I am completely sold on the M15, listening with Grado Hemps as we speak, but man the S12 with Tin T2 blue Foam tips is eye opening.
2 Likes
It is as dark as Mele. Doesn’t affect my library for pure musicality. I love it’s bass so far 
Comon, my fav IEM is EJ07 
1 Like
It’s a beast of a device! Quick first impressions are very good 
2 Likes
I’m going to have to be satisfied with 2 sets in your top 7 
2 Likes
Rikubuds - Alter Rider 1 and Assassin 2 impressions
Disclaimer: Both units were bought and paid full by fellow buddies and then shipped to me as a loaner for a quick spin. I don’t own these units and have not shared my impressions with Riku before this, despite our relationship. No incentives were given of any kind and what you are about to read are my own thoughts and opinions.
A giant thanks to @Tfaduh and @pylaczynski for sending these and for supporting me. Beers are on me!
Sources used: Topping E30 + L30
Foams used: Regular density foams/stock
Test playlist with some of the songs used: Tidal
Lancer 1 and Berserker 1 impressions for reference.
Ranking list (updated) for reference, under the earbuds tab.
Alter Rider 1
Price: $50
Driver: 32ohm 19-21 Black Dot Bio
Ruler flat.
The Alter Rider 1 (Rider) is as flat as you can get, if you ignore the sub-bass and higher frequencies roll-off, which are natural on any transducer, especially on buds. If you are any IEM guy, think of something in the lines of the Tin Hifi P1/P1 Plus as it was the first IEM that came into mind.
As a reviewer with natural human biases, ruler flat signatures are hard to criticize as they don’t trigger much emotions, but they also don’t do anything wrong to deserve any negative feedback. Admittedly, they will make you more fond of them as you keep listening, so don’t expect a one-trick-pony once you put them on your ears.
Actually, one-trick-pony is the opposite of the Rider - as it is a master of none allrounder. If we delve into the frequency range, the only thing I disliked was the sub-bass as it felt not only rolled-off but also undefined on lower volume levels (Hans Zimmer - Why So Serious? starting around 3:25m). Bear in mind that sub-bass roll-offs are usually the bread and butter of earbuds, despite that not being the house signature Rikubuds usually go for, which I have to commend the diversity.
Other than that, the frequency response it’s pretty flat with my nitpicks going towards the 1k hertz and above, where I’d like to see some more bite to the vocals and upper extension. Thom Yorke’s voice on “Packtd Like Sardines In A Crushd Tin Box” feels a little too relaxed and meshed with the melody instead of coming slightly in front. Female vocals are a touch better but lack that last leg of bite on their fundamentals.
When looking into the technicalities of the Rider, there’s not much you can’t fault and I’ll describe it on almost all fields as above average. To my ears, the stage has better depth than width and comes out as having great timbre/decay. Again, just like the frequency response, it does nothing wrong so it is hard to pick on it, with my only warm luke feeling going towards macro dynamics, which is probably majorly correlated to its tuning.
To wrap it up, I think the Rider is a good pair of earbuds that will please anyone looking for neutrality and it is sensitive to the upper region, but with the sin of becoming too safe to a point of boredom. To me it isn’t as pleasing as let’s say its brother Lancer 1, both on clarity and frequency response other than the mid-range. This doesn’t go without saying that compared to most off-the-shelf-branded buds out there, it’s a clear step up and a solid choice, let alone for the asking price.
Personal ranking: A.
Assassin 2
Price: $75
Driver: 32ohm Fostex
Brain versus heart. Brain doesn’t let me love it but the heart says I should because they look stunning and I love its cable.
For the second series Riku went with an experimental shell, based on Qian39, and made by another DIYer Valbuds (shameless plug, Ascii/Valphonics on discords around you). This shell isn’t as comfortable for me as the other PK, MX500 or the Qian ones. After somes days I could get used to it, but I still can’t adjust the position as well as I wanted to, so keep that in mind and how it could affect my impressions.
The tonality is very midcentric and - as I never expected to say this in my life - maybe too much to a point it feels like an N-shape sometimes. Sub-bass is less rolled off than the Rider 1 and it has better mid-bass prominence and impact, but on an heavy mid-range song like LITTLE TEMPO - Little Journey the mids come out too prominent, blurring the mid-bass a bit and decreasing its tacticality. This seems to be also affecting my perception of the higher frequencies where the treble and upper-treble feel like falling into the background.
