TGXEAR discussion thread.

[Bodster]

TGXear Desolation Sound (MX500, 130ohm custom N55 driver)

I couldn't help myself, I escaped work early to start listening to these...what follows is my very, very fresh impressions.

Do they live up to (my) expectations? Quite simply and with hype aside, yes. Listening to these I'm reminded of my first session with the Serratus and my first exposure to what a great earbud driver could accomplish in skilled hands. Unlike the Serratus though, I think we have a more tonally accurate take on neutral, especially in the treble. Straight away I can tell that DS is using a benchmark-setting driver. Despite the rated impedance this driver is sensitive and seems to prefer DAP/dongles to desktop amping (I'll cover this in more detail in my eventual review).

Standout/benchmark characteristics so far are the stage size, imaging, layering and resolution. Dimensions are large but natural and remind me of TGXear Alpha (when powered well) with great width, height and depth. Dimensions fall somewhat behind the cavernous VE Zen SU in terms of space and separation. Tonally, DS is most akin to Alpha with similar vocal placement but with greater treble extension and a fuller, more dynamic low end. The result is an arguably more 'complete' picture with greater balance and less midrange centricity. It has the midrange clarity of Serratus but with a more natural note weight. As for timbre, it's nitpicking between the Alpha and DS and that's a great achievement in my eyes - I love the timbre of 600ohm bery. I've been listening to the TGXear Sunniva recently and prefer the instrumental timbre on DS.

This is a quality set and is Jims best yet and I'm currently having déjà vu to several weeks ago when I said the same for Sunniva...! Technically impressive and tonally sound for those of us who like a neutral signature. Is it worth $600? To me, yes, but my wife would tell you I have problem and shouldn't be imitated. In more objective terms, it's offering TOTL sound and through a TOTL driver that you probably won't hear anywhere else...something to think about I guess...

As always @tgx78, thank you for what you do and I look forward to hearing what the community thinks of this set. If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to help where I can.

Thanks for your impressions! Would love a pair, but I have recently received the Sonniva and loving them, so may have to wait a while, although it is tempting to sell both my Sonniva and Serratus, but not sure if I could as I do love them!

 

[Carbon44]

Thanks for your impressions! Would love a pair, but I have recently received the Sonniva and loving them, so may have to wait a while, although it is tempting to sell both my Sonniva and Serratus, but not sure if I could as I do love them!

DS is a fantastic earbud. Serratus and Sunniva are both uniquely different, but the DS has a more neutral sound that is very aligned with my taste!

 

[ian91]

Thanks for your impressions! Would love a pair, but I have recently received the Sonniva and loving them, so may have to wait a while, although it is tempting to sell both my Sonniva and Serratus, but not sure if I could as I do love them!

Sunniva + Serratus would probably offer more versatility than DS alone.

Enjoy them both and maybe put some money aside for a future purchase?

 

[Bodster]

Sunniva + Serratus would probably offer more versatility than DS alone.

Enjoy them both and maybe put some money aside for a future purchase?

Yeh I love what the two offer in their own unique ways. It's probably just my audio itch going again wanting something new!

 

[lafeuill]

TGXear Desolation Sound (MX500, 130ohm custom N55 driver)

I couldn't help myself, I escaped work early to start listening to these...what follows is my very, very fresh impressions.

Do they live up to (my) expectations? Quite simply and with hype aside, yes. Listening to these I'm reminded of my first session with the Serratus and my first exposure to what a great earbud driver could accomplish in skilled hands. Unlike the Serratus though, I think we have a more tonally accurate take on neutral, especially in the treble. Straight away I can tell that DS is using a benchmark-setting driver. Despite the rated impedance this driver is sensitive and seems to prefer DAP/dongles to desktop amping (I'll cover this in more detail in my eventual review).

Standout/benchmark characteristics so far are the stage size, imaging, layering and resolution. Dimensions are large but natural and remind me of TGXear Alpha (when powered well) with great width, height and depth. Dimensions fall somewhat behind the cavernous VE Zen SU in terms of space and separation. Tonally, DS is most akin to Alpha with similar vocal placement but with greater treble extension and a fuller, more dynamic low end. The result is an arguably more 'complete' picture with greater balance and less midrange centricity. It has the midrange clarity of Serratus but with a more natural note weight. As for timbre, it's nitpicking between the Alpha and DS and that's a great achievement in my eyes - I love the timbre of 600ohm bery. I've been listening to the TGXear Sunniva recently and prefer the instrumental timbre on DS.

This is a quality set and is Jims best yet and I'm currently having déjà vu to several weeks ago when I said the same for Sunniva...! Technically impressive and tonally sound for those of us who like a neutral signature. Is it worth $600? To me, yes, but my wife would tell you I have a problem and shouldn't be imitated. In more objective terms, it's offering TOTL sound and through a TOTL driver that you probably won't hear anywhere else...something to think about I guess...

As always @tgx78, thank you for what you do and I look forward to hearing what the community thinks of this set. If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to help where I can.

Thanks for sharing your first impressions!

