[ian91]

I have spent a few days now with the TGXear Serratus (300ohm PET BG). Firstly, thanks to @tgx78 for getting it sent off on the day I ordered, I'm terrible at waiting and the wait for this was short and sweet.

What impressions I have read from the lovely people here ring true: this is a very capable neutral earbud with great extension on either end. It's very resolving with good instrumental and vocal clarity. It has enough low end to embody male vocals and the upper midrange presence and treble extension brings breath and air to female vocals. Regardless of source (Schiit Valhalla 2, Shanling M8, VE Megatron) I hear it as a warm-neutral. The uppermidrange is carefully tuned to avoid shout and is placed futher back than my Blur earbuds (that epitomise a 'mid-centric' signature). The low end is north of neutral that gives the overriding sound a degree of warmth but with absolutely no veiling of detail even down the lowest string fundamentals. It never comes across as analytical, just honest and natural.

With the right source that has enough oomph behind it, the driver performs exceptionally well. The Valhalla 2 on low gain drives to good volume and effect, sitting at about half 11 on the dial. The VE Megatron is perfectly suited for portable use with the Serratus and it's warmer profile really makes the Serratus an all-day listen. The Shanling M8 on turbo (4.4mm BAL) didn't have enough dynamism for my tastes, unfortunately, the low end lost flex and the balance shifts to a thinner, brighter signature.

Compared to my Blur OFC MX400 STE non-aPs (400ohm) there is a narrower stage with less depth but much better low end extension that improves noteweight and makes for a more realistic listen. Comparing to the Serratus also reveals the strong uppermid emphasis / second mountain that Blur likes to tune to. The Serratus is less emphasised here which makes for a less fatiguing listen and avoids some problem areas with certain tracks/instruments. What makes the TGXear Serratus special to my ears is the timbre. It has been mentioned before but heck, I'll emphasise it, the Serratus is superbly adept in this regard. String instruments are so well captured and full of life, realism and instrumental identity. It surpasses my Blur OFC PK150 Wraith (150ohm), which was my existing benchmark for instrumental timbre.

Technically I was somewhat disappointed with the stage width and instrument separation as on busier tracks things can get quite indistinct with regards to locality. In every other regard this is a homerun and a TOTL earbud. Combine the balanced, well-extended tuning with its life-like expression and what you have is a top choice for classical/jazz/any other instrumental genre.

For those with TGXear Tantalus and TGXear Serratus more comparisons would be appreciated (for those who have compared so far, thank you), as I'm definitely interested but having read that the Tantalus has a narrower stage is making me hesitant.

Kudos to you @tgx78 - keep on creating!


EDIT: Currently experimenting with the Cayin RU-6 x Serratus. What the?! It pairs very well indeed, plenty of low end presence. Yet the M8 with 800mW doesn't seem to do the signature justice. Odd.

 

[0b0d0]

The HESSIAN 黑塞 ansata Pro is made by the same man who makes ISN Audio and Ourart and it is a cross between the Ourart Ti7, Ourart ACG, ISN Audio Rambo II, and the original HESSIAN 黑塞 ansata ☥. I found the bass to be too rolled off and weak for my liking on the ansata Pro. Although, it is far from being harsh, sibilant, or bright which I tend to like the treble is actually a little bit too quiet... not quite recessed but very toned down which causes it to lose some sparkle and airiness in the highs if that makes any sense at all. The midrange is where it is all at with these earbuds... the mids exhibit awesome imaging, remarkable separation, satisfactory timbre, and sharp clarity... and thus quite understandable why you like it for long gaming sessions. This earbud is virtually fatigue-free! I can not recall who made the comparison to the 2018 - Yincrow RW-9; 32Ω but I would agree with that assertion that the ansata Pro sounds very similar to that especially in the treble region. Very hard to put foams on these earbuds similar to Turandot and Chaconne... nimble fingers required.