The slight tonal imbalance is clear on simple tracks like the Curse, where the overall clarity and dynamics drops off in favor of bringing the mids into your face. As far as other technicalities go, there’s nothing major to point out but good imaging, good decay and an intimate stage.
In sum, despite my tastes, the Assassin 2 doesn’t work for my preferences and library, and falls shorter than the Rider or the Lancer 1. Despite the tonality unbalanced to my ears, the technicalities are solid and for that I can’t fault it that much and still a better option than most branded options out there.
Personal ranking: B+.
Brand overview
After owning two buds and having heard two more, I have no doubts about still reccing the Lancer 1 as one of the best buds you can get for the price and probably somewhere above it. The W-shape tonality and good technicalities take the trophy home inside the line-up for my preferences and library.
The contender and basshead option will be the Berserker 1 thanks to its tight,fast, sub-bass focused L-shaped tuning. If you love some serious bass, you coming from the IEM category but want to try out buds, this is the one, especially at the given price.
As a future reference, the next earbud I would like to try from Rikubuds would be something on the warmer side of the spectrum.
Thanks for reading!
15 Likes
Yanyinn HBB machina launch.
Cannon, Mahina, Dioko… To hype for me.
Yap! I should have it next week.
3 Likes
Still too early to say 
Bass, mids, note-weight, and scaling are very good so far just wished it had better separation/staging 
but can’t complain at this price 
1 Like
DX170. RS2 is not worth imo, even tho I’m a R2R simp.
1 Like
I dont remember the SSR being that bumped in the low end. I pictured it quite flat, actually. Am I wrong, or do I mix it with another iem?
EDIT: after having checked, it seems it is I that is mistaken
2 Likes
Zsn pro x rich side graph maybe promising.
It’s bad, don’t mind it.
Only heard Blessing 2 so far, between the others.
Truthear x Crin Zero coming up next
2 Likes
Truthear x Crinacle Zero: Harman living picture
Disclaimer: This unit was provided by Shenzhenaudio for free in exchange for a written review. No incentives of any kind were given and the review you are about to read are my own thoughts and opinions. Thanks once again to Shenzhenaudio for the opportunity and support.
Driver Setup: 2 Dynamic Drivers - 10mm (woofer) + 7.8mm (mids to highs)
Price: $50
Purchase link and info: Shenzhenaudio
Included in the box:
- Zero
- Standard 2pin black cable with a 3.5mm termination;
- 6 Pair of silicone tips;
- 1 Pair of foam tips;
- A carrying pouch (PU leather);
- Documentation and warranty card.
Comfort, fit and isolation: Nozzles are long and thick so fit, comfort and isolation might get tricky for those with shorter canals like me. Very lightweight shells.
Source used: Topping E30 + L30 stack
Tips used: Stock silicone - narrow
Test playlist with some of the songs used: Tidal
Sound characteristics
If the title of this review hasn’t been specific enough yet, the Truthear x Crinacle Zero (Zero) is a Harman Target doppelganger, meaning it follows the (in)famous Harman curve very closely for its tuning.
Translating that into an actual analysis and easy going words, you will find an almost V-Shaped signature, only not touching it due to the usual clean and drier bass, neutral mid-range or just slightly north of it.
Zero, being a deadringer to Harman, is no exception. According to the Crinacle, the idea is to take a shot on a harman target but including a twist: having a dedicated woofer crossed over at around 100hz. This generated a lot of hype but also doubt, so I will try to simplify it for you the best that I can in the following paragraph to hopefully answer some of the questions that have been brought to me.
Think of a 2 way channel system with a subwoofer. The bigger drivers handle lower frequencies better, adding impact, texture and authority, but being incapable of having the needed speed required for higher frequencies. The usual smaller drivers have the opposite effect and some systems even include tweeters for ultra high frequencies to achieve better results. In this particular case of the Zero, by using two different drivers, the bigger one is allocated exclusively to the bass region, not overcharging it with the usual full range stress, which also leads into the fabled dynamic drivers fallacy of not extending far enough in the upper regions. The second driver, being smaller, can take the rest of the spectrum by itself without sweating as much and reaching better volumes at higher frequencies. In short and on paper: better bass and treble extension.