Did you ask Jim what went through his mind when naming this one?

So ominous.

 

[tgx78]

May be this?

 

[SBranson]

TGXear Desolation Sound (MX500, 130ohm custom N55 driver)

I couldn't help myself, I escaped work early to start listening to these...what follows is my very, very fresh impressions.

Do they live up to (my) expectations? Quite simply and with hype aside, yes. Listening to these I'm reminded of my first session with the Serratus and my first exposure to what a great earbud driver could accomplish in skilled hands. Unlike the Serratus though, I think we have a more tonally accurate take on neutral, especially in the treble. Straight away I can tell that DS is using a benchmark-setting driver. Despite the rated impedance this driver is sensitive and seems to prefer DAP/dongles to desktop amping (I'll cover this in more detail in my eventual review).

Standout/benchmark characteristics so far are the stage size, imaging, layering and resolution. Dimensions are large but natural and remind me of TGXear Alpha (when powered well) with great width, height and depth. Dimensions fall somewhat behind the cavernous VE Zen SU in terms of space and separation. Tonally, DS is most akin to Alpha with similar vocal placement but with greater treble extension and a fuller, more dynamic low end. The result is an arguably more 'complete' picture with greater balance and less midrange centricity. It has the midrange clarity of Serratus but with a more natural note weight. As for timbre, it's nitpicking between the Alpha and DS and that's a great achievement in my eyes - I love the timbre of 600ohm bery. I've been listening to the TGXear Sunniva recently and prefer the instrumental timbre on DS.

This is a quality set and is Jims best yet and I'm currently having déjà vu to several weeks ago when I said the same for Sunniva...! Technically impressive and tonally sound for those of us who like a neutral signature. Is it worth $600? To me, yes, but my wife would tell you I have a problem and shouldn't be imitated. In more objective terms, it's offering TOTL sound and through a TOTL driver that you probably won't hear anywhere else...something to think about I guess...

As always @tgx78, thank you for what you do and I look forward to hearing what the community thinks of this set. If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to help where I can.

Nice write up. I’ve had mine for a week and a half I think and though I haven’t been listening a whole lot these days due to being busy I am always shocked by the quality of vocals particularly on this set. I recently had a demo of the Fir Audio Rn6 and while it was able to extract some extra detail from prepared pianos and such, the vocals on the DS are just mesmerizing and beat the timbre of the the Rn6. There’s a very natura, real quality to the timbre on the DS.
I thought I would like an amp to bring out some of the lower mid detail as I think my ears suffer a bit in that range but I’m curious to hear more about this in your review.

 

[jwilliamhurst]

TGXear Desolation Sound (MX500, 130ohm custom N55 driver)

I couldn't help myself, I escaped work early to start listening to these...what follows is my very, very fresh impressions.

Do they live up to (my) expectations? Quite simply and with hype aside, yes. Listening to these I'm reminded of my first session with the Serratus and my first exposure to what a great earbud driver could accomplish in skilled hands. Unlike the Serratus though, I think we have a more tonally accurate take on neutral, especially in the treble. Straight away I can tell that DS is using a benchmark-setting driver. Despite the rated impedance this driver is sensitive and seems to prefer DAP/dongles to desktop amping (I'll cover this in more detail in my eventual review).

Standout/benchmark characteristics so far are the stage size, imaging, layering and resolution. Dimensions are large but natural and remind me of TGXear Alpha (when powered well) with great width, height and depth. Dimensions fall somewhat behind the cavernous VE Zen SU in terms of space and separation. Tonally, DS is most akin to Alpha with similar vocal placement but with greater treble extension and a fuller, more dynamic low end. The result is an arguably more 'complete' picture with greater balance and less midrange centricity. It has the midrange clarity of Serratus but with a more natural note weight. As for timbre, it's nitpicking between the Alpha and DS and that's a great achievement in my eyes - I love the timbre of 600ohm bery. I've been listening to the TGXear Sunniva recently and prefer the instrumental timbre on DS.

This is a quality set and is Jims best yet and I'm currently having déjà vu to several weeks ago when I said the same for Sunniva...! Technically impressive and tonally sound for those of us who like a neutral signature. Is it worth $600? To me, yes, but my wife would tell you I have a problem and shouldn't be imitated. In more objective terms, it's offering TOTL sound and through a TOTL driver that you probably won't hear anywhere else...something to think about I guess...

As always @tgx78, thank you for what you do and I look forward to hearing what the community thinks of this set. If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to help where I can.

Thank you for the wonderful impressions @ian91

I can’t wait to get my ears on these. Mine should be arriving soon!

 

[jwilliamhurst]

Nice write up. I’ve had mine for a week and a half I think and though I haven’t been listening a whole lot these days due to being busy I am always shocked by the quality of vocals particularly on this set. I recently had a demo of the Fir Audio Rn6 and while it was able to extract some extra detail from prepared pianos and such, the vocals on the DS are just mesmerizing and beat the timbre of the the Rn6. There’s a very natura, real quality to the timbre on the DS.
I thought I would like an amp to bring out some of the lower mid detail as I think my ears suffer a bit in that range but I’m curious to hear more about this in your review.

