[rincewind]

Check out rikubuds. I reached out to him on IG.

Thanks, will take a look.

 

[ImaginaryFireball]

Hey, I'm looking at some of the stuff on the winter sale on Ali, and I was wondering what's worth getting. The Toneking TO400 is $50, the Fiio FF3 is $60, and the HZ Sound Bell rhyme is $20. Are any of these worth getting? Are there others that I should check out instead?

 

[ext23]

I need a dirt cheap earbud ($10ish) with a removable cable. Is the TRN EMA a decent option? They're for my friend who listens to a lot of badly recorded math rock and old stuff like Elvis lol.

Edit: Looks like the RY4S is the way to go, BUT what ohmage? My friend will just be plugging them into his phone so no amp. And should I get the Plus or not...? Some people say the Plus is better, other people say it has bloated bass and nothing else (not good for my friend's tastes).

 

[Singaravelan]

The post of @WoodyLuvr about yincrow rw 1000-bass, 2000 and 3000.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/earbuds-round-up.441400/post-16802665

Oh, thanks a lot!

 

[baskingshark]

Good gravy this is a long thread now!!
I last participated years back and ended up with the Yuin PK1 and the Shozy BK Stardust. I checked the first post again, but it looks like lots of old earbuds, so I'm guessing it hasn't been updated.

I recently upgraded my source to a Hiby RS6, and while comparing with other headphones, it's become clear that although I love every other aspect of them, the Shozys have some sort fatiguing treble that really bothers me. The PK1 don't have the treble spike, but also don't have the bass depth, and are congested in comparison to the Shozys.

Given the RS6 it's endgame for me, what are the best of the best ear buds? I may get IEMs in future, but I need buds for work so I can hear others around me and take them out easily.

In terms of tonal characteristic, I want mostly neutral but with every do slightly relaxed/rolled off treble around 1-3kHz (is that the "Harman curve"?) It's ok if they have a slight bass boost, but I DEFINITELY value hearing fast individual bass notes and note texture over "slam".

Thanks in advance for any assistance!!

Do you have a budget in mind?

Hey, I'm looking at some of the stuff on the winter sale on Ali, and I was wondering what's worth getting. The Toneking TO400 is $50, the Fiio FF3 is $60, and the HZ Sound Bell rhyme is $20. Are any of these worth getting? Are there others that I should check out instead?

What are your sound preferences? Basshead, treblehead, treble-sensitive etc?

And what source are you using? The Toneking TO400 needs an amp for example.

I need a dirt cheap earbud ($10ish) with a removable cable. Is the TRN EMA a decent option? They're for my friend who listens to a lot of badly recorded math rock and old stuff like Elvis lol.

Edit: Looks like the RY4S is the way to go, BUT what ohmage? My friend will just be plugging them into his phone so no amp. And should I get the Plus or not...? Some people say the Plus is better, other people say it has bloated bass and nothing else (not good for my friend's tastes).

The RY4S normal variant is less bassy than the Plus version. Personally, I would recommend the Plus version 32 ohm. It can be driven off a phone, quite a fun-sounding decent budget pair.

 

[ImaginaryFireball]

What are your sound preferences? Basshead, treblehead, treble-sensitive etc?

And what source are you using? The Toneking TO400 needs an amp for example.

I prefer balanced or mid-bass boosted neutral.

I have a Tempotech Sonata HD Pro, but for anything that doesn't require the bit of extra juice it provides, I just use my phone's 3.5mm jack. I also have a Fiio E10K that I use when I'm on my computer. I also have a Fiio M3 Pro, but I haven't used it in a couple of years since my phone is just more convenient.

 

[baskingshark]

I prefer balanced or mid-bass boosted neutral.

I have a Tempotech Sonata HD Pro, but for anything that doesn't require the bit of extra juice it provides, I just use my phone's 3.5mm jack. I also have a Fiio E10K that I use when I'm on my computer. I also have a Fiio M3 Pro, but I haven't used it in a couple of years since my phone is just more convenient.

The FF3 is a bassy earbud. They have a newer FF3S model which is slightly less bassy and more resolving, but it is more expensive from what I understand. That may probably suit your needs better than the OG FF3.

The Bell Rhyme is a U-shaped balanced earbud, good timbre but not too technical. I would consider it a budget level set.

The DUNU Alpha 3 is a neutralish/balanced set, cable is not detachable though. Decent technical performance. Probably midFI earbud quality, but not TOTL level.

