[samandhi]

JA, your backstory makes me appreciate a family friend (now departed) who was a musical prodigy as a boy, who was even taken on a special trip to meet Rachmaninoff. He enlisted as a Marine in WWII and served in the Pacific theater, stationed on a remote island where he was nearly killed by a hand grenade. He ducked behind a palm tree just in time, but the blast left him deaf in one ear for the rest of his life. He was never the same as a pianist, although he did serve as a church music director for many years.

(His given name was Percival, by the way. But you don't call a Marine veteran Percy, God knows, so everyone knew him as Perk. Anyway, thanks for making me remember him today, and thank you for sharing this story. So glad you lived in a later time and had the opportunity to get it fixed!)

Oh, and speaking of bikes, here's my son on his Aprilla. (And no, I swear I am NOT as old as this picture of my son would suggest!)



EDIT: I turned him on to IEMs this year. Earbuds next?

Very moving story.


And FANTASTIC looking bike! I'm too old for one of those. I stick to low&slow nowadays... hehe

 

[qua2k]

Riku Berserker 2 ordered! Very much looking forward to hearing his buds, especially the 2nd Berserker as the first reviewed very well. Now I need to stop buying sh.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

JA, your backstory makes me appreciate a family friend (now departed) who was a musical prodigy as a boy, who was even taken on a special trip to meet Rachmaninoff. He enlisted as a Marine in WWII and served in the Pacific theater, stationed on a remote island where he was nearly killed by a hand grenade. He ducked behind a palm tree just in time, but the blast left him deaf in one ear for the rest of his life. He was never the same as a pianist, although he did serve as a church music director for many years.

(His given name was Percival, by the way. But you don't call a Marine veteran Percy, God knows, so everyone knew him as Perk. Anyway, thanks for making me remember him today, and thank you for sharing this story. So glad you lived in a later time and had the opportunity to get it fixed!)

Oh, and speaking of bikes, here's my son on his Aprilla. (And no, I swear I am NOT as old as this picture of my son would suggest!)



EDIT: I turned him on to IEMs this year. Earbuds next?

Your friend sounds like a legend. The things soldiers sacrifice for their countries, eh? Just to have reminded you of his story is truly an honor. Thanks for sharing his story!

 

[AsciiJC]

Just waiting for more drivers to actually give this a full test, not a bad little shell!

 

[samandhi]

Riku Berserker 2 ordered! Very much looking forward to hearing his buds, especially the 2nd Berserker as the first reviewed very well. Now I need to stop buying sh.

Good luck with that one! If you manage it, you are a better person than myself (who keeps saying that same thing... in a loop).

Congratz on your new shiny BTW!

 

[qua2k]

Good luck with that one! If you manage it, you are a better person than myself (who keeps saying that same thing... in a loop).

Congratz on your new shiny BTW!

Desktop amp is next on the list but not for a while. Simmering it down for a bit... plus the amp I am interested in is not released yet so that is a plus.

 

[samandhi]

Desktop amp is next on the list but not for a while. Simmering it down for a bit... plus the amp I am interested in is not released yet so that is a plus.

I am of the same mind. I have recently bought to the edge (and a bit over) my hobby budget. I need to re-charge.

 

[prakasitp]

So just a quick thought: Often times lately when I have been doing a lot of headphone or earbud trials and critical listening and I just want a good low key listen with solid performance that won't fatigue me, one of the options I have been reaching for consistently are my FAAEAL Rosemarys. Are they the best or most detailed buds? Nope. Are they one heck of a solid earbud for the money? Hell yes. Put on some blues or some solid indie rock with some dirty, crunchy guitars and male vocalists with a little bit of grit to their delivery and you're in relaxed listening heaven. I have a few go to comfy kick back sets (headphones, IEMs, and earbuds/flatheads) and the Rosemarys are a solid addition to their ranks.

very interesting!! did u get 3.5mm or 2.5/4.4mm cable?

 

[oatp1b1]

My MX985's finally get to rest after almost 10 years of use. FF3's sound great out of the box but mids are a bit different than what I'm used to. Hopefully it's something that I can get used to.

