[mtliu]

In addition to the buds mentioned in this thread, I have also found the cheap HiSoundAudio,SunriseAudio, and Vsonic buds under $20 to sound better than comparably priced buds from JVC, Sony, and Phillips. The Chinese are pumping out some great bang for buck buds.

 

[mantaray]

mtliu - thanks - I wasn't aware of Vsonic. I managed to find a UU2 and a much cheaper Glenair A1. The Hisound and Sunrise buds seem to be more expensive, at least the ones I've looked at before. Are there any particular models you recommend
 
Danneq and BenF - thanks for the info, I think I got one of those cases with a DIY Yuin, I'll have to try and use it in future. I also may try a short cable extender for a while, the cables always seem to die for me near the jack, so maybe it would be good for something else to take the strain.

 

[goldenSHK]

  Now my Tingo TG38s have arrived and... well, they sound pretty good, but I have to agree with some that they are way to focused on upper mids and treble. To me, Dasetn M1 sound much more balanced. I hope the overall harshness of my TG38s will tone down a step or two. Otherwise they will find a place in the drawer next to my Hisoundaudio Living, an earbud model that have a somewhat similar sound. However, I paid only around $20 for the TG38s while I paid $99 for the Headsoundaudio Living (regular price was $149 but I got my pair $50 off...)

I also bought a pair of Awei ES10 and they sound pretty good for the price. I might keep them as a spare earbud for my wife when/if her pair of Sony MDR-E741 break. She'll like the bass of the ES10.

On they way I've got a pair of Tingo TC00 from Dasetn and a pair of Baldoor E100 and a pair of KZ OMX2 (the looks remind me a bit of Dasetn AP8). It's fun to try out cheap Chinese brands that sometimes sound very good for the low price. There's always the lure of finding something that sounds spectacular without emptying my wallet in the process...

Danneq did your Tingo Croons ever clear up? Mine are good sounding, but I agree with you that it might just not be enough bass for me to have them as my default bud. I might try the Dasetn M1 next or just go all out for the Sennheiser MX985.

 

[subwoof3r]

I Think I’am off with testing these Tingos TG-38s.
 
I write this review based on my first batch, I will update this post as soon as I will receive and finish burning my second batch in the days coming.
 
My tingos received a bit more of 100 hours burning. Finally there was some kind of changement during burning process. I always used PK1 donut foams to them (like any of my earbuds).
 
As I said before, at the beginning, I really thought my pair was defective but after reading comments here and after finishing my burning, it looks that I have a normal one, because there is a lot of trueness and same facts as many of you.
Build quality is so far superior than the concurrence, clearly the best I’ve ever seen. Plugs and cable are very nice and this chrome color/aspect on the earbuds itself looks well finished.
 
Soundly speaking, this earbud is (to me) definitely not the king one. It depends on which kind of music you listen to.
I found TG-38s to be solid and excells in vocals, piano and jazz musics. But the problem is I rarely listen to this kind of, since I’am more electronic lover and I really needed some brain burn-in to get used of these tingos and begin to appreciate them. This bud is exceptional because it’s the first one that I found not needing any EQ to get very detailed highs and nice mids. It’s the first of his kind I would say. Soundstage is very good and the best I’ve ever seen on any earbud. Highs are still sibilant and can drive you crazy sometimes (which is strange because even if EQ is flat, some songs can be horrible and some very nice, so I think it would be an house casing problem related rather than the driver itself, but unfortunately, I’am bad at modding).
Another problem is the bass domain. Flat : they sound inexistent to me, so thin, not rumbling, nothing. They are also very unnatural. Amped (with the only amp I own which is the FiiO E11) and set with bass boost to +2 from it and boosted via my computer EQ to max also, it sounds better : they are finally here (hurray!) but are still quite unnatural and sounds like a “boombox”, probably the baddest earbud I tried in the bass domain. We are at a million miles away of PK1 bass level.
 
I’am wondering if my pair isn’t defective in the sense I have some crackling in the left earbud, the right one looks ok. They don’t saturate but with those crackling it’s very annoying.
 