This is off topic, but I’m curious how you are enjoying the Raphael cable as I’m thinking of getting one for my Odin. How is it with your Bravado?

 

[IamInnocentX3]

TGXear Desolation Sound (MX500, 130ohm custom N55 driver)

I couldn't help myself, I escaped work early to start listening to these...what follows is my very, very fresh impressions.

Do they live up to (my) expectations? Quite simply and with hype aside, yes. Listening to these I'm reminded of my first session with the Serratus and my first exposure to what a great earbud driver could accomplish in skilled hands. Unlike the Serratus though, I think we have a more tonally accurate take on neutral, especially in the treble. Straight away I can tell that DS is using a benchmark-setting driver. Despite the rated impedance this driver is sensitive and seems to prefer DAP/dongles to desktop amping (I'll cover this in more detail in my eventual review).

Standout/benchmark characteristics so far are the stage size, imaging, layering and resolution. Dimensions are large but natural and remind me of TGXear Alpha (when powered well) with great width, height and depth. Dimensions fall somewhat behind the cavernous VE Zen SU in terms of space and separation. Tonally, DS is most akin to Alpha with similar vocal placement but with greater treble extension and a fuller, more dynamic low end. The result is an arguably more 'complete' picture with greater balance and less midrange centricity. It has the midrange clarity of Serratus but with a more natural note weight. As for timbre, it's nitpicking between the Alpha and DS and that's a great achievement in my eyes - I love the timbre of 600ohm bery. I've been listening to the TGXear Sunniva recently and prefer the instrumental timbre on DS.

This is a quality set and is Jims best yet and I'm currently having déjà vu to several weeks ago when I said the same for Sunniva...! Technically impressive and tonally sound for those of us who like a neutral signature. Is it worth $600? To me, yes, but my wife would tell you I have a problem and shouldn't be imitated. In more objective terms, it's offering TOTL sound and through a TOTL driver that you probably won't hear anywhere else...something to think about I guess...

As always @tgx78, thank you for what you do and I look forward to hearing what the community thinks of this set. If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to help where I can.

Well written, guess I should aim for Desolation Sound being my next get-go. Although I have several other over-ears in mind, the Neutral tuning it presents makes me want to get it next to my Warm Neutral Sunniva.

 

[SBranson]

This is off topic, but I’m curious how you are enjoying the Raphael cable as I’m thinking of getting one for my Odin. How is it with your Bravado?

PM'ed

 

[ian91]

Nice write up. I’ve had mine for a week and a half I think and though I haven’t been listening a whole lot these days due to being busy I am always shocked by the quality of vocals particularly on this set. I recently had a demo of the Fir Audio Rn6 and while it was able to extract some extra detail from prepared pianos and such, the vocals on the DS are just mesmerizing and beat the timbre of the the Rn6. There’s a very natura, real quality to the timbre on the DS.

You're right. They are special and a step ahead of Alpha, Serratus and Sunniva. They are definitely not distant and both male and female are balanced well. My personal preference is still for the vocals on APWS, where they sit a bit closer and have more body while not sacrificing the air and flourish.

 

[piphil]

You're right. They are special and a step ahead of Alpha, Serratus and Sunniva. They are definitely not distant and both male and female are balanced well. My personal preference is still for the vocals on APWS, where they sit a bit closer and have more body while not sacrificing the air and flourish.

Well, I've been away for a while (I'm preparing for a minor operation and it's good for listening afterwards), and I'm also looking forward to receiving mine.
I've been waiting for your comparison with the APWS, perhaps mine will be different, but I'm sure it'll be an excellent listen...

 

[ttorbic]

You're right. They are special and a step ahead of Alpha, Serratus and Sunniva. They are definitely not distant and both male and female are balanced well. My personal preference is still for the vocals on APWS, where they sit a bit closer and have more body while not sacrificing the air and flourish.

How's day 2 with the DS? Still mind blown?

 

[ian91]

Well, I've been away for a while (I'm preparing for a minor operation and it's good for listening afterwards), and I'm also looking forward to receiving mine.
I've been waiting for your comparison with the APWS, perhaps mine will be different, but I'm sure it'll be an excellent listen...

I hope your operation goes well. I will definitely offer more thoughts on APWS vs DS in the full review but I imagine it will be niche readership and by that point you will already have your DS. They are two different beasts so I don't really see them competing for the same space.

@ttorbic I spent some time this morning before work with it and I'm still just as impressed. I need more A/B time with my favourite sets but it has alot to offer without stepping too much on the toes of other TGXear sets. Having my mind blown is too strong a word for the experience, rather it just feels like a pivotal moment for the brand and also a personal reminder of what good earbuds can achieve. DS trades blows with the best and there's iterative improvement in tuning that is undeniable. It's tonally neutral but with enough dynamics and technical flare that it stays exciting. The only notable shortfall from a tonality point of view is the subbass roll off and while you rarely get earbuds with anything significant down there, I have definitely heard more extension on other sets.