 

[chavez]

Anyone here tested this new openheart nightingale?

aliexpress.com/item/1005004370142576.html

This bud exists for a while now, but i dont know anyone who tried it. Its available in a few stores.

€ 11,92 37%OFF | Upgrade Heavy Bass HIFI Earbuds MMCX Earphones DIY Customize MX500 Earphones
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m015glm


There is even a newer version with the LCP driver.

€ 9,75 37%OFF | 1 Pair Transparent Shell MMCX Earphones Earbuds Titanium / LCP Diaphragm Heavy Bass MMCX Headphones
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mL1Hdyu

 

[drewbadour]

Anyone have extensive experience with RikuBuds?

Looking to buy one (or more) and would appreciate thoughts and opinions on the different models (Leaning towards Saber/Berserker, Lancer, and Rider).

If my IEM preferences help I've ranked the IEMs I've owned in my signature.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

very interesting!! did u get 3.5mm or 2.5/4.4mm cable?

I have the 4.4mm balanced version. Plug the Rosemarys in to a decent DAC throw on some tunes and kick back. They have such a laid back, inoffensive tuning that they're great for kickin' back after hours of AB comparisons and critical listening.

They sound good with just about anything, but they have a special kind of synergy with the Moondrop Dawn which is a dual CS43131 chipped DAC. It really makes the low end on the Rosemarys come to life and infuses some musicality into the upper mids and treble.

I just reread that post and I just want to say that I didn't mean to make it sound like they don't have decent detail retrieval because they do. It's just not exceptional and the presentation doesn't throw the details in your face so that you're forced to pay attention like some super detailed buds can sometimes do. That quality allows the Rosemarys to have plenty of detail to take advantage of a good DAC and good source files, but still be perfect for a chilled out listening session. I find myself reaching for them in these kinds of situations more than I ever would have thought when I first got them.

 

[prakasitp]

I have the 4.4mm balanced version. Plug the Rosemarys in to a decent DAC throw on some tunes and kick back. They have such a laid back, inoffensive tuning that they're great for kickin' back after hours of AB comparisons and critical listening.

They sound good with just about anything, but they have a special kind of synergy with the Moondrop Dawn which is a dual CS43131 chipped DAC. It really makes the low end on the Rosemarys come to life and infuses some musicality into the upper mids and treble.

I just reread that post and I just want to say that I didn't mean to make it sound like they don't have decent detail retrieval because they do. It's just not exceptional and the presentation doesn't throw the details in your face so that you're forced to pay attention like some super detailed buds can sometimes do. That quality allows the Rosemarys to have plenty of detail to take advantage of a good DAC and good source files, but still be perfect for a chilled out listening session. I find myself reaching for them in these kinds of situations more than I ever would have thought when I first got them.

like the sound when u explain things, i’ll get a pair then.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Anyone have extensive experience with RikuBuds?

Looking to buy one (or more) and would appreciate thoughts and opinions on the different models (Leaning towards Saber/Berserker, Lancer, and Rider).

If my IEM preferences help I've ranked the IEMs I've owned in my signature.

Do you mind if I ask what has made you decide on Rikubuds for your first pair(s) rather than some cheaper consumer buds to figure out what you're looking for in an earbud? I'm not advocating either way. Just curious.

As someone who has just rediscovered earbuds a few months back I can say that I am surprised at how different my generally preferred sound signatures in earbuds are to IEMs and also how the relative importance of various qualities to one another has changed the way I evaluate earbuds versus IEMs. I'm glad that my experience with some budget/inexpensive options let me figure most of that stuff out so that when it came time to looking at flagships and DIY builds where the resale market and potential is much smaller I am more prepared with detailed knowledge of what I'm looking for and thus less likely to grab something that doesn't fit me and have to take the hit. Just food for thought and I'm not trying to take business away from Riku or anything just interested and sharing my experience, FWIW.

Either way, I hope you find what you're looking for. I'm awaiting my first Riku creation right now (Rider 1s per yhe recommendation of the master himself!) so I can't comment on the rest. I'm eagerly awaiting their arrival so I can hear what all the hype and praise is about!

 

[JAnonymous5150]

like the sound when u explain things, i’ll get a pair then.

Haha maybe I should ask FAAEAL if they need a new head of marketing...