Jul 6, 2023 at 1:40 PM Post #1,366 of 1,948
#30 arrived, still let them burn in for a few days.
I was wondering if there is a difference between "smooth" foam and Hiegi ?
 
Jul 6, 2023 at 2:10 PM Post #1,367 of 1,948
#30 arrived, still let them burn in for a few days.
I was wondering if there is a difference between "smooth" foam and Hiegi ?

Hey man, would be great to hear your opinion on Sunniva vs Zen SU! Tonally I think they might share some similarities.
 
Jul 8, 2023 at 2:22 AM Post #1,368 of 1,948
After a few hours' listening, there's no denying that, for my ears, the Sunniva's midrange and treble are better than those of the Serratus:) ; but I soon feel that the bass is too present, casting a veil over the overall listening experience and neutralizing this perception somewhat.
Jim is right to suggest a future correction.
I'm convinced that for me, the harmony of the whole will then be highlighted.:)
Just a little waiting...
 
Jul 8, 2023 at 5:48 AM Post #1,369 of 1,948
After a few hours' listening, there's no denying that, for my ears, the Sunniva's midrange and treble are better than those of the Serratus:) ; but I soon feel that the bass is too present, casting a veil over the overall listening experience and neutralizing this perception somewhat.
Jim is right to suggest a future correction.
I'm convinced that for me, the harmony of the whole will then be highlighted.:)
Just a little waiting...

I have the same feeling with this one. The bass was too much on my end, it makes tunes more meaty, but the meatiness overshadows the delivery.
 
Jul 8, 2023 at 6:48 AM Post #1,370 of 1,948
Both of you: have you tried pushing the volume a bit more than your usual level?

This type of signature generally allows (and more than likely requires) higher SPL, without endangering your ears.
 
Jul 8, 2023 at 7:23 AM Post #1,371 of 1,948
Both of you: have you tried pushing the volume a bit more than your usual level?

This type of signature generally allows (and more than likely requires) higher SPL, without endangering your ears.

This and making sure there's adequate amplification. I always hear better low end control on earbuds when more power is provided. This tends to clean up the lower midrange and accentuate the upper midrange too.
 
Jul 8, 2023 at 7:29 AM Post #1,372 of 1,948
This and making sure there's adequate amplification. I always hear better low end control on earbuds when more power is provided. This tends to clean up the lower midrange and accentuate the upper midrange too.
Many will deny this, but I too believe (by direct experience) this to be true. Even at the low volumes that I listen at, the low end always sounds better with higher quality power sources and when more power is at hand.
 
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Jul 8, 2023 at 11:29 AM Post #1,374 of 1,948
Both of you: have you tried pushing the volume a bit more than your usual level?

This type of signature generally allows (and more than likely requires) higher SPL, without endangering your ears.

I always listen on moderate high to high volumes until I hear sibilance. I have no problem with the mid-range and the treble, as they are better than the Serratus. Maybe this is about the equipment as I heard more sibilance, a touch too much bass on high volumes.

My Serratus do not have that problem.

That or the tuning of the Sunnivas aren't good for tunes that demand fast bass decays.
 
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Jul 9, 2023 at 10:08 AM Post #1,375 of 1,948
I always listen on moderate high to high volumes until I hear sibilance. I have no problem with the mid-range and the treble, as they are better than the Serratus. Maybe this is about the equipment as I heard more sibilance, a touch too much bass on high volumes.

My Serratus do not have that problem.

That or the tuning of the Sunnivas aren't good for tunes that demand fast bass decays.

It could just be that the Sunniva has more low end than you prefer or as you say, characteristics you find unfavourable. Maybe the tuning kit will alleviate that for you :)
 
Jul 9, 2023 at 11:43 PM Post #1,377 of 1,948
It could just be that the Sunniva has more low end than you prefer or as you say, characteristics you find unfavourable. Maybe the tuning kit will alleviate that for you :)
Update: I installed Equalizer APO and used its configuration. It is already installed there while I wrote my review, so how come it had suddenly disappeared? Anyways, now that I re-installed the driver, I encourage anyone who listens on PC to use this thing. It is much better than my laptop's default processor, and listening on high volumes have much less sibilance.

On the Sunnivas, this improvement causes the bass decay to replicate faster, and guess what? Removes bass bloat! Yes, I found out that it was due to the software that causes bass bloat and not the tuning of the flagship earbuds that causes my listening discomfort. This makes the sound more natural and more transparent, sibilance were also reduced to a stage where I can turn the volume knob up to 11 o'clock, as how I did in my review. I also changed the bitrate to 32bit 48kHz, as it sounds more open to 44.1kHz, (which also resets as the same thing happen with my Equalizer APO). Superior music experience even when compared to the Serratus. I found that some music that I liked when listening to the Serratus, I found them more appreciable on the Sunnivas. Though, I can't wait for the tuning kit as I would love to listen to how the Sunnivas sound with less bass.



