stage - I do think Serratus does center imaging and separation slightly better but that might be something psychoacoustic due to Serratus mids being slightly pulled back compared to Alpha. This is not bassy by any means but the bass is very high quality and textured. Tonally a touch of warmth with a very satisfying note weight. Mids on Alpha are absolutely sublime. Best vocals I’ve heard across IEMs, headphones, and buds. But the star of the show that makes this my favorite set at the time of this writing - this is the first time I’ve heard any audio gear reproduce the violin so well - listening to Gil Shaham perform Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin nearly brought tears to my eyes with how expressive and beautiful the timbre is. I went back to a/b with other sets that I thought did violin well and they all sounded a bit lacking.
These two sets fill two different roles for me - the Serratus is the all-rounder that does everything incredibly well and that I can always count on for an enjoyable listen. And while the Alpha is not as well-rounded (mostly due to bass quantity), it does what it does well so well that it just blows my mind. Highest praise for both of these sets - kudos to @tgx78 for creating these two masterpieces!
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Well, looks like TRN got caught lying again.
(picture from @Valphonics )
TRN EMX. Its not a full plated driver, just the dome (if its actually beryllium at all)…
Here is their advertisment pic.
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tgxear on Instagram: "Q39 shell #classicalmusic #tgxear #customearbuds #musiclover #highfidelity #audiophile #diyearbuds #vancouveraudiophile #madeincanada #vancouverisawesome #canadianmusic #locallymade #serratus #tantalus #seatosky #inearmonitor #vintage #rarefind #earbuds" this is mine Serratus Qian39 version in production 
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