TGXEAR discussion thread.

[lafeuill]

Sorry to take a while to reply to this. My listening impressions are with predominantly the ifi GO Bar. However, I have also recently hooked the Ripples up to the Valhalla 2 and needless to say, things only get better.



Well, the first source I actually used was the M8 and I was somewhat disappointed with the within-the-head presentation and this is quite unlike the M8. It tends to provide a decent stage. I switched soon after to the ifi Go Bar and things were considerably more separated and stage much more extended in air and dimension. It's a perfect matchup. I think the ifi Go Bar has a particularly powerful amp stage and gives a good bit of drive which helps. Out of curiosity I've played around the Valhalla 2 and again things scaled up - the Valhalla always opens my earbuds, while adding a beautifully organic texture and character to things. Again, this is a great synergy that pairs well with the detail on offer with the Ripples.

Long story short: source is definitely at play here.





These comments pretty much hit the nail on the head. I understand your difficulty trying to describe what you're hearing, trying to compare the intangible/psychoacoustic/spatial properties is never easy and highly subjective. Having said that, how the midrange is handled/tuned on the Ripples places elements closer and adds emphasis that naturally has the effect of tightening perceived stage dimension but there is still a 'furthest extent' to the stage that I try to establish in my minds eye. My feeling is that this 'furthest extent' is larger on the Serratus.

What the Ripples excels in, better than the Serratus and Alpha in my opinion is 'imaging' within the stage which gives it that ethereal and dimensional quality. I will always index for better imaging than absolute stage width. It gives life, body and shape to instruments and everything is infinitely more enjoyable. If I can have both, which the Ripples does offer to a very good degree I might add, then great!

I think we're both hearing the same wonderful replay here. The longer I listen, the more I can see it supplanting the Alpha as my go-to. The Alpha is a whiskey and warm fire type earbud and the Ripples a stimulating and dynamic listen. It's quite a magical little set and reminds me of the Traillii in that it's deep, naturally revealing and exceptionally balanced. Except, we can one up that here with a more authentic DD timbre and impact when called for (the Traillii was the best BA bass I have heard but it was still BA bass).



Listening to this the Ripples conveys every last drop of texture and detail. Alot of DD's struggle with the bass in the left channel on this recording, it loses texture quite easily, but not on the Ripples.

Thimar is one of my favourites from Anouar, impeccable taste

Definitely an album I'll listen to once Alpha and Ripples are here

 

[ian91]

Definitely an album I'll listen to once Alpha and Ripples are here

It's really beautiful isn't it.

They both play it with stunning poise to be honest with you. Please post your impressions when you've spent some time with them. It would be great to hear your perspective.

 

[BrokenHill]

It's really beautiful isn't it.

They both play it with stunning poise to be honest with you. Please post your impressions when you've spent some time with them. It would be great to hear your perspective.

You have made me a new discovery. Thank you! It definitely sounds great on the Serratus too.

 

[Chessnaudio]

It's really beautiful isn't it.

They both play it with stunning poise to be honest with you. Please post your impressions when you've spent some time with them. It would be great to hear your perspective.

It's gorgeous. Listened on my Tantalus.

 

[JAYAUDIO88]

Just got my Serratus today. 4 words:

Beautiful; transcendent; tears; confusion.

My impressions of them on Hifiguides forum: https://forum.hifiguides.com/t/iem-discussion-thread/14641/5013

Officially on-board the TGX bus Phenomenal work Jim!

 

[IamInnocentX3]

Serratus are a beautiful pair, I think my little dongle is at its limits at powering them optimally. Giving them enough power, they are grand, beautiful, punchy, and transparent, but edgy at times. At lower volumes, the dongle handles it mediocrely, lacking in punch and airiness. Dailing in higher volumes gives the Serratus its required power for punchy dynamics and sweet air, but there's sibilance. Not annoying, but I still hope its gone.

I have a S.M.S.L. desktop headphone setup at home, but I will have to wait 3 weeks before able to give them an amplified test drive.

 

[arijitroy2]

Thimar is one of my favourites from Anouar, impeccable taste

Definitely an album I'll listen to once Alpha and Ripples are here

Same, love that track and albums of his. Also Jan Garbarek's albums are wonderful.

 

[Neweymatt]

Red Serratus No. 9 arrived on my desk today...