2017 - Ourart Ti7; 32Ω​

2018 - Ourart ACG; 35Ω​

2019 - ISN Audio Rambo; 32Ω​

2019 - ISN Audio Rambo II; 32Ω​

2019 - Ourart QJ21; 45Ω​

2020 - HESSIAN 黑塞 ansata ☥; 32Ω​

2021 - HESSIAN 黑塞 ansata Pro; 35Ω​

Thx a bunch, Sire WoodyLuvr, having a knowledgeable one describing a piece i have is really helping me understand what is it i'm looking for in the audio realm.
Yes, really rolled off bass i would have never imagine being so acceptable for me a few years ago. I guess those unmissable mid-range qualities, i merely guessed, you're underlining are where the meat of the informative gaming sound is and therefore why i love those this much for this purpose.
The Trig Rain big celled ones where not so hard to put in place but silicon rings will drive ones nuts. On the Trig Rains, have anyone have noticed how the blue ones are far more fragile than the Blacks ?

Since i'm here, i'd like to apologize to head-fiers for having only questions and no answers. Maybe one day. But unfortunately, got some more :

I'm looking for the more crazy efficient buds you good people have crossed path with, cheap, clean sound for 80% podcasts, 20% music, to use on a tiny Mp3 player.
And about sound signatures, U and V. As i look at those letters, mid lows would obviously be far less emphasized on U than on V, is it so ?

(Since the E1008 was mentioned again, i can not warn enough those interested of the crappiness of that cable. Bah, far too dark for my taste, anyway).

 

[baskingshark]

I'm looking for the more crazy efficient buds you good people have crossed path with, cheap, clean sound for 80% podcasts, 20% music, to use on a tiny Mp3 player.
And about sound signatures, U and V. As i look at those letters, mid lows would obviously be far less emphasized on U than on V, is it so ?

(Since the E1008 was mentioned again, i can not warn enough those interested of the crappiness of that cable. Bah, far too dark for my taste, anyway).

You can check out the HZSound Bell Rhyme.

 

[mt877]

Unless Fiio’s engineers decide to “jazz it up” and make it deep V-shaped or something

I've taken the bullet for the team before... the FF3 is a fine example. In 'our' world many are hesitant to drop dime on unknown quality (build and sound) unless someone else steps up and gives first impressions. Even then that is not enough to convince people to buy in. It often takes 2nd and 3rd impressions which agree with the 1st impression to sway people to buy in. It is human nature. Between company reputation, bloated advertising, general product hype and numerous equipment / headgear choices you can understand that there is fear of making wrong choices and wasting money that could be put to better uses. But all is good on my end. I believe that FiiO will put out an excellent product in the FF5 and if not, I may be the first one here to let everyone know.

 

[ProspektFi]

Hi everyone. I'm enjoying seeing how full of passionate and knowledged people this thread is, so I want to ask two questions, just out of curiosity:

1) In your experience, which earbuds have the best separation and ability to locate exactly position and distance of sounds coming from all directions (preferably specifying whether they are currently on the market or not)?

2) How limiting is the type of shell when trying to achieve the best performance in the aspects I specified in the first question? Let's take MX500 shell: how much improvement can be achieved compared to famous cheap models like Vido just by better drivers and tuning before reaching the inevitable technical limit of the shell itself?

Just to add my simple thoughts, I own about twenty earbuds models in the 2-20€ range (look at my signature), all bought before 2020, and I find them all more or less disappointing in separation, imaging and three-dimensionality in general. Maybe NiceHCK DIY PK2, Apple Earpods and PT15 are slightly better than average, but nothing special. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to hear better 'buds yet.

 

[weexisttocease]

Just ordered the Tantalus from Jim. He mentioned it is working on a flagship dual driver with a planar magnetic driver and a 7mm DD driver.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Since objective measurements seem extremely unreliable when it comes to flatheads, I'd like to gather people's subjective impressions to get a better idea of how technical their earbuds sound.

• So my simple go-to treble detail/microdynamics test is the percussion playing at 1:14-1:26 of Night Club Junkie by YUC'e. On TOTL-fi like the Sennheiser HD800S or Hifiman HEKv2, you get a distinct, crisp, well-articulated TSK! with a tiny bit of outwards-expanding reverb at the end. The less technical gear is, the further it tends to deviate from this.