If you can find a Yincrow RW2000 on sale, that is a really nice TOTL balanced pair, mixes technicalities, timbre and tonality very nicely and can be endgame for some.

 

[ImaginaryFireball]

The FF3 is a bassy earbud. They have a newer FF3S model which is slightly less bassy and more resolving, but it is more expensive from what I understand. That may probably suit your needs better than the OG FF3.

The Bell Rhyme is a U-shaped balanced earbud, good timbre but not too technical. I would consider it a budget level set.

The DUNU Alpha 3 is a neutralish/balanced set, cable is not detachable though. Decent technical performance. Probably midFI earbud quality, but not TOTL level.

If you can find a Yincrow RW2000 on sale, that is a really nice TOTL balanced pair, mixes technicalities, timbre and tonality very nicely and can be endgame for some.

Is $110 a good price for the RW2000? Otherwise, I'll probably get the Alpha 3 or FF3S.

 

[hiheaded]

Is $110 a good price for the RW2000? Otherwise, I'll probably get the Alpha 3 or FF3S.

They also have a promo code that will take another 10 off currently. Think it ends in a day or so.

 

[Alohax123]

I just found the longyao(yinmen) dr09 for pretty cheap on taobao ebay site(xianyu) for around 75$,have anyone try this earbud could you give an impression of yours to me,thanks.

 

[Kyonnie]

Ah, that's too bad the buds aren't available for you. I do wonder why some items on AE are geo-blocked. Sometimes I find some interesting earbuds on AE, but blocked from shipping to the US, but probably available to EU or Asia countries. Oh well. If you get them please share your impressions.

Yeah, I also don't quite get that, probably some ridiculous form of red tape, but if you really want something that's geoblocked from you, you can use a mail forwarding service or ask a friend to forward it to you, but it's pretty pricey and quite a hassle. That's why I refrain from using them unless I really need to.

Also, does anyone know someone who's able to make custom metal docomo shells for earbuds? Asking for a friend

 

[Singaravelan]

The FF3 is a bassy earbud. They have a newer FF3S model which is slightly less bassy and more resolving, but it is more expensive from what I understand. That may probably suit your needs better than the OG FF3.

The Bell Rhyme is a U-shaped balanced earbud, good timbre but not too technical. I would consider it a budget level set.

The DUNU Alpha 3 is a neutralish/balanced set, cable is not detachable though. Decent technical performance. Probably midFI earbud quality, but not TOTL level.

If you can find a Yincrow RW2000 on sale, that is a really nice TOTL balanced pair, mixes technicalities, timbre and tonality very nicely and can be endgame for some.

I do see a yincrow rw2000 thingy where I live. How does it compare with fiio ff5 and does it have a good out-of-ears soundstage?

 

[anli]

I do see a yincrow rw2000 thingy where I live. How does it compare with fiio ff5 and does it have a good out-of-ears soundstage?

As for staging, I have not focused on this difference especially. As for tonality - for my ears FF5 has got slightly exaggerated mid-bass (and bass-mid area), and RW-2000 has got a little more bright with timbres. I avoid shouting timbres (described by some as "resolution", and fatiguing for me on long listening), but on selecting the only pair I would select RW-2000. It's more universal to my taste.

 

[rincewind]

Do you have a budget in mind?

Not really. When I buy something, I try to determine what's best, or what's the point of diminishing returns, or what marries up to my other gear and won't be limited, and I let those factors decide what price I should pay.

I've been reading the Rikubuds thread with interest... I'm just having trouble differentiating the different buds, because some say the Saber 3 is warmer than the AR3, and others say vice versa. I would easily spring for one of his grand models if they are endgame quality. My DAP is 1399USD RRP, and I want something of corresponding quality.

 

[baskingshark]

Not really. When I buy something, I try to determine what's best, or what's the point of diminishing returns, or what marries up to my other gear and won't be limited, and I let those factors decide what price I should pay.

I've been reading the Rikubuds thread with interest... I'm just having trouble differentiating the different buds, because some say the Saber 3 is warmer than the AR3, and others say vice versa. I would easily spring for one of his grand models if they are endgame quality. My DAP is 1399USD RRP, and I want something of corresponding quality.

U can message Riku and he can probably cook up something that suits your needs.

But I recently bought the grand alter saber 3 from him and it is a warm neutral earbud with good timber and technicalities. Needs an amp due to the 180 ohm impedance though.