Sep 15, 2023 at 1:30 AM Post #1,636 of 1,945
Is your Serratus mx500 shell? I feel that my experience with SSB Serratus does not always match with other's experience with mx500 Serratus.

Yes it is. The Serratus is excellent, it's just that the DS happens to suit my music preferences perfectly. My analogy is more about what stood out for me as comparison and really only based on the one song so really it's not but an anecdote really. I had forgotten how deep the Serratus soundstage is. I really should play with the gain of the N7 too.
 
Sep 16, 2023 at 12:54 AM Post #1,637 of 1,945
I had to put it on SE instead of XLR output to avoid hearing noise with DS and Phonitor XE. It’s the first time I hear such different sounds depending on different amps with a TGX earbud.
Still listening to the same symphony (to avoid losing my reference base) the sound is smooth and realistic grand, full, open, weighty and so accurate in tone. The brass are very clear and never harsh (and I’m usually very sensitive to harshness in that area). Strings are beautifully done with very audible nice friction from the bows. Bass sounds perfect to me, will keep on listening.
Have not yet tried solo, chamber music or opera.
 
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Sep 16, 2023 at 3:59 PM Post #1,638 of 1,945
Peace & Love everyone (my first message!), I have my Serratus SBS incoming.

Some advice might be helpful: I would be driving them from Apple usb c dongle / Q5K. both are 3.5mm so I would need a 4.4m adapter. I'm using TIDAL as my music source (1400kbps "high" quality). Listening to deep melodic electronic, and Classical genres.

Current gear: IEM: SE846, Cans: AKG 612 PRO.

SBS's are 180ohms, so should be easier to drive compared to OG Serratus (around 300ohm. at least on paper).

Do you think I will be fine with my newbie apple dongle / Q5K, and a simple 3.5 to 4.4 adapter? You guys are using some crazy gear, I hope it would be enough to make the SBS's shine.

Edit: bought a 3.5mm to 4.4mm adapter from Venture Electronics, AliExpress.
 
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Sep 16, 2023 at 5:15 PM Post #1,639 of 1,945
Peace & Love everyone (my first message!), I have my Serratus SBS incoming.

Some advice might be helpful: I would be driving them from Apple usb c dongle / Q5K. both are 3.5mm so I would need a 4.4m adapter. I'm using TIDAL as my music source (1400kbps "high" quality). Listening to deep melodic electronic, and Classical genres.

Current gear: IEM: SE846, Cans: AKG 612 PRO.

SBS's are 180ohms, so should be easier to drive compared to OG Serratus (around 300ohm. at least on paper).

Do you think I will be fine with my newbie apple dongle / Q5K, and a simple 3.5 to 4.4 adapter? You guys are using some crazy gear, I hope it would be enough to make the SBS's shine.
I have the Q5k and the SBS. Should be fine to drive them - just make sure you don't have any EQ set by mistake, and if needed, use the high gain :)

Enjoy the SBS! I burned mine in for about 48 hours and thought it helped, although YMMV
 
Sep 17, 2023 at 6:28 AM Post #1,640 of 1,945
I kinda wish I still had my Burson amp to hear the DS on.

On another note, I briefly tried the Serratus vs the DS. I only listened to one song but will try again later.
I chose Zeit by Rammstein as it's opening has a lot of the qualities I listen for.
This is the first time I got what people say about depth of stage vs height. The Serratus' stage is deeper, instruments seem further away in a haunting kind of way. Same when the vocals start. Till Lindemann stands further back. But overall I kind of felt something was missing.
The DS opens and there is the height I finally understood. Everything is closer but not in the sense of just that, but that it was simply that the instruments are closer as there seems to be more air around everything. Not sure that makes sense but it's like the difference isn't that the DS is more intimate but that it just sounds like a different recording with everything closer.. I guess because the DS has more resolution and a more realistic timbre, it sounds "right" to me and that the Serratus might be a bit artificially more distant..
There's also more information with the DS, more subtle nuances of vocal timbre and even some atmospheric sounds I just didn't hear with the Serratus.
The vocals sound so lifelike.. it's uncanny. Imaging is fantastic too due to the "air" I mentioned.
But when the music gets into the main part with all the drums and such, the Serratus' leaner sound keeps things a bit better separated and less overwhelming.
That's the one thing I find with the DS, that when the music gets really busy, I feel a bit overwhelmed. I think that's why I like them so much with solo or small group music and more acoustic music. They are a marvel and by far my favourite but I could easily see how someone who listens to really high intensity music might choose something else. That's why I said before that with things like NIN and Rammstein I'm more apt to use my EE Bravado 2.

Your impression give me a hard time to choose between Serratus and DS. What‘s about Sunniva?
 
Sep 17, 2023 at 12:37 PM Post #1,641 of 1,945
I think my Serratus comments should be taken with a grain of salt. They’re not only biased because I’m in love with the DS sound so inevitably my mind was looking (maybe subconsciously) for deficiencies in the comparison. But also, the specs were just posted again above and it occurred to me I was underpowering them. I haven’t confirmed that but I’m sure that’s part of the more “flat” sound. When I had the Burson, the Serratus stage was bigger and I remember a more dynamic sound. My modern classical/ electronic/ ambient sounded amazing. My N7 is arguably underpowered and unthinkingly I only had it on mid-gain.

I only heard the Sunniva briefly and it was excellent. Reminded me of the memory I had of the Ripples.

What can I say, sometime something comes along that fits like a puzzle piece and the DS is that for me.

I was listening to this yesterday and it was another magical experience.. if you like this type of music I’m sure you’d like the DS.

