yeah, its an earbud driver, the red dot specifically.
As you can see in the first pic, its just a plastic membrane. No metal coating.
7 Likes
Interesting. Always wondered if metal deposition actually impacts the driver performance…quite skeptical when manufacturers claim “beryllium” or “carbon nanotube” coated DDs, unless they actually have supporting evidence in the form of patents or reports (e.g., DUNU).
I dont like this one that much, the titanium composite version is a lot better. (Berserker 1 and Saber 1 driver.)
Different coatings will definitely have an effect. But as you say, when it comes to the more premium stuff like Beryllium or Graphene, the implementation is crucial and in most cases, they are probably half-assed.
2 Likes
Grand Rider 1 Condensed Review
So I’ve been listening to these bad boys (100 Euros) for the past 2 weeks or so, and I gotta admit: I love them. Due to work and life circumstances I don’t currently have the time to write a full essay for these, but I’ll condense my thoughts as best as I can.
Pros:
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Amazing soundstage. Very natural and not due to any treble adjustments. Not 3D like the Tea, but more expansive; more depth to the stage like a wall of sound in front of you. I prefer the soundstage on the GR1 more than Olina, and a tie with the Tea depending on the song. For example, hiphop, pop, R&B, dance, EDM sounds better on the GR1; whereas Rock, Alternative, Vocals, Indie, and acoustic sounds better on the Tea due to its better imaging and separation.
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Very full sounding and rich; no thinness in instruments or vocals. Lush and natural timbre. Definitely a set to crank up and immerse yourself in the music with. Warmer than Olina. Vocals are in-between forward and pushed back but still clear somehow in the midst of all the mid-bass. Smooth and non-fatiguing upper-mids and treble for high volume listening.
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Booming bass. Awesome texture and rumble in the low end. I’d say it’s the best bass I’ve heard for under $600 (EJ07M), but note that I have not heard many bass-focused sets like the Serial; definitely better than the Hana, Olina, and Tea though. I also prefer the bass on the GR1 over the Timeless since it’s more full sounding vs the fast & lean bass from planars.
Cons:
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Lack of treble extension. Although I love the GR1 for its low-end and mids, I do wish it had more treble. Treble decay is often way too fast on cymbal crashes and missing the splashes. This tuning means you can crank up the GR1 (the only pair that sounded amazing on All Too Well by Taylor Swift), but at the same time means you’re missing small details of the music in the higher frequencies on other songs. It’s darker than the OG Tea; a little more would’ve been perfect for me.
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Average imaging and separation combined with mid-bass/low-end emphasis results in a lower-definition experience (lack of treble extension doesn’t help either) with softer presentation. If the Z1R/U12T is 4K, and the Olina/Tea is around 1440P, then the GR1 would be close to 1080P. This is still good (around Starfield level), but just don’t expect amazing clarity and technicalities.
BUT, even with the drawbacks in technicalities the GR1 is still amazing and is my go-to when I’m working or just want to relax after a long day and feel the music. It’s the most comfortable (although the fit angle needs some time to get used to), and really allows me to immerse myself like the OG Teas. When I’m feeling hiphop, POP, dance, EDM, or R&B I’d grab the GR1s, whereas when I want to immerse myself in vocals or pick out the instruments and feel the precisions of the mixes I’d pop in the Teas. The GR1s are a complementary set next to the Teas; this used to be the Olinas, but I prefer the warmer, and fuller sounding signature of the GR1 better for those genres mentioned above. Sorry Chris!
Grand Rider 1 Ranking: A-
Possible improvements:
–Slightly more treble extension (or slightly less mid-bass or both w/e works better)
–Additional drivers (like BAs) to take care of imaging and separation
But all in all, amazing work @Rikudou_Goku! Love it 
Also, thanks for the fast shipping 
13 Likes
AFAIK Early treble roll off is the trade off with a lot of beryllium drivers. I think if there was a diaphram designed specific to beryllium coating it could be better. You could try EQing up the treble region up because it may still be nicely textured.
1 Like
Do you have any tips on how to EQ earbuds? I’m still new to them so just wondering if the EQ is similar as IEMs?
I have only EQ’d my IEMs for now just to play around and see what can do, so no real tips here, besides trial and error. Comparatively, the Grand Rider 1 graph looks way better than the graph of DIY Qigom S130 that I think uses the same driver so they are definitely tuned well. If I were to hazard a guess, you could bring up 1.5 KHz and 3.7 KHz (or 4KHz) up a few DB, maybe 10KHz as well, but YMMV.
IDK. Probably start with around 10KHz to 11 KHz up a couple dB until you get the sheen you are after.
1 Like
Dang I can’t wait for my Rikubud! My Sundara has been mainly gathering dust these days, and I’m really hoping that I can swap full-sized HPs with earbuds
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Thanks! Glad you are enjoying it!
You can get that by using lower density full foams.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32685744371.html
The more rare colors are usually lower density than the usual black, white and sometimes red/blue.
So consider picking up the colors; Rose, Pink, Yellow or Grey
They wont fit inside these shells unfortunately. 
But they do here:
5 Likes
Yessss
A hybrid set-up with this tuning (maybe -2db mid-bass/opens up room for clarity) would be endgame for most imo. You think it’s possible to add more DD’s inside with a different shell? 
Or would that change the sound 
Maybe one of my other lineups will suit you more. Like the Grand Archer.
DDs are even bigger than BAs, so thats even more impossible to fit lol.
Changing the shell will instantly change the sound.
oh btw, I am working on my KZ EDX Ultra review atm. Maybe done later today or tomorrow.
3 Likes
Denon D5200, this is epic. 
Went and ordered more hp drivers and also ordered a pair of iem drivers + shell.
Wooden shell + bio driver, seems like a good fit. 
7 Likes
2022-06-04: KZ EDX Ultra review: KZ EDX Ultra - Reviews | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
Rank: A
First review after a few months, damn. KZ went Plus Ultra on this one. 
(Dunu Vulkan review or a Sony battle royale next.)
5 Likes
Kinda looks like the Thinksound shell
Think I found it.
@Rikudou_Goku Man the Rider 1 is killing it with old school hip hop. I still adore my IEMs but, the Rider 1 is my favorite to throw on for some 80’s and 90’s Hip-Hop. You name Too $hort, Eric B. & Rakim, Wu-Tang, 2Pac, OutKast and Notorious nothing is as satisfying as Archer 1.
Edited because I originally said Archer 1 when a realized I may have the Rider 1. Confirmed with Riku it is indeed the Rider 1. My apologies for the mix up.
7 Likes
2022-06-07: Dunu VULKAN review: DUNU VULKAN - Reviews | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org
Rank: A-
Honestly not an iem I would recommend at the price it is at, technically it is below that price range and tonality wise it doesnt match well for my library.
6 Likes