Now, from the paper to the ears, it worked. The Zero has a very good bass impact for the price range - one of the best in my opinion, - which approves of the formula. Addressing another elephant in the room, the sub-bass roll-off, I can see why it was done and I commend it, trying to emphasys this bass impact and let’s be honest here, there’s not much music below 30hz anyway, let alone perceive such roll-off other than in sine sweeps (Big Boi - Kill Jill). Final verdict is that the sub-bass passes with flying colors in my library with some nice rumble.
Now, it wouldn’t be me without nickpicking it and bringing up my usual not-so-likable distaste for the harman target: the mid-bass is very dry and feels scooped out at times on kick drums and bass guitars, namely the lower mids (Ghost-Note - Shrill Tones).
Given the mid-bass, it’s easy to perceive how clean and on the thinner side of the spectrum the mid-range is found. Being a mid-centrist, I have to appreciate its transparency, but sometimes I just feel they could use a touch more of note weight (Yiruma - River Flows In You). I still have to disclose that these are more personal nitpicks than actual complaints, as the mid-range is very good for the bracket and I have a wild guess most will like it.
Now, my main problem with the Harman target reaches up on us once we climb up in the frequency range: the upper mid-range and the treble. Zero is no exception and the usual forward but harsh female vocals of the Harman Target show its claws. I was doing a random shuffle on Tidal when Miley Cirus - Malibu kicked in and from the first second she sang I could feel the sense of sandpaper and off timbre in her voice. This sense moves along up the treble region (David Carroll - Hell’s Bells) where I think people who enjoy more energetic signatures will like the Zero, but to me and my library I can’t fully commend it, as it has some more energy than I can take, leading into a volume dial down. To note that other than this, I didn’t find any type of piercing peaks that are the oh-so-usual around this price bracket.
The only two subjects left in the working bench would be the male vocals and treble extension. Well, regarding the latter I have nothing to point other than the lack of air sometimes which comes more obvious on busy passages. Male vocals fall into the more subdued side of things, sometimes meshing with the background (Woodkid - Run Boy Run) and lacking emphasis.
Closing up my thoughts with a word regarding technicalities, I would say that the Zero falls along the same guidelines of the best contenders for the sub-50 category.
Comparisons
To keep this section short, I have chosen three solid contenders for the price bracket that I had on hand and probably my three favorites for different reasons, with the honorable mention going to CCA CRA but that needs PEQ in my opinion, so I have to leave it out of this comparison.
Moondrop Chu
Being almost siamese twins after the 400hz section, there’s not much to be said about these two other than bass differences and minor technicalities. The bass on the Zero is much more impactful and feels more average DD like, where the Chu’s bass is soft and pillowy in comparison but with a slightly warmer touch. The hair on the tech side goes also in favor of Zero with the Chu costing less than half. Overall I think I would pick Zero over Chu due to the bass dynamics.
CCA CRA+ and Tripowin Mele
These are two different beasts when compared to the Zero, given their warm signature vs its drier presentation. The CCA CRA+ comes out as more technical and airy than the Zero and, despite not being perfect, suiting my library better. The Mele is even warmer than the CRA+, and feeling mudier due to the drop in the air region, but having my favorite mids and vocals of the three.
Overall, I would pick both Mele and CRA+ over Zero.
The verdict
Despite my personal nitpicks, I have to still get around my brain and remember that we are talking about the sub-50 dollars bracket and recognize how far we have come in the last few months.
In my opinion it is just as fair to give the recognition to the Truthears Zero as much as I gave to other market sets, despite not being my cup of Tea. I feel that people who actively love Harman Target or sets like the Moondrop Chu can’t go wrong with the Zero, and for those this gets a recommendation at 50 dollars.
I wanna go on a tangent and also say that it’s a “cheap” way to find out if this target is to your likings before delving into something like the Moondrop Variations blind. Yes, you heard that right but please read it again with a giant bag of salt and keeping in mind technical differences and driver setups. But if Zero overall tuning is to your liking, Variations will just get better than that.
As a last word about Crinacle’s objective, I think the tuning speaks for itself and it’s nice to see some new inside the hood experimentation in the budget segments rather than the usual setups found on any shell. Kudos to that.
Value ranking: 4.5/5. Personal rank: C.
Thanks for reading!
12 Likes
what is your cup of tea? Tea?
2 Likes
I just love to throw that, pun! 
I will once a can. 5hours later than posting that review I’m already getting ready for a wedding. Sleep is for the weak I guess.
1 Like