Update: Since I don't want to start another post, I'll update my settings that I use for my desktop here. I disabled a window's APO with this method and removed Equalizer APO to be used on my sound settings. Overall it sounds cleaner, much more cleaner than having EAPO enabled. New territory achieved, though this might not be the end of tinkering, as we all know there is no end-game, but what's not to be satisfied about one's growth?

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Update 2 - Set onto 32bit rate for now. Changing the sample rate to 44.1kHz removes majority of the sibilance I encountered with Spotify, yet some are still present. These are likely due to volume issues, as lowering the volume with Spotify's normalization feature solve these problems. Yet when switching onto Youtube Music (Premium), these problems are all gone, doesn't matter what sample rate, listening on 48kHz also shows no sibilance issues. The listening pleasure I gained while listening to Youtube Music was retained even when switching from Spotify. Whatever Youtube did, they sure did a good job on maintaining the audio quality. Plus, watching Youtube while able to listen to music without changing the sample rate? Count me in! Youtube Music let's go!

Yet the sound signature described by the reviewers regarding Sunnivas matches the description I heard via my Spotify listening sessions (intimate soundstage, mid-bass presence and warm tuning). That though, is for another day to investigate. Still, one thing is assured, the Sunnivas are more sensitive than the Serratus when it comes to sources, as my Serratus never had these issues with sibilance. I will need to investigate more.

Update 3 - I found the problem: Ground loops are an audiophile's pet's peeve.🤦‍♂️The laptop's charging port is causing some issues. My DC amplifier is plugged alongside with my laptop charger on my power filter. Unplug the laptop charger and plug it into another socket solves it. Problem now, I need either a UK plug power source for my DC amp or a separate item to filter the laptop charger, because the Sunnivas are sensitive, picks up sibilance on not so clean power source from the socket.

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Update 4 - Using 32-bit 44.1kHz with Tidal MQA. The Sunniva's can dial up to a maximum of 11 o'clock and the Serratus 12 before my ears cannot take it. Comparing the Sunniva's and the Serratus again after the improvisations I made, the Serratus also improved, but scales lesser than the Sunnivas. Technically and tonally the Sunnivas are better than the Serratus, but their sound is slower and also more sensitive with sources. If your sources aren't clean or not optimized for high sensitivity devices, the Sunnivas are more prone to hiss. High quality dongles like FiiO KA5 and Moondrop Moonriver 2 TI should work fine with the Sunnivas, even my lesser tier Moondrop Dawn pairs very well with it, only a quarter step back overall and one step back with the dynamics to my desktop setup. J-Pop, and Trance are overall better on the Serratus, as expected due to their brighter tuning that resolves faster tunes better. What Sunnivas outdid the Serratus though, are other genres like Rock and Metal, those that have more impact on the bass will shine better than the Serratus. (Though I still wish for the tuning kit to arrive sooner or later.)
Update 4.1 - Tinkered with the XMOS driver and increased the buffer size, now performs optimally throughout all platforms without sibilance. Hooray!
Update 4.2 - Reverted buffer size, moved NVIDIA driver processing to another CPU core for hyperthreading (this). Use other plugs in my house to avoid EMI & RFI, so far all is good. Also Deftones sounds very good with the Sunnivas.



Update 5

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Observations: Sunniva no longer has overly prominent bass that shadows the mids and treble. Sound is now Fast, and quite ethereal, resembles a lot like Electrostats. Sibilance is completely gone, volume gap improved from 11 o'clock to 11.30 for clarity, can be dialed up to 2'o clock and beyond, but 2 o'clock is the maximum tolerance for my ears. Resolves fast tracks perfectly. Mids and Treble are more upfront. Loving the tuning, loving the earbuds, I love it even more than the Serratus now. The Serratus are still the faster buds, but its brighter tuning now hurts my ears, and I am required to add more buffer size to slow them down to a tolerable level. The Sunnivas though, have realism, and its overall tuning is better, has better transparency and resolves tunes much better, makes them overall more musical and enjoyable. If one manage to get optimal performance out of the Sunnivas, I think they can be a reasonable endgame.
 
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Jul 10, 2023 at 12:39 AM Post #1,379 of 1,948
Update: I installed Equalizer APO and used its configuration. It is already installed there while I wrote my review, so how come it had suddenly disappeared? Anyways, now that I re-installed the driver, I encourage anyone who listens on PC to use this thing. It is much better than my laptop's default processor, and listening on high volumes have much less sibilance.

On the Sunnivas, this improvement causes the bass decay to replicate faster, and guess what? Removes bass bloat! Yes, I found out that it was due to the software that causes bass bloat and not the tuning of the flagship earbuds that causes my listening discomfort. [/ATTACH]
You literally EQ'd the hardware tuning with software. That is the definition of you not liking the tuning of these buds. Which is fine, there is no problem in that, but there is also no reason to misrepresent the actual situation.
 
Jul 10, 2023 at 1:16 AM Post #1,380 of 1,948
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