Another problem is the lot of power needed to sound their best. They requires a lot of amp to sound their best. Even the Yuin PK1 requires less power I would say and it’s a 160 Ohms earbud.
 
To conclude, I think TG-38s is definitely not designed for electronic and general fast musics. This earbud is done to make some sense to emotional and slow ones only.
 
My current ranking so far is now as the following:
Blox TM7 (sold) > Awei ES10 > Yuin PK1 > Tingo TG-38s > Yuin PK3 (sold)

 

[jant71]

But why would you use donut foams(a center hole mod) as they are to increase treble/lessen bass/help with clarity by letting treble through unobstructed?  You are pushing the buds in the wrong direction from what you want them to be.
 
I am okay with denser foams and a bit of EQ which the TG38S take well enough. You might want to actually take some electrical tape and cover up more holes except for the ones closer to your ear canal to warm them up. So many buds are only partially open in the front to be warmer and have more bass like so...

 
I own those and a few more(Toshiba, PMX680, Aiwa) that are all warmer because of this and I have done it to other buds to warm them up at least some.
 
Also, even with the denser foams they run at the same volumes I used to use with the PK2 with 5mw per channel Sony players(though both appreciate some more juice) and the same EQ setting. Not sure what is up with them needing more juice than the PK1. Maybe slightly more than the PK2 or PK3 but not the PK1. That and crackling may mean something may just be something wrong or damaged. The failure rate or sub par performers that may pass a cursory listen before packaging of DIY stuff is gonna be more and no bass(not just less than ideal) and any noise doesn't sound right.
 
Shame as I think the TG38S are tied with the PMX680 as worst for fit for me plus a potential quality variation of these DIY buds means we are getting this huge range of reports or rankings from higher on people's list to very low. Any recommendation must have a caveat that one is not guaranteed to get a certain performance and it may be more of a risk than usual with earbuds. We already got one apparently faulty TC100 out of the few who have received it

 

[mtliu]

The cheap HiSoundAudio buds I have tried are the PAA-1 (non pro) and HSA-351. The Sunrise Audio ones I have tried are no longer available but were $15. While I think these all sound better than the mainstream JVC, Sony, and Phillips. I think the Dasetn M1, M3, M760 and Tingo TG-38 not only sound better than these buds, but are also a better value.

 

[BenF]

  I Think I’am off with testing these Tingos TG-38s.
 
I write this review based on my first batch, I will update this post as soon as I will receive and finish burning my second batch in the days coming.
 
My tingos received a bit more of 100 hours burning. Finally there was some kind of changement during burning process. I always used PK1 donut foams to them (like any of my earbuds).
 
As I said before, at the beginning, I really thought my pair was defective but after reading comments here and after finishing my burning, it looks that I have a normal one, because there is a lot of trueness and same facts as many of you.
Build quality is so far superior than the concurrence, clearly the best I’ve ever seen. Plugs and cable are very nice and this chrome color/aspect on the earbuds itself looks well finished.
 
Soundly speaking, this earbud is (to me) definitely not the king one. It depends on which kind of music you listen to.
I found TG-38s to be solid and excells in vocals, piano and jazz musics. But the problem is I rarely listen to this kind of, since I’am more electronic lover and I really needed some brain burn-in to get used of these tingos and begin to appreciate them. This bud is exceptional because it’s the first one that I found not needing any EQ to get very detailed highs and nice mids. It’s the first of his kind I would say. Soundstage is very good and the best I’ve ever seen on any earbud. Highs are still sibilant and can drive you crazy sometimes (which is strange because even if EQ is flat, some songs can be horrible and some very nice, so I think it would be an house casing problem related rather than the driver itself, but unfortunately, I’am bad at modding).
Another problem is the bass domain. Flat : they sound inexistent to me, so thin, not rumbling, nothing. They are also very unnatural. Amped (with the only amp I own which is the FiiO E11) and set with bass boost to +2 from it and boosted via my computer EQ to max also, it sounds better : they are finally here (hurray!) but are still quite unnatural and sounds like a “boombox”, probably the baddest earbud I tried in the bass domain. We are at a million miles away of PK1 bass level.
 