 
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Sep 18, 2023 at 2:10 AM Post #1,642 of 1,945
It will arrive soon, I will be very curious about its sound quality :)

TGXear Desolation Sound
 

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Sep 18, 2023 at 2:25 AM Post #1,643 of 1,945
I think my Serratus comments should be taken with a grain of salt. They’re not only biased because I’m in love with the DS sound so inevitably my mind was looking (maybe subconsciously) for deficiencies in the comparison. But also, the specs were just posted again above and it occurred to me I was underpowering them. I haven’t confirmed that but I’m sure that’s part of the more “flat” sound. When I had the Burson, the Serratus stage was bigger and I remember a more dynamic sound. My modern classical/ electronic/ ambient sounded amazing. My N7 is arguably underpowered and unthinkingly I only had it on mid-gain.

I only heard the Sunniva briefly and it was excellent. Reminded me of the memory I had of the Ripples.

What can I say, sometime something comes along that fits like a puzzle piece and the DS is that for me.

I was listening to this yesterday and it was another magical experience.. if you like this type of music I’m sure you’d like the DS.

incredibly beautiful. Trying to find the CD and not spend 100$ for it...
 
Sep 18, 2023 at 11:45 PM Post #1,644 of 1,945
Extremely brief and quick remark about the beautiful DS that I recieved today (not the demo, the one I bought).
Powered with the Moniprice Liquid Platinum it sounded a bit too bright and shrill, but through the Monoprice THXAAA = wow ! We're in a new territory here...
Most balanced and detailed thing I've heard from an earbud.
But it's only a very tiny little forst impression.
Only in the first hour but I already know I'm in another level of resolution.
Playing a Raff symphony that generally sounds rather dull from an audio point of view, now with the DS it;s like another recording, everything being so much more clear and dynamic.
I don't feel like writing but I feel obligated to say that right now I'm using the SE output of the Liquid Platinum (RME dac) with the DS, and I can confirm this is clearly the best TGX earbud. I can't believe I'm listening to earbuds ahhaha it's really mind blowing. It's a cliché that I could avoid until now.
So is it brain burn in, SE putput working better than XLR output, or real burn in, i don't know but that's what I can say without a doubt.
I have to take my time to judge anything audio, I'm not good under pressure or rushing things.
A few times I had to check and make sure i didn;t have the subwoofer on (which i sometimes do to beef up the sound).
I don't miss the Serratus.
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 12:04 AM Post #1,645 of 1,945
I don't feel like writing but I feel obligated to say that right now I'm using the SE output of the Liquid Platinum (RME dac) with the DS, and I can confirm this is clearly the best TGX earbud. I can't believe I'm listening to earbuds ahhaha it's really mind blowing. It's a cliché that I could avoid until now.
So is it brain burn in, SE putput working better than XLR output, or real burn in, i don't know but that's what I can say without a doubt.
I have to take my time to judge anything audio, I'm not good under pressure or rushing things.
A few times I had to check and make sure i didn;t have the subwoofer on (which i sometimes do to beef up the sound).
I don't miss the Serratus.
Which other tgx buds have you tried? No surprise it's his best one :) I'm a few stops away on the tour. I'm excited to hear it and see how it compares to Sun Copper and Sunniva.
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 3:41 AM Post #1,646 of 1,945
Which other tgx buds have you tried? No surprise it's his best one :) I'm a few stops away on the tour. I'm excited to hear it and see how it compares to Sun Copper and Sunniva.
if the DS has arrived to you and you have a solid opinion about it, by all means tell me how it is better/worse than Sun Copper and Sunniva.
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 6:27 AM Post #1,647 of 1,945
Which other tgx buds have you tried? No surprise it's his best one :) I'm a few stops away on the tour. I'm excited to hear it and see how it compares to Sun Copper and Sunniva.
Will love to hear a comparison of all three when DS gets to you. VE buds, and Sun Copper in particular, are calling my name. I find DS and Sunniva to be a perfect complement to each other and I could easily stop at those two buds and be content, but I’m still very curious about VE.
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 6:41 AM Post #1,648 of 1,945
if the DS has arrived to you and you have a solid opinion about it, by all means tell me how it is better/worse than Sun Copper and Sunniva.
DS has a bit less bass body than Sunniva. However, with the Hiegi High density foam the bass has still a very nice body. The reduction in the note size does not imply a reduction in slam and rumble - which are plentiful in DS, along with a highly defined note edge. DS is more transparent, with easily perceptible better note definition and details and energy throughout the mid and treble region. Textures are produced much better and overall both the macro and microdynamics are great on DS. Sunniva is more tilted towards having a great macrodynamics with a tilt towards musicality. DS has better technicalities but the musicality is not the least bit compromised.

Sun Copper is on its way to me from Australia. Will update once I get.
 
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Sep 22, 2023 at 6:57 AM Post #1,649 of 1,945
DS has a bit less bass body than Sunniva. However, with the Hiegi High density foam the bass has still a very nice body. The reduction in the note size does not imply a reduction in slam and rumble - which are plentiful in DS, along with a highly defined note edge. DS is more transparent, with easily perceptible better note definition and details and energy throughout the mid and treble region. Textures are produced much better and overall both the macro and microdynamics are great on DS. Sunniva is more tilted towards having a great macrodynamics with a tilt towards musicality. DS has better technicalities but the musicality is not the least bit compromised.

Sun Copper is on its way to me from Australia. Will update once I get.
where can I buy Hiegi High density foam? can you give me a link? in Europe maybe.
 
Sep 22, 2023 at 7:04 AM Post #1,650 of 1,945

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