Budget or consumer stuff like the Koss KSC75 or the Razer Opus typically goes T! or K! Midrange gear with flawed upper treble such as the Shure SRH840 often exhibits blunted attack, going TK! or TsK!​

Tribrid IEMs suffering from soft, wispy treble such as the ThieAudio Clairvoyance or Moondrop Variations go Tskh. with overextended, slightly smeared-together transients. IEMs with poor treble extension such as the JVC HA-FDX1 lack the trail-off, with the strikes both starting and stopping at the center of the stage.​

​

​

• Also, on gear with excellent bass like the Hifiman HEKv2, the bassline at 0:41-1:12 both has tactility and a distinct sine-wavey quality to it, as if you were listening to a tone generator, instead of sounding smeared and/or limp. There's also audible frequency variation, with the bassline playing at a higher frequency at 0:41-0:56 than at 0:58-1:12.

• As for imaging, I mainly use this sound test. On something like the HD800S, the piano key crossover at 0:33 is very distinct with no smearing at the center. Also, the percussion from 0:36 onward doesn't sound blobby, blurry, or smeared. Staging-wise, the piano starts playing from slightly beyond my ears horizontally, and the percussion extends slightly forward beyond my face.

I'm curious about what people are hearing in these respects with their earbud + foam pairings at their ideal position + angle.

Firstly, welcome to the rabbit hole! Head's up! We are all a bit mad down here!

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.​

“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”​

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.​

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”​

Secondly, your post is quite interesting with some thoughtfully posed questions regarding flathead earbuds. Currently, I have my new Longyao-Yinman 2.0 600 Limited Edition (600Ω) earbuds plugged into my earbud tube amp... so I gave your tests a whirl. I am getting a strong "TSK!" with noticeable reverb. Bass is detailed, quite pronounced with frequency variation as indicated. The piano crossover is very present with 3-D stereo percussion effect.

Thirdly, I would not always correlate TOTL-fi with good or better sound production... I have been proven wrong and surprised way too many times over the many decades that I have been in the hobby.

Fourthly, your post was received with much silence as people hear and listen to music differently... interpreting what they hear quite varyingly. Your music selection is a tough one too for many. I really had to force myself to listen to that track repeatedly... not easy, just not my cup of tea. I would offer that such electronic music is not always the best genre for testing as electronically generated instrumentation is often tonally different than real-life with much varying timbre which will exuberate and amplify the differences that people are hearing and reporting back. Perhaps offer better bait... a more classic (traditional) piece with real recorded instrumentation... you may receive more bites (takers) that way.

Fifthly, that sound test track you offered is splendid! The piano is well-tuned and timbrally accurate (extremely so... there are a lot of badly tuned pianos out there these days and/or illy recorded where the timbre is all goofy and sounds nothing like a real piano). The second half of the test is also especially well recorded and presented.. the high hats and rides are great. Really appreciate your sharing that link! I never came across this one, thank you!

Cheers!

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Just ordered the Tantalus from Jim. He mentioned it is working on a flagship dual driver with a planar magnetic driver and a 7mm DD driver.

Was that a 7mm or 6mm DD driver?

COMING SOON​

tgxear Desolation Sound; 33Ω (15.4 + 8mm dual DD; currently @ prototype stage)​

tgxear Panorama Ridge; ??Ω (hybrid 14.2 planar magnetic + 6mm DD; currently @ prototype stage)​

 

[weexisttocease]

Was that a 7mm or 6mm DD driver?

COMING SOON​

tgxear Desolation Sound; 33Ω (15.4 + 8mm dual DD; currently @ prototype stage)​

tgxear Panorama Ridge; ??Ω (hybrid 14.2 planar magnetic + 6mm DD; currently @ prototype stage)​

He told me it's a 7mm DD but still in prototype stage. The planar magnetic driver is the same used in the CA Supermoon.

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Hello! I'm new to the earbuds section and I'm looking for recommendation on what I should jump for~

