The sound score of 8.7 seems about right. Having the serratus i do not think that it can compete with totl iems, but i do think they are one of the best buds i've heard. an a/b with the chaconne would be interesting.
TGXEAR discussion thread.
Just in the fact that to actually outclass Serratus (in your opinion), you have to go to IEMs that cost multiple thousands of dollars, is all that really needs to be said about how good Serratus is
Greendriver
100+ Head-Fier
OK. So my brain told my ears to stop complaining about the fit and get on with it... Now I'm listening to the Brookland Sequence by Big Big Train on Ripples and now I get it...!
Worth every penny.
Worth every penny.
I continue to marvel over the musicality of the Ripples. They've opened up since I started using them and now I've found the perfect way to power them with my gear.
The sound of Ripples through my L&P P6Pro is astoundingly good, but when combined with the ifi Gryphon using LO, the sound just fills out and the Ripples reach new heights sucking down that power. What a joy to listen to!!!
I'm not waxing on like this about my TOTL IEMs because I expect them to be amazing for their price. I do not expect the experience of earbuds (especially at $200-300) to equal them; earbuds are an open, no isolation experience more like open headphones than IEMs, so apples and oranges for comparison.
The closest comp I can really comment on would be with the audeze LCD-i4, also open back, with low isolation. When presented with the choice, the Ripples are easily my preference, and so there is a TOTL that costs 3 to 6 times the Ripples that they absolutely compete with.
The sound of Ripples through my L&P P6Pro is astoundingly good, but when combined with the ifi Gryphon using LO, the sound just fills out and the Ripples reach new heights sucking down that power. What a joy to listen to!!!
I'm not waxing on like this about my TOTL IEMs because I expect them to be amazing for their price. I do not expect the experience of earbuds (especially at $200-300) to equal them; earbuds are an open, no isolation experience more like open headphones than IEMs, so apples and oranges for comparison.
The closest comp I can really comment on would be with the audeze LCD-i4, also open back, with low isolation. When presented with the choice, the Ripples are easily my preference, and so there is a TOTL that costs 3 to 6 times the Ripples that they absolutely compete with.
Greendriver
100+ Head-Fier
Agreed. I'm listening to Ripples via my Tempotec V6 on low gain. Plenty of energy.People tend to think Serratus needs a lot of "power", because it is 300 Ohms. I too expected it to be hard to drive from my LG V30 smartphone, since I have a full size "MySphere 3.2" headphone (110 Ohms) that noticeably struggles when driven from that phone and clearly benefits from a more powerful amp.
However, when I finally got the Serratus, I was surprised to notice hardly any difference between using that powerful amp or the V30 as a source. I was stumped... why did my phone struggle with that 110 Ohms headphone, but drove the 300 Ohms Serratus just fine?
The answer to that question seems to be electromotive force (EMF), which is voltage generated by the driver's moving coil after the input signal stops. It's caused by inertia of the moving parts, and the voltage swing it generates depends on moving mass and strength of the magnetic field. Which, in case of my full-sized MySphere, are both much higher than in case of the comparatively tiny Serratus. In short, my LG V30 struggles to overcome the MySphere's high electromotive force, whereas it can control the Serratus' much lower EMF just fine.
Lession learned: these things are more complex in reality than what meets the eye when just looking at specs.
briantrinh86
100+ Head-Fier
i got serratus over 2 months, very enjoying everyday especially with classical music (exceptional detail and huge Soundstage). i used to own traillii and ragnar, but thjs $200 buds still quite can compete with those multikilo iem. i have it paring with dx220 max , and i wanna know if there is any better pairing dap or dac amp combo. these still sound incredibly good with dx220 max and it need a lot of juice
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Main, slight jealousy is hitting me hard reading this thread. I only started trying earbuds a little over a year ago; I think I did it "right" by ordering various cheapies from AE to see what worked for me fit-wise.
