The Rikubuds Collection or The Time I Caught ‘Em All
Amongst my holiday bounty, I came across two situations that have come together to make for a very special opportunity. @vividici_111 was selling his Grand Rider, and I have very publicly stated that the pair of @Rikudou_Goku’s Rikubuds I was most likely to want to buy was going to be in the Rider class, so I decided to snatch them up. The second situation wasn’t a me-thing but I get to take advantage: @MMag05 loaned @domq422 his Rikubuds collection and as a part of the deal, I get to have time with them too. So now I went from zero Rikubuds to having Berserker 1 and 2, Lancer 1, Saber 1, and Assassin 1 in my possession, as well as Grand Rider 1 and a prototype Berserker-class earbud that I now own. So we have seven buds to talk about. Let’s get after it!
Songs to Listen to and Follow Along:
As usual, I’m going to write my thoughts in generalities, but I’ll give you a sample of songs that I listen to, that will relate to the concepts I write about. Feel free to ask for specifics, if you don’t keep up with my thought processes.
I’m Your Bass Creator - Basshunter (For the bass)
Holding On (Rome In Silver Remix) - Dabin (For female vocals, tonality, mid-bass response within mix From 1:12-1:36)
DISINTER MY HEART - TRAILS (For treble response and resolution, male vocals, midrange response)
The Curse - Agnes Obel (For violin tonality, layering and separation From 1:45)
When I Fall (Outta Love) - Kevin Olusola (For Imaging/detail retrieval :00-:07, tonality, timbre)
We Want It So Much, We’re Getting In Your Head; Nothing Can Stop Us, We’ll Make It To the End
One thing that has made this review a little bit of a struggle to write is the simple fact that there are so many sets to go through, and in a lot of ways, there is not a whole lot between them. The first conclusion I can come to is that there isn’t a bad Rikubud, even if not all the sets are not my cup of tea. In that vein, I’m going to work my way through the minutia in order to give you my opinion on how each set does, and why you may want them.
Starting out, I’ll go with Assassin. In my time with Assassin, I found them to be a vocal specialist. The overall signature sounds like it de-emphasizes the bass and treble regions, in order to put the midrange on full display. Doing this creates a larger sense of soundstage; there is quite a depth to be found there. This is accomplished by moving the vocals so forward, but the consequence of that is instruments (especially instruments with more bite like brass) step back and can get lost in the track. I’m willing to bet that pulling back the bass and treble plays a part in creating the larger soundstage I hear, but the tonality is off for me. These are very good for what they do best, but they’re not a set I would be drawn to as I look more to all-arounders.
Next up, we will go to the Berserker class and the three different variants I have; the B1, B2, and B-Prototype. In terms of the B1 and B2, I know they are marketed as bassy earbuds, but I’m not hearing them quite that way. They certainly bring bass presence, but it’s a more neutral bass overall. B1 is a very clean, punchy bass that trades blows with Saber 1, while B2 is boomier and a little more sub-bass emphasized. They both have solid soundstages and good technicalities; vocal tonality is close to Assassin but not quite as good. They are both better in instrument tonality. B1 has a bit of an advantage here in have a better treble response for me, as B2 is absolutely tuned to be darker and smoother, but it takes a little too much off for my taste. B-P was tuned as a step up to the normal Berserker class, as an attempt at a Grand Berserker, and that tracks to my listening experience. This is the bud that best exemplifies the Berserker class to me, as it has a punchy mid-bass like B1 and a sub-bass closer to B2. When I put xBass on my hip-dac with the B-P, I finally feel like I’m getting what the vision for the Berserker class is. It lacks a little bit of treble for my ideal clarity, but I’d say it’s the best of the trio here, and a fine representation for what is available in the Grand Berserker 2. I liked it well enough, but it’s not my favorite tuning in the Rikubud family. I’d say across the board that these are perfectly serviceable earbuds for the right circumstances, but none of which are main courses for me. But a meal with a satisfactory appetizer that prepares you for the next courses is never a bad thing. I’m going to end this review there, so next time I will go over what I think are the cream of the crop in the Rikubuds selection I have: The Grand Archer 1, Saber 1, and Lancer 1. Which Rikubud will stand above them all? Find out in part two. That’s going to be it for this review. Enjoy your days, and take care till next time!
Ranks: Assassin (B-), Berserker 1 (B-), Berserker 2 (B-), Berserker Prototype (B)
Ranks With Personal Bias: Assassin (B-), Berserker 1 (B-), Berserker 2 (B-), Berserker Prototype (B)
Combined Rank As a Food: Quiche hors d’oeuvres
Glad people are loving such gem!