So far I have to agree, the hype is real around these, just such a clean, detailed listen, especially in the upper mids.

There is a series of very subtle acoustic guitar strums during the intro of Spirtualized's I Think I'm In Love that the Serratus delivers so effortlessly, it shimmers just perfectly at the edge of the stage. Fantastic!! Very early days, but so far it is these little subtleties that I'm really enjoying with these buds.

When I bought my desktop amps I never thought I'd be using them with buds, but well here I am. I've got the Vali2+ in high gain, about 10:30-1 on the dial, and the Jot2 again in high gain from around 9-11 o'clock or so. The Serratus works great with them both, I'm getting plenty of bass quantity and drive when necessary. One of the surprising things with these is how well they perform at lower volumes, they still maintain great dynamics and I'm still hearing plenty of detail at either end.

With my DAPs it's a bit of a mixed bag. The RS6 sounds pretty good in high gain and at about 50 on the dial, well above anything I've ever used for an IEM. It feels just ever so slightly pulled back vs the Jot2. The SR25 however is not so great, even in balanced at 105 or so on the dial, it's getting a bit sibilant without delivering near as much in the low end, so it sounds well out of balance. I suppose if I hadn't heard the other sources it might be acceptable. I haven't bothered with the iPhone dongle yet, and I don't think there is much point, it's not like I'll take these out and about very often if ever.

One thing I'll have to get used to is fitting the buds in (on?) my ears. I've got so used to getting a deep insertion with a perfect seal with my IEMs, it feels odd to just leave the buds hanging there outside my ear canals. I feel like I want to give them a little nudge, and when I do the treble smoothes out a bit and I get even deeper bass, but they don't stay there long.

Really looking forward to getting to know these better this weekend, definitely a winner for me!

 

[ttt123]

On the subject of what frankenstein adapter eartips with wings can be created...

I took it as a challenge to see if I could find ones on the market that I could adapt.
The ones below work quite well. They are easily available, and cheap.
With the wing eartips, the earbuds are very secure/stable in the ear. Can wear for hours without needing to adjust them.
The wing fits in the inner hollow of the Antihelix, and apply some downward pressure on the earbud,
and the earbud is held quite securely at the lower side by the Tragus and Antitragus.

Silicon wing eartips:

Original silicon, made for airpods, I believe. Cut a hole at the back.
(This is proof of concept, so not a neat cutout. But you don't really notice, once they are stretched over the earbud.
I still haven't figured out how to cut a neat hole. Maybe a hole puncher to make a ring of small holes.....)
I picked these up at a local store, but am sure I have seen similar online.

wing1 - This is how it looks installed on the earbud

Wing2 - Different style of wing, on the EM5. I kind of like how this one feels in the ear.

Wing1 with foam cover. For more treble, use without the foam.

 

[ttorbic]

On the subject of what frankenstein adapter eartips with wings can be created...

I took it as a challenge to see if I could find ones on the market that I could adapt.
The ones below work quite well. They are easily available, and cheap.
With the wing eartips, the earbuds are very secure/stable in the ear. Can wear for hours without needing to adjust them.
The wing fits in the inner hollow of the Antihelix, and apply some downward pressure on the earbud,
and the earbud is held quite securely at the lower side by the Tragus and Antitragus.

Silicon wing eartips:

Original silicon, made for airpods, I believe. Cut a hole at the back.
(This is proof of concept, so not a neat cutout. But you don't really notice, once they are stretched over the earbud.
I still haven't figured out how to cut a neat hole. Maybe a hole puncher to make a ring of small holes.....)
I picked these up at a local store, but am sure I have seen similar online.




wing1 - This is how it looks installed on the earbud


Wing2 - Different style of wing, on the EM5. I kind of like how this one feels in the ear.


Wing1 with foam cover. For more treble, use without the foam.

Love it, thanks for the detailed instructions! Maybe someone can post a link to an AliX store that sells this sort of silicone wingtips? I'm sure someone on here must know (if not, maybe in the general flatheads forum).

Btw, this type of tool can help you punch clean holes in rubber or leather: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hollow-Cut...0+mm+leather+hole+punch+cutter+,diy,57&sr=1-3.

 

[ttt123]

Love it, thanks for the detailed instructions! Maybe someone can post a link to an AliX store that sells this sort of silicone wingtips? I'm sure someone on here must know (if not, maybe in the general flatheads forum).

