[jant71]

I hear the Tingo as having a good size stage but far from the biggest. Don't see how they come off as artificial sounding in that respect, IME. Cans like I've had like the CD780, AD700, K401, Sony MA series have a bigger stage. A couple of in-ear earphones as well.
 
Sounds like maybe the plastic caps they use which extend out further than the rest of the housing may be to blame. I find these are not the same to fit as the BE5 and give me trouble in one ear while the BLOX gave me no issues. If they don't go in far enough they can become too distant and too treble tilted and it all goes awry. Not surprised to hear these issues. They are neutral enough that there is no real room for error.
 
I get along with them fine though. In fact I'm thinking of selling my Mikros 90 in favor of them.
 
That being said they only beat my Toshiba a bit technically and not really for fun. My Aiwa pair sound like a bigger pair of headphones and not like buds though they need a tape mod over the back vent holes for me. So, I rate them all equal but the Tingo is quite something. Flat out better than the BE5 to me and impressive in their reach in both directions. Hard to remember a small single driver that reaches as low and as high. Also again with the ER4/Mikros resolving power for $14.99. Even some lower off mic noises they show unamped rivals the best I have heard. Of course neutral with exceptional detail retrieval is not really a need or as useful for a open earbud. So, the Yurbuds caps may be an answer for some or EQ as external noise rob from both detail and what bass they do have. 
 
No reason not to try again with Tingo though for the prices when they have something with a different housing whether it be another of their models or a future model to come. 

 

[BenF]

.. I get along with them fine though. In fact I'm thinking of selling my Mikros 90 in favor of them.
 
...
Flat out better than the BE5 to me and impressive in their reach in both directions. Hard to remember a small single driver that reaches as low and as high. Also again with the ER4/Mikros resolving power for $14.99.

Wow, Mikros 90 are one of the most hyped cans on head-fi recently, at several times the cost even after the price drop.
 
BE5 does a lot of things right, but it just fails to impress. I think it lost some euphony in the mids compared to ANV3SE, even though it is technically superior.

 

[BenF]

... The cons with them are :
1. The highs are a bit strong and can sound on the verge of distortions when there is too much going on in the music, on cymbals and voices harmonies. It mainly occurs if the music wasn't perfectly recorded. 
...

If a recording is badly mastered, TG-38S will be ruthless with it. Dasetn M760 is a much better choice for such recordings.
You can think of TG-38S vs M760 as HD800 vs HD600.
One will extract extra detail, the other one will make bad recordings sound better.

 

[BenF]

Has anyone who complains about treble purchased TG-38S from Aliexpress?
So far people only mentioned Dasetn. If all the complains come from the same source, perhaps the root cause is a bad batch.

 

[BenF]

Ben what's up with your JL1? Has the sound changed since day 1? does your latest earbuds ranking still stand?

The more I listen to them, the more I like them. They sound like a good compromise between TG-38S and M760 - the mids are thicker than TG-38S while treble is more extended than M760.
They don't reach M760's piano prowess, but the vocals sound very similar.
Since the treble is less extended than on TG-38S, people that didn't like TG-38S' treble may be finally happy.
It is just as resolving though, so badly mastered recordings should still be avoided or handed to M760.
 
I am considering placing them at #1 in the rankings, ahead of TG-38S.

 

[subwoof3r]

  Has anyone who complains about treble purchased TG-38S from Aliexpress?
So far people only mentioned Dasetn. If all the complains come from the same source, perhaps the root cause is a bad batch.

 
I ordered one yesterday from Aliexpress since my package from dasetn seems to be lost. I asked a refund to dasetn for now.
I stay you tuned about this with pleasure.
 
 
 

 
The more I listen to them, the more I like them. They sound like a good compromise between TG-38S and M760 - the mids are thicker than TG-38S while treble is more extended than M760.
They don't reach M760's piano prowess, but the vocals sound very similar.
Since the treble is less extended than on TG-38S, people that didn't like TG-38S' treble may be finally happy.
It is just as resolving though, so badly mastered recordings should still be avoided or handed to M760.
 
I am considering placing them at #1 in the rankings, ahead of TG-38S.

 
No more JL1 in stock now since yesterday, but as I saw, there wasn't so many pieces anyway.

 

[goldenSHK]

   
Glad to hear.
Small correction - you are not getting used to sibilance, you are getting used to the treble.
Your brain is simply not used to extracting audio cues from headphones at these frequencies.

 
No offense, but that really just translates to "you will eventually tell yourself to like them enough and finally come to accept it." 
 
I'm not saying people shouldn't get used to their equipment, but all too often "mind burn in" is a real thing and it clouds our judgment of what a piece of gear objectively sounds like - and I hope your reviews aren't all biased in terms of letting a piece of equipment burn into your mind enough that you think they are the new best toy in town. I don't say that to bash or flame, but I realize that this happens to me a lot as well.

 

[mtliu]

In order of decreasing treble is TG-38s, M760, M1, then M3. The TG-38s sounded very sibilant to me upon first listen, but that has calmed down and clarity and resolution has increased. I still switch between buds and cans. Call me crazy, but I like the sound of $10 Polaroid PHH8330 best. No one on head-fi will take the Polaroids seriously. . . I bought them at first to use as shells to stick drivers into - but ended up keeping them as-is. . .my listening preferences ARE weird!!!!!!

 

[BenF]

   
No offense, but that really just translates to "you will eventually tell yourself to like them enough and finally come to accept it." 
 
