It even has these tiny “sound diffusion pyramids”?
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(soundsphere pic/explanation next week.)
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Not only is it well fitted to ear anatomy, but I can assure all of you that due to it’s shape it feels very good in hand lol 
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Mmmm…stroking softly
My first RikuBuds has arrived, only tested a few songs so impression can come later. But yeah its L- shaped sound with good bass to be earbud.
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Source impedance effect on transducer frequency response
Does the source impedance, that is, the impedance from both the transducer cable AND the OUTPUT Impedance from the amp combined have any effect on the frequency response? If so, are there any criteria for it to happen? Does it matter to you as a buyer/consumer?
1.The source impedance CAN have an effect on the FR and thus, what we are hearing from our setup.
2.1: There are requirements for it to happen. First, you need a transducer with an UN-even impedance response. Single DDs and Planars have a flat impedance curve so they DO NOT qualify. Single BAs, hybrids and multi-drivers have an UN-even impedance curve so they DO qualify and thus they CAN be affected by source impedance. The next criteria that need to be fulfilled, is that the impedance of the transducer needs to be low (usually under 16ohm@1kHz could be considered as low impedance). And lastly, the source impedance between setup A and B needs to be sufficiently different enough to actually matter (for example a difference of 0.1ohm is really not going to have an audible change but 1ohm is likely).
2.2: You can use this website ( Reference Audio Analyzer ) to check for yourself. For example, take the iem Tansio Mirai TSMR-4 pro. First you need to check the impedance response of it, is it uneven and low impedance?
(link: Impedance - Direct comparison of graphs RAA )
It is uneven and the impedance at the lowest point (around 5kHz) is around 10ohm and thus it has the requirements that needs to be there for the FR to change with source impedance. Now we can go ahead and use the “The comparison of frequency responses from joint work of amplifiers and headphones - Direct comparison of graphs” feature on that site (link: The comparison of frequency responses from joint work of amplifiers and headphones - Direct comparison of graphs RAA ) and look up the FR of the TSMR-4 Pro with the apple dongle (0.9ohm OI, source ASR)
Then compare that with another source that has a different OI, for example the Fiio K5 Pro (2.2ohm OI, source ASR)
And you can spot the difference in FR at around 2kHz-10kHz (notice also how that is the area where the impedance curve of the TSMR-4 Pro is lower than the rest).
And this is also reflected upon my own squig of it.
(Although with only a difference of 0.31ohm, the gain difference is around 1-2db)
But with a much higher OI, like the Loxjie P20 (apparently 40-50 ohm OI)
The difference is much more dramatic.
2.3: Now take for example a single DD like the Tanchjim Oxygen.
Completely flat impedance curve, so source impedance will not have any effects on the FR.
3.So, does source impedance matter to you as a buyer/consumer? As shown above, it depends on what transducers you have/plan to use. If you are solely using single DDs or single Planars then it will not matter at all. But if you have single BAs, hybrids, multi-drivers then it is something you should take into consideration. Generally, it is best to aim for under 1ohm OI from the amp while you really do not have to think much about the cable impedance as they generally measures under 0.3ohm (for iem cables at least).
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Introducing the RG39 shell with Soundsphere technology. Its pyramid-shaped diffusers effectively disperse standing waves and redirect sound waves in different directions, reducing the negative effects of resonances. Resulting in improved imaging, a wider soundstage, and enhanced audio clarity. Experience a new level of depth and spatiality with the RG39 shell.
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TRN BT20XS
It has now been 4 weeks since I started using it, and seeing as how it is STILL NOT DEAD (out of battery) yet and the summer sale is ending in like 2 days. I will just go ahead and finalize my thoughts about it.
Before I start, let me tell you how I actually use the BT20XS. I use this together with my (modded) Ikko OH10 and the Oneplus 8T (only BT version 5.1) for outdoor usage, specifically when I go from/to work via a bicycle. With an estimated use of around 30 minutes per day. Which means that by now (the 4th week) I have used it actively for 14 hours. This number by itself isnt really anything special but what it does SIGNIFICANTLY better than my other TWS adapter, the Fiio UTWS3 is that the standby time is dramatically better. Because with the UTWS3, I could use it for around 1-2 weeks before it was completely dead and that is because the UTWS3 (seemingly) never disconnects from the phone even when you put it back into the charging case. You have to turn off Bluetooth directly on your phone for it to actually disconnect and then it seems that the modules do not turn themselves off, because they connects back to your phone extremely aggressively and sometimes even when I haven’t even taken them out of the case yet. The BT20XS is different, as it actually disconnects and turns off directly when I put them back into the charging case
So, battery performance wise, the BT20XS is outstanding and completely shits on the (3x) more expensive UTWS3.
Connection quality on the BT20XS is about on par with the UTWS3, with the only issues I encountered being minor lag (not a disconnect but the music suddenly lowers in volume for like 0.5seconds and then comes back to normal) maybe once every week and only happened when I turned my head fast while biking.