Unfortunately, the only set I've tried that works for my ear anatomy w/ zero fuss and zero comfort issues has been the Qian39...and best as I can tell, no "higher end" earbuds of that shell type exist (correct me if I'm wrong). I currently have on hand a set of Penon BS1 Official and FiiO F5 (in addition to several cheapies like the aforementioned Qian39). I strongly prefer the FiiO F5 from both a fit and sound perspective, but truth be told, neither fit me worth a damn. And yeah, I've tried those silicone rings/different foams/etc. I've come to the conclusion buds just aren't for me, sadly. Thus, I've been looking at headphones (not on-ear!!!) again as an alternative to IEMs when I want/need to give my ear canals a break. I was hoping buds could be my path.
Unfortunately, the only set I've tried that works for my ear anatomy w/ zero fuss and zero comfort issues has been the Qian39...and best as I can tell, no "higher end" earbuds of that shell type exist (correct me if I'm wrong). I currently have on hand a set of Penon BS1 Official and FiiO F5 (in addition to several cheapies like the aforementioned Qian39). I strongly prefer the FiiO F5 from both a fit and sound perspective, but truth be told, neither fit me worth a damn. And yeah, I've tried those silicone rings/different foams/etc. I've come to the conclusion buds just aren't for me, sadly. Thus, I've been looking at headphones (not on-ear!!!) again as an alternative to IEMs when I want/need to give my ear canals a break. I was hoping buds could be my path.
Kordonrules
100+ Head-Fier
I pair it with the SG1 Gold, amazing.
Hi! You should message @tgx78 directly - he can send you shell samples to try before committing. He's got a couple of shell options I believe
kslq
New Head-Fier
What do you think will bring out Serratus' best between TOPPING G5 vs IFI GO BAR? Forget about the bluetooth feature, just purely on wired sound, what do you think will bring out the best experience and performance between the two for serratus?
I already have E30II/L30 stack, but it's too inconvenient for me. I need something I can bring to my office at work, then back home again, everyday.
Considering that both the IFI GO BAR and TOPPING G5 are both powerful, and both are at the same price bracket, I think it is a fair comparison if we're talking purely on sound. (Let's exclude the features into the equation.)
The only serious gear I have for now is DT990, ER4SR, and soon (still shipping), the Serratus. I don't want to bother mentioning anything I have below $100, so let's just think about those three I have mentioned.
At first, I was thinking about the BTR7, but people say that my desktop stack will still perform better.
So I thought, since the G5 and GO BAR performs just as good as a desktop stack like the ones I have, I might as well just sell my E30II/L30 stack, since I don't see myself using it as much as the G5 or GO BAR (once I got one), because it's more transportable. I also don't plan on buying anything that's harder to drive than my Serratus and DT990, so that's that.
I really hope anyone could help me choose and make the best decision on this one. Thank you!
I already have E30II/L30 stack, but it's too inconvenient for me. I need something I can bring to my office at work, then back home again, everyday.
Considering that both the IFI GO BAR and TOPPING G5 are both powerful, and both are at the same price bracket, I think it is a fair comparison if we're talking purely on sound. (Let's exclude the features into the equation.)
The only serious gear I have for now is DT990, ER4SR, and soon (still shipping), the Serratus. I don't want to bother mentioning anything I have below $100, so let's just think about those three I have mentioned.
At first, I was thinking about the BTR7, but people say that my desktop stack will still perform better.
So I thought, since the G5 and GO BAR performs just as good as a desktop stack like the ones I have, I might as well just sell my E30II/L30 stack, since I don't see myself using it as much as the G5 or GO BAR (once I got one), because it's more transportable. I also don't plan on buying anything that's harder to drive than my Serratus and DT990, so that's that.
I really hope anyone could help me choose and make the best decision on this one. Thank you!
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Rikubuds Gen 3 are going to set you up, brother. I know they're not TGX, but he's planning on using a Qian39-style shell
As someone who value built in EQ, I would suggest Ifi Go Bar. I prefer to invest something that are more versetile in term of sound tuning
Not sure I could confidently say GoBar competes with desktop sources like the Topping stack. I'd hold onto it and save your money for a portable source later down the line if I were you.