I'm not saying people shouldn't get used to their equipment, but all too often "mind burn in" is a real thing and it clouds our judgment of what a piece of gear objectively sounds like - and I hope your reviews aren't all biased in terms of letting a piece of equipment burn into your mind enough that you think they are the new best toy in town. I don't say that to bash or flame, but I realize that this happens to me a lot as well.

 
When you walk into a dark room and it takes you a few minutes to start seeing things - do you really see them or are you just telling yourself so?

 

[swmkdr]

  If a recording is badly mastered, TG-38S will be ruthless with it. Dasetn M760 is a much better choice for such recordings.
You can think of TG-38S vs M760 as HD800 vs HD600.
One will extract extra detail, the other one will make bad recordings sound better.

 
I wish there were measurements for the Tingo TG-38S because my instinct is not that they're transparent but that they exaggerate the highs to give the impression of extra detail, which could be why I find they excel with certain tracks but are harsh with others. Extra detail doesn't have to mean sibilant or harsh.
 
Don't want to be too down on these because as I've said before nothing I've tried comes close for $15, but I think after the hype settles they'll be regarded as good budget earbuds and that's it. Definitely not transparent, 'reference level' buds as some (myself included) may have unrealistically hoped.

 

[mtruong34]

@BenF.  I wish you had the opportunity to listen to the Blox TM7.  Then you would know what a true reference level earbud sounds like.  I think that's the main reason why I dislike the TG-38S so much; because I've got the TM7 as a reference.  Balanced, smooth, musical, detailed, neutral, etc.  That's why respected headphone reviewer CliOS crowned them King of 'Buds in his review post.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/621504/review-blox-tm7-king-of-buds

 

[jant71]

  @BenF.  I wish you had the opportunity to listen to the Blox TM7.  Then you would know what a true reference level earbud sounds like.  I think that's the main reason why I dislike the TG-38S so much; because I've got the TM7 as a reference.  Balanced, smooth, musical, detailed, neutral, etc.  That's why respected headphone reviewer CliOS crowned them King of 'Buds in his review post.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/621504/review-blox-tm7-king-of-buds

 
I believe he had the BE5. A couple of people who have heard both rate the TM7 and BE5 as equals. BenF might still rate the Tingo above both the BE5 and TM7.
 
I have been around buds for so long. If they aren't quite right you can fix many of them pretty easily. I know there are denser foams out there and I use them on my Tingo. Or take some electrical tape and capped off the back half of the holes. I think the fit can be an issue. I think they may be better for warmer sources but a little effort could tweak them to one's liking. I know the Tingo take EQ well so that is a start and have capped off quite a few other buds with good results.
 
I wanna see more of the Mikros spirit where people are opening them up and modding them and swapping pads and cables 

. The Tingo would be much easier and less involved. Maybe an extra layer of foam inside a foamy, some tape, whatever. The Mikros people are getting more bass that they want, less treble if they want that. Over here it is like the Tingo are stuck without enough bass or too much treble. So, many buds either are tuned bad or an off fit hurts the sound. Should be an easy enough and totally reversible fix.
 
At least try. Some can't be fixed. The Vsonic UU2 will rape your ears with sibilance and overbearing treble and I stopped trying to fix it. Maybe that is a good fix for the Tingo as well. Listen to the UU2 for a while then go back to the Tingo
 
Don't think the Dasetn thing is an issue. Bad batches may occur but mine was bought from Dasetn and seems fine.
 
Anyway, buds are the worst and tend to need the most modding of the forms. YMMV and the whole recipe of ears, gears, fit, and synergy are all at play. Good luck getting them to sound the way you want. Good thing is that they were only $15.

 

[mtruong34]

Sorry I don't think I've read anywhere that someone has rated BE5 as equal to TM7. I happen to own both. No contest. But I do agree some LIMITED tweaking can be done with foam covers. I happen to like foam cover over foam donut cover. I think the donut lifts the foam cover slightly away from the bud surface to give a little bit better clarity and air. Less of a muffled effect.

 

[BenF]

  @BenF.  I wish you had the opportunity to listen to the Blox TM7.  Then you would know what a true reference level earbud sounds like.  I think that's the main reason why I dislike the TG-38S so much; because I've got the TM7 as a reference.  Balanced, smooth, musical, detailed, neutral, etc.  That's why respected headphone reviewer CliOS crowned them King of 'Buds in his review post.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/621504/review-blox-tm7-king-of-buds

When did anybody claim that TG-38S is a reference earbud?
 
According to ClieOS, ANV3 is very similar to TM7: http://www.head-fi.org/t/441400/earbuds-round-up-update-june-28th-2013#post_5954781
I have both ANV3 and ANV3SE, which are built on the TM7 diaphragm in M2C housing.
They are both quite veiled and sound remote. TG-38S, TG-JL1 and M760 sound a lot more musical and excel at live music.
 
Speaking of reference level, TG-JL1 is the most balanced, yet at the same time exciting earbud I heard so far.

 

[BenF]

   
I wish there were measurements for the Tingo TG-38S because my instinct is not that they're transparent but that they exaggerate the highs to give the impression of extra detail, which could be why I find they excel with certain tracks but are harsh with others. Extra detail doesn't have to mean sibilant or harsh.
 
Don't want to be too down on these because as I've said before nothing I've tried comes close for $15, but I think after the hype settles they'll be regarded as good budget earbuds and that's it. Definitely not transparent, 'reference level' buds as some (myself included) may have unrealistically hoped.

The "extra detail" I hear on TG-38S and TG-JL1 is the same as on a 500$ FAD Heaven VI, so it must be real.
Harshness on certain tracks is expected, if they are mastered "hot" to overcome the treble deficiency of most consumer headphones.