Btw, this type of tool can help you punch clean holes in rubber or leather: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hollow-Cutter-Leather-Fabric-Plastic/dp/B082L3WLXG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=18XEZJ1ABHWG6&keywords=10+mm+leather+hole+punch+cutter&qid=1669392022&s=diy&sprefix=10+mm+leather+hole+punch+cutter+,diy,57&sr=1-3.

I almost forgot about those punches. I have 2 of them, the largest being 7/32" (about 7mm). I'll have to look for a 11mm or 12mm punch.

 

[Neweymatt]

On the subject of what frankenstein adapter eartips with wings can be created...

I took it as a challenge to see if I could find ones on the market that I could adapt.
The ones below work quite well. They are easily available, and cheap.
With the wing eartips, the earbuds are very secure/stable in the ear. Can wear for hours without needing to adjust them.
The wing fits in the inner hollow of the Antihelix, and apply some downward pressure on the earbud,
and the earbud is held quite securely at the lower side by the Tragus and Antitragus.

Silicon wing eartips:

Original silicon, made for airpods, I believe. Cut a hole at the back.
(This is proof of concept, so not a neat cutout. But you don't really notice, once they are stretched over the earbud.
I still haven't figured out how to cut a neat hole. Maybe a hole puncher to make a ring of small holes.....)
I picked these up at a local store, but am sure I have seen similar online.




wing1 - This is how it looks installed on the earbud


Wing2 - Different style of wing, on the EM5. I kind of like how this one feels in the ear.


Wing1 with foam cover. For more treble, use without the foam.

Awesome, thanks for that! Found some cheap ones on eBay, says they won't be delivered until 25 Jan, but oh well....

 

[ian91]

One thing I'll have to get used to is fitting the buds in (on?) my ears. I've got so used to getting a deep insertion with a perfect seal with my IEMs, it feels odd to just leave the buds hanging there outside my ear canals. I feel like I want to give them a little nudge, and when I do the treble smoothes out a bit and I get even deeper bass, but they don't stay there long.

Everyone is different and I can't see exactly what your fitment is like but provided the earbud doesn't move a great deal and the driver is facing the canal then you should be fine. I was like this to begin with, constantly playing with positioning and looking for a deep-seated seal but that urge eventually passed and I just let them sit naturally cupped by the tragus and concha. It's amazing how quickly you adapt, so much so I can't wear my IEMs for very long due to the unnatural feeling of the fit.

On a separate note, has anyone been forced to reflect on driver types as a result of their TGXear purchase? I now consider myself a staunch flathead DD advocate. I don't miss the top-end extension of EST/BA and certainly don't miss the odd timbral characteristics and amorphous bass. There is a bit of me that wants to see what direction the current planar drivers go - give me a TGXear planar bud with a circular planar mechanism that occupies all the MX500 shell - maybe then we will see better bass characteristics like a DD but with the air and staging of planars.

 

[o0genesis0o]

On a separate note, has anyone been forced to reflect on driver types

Modern DDs seem to possess so decent resolution and extension that I sometimes question the need for multi-BA with complex cross-over. Beside a few special ones (read: expensive), BAs do not seem to be able recreate dynamic variations well (loud to soft). They don't always win in sheer resolution either.

 

[ttorbic]

Everyone is different and I can't see exactly what your fitment is like but provided the earbud doesn't move a great deal and the driver is facing the canal then you should be fine. I was like this to begin with, constantly playing with positioning and looking for a deep-seated seal but that urge eventually passed and I just let them sit naturally cupped by the tragus and concha. It's amazing how quickly you adapt, so much so I can't wear my IEMs for very long due to the unnatural feeling of the fit.

On a separate note, has anyone been forced to reflect on driver types as a result of their TGXear purchase? I now consider myself a staunch flathead DD advocate. I don't miss the top-end extension of EST/BA and certainly don't miss the odd timbral characteristics and amorphous bass. There is a bit of me that wants to see what direction the current planar drivers go - give me a TGXear planar bud with a circular planar mechanism that occupies all the MX500 shell - maybe then we will see better bass characteristics like a DD but with the air and staging of planars.

I agree - I am selling a lot of my IEMs (planar and hybrids) because I just don't need them anymore. I will get one IEM for passive isolation on-the-go, and maybe upgrade my ANC TWS, but those are for convenience. For enjoying music? Earbuds all the way!