I think someone mentioned this to me before but I haven’t gotten around to it. Might ask in the discord community!
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if You’re Considering Buying A9 AirPods with LC Display"
Updated 17082024
- Moved Aurora down to Eggsellent
- Moved TM11 up to Exceptional
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I was gonna protest but then saw Serratus in the same section too. Hmm…oh well.
Despite owning both the Rikubuds Saber 3 and the BLOX TM11, I consistently find myself reaching for the APWS during night listening sessions.
- The TM11 excels in technical performance, offering a wide, open soundstage where instruments are placed with pinpoint accuracy. However, this level of precision can sometimes lead to fatigue during extended listening.
- In contrast, the Saber 3 is tuned for casual listening, making it a versatile choice in my collection, with the Gen 3 shell providing an ideal fit.
- With the APWS, both male and female vocals feel satisfyingly rich, with a more emphasized midrange compared to the other two. The VE offers a smooth, relaxing experience, though it took me some time to adjust to its tuning—or perhaps the burn-in myth has some truth to it.
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Nice collection! Are you on the Flathead Sanctuary discord channel by any chance? There is a more active earbuds community there
I think im good with headfi and hifiguides at the moment 
, discord comes with distractions
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Aye discord’s not for me either 
All good! So does the TM11 trade blows with the AWPS despite being like 1/4 price? We’ve got it ranked pretty highly on our ranking already - just curious if you agree
This set takes work for sure, but it does deliver if you don’t crank the volume and your source is sympathetic…DX312 > XINHS 4 Core 6N Single Crystal Copper cable, NiceHCK rings, thick foams
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I think the APWS and TM11 are in the same tier, but the APWS ranks higher because its sound becomes addictive once you get used to it. The TM11 stands out as a resolving earbud, but the APWS is uniquely special.
I’ve seen the APWS compared to the HD650, and I agree with that comparison.
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What earbuds would everyone put into a Starter Pack that covers a good range of fit, sound, etc? Like the 5 models that newcomers could try to begin figuring out what they like and where to go next? Vido, X6, Qian39, Iris, Ksearphone, FF1, Moondrop paper clips, Panda…some different foams, silicon rings… what else?
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One with a PK shell maybe?
And shirt clip for the cable!
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Shirt clip! Didn’t think of that, even though I have 50 of them.
NiceHCK B40 for PK? I know the Panda is rated higher, but trying to keep this super budget level.
Some silicon wings, in addition to the rings.
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B40 is NOT a Yuin PK shell, it is one of the other versions that is similar in shape to it but is much larger. Panda afaik IS a Yuin PK shell.
I would remove skip the VIDO if you are getting the X6 as well. And you can possibly skip the Iris as well, you just want to try out an MX500 bud and one is enough.
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Excellent info, thanks! So we can cover MX500 with X6, whatever you call the EB2S shape, maybe Aeolian Bells since they are cheaper than Ksearphone, Qian39, Panda when it’s on sale - any other shapes that are prominent?
And would these 5 cover a wide enough range of sound sigs? Bassy, mid-centric, U-Shaped, V-shaped, W-shaped, treble focused? May not be able to cover ALL of the bases with 5 buds.
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MX500 = X6
Qian39/Monk-Lite/RG39 = Qian39
Yuin PK = Panda
You just want a bell-shape type (ksearphone for example) and then you tried most of them, the other ones (shaped like the yincrow rw-2000/3000 are much more expensive so dont think there is anything cheap with that style).
Sound wise the 3 I mentioned do lean more towards the warmer side iirc.
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Check out the shell types and fit section of my post
It has a photo with typical shells and dimensions
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Unfortunately that set has a lot of QC issues from build quality to tuning variances 
I think it might be easier to use the mx500 shells to show tuning variety as that is where you get the widest representation within the ultra budget sector and the lack of options in the other shells means all the buds in the pack would lean on the warm side as @Rikudou_Goku pointed out.
Full Bell
Stemmed Bell
PK
Qian/ Monk Kite/ RG39
Mx500 Dark
Mx500 Bright
Mx500 Neutral
(not many bassy Mx500 at that price range otherwise that could be a category)
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