I’am wondering if my pair isn’t defective in the sense I have some crackling in the left earbud, the right one looks ok. They don’t saturate but with those crackling it’s very annoying.
 
Another problem is the lot of power needed to sound their best. They requires a lot of amp to sound their best. Even the Yuin PK1 requires less power I would say and it’s a 160 Ohms earbud.
 
To conclude, I think TG-38s is definitely not designed for electronic and general fast musics. This earbud is done to make some sense to emotional and slow ones only.
 
My current ranking so far is now as the following:
Blox TM7 (sold) > Awei ES10 > Yuin PK1 > Tingo TG-38s > Yuin PK3 (sold)

As  jant71  has already pointed out, you shouldn't use the doughnut foam. Using the regular foams will calm down the treble and increase the bass.
 
As for the bass boost, E11's bass boost is centered around 70Hz and can be boomy. On top of that, you are double boosting it.
E12's bass boost is centered around 50Hz and is much cleaner.
TG-38S can put a high quality bass out, it reaches all the way down to 20Hz.
 
More importantly, you absolutely do not have a good pair. Normally TG-38S is a lot easier to drive than PK1, and of course it doesn't crackle. This reminds me my "bad" pair of Dasetn M760 - it was crackling and was a lot harder to drive then the "good" pair. Now, after being packed for a few weeks with silica gel packets in a clamshell box, it sounds indistinguishable from the "good" pair. The problem was not a manufacturing defect, but an extra humidity it gained during shipping, affecting the diaphragm.
 
You should try this too, may be you have the same problem. If this doesn't pass in 5-6 weeks, they are defective.
 
TG-38S can be quite good with electronic music, Phutureprimitive's "Kinetic" sounds great (with E12's bass boost).
The problem is most electronic music is badly mastered, and the last thing you want with badly mastered music is a transparent headphone.

 

[FlyingDutchMan]

Danneq did your Tingo Croons ever clear up? Mine are good sounding, but I agree with you that it might just not be enough bass for me to have them as my default bud. I might try the Dasetn M1 next or just go all out for the Sennheiser MX985.

I have the mx985 and these are not really heavy in the bass either. They have crystal clear highs and transparent MIds and lows but in my ears they don't go that low. Although I suspect that might be partly due to fit. Like the tc100 they don't fit totally flush with me ear canal causing some sound to leak out. If I push them in the bass sound better. The detail the mx985 gives is also amazing. Having that said I have to compair the mx985 one on one with the tingos 38s and tc100.

 

[FlyingDutchMan]

I Think I’am off with testing these Tingos TG-38s.

I write this review based on my first batch, I will update this post as soon as I will receive and finish burning my second batch in the days coming.

My tingos received a bit more of 100 hours burning. Finally there was some kind of changement during burning process. I always used PK1 donut foams to them (like any of my earbuds).

As I said before, at the beginning, I really thought my pair was defective but after reading comments here and after finishing my burning, it looks that I have a normal one, because there is a lot of trueness and same facts as many of you.
Build quality is so far superior than the concurrence, clearly the best I’ve ever seen. Plugs and cable are very nice and this chrome color/aspect on the earbuds itself looks well finished.

Soundly speaking, this earbud is (to me) definitely not the king one. It depends on which kind of music you listen to.

I found TG-38s to be solid and excells in vocals, piano and jazz musics. But the problem is I rarely listen to this kind of, since I’am more electronic lover and I really needed some brain burn-in to get used of these tingos and begin to appreciate them. This bud is exceptional because it’s the first one that I found not needing any EQ to get very detailed highs and nice mids. It’s the first of his kind I would say. Soundstage is very good and the best I’ve ever seen on any earbud. Highs are still sibilant and can drive you crazy sometimes (which is strange because even if EQ is flat, some songs can be horrible and some very nice, so I think it would be an house casing problem related rather than the driver itself, but unfortunately, I’am bad at modding).
Another problem is the bass domain. Flat : they sound inexistent to me, so thin, not rumbling, nothing. They are also very unnatural. Amped (with the only amp I own which is the FiiO E11) and set with bass boost to +2 from it and boosted via my computer EQ to max also, it sounds better : they are finally here (hurray!) but are still quite unnatural and sounds like a “boombox”, probably the baddest earbud I tried in the bass domain. We are at a million miles away of PK1 bass level.