• budget (what are you willing/looking to spend? e.g. price range)
  $1 - $1000
• source (e.g. Smartphone, DAP, AMP/DAC, PC, Streamer)
  DAP (Plenue 2 mkII) and AMP/DAC (xDuoo XA-10)
• preferred connection (termination type, single-ended or balanced e.g. 3.5TRS, 4.4TRRS, 2.5TRRS)
  Any is fine
• listening level & session length (volume level and for how long?)
  Mid - High, 10+ hours a day
• listening environment (e.g. mobile, office, home desktop, home listening room)
  Home, Office, Outside
• preferred music genre (to include podcasts and audiobooks)
  Unsure... video games ost, jpop, kpop
• preferred shell and foam-cushion type (e.g. please see here and here)
  Unsure as this is my first earbuds. Mostly dabble in IEM and Open Back Headphones.
• preferred sound signature i (e.g. bright, dark, warm, aggressive, bassy, neutral, L/U/V/W-shaped)
  Fun-Neutral? Something like the Sundara/HE6se. The IEM I used is considered a U-shaped. So either one of these is fine.
• preferred sound signature ii (optional; offer a comparative non-earbud transducer model)
  Headphone - Hifiman Sundara & Hifiman HE6se
  IEM - Acoustune HS1695ti
• preferred brand (optional; only applicable for a model recommendation within a single brand)
  none
• any special need and/or consideration (e.g. mic/no mic?; fixed cable vs. mmcx?)
  MMCX

Heya! Before spending anything on a bud, I do need to ask for a safety precaution in this type of transducer, can you wear and fit earbuds? If not, I would highly reccomend using a Vido because its so cheap, and actually decent sounding for its price. 3-4 bucks!
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNUiyZK
But if you have worn and fit them, there are plenty of options to choose from. I can reccomend the pt2022 which is a nice value to performance earbud.

ooh thank you. True I haven't thought about that I'm currently waiting for the LBBS to arrive as we speak. So I guess I'll try that first.

Excellent advice from @ValSuki

I think the Ks LBBs will be a good starting point for you especially coming from those nicely balanced Japanese IEMs of yours. Give the LBBs a good week or two so your ears and brain can adapt to a completely different transducer medium. I would even recommend that you refrain from trying to compare them to either your headphones or IEMs for at a least a good week or so. Report back your findings and then from there we can give you some recommendations and better guidance.

 

[samandhi]

@samandhi , you may want to wait until the FF5 comes out. It may be better…

Too late bro! That screenshot was my order... LOL

Thanks for the info
I've been searching for flathead earhooks/fins but they're all for IEMs and I'm not sure they'll fit
The Ex Pack is kinda useless though and expensive for that plus doesn't have multiple sizes.

Did you not see the link I posted to an Amazon seller for 3 sizes of those? Though the other folks are right. That EX pack is a pretty good deal also IMHO.

Hello! I'm new to the earbuds section and I'm looking for recommendation on what I should jump for~

• budget (what are you willing/looking to spend? e.g. price range)
  $1 - $1000
• source (e.g. Smartphone, DAP, AMP/DAC, PC, Streamer)
  DAP (Plenue 2 mkII) and AMP/DAC (xDuoo XA-10)
• preferred connection (termination type, single-ended or balanced e.g. 3.5TRS, 4.4TRRS, 2.5TRRS)
  Any is fine
• listening level & session length (volume level and for how long?)
  Mid - High, 10+ hours a day
• listening environment (e.g. mobile, office, home desktop, home listening room)
  Home, Office, Outside
• preferred music genre (to include podcasts and audiobooks)
  Unsure... video games ost, jpop, kpop
• preferred shell and foam-cushion type (e.g. please see here and here)
  Unsure as this is my first earbuds. Mostly dabble in IEM and Open Back Headphones.
• preferred sound signature i (e.g. bright, dark, warm, aggressive, bassy, neutral, L/U/V/W-shaped)
  Fun-Neutral? Something like the Sundara/HE6se. The IEM I used is considered a U-shaped. So either one of these is fine.
• preferred sound signature ii (optional; offer a comparative non-earbud transducer model)
  Headphone - Hifiman Sundara & Hifiman HE6se
  IEM - Acoustune HS1695ti
• preferred brand (optional; only applicable for a model recommendation within a single brand)
  none
• any special need and/or consideration (e.g. mic/no mic?; fixed cable vs. mmcx?)
  MMCX

I guess my mind went a different direction than others have mentioned. When I saw Sundaras with a bit of a U presentation I immediately thought of the Smabat ST10S Black & Gold. Though, keep in mind a lot of earbuds have a boosted pina gain region (I guess making it more of a W), and these are no exception, but after some time with them, you get used to it. That is saying something coming from me, because I am super sensitive to that area (well maybe not any more LOL). To my ears this set sounds the most like the Sundara that I have heard to date.