The charging case on the other hand, is better on the UTWS3, as the lid is magnetic (more convenient), left unit is actually on the left side and right on the right side and size is more compact. The BT20XS has a zipper for the lid instead of being magnetic which I found a lot more annoying to actually use so I just either don’t zip it or just zip it up until halfway at most. The BT20XS has a pocket inside for a small charging cable which is nice in theory but in application does not work well if you have an actual iem connected to the adapters (gets hard to close the lid and feels forceful). The UTWS3 also has an actual LED indicator that shows the remaining battery life on the charging case, the BT20XS does not have that which is something I missed.
The buttons on the UTWS3 are both a bit larger and softer to press than the BT20XS which I find might be a bit too small (I have small fingers as well, so might be an actual issue with thicker fingers) and too much force needed to press it. The mic on both seems to be shit (according to the people on the other end) and I just end up using my phone mic instead.
Noise wise, the BT20XS is dead silent on my OH10. UTWS3 do have some noise (although I used it with the LZ A7) but not really audible outdoors + music playing.
Overall, I would have given the BT20XS a no brainer recommendation…if only it did not have this issue that I mentioned previously (The discovery thread! | Page 5281 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org ), with that in mind I would only highly recommend the BT20XS IF you can get around that issue like I mentioned before. Otherwise if you believe you might not even be bothered by it then I would simply give it a recommendation or if you believe you would hate it then It would still be a recommendation (although a weak one) simply because there are no other alternatives at this price range (afaik, the KZ adapters are extremely noisy).
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@Rikudou_Goku I have the Urbanfun Ybf. It sounds really good. According to your ranking the cca cra is better as it ranks it better. what does the cca cra improve over the Urbanfun?
My ranking is mostly based on what I personally enjoy more.
Havent heard either of them in a very long time, but I believe the only aspects I prefer the urbanfun over the CRA is mid-bass and timbre.
Although you shouldnt buy the CRA anymore as KZ went and stealth revised it.
Isn’t the Urbanfun a bit of a crapshoot when it comes to QC?
Exactly, they self destructed majorly with that one…
Otherwise it would have been the sub 40 usd (was originally 40 usd before they “needed” to raise the price to “fix” the QC problems when it got hyped) champion for a long time (a year or 2 probably).
Tame that 8K and you’ve got yourself a buyer 
Edit: Honestly, I found most vocal fatigue (if the treble is fine) to occur around the 1.5K region. Maybe you can mess around and experiment what works the best 
Also, if you were to estimate, how much do you think a BA normally cost in a ~$500 iem? I know it varies depending on the quality, but how much would you estimate the BAs in the Studio 4s (for example) cost softears?
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(coupler peak, false alarm)
But 10k+ is no joke.
Since the Studio 4 doesnt mention ANYTHING about their BAs, you can assume it is bellsing drivers (or LS/E-Audio at most) and not Sonion, Knowles nor the Softears/Moondrop BAs (I mean, if they used them they would have marketed them right?).
So take for example E-audio drivers. you can buy a 4 BA setup (all in one kit) for around 30 usd/pair
(taobao sells drivers in pieces, so multiply that by 2 and u got pair price)
or if you want separate ones then.
(dual) woofer = 17 usd/pair
(dual) tweeter = 11 usd/pair
Total: 28 usd/pair
So around 30 usd for (a pair, for both L and R units) 4 BAs.
And this is NOT taking into consideration the batch discount that chifi companies gets for buying in massive batches. Depending on how much they buy, i would guess its between 20-50% off.
As for the shell, I do not know for sure, but I assume they use the same 3d printing OEM as Moondrop does for their Blessing 2 lineup which is HeyGears. They charge around 5 usd/pair for their shells (yes, I know since i have contacted and asked about my own earbud shells) but they do have a high minimum order quantity.
Cable, well, the Studio 4 cable looks like it would be sold for around 10 usd on aliexpress, so it is probably at most 5 usd for them to buy. (very likely a lot cheaper since they get batch discount.)
Packaging, I am not sure tbh. But its not more than 10 usd for each of the Studio 4´s sold.
So total 50 usd (without taking batch discount into consideration)
Then lets assume (this is not a given btw) that they throw away bad batches and stuff like that.
Maybe you can assume (high overestimation) the production price for one is just around 40 usd for it.
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Now do it for the $6000 “The driver is made from unicorn dick coated with pixie dust” IEMs
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Well, if you mean this.
Then I honestly dont even know HOW they got THAT bad of a tuning…
Even my DIY iems that literally I just soldered the driver and glued into the shell looks better…
Although maybe this is close 
(forgot to put a filter on the inner vent)
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That…is fucking terrible! Why would you do that to us?!?
I simply meant theorize on the markup of what you’re really paying for when you buy a $300-4000-6000 IEM.
God, that IEM is nightmare fuel!
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Yeah well, unless they are actually developing a (real) custom driver from scratch with an OEM or/and filling it with TONS of BAs, Planars, (real) ESTs. The production price estimation wont be much different from what i mentioned above for the Studio 4.
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Dam they’re making a killing if that’s true LOL
But I’m not sure if they’re using cheaper BAs since the Studio 4s sound really good, especially in the bass, and much better than some of the sonion/knowles in other sets. My guess is that they’re just secretive bastards 