I’am wondering if my pair isn’t defective in the sense I have some crackling in the left earbud, the right one looks ok. They don’t saturate but with those crackling it’s very annoying.

Another problem is the lot of power needed to sound their best. They requires a lot of amp to sound their best. Even the Yuin PK1 requires less power I would say and it’s a 160 Ohms earbud.

To conclude, I think TG-38s is definitely not designed for electronic and general fast musics. This earbud is done to make some sense to emotional and slow ones only.

My current ranking so far is now as the following:
Blox TM7 (sold) > Awei ES10 > Yuin PK1 >Tingo TG-38s> Yuin PK3 (sold)

Interesting, I actually rank the 38s buds as quite fast buds. But the again I compare them to the Blox m2c, anv3 and be5, so maybe those are just slow. Although the bass doesn't go very low it is quite puncy.

 

[BenF]

Originally Posted by subwoof3r /img/forum/go_quote.gif
...
My current ranking so far is now as the following:
... Awei ES10 > Yuin PK1 ...

 
How is this possible? ES10 has almost every instrument's tonality wrong, especially the string ones. Guitars are just plain unlistenable.

 

[goldenSHK]

I have the mx985 and these are not really heavy in the bass either. They have crystal clear highs and transparent MIds and lows but in my ears they don't go that low. Although I suspect that might be partly due to fit. Like the tc100 they don't fit totally flush with me ear canal causing some sound to leak out. If I push them in the bass sound better. The detail the mx985 gives is also amazing. Having that said I have to compair the mx985 one on one with the tingos 38s and tc100.

If you have the 38S and can do a direct comparison to the MX985 that would be fantastic! The Tingos seem to be sold out at Aliexpress though and the only place to get them currently is Dasetn. 
 
I just tried putting some electrical tape over the top holes in the front grille like jant71 said and it actually does bring out the bass a bit. It is slightly noticeable. Whatever it is, I prefer it slightly better than without the tape. Others should try it. 

 

[BenF]

Interesting, I actually rank the 38s buds as quite fast buds. But the again I compare them to the Blox m2c, anv3 and be5, so maybe those are just slow. Although the bass doesn't go very low it is quite puncy.

BE5 isn't slow, and neither is TG-38S

 

[BenF]

Originally Posted by goldenSHK /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
....
The Tingos seem to be sold out at Aliexpress though and the only place to get them currently is Dasetn. 
...

I talked to the seller, it should be available again within the next 12 hours:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Croons-tingo-tg-38s-earbud-earphones-pk-mx985-a8-hifi-balanced/1428384889.html
 
She sold out the initial stock of 40 and has to re-stock

 

[BenF]

On the other hand, Blox is having a hard time selling BE5. It used to be we had to refresh their page like crazy, trying to catch a short period of time their earbuds are for sale.
BE5 is on sale for months now - unprecedented.

 

[goldenSHK]

  On the other hand, Blox is having a hard time selling BE5. It used to be we had to refresh their page like crazy, trying to catch a short period of time their earbuds are for sale.
BE5 is on sale for months now - unprecedented.

That could also be due to the fact that Blox could have stepped up their production numbers since they know they are in demand. We can't be sure what is going on under the hood. 
 
I am experimenting with modding my Tingo TG38S by taping up some holes and ports and possibly opening them up if I can't achieve the sound I am looking for. These buds have exceptional build quality, a beautiful cable, and a wide and deep soundstage which is indicative of a capable driver, but the bass is thin and the highs too forward. This can probably be completely remedied with some hard mods (hard EQ instead of soft EQ) and hopefully might result in a great sounding portable/gym pair of buds that I have been looking for for ages.