On the other hand, maybe the other folk's recommendations are good in that for your first set, and to get used to the idea of the differences that are earbuds, you should go that way.

 

[samandhi]

Hello! I'm new to the earbuds section and I'm looking for recommendation on what I should jump for~

• budget (what are you willing/looking to spend? e.g. price range)
  $1 - $1000
• source (e.g. Smartphone, DAP, AMP/DAC, PC, Streamer)
  DAP (Plenue 2 mkII) and AMP/DAC (xDuoo XA-10)
• preferred connection (termination type, single-ended or balanced e.g. 3.5TRS, 4.4TRRS, 2.5TRRS)
  Any is fine
• listening level & session length (volume level and for how long?)
  Mid - High, 10+ hours a day
• listening environment (e.g. mobile, office, home desktop, home listening room)
  Home, Office, Outside
• preferred music genre (to include podcasts and audiobooks)
  Unsure... video games ost, jpop, kpop
• preferred shell and foam-cushion type (e.g. please see here and here)
  Unsure as this is my first earbuds. Mostly dabble in IEM and Open Back Headphones.
• preferred sound signature i (e.g. bright, dark, warm, aggressive, bassy, neutral, L/U/V/W-shaped)
  Fun-Neutral? Something like the Sundara/HE6se. The IEM I used is considered a U-shaped. So either one of these is fine.
• preferred sound signature ii (optional; offer a comparative non-earbud transducer model)
  Headphone - Hifiman Sundara & Hifiman HE6se
  IEM - Acoustune HS1695ti
• preferred brand (optional; only applicable for a model recommendation within a single brand)
  none
• any special need and/or consideration (e.g. mic/no mic?; fixed cable vs. mmcx?)
  MMCX

If there were ONE recommendation I would make (and this is for ALL that are new to earbuds), this would probably be the most important (from my experience):

Whatever bud you decide to get, do yourself the favor of listening to them EXCLUSIVELY for about 2 weeks. Also, don't take them off and try and compare to whatever head gear you are coming from (ie... IEMs, headphones, TWS). Our brains adapt to sound. So, your old gear might be off, or might be perfect, but if you put in some earbuds for the first time, they might sound OFF. Not because they are, mind you. But, because they really are more different than any other thing out there. This is one of the reasons that these lil' gems are still thriving (albeit niche). They are KINDA' like heaphones (especially open back), and they are KINDA' like IEMs (because of being so small), but also are not....

Just my take from my first experience with earbuds.

 

[samandhi]

Can anyone recommend an earbud that is lean and spacious with greater emphasis on the upper mids and highs? I know about the Chaconne but I’m looking for another hopefully cheaper alternative. Thanks.

That would be just about anything from China. Have you looked into the Smabat buds?

Edit: The Chaconne (BTW) actually don't have an emphasis on the upper mids. It it pretty linear from the mids all the way into the upper treble region.

 

[Halimj7]

That would be just about anything from China. Have you looked into the Smabat buds?

Edit: The Chaconne (BTW) actually don't have an emphasis on the upper mids. It it pretty linear from the mids all the way into the upper treble region.

Has anyone tried the Smabat Super 1? Very interesting design.

 

[Ronion]

Too late bro! That screenshot was my order... LOL

Did you not see the link I posted to an Amazon seller for 3 sizes of those? Though the other folks are right. That EX pack is a pretty good deal also IMHO.

I guess my mind went a different direction than others have mentioned. When I saw Sundaras with a bit of a U presentation I immediately thought of the Smabat ST10S Black & Gold. Though, keep in mind a lot of earbuds have a boosted pina gain region (I guess making it more of a W), and these are no exception, but after some time with them, you get used to it. That is saying something coming from me, because I am super sensitive to that area (well maybe not any more LOL). To my ears this set sounds the most like the Sundara that I have heard to date.

On the other hand, maybe the other folk's recommendations are good in that for your first set, and to get used to the idea of the differences that are earbuds, you should go that way.

LOL—I’m sure you’ll enjoy them. I just hope they continue with this level of quality on the FF5 and it obsoletes the FF3. I hate for you to spend twice like I probably will….