Except these are $200-$300 buds. IEM cables cost more than that...
Edit: I also think 'flagship' in this case is just a marketing term. I expect Sunniva to complement rather than replace Serratus, Tantalus, Totem or Ripples.
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TGXEAR discussion thread.
Edit: I also think 'flagship' in this case is just a marketing term. I expect Sunniva to complement rather than replace Serratus, Tantalus, Totem or Ripples.
Sunniva is positioned at the top of the price ladder, that’s what makes it flagship in this case.
And no I don’t think Sunniva being $350 is okay, in that it portends the next set Jim releases is going to be this price or more. If earbuds have the reputation of being price-to-performance kings, and you’re starting to pay mid-fi prices for incremental changes, we’re getting away from the mission statement a little (considering how prolific Jim has been releasing buds)
Fair enough. But to me money is still money and value is still value. Call me a miser ^^
I'm undecided on whether it is a marketing term, but I do expect things to get better as I pay more.
Also, Jim calls sunniva a new flagship, so there's that.
Wow man, thank you for that. The wait is now going to feel even longer lol. I will definitely put Hiegi foam on them, bass is life!Yeah I have owned the FF3 and Yinman 600. Bass on the Sunniva surpasses them. It's kind of mind-blowing - whoever said buds can't do bass?
You have power sorted 100%, some nice gear BTW. I found the GAS2 to do classical quite well as its not as dark as the Yinman and is only slightly bass boosted. It does acoustic/string instruments quite well. It's crazy that the Sunnivas aren't even made for bass yet it does it so well. If Jim ever releases a dark/bassy set, I will be the first to place my order!
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While I tend to agree and I have found his buds to be a little too expensive vs other makers ie. rikudougoku, this is his first fully custom driver. The cost for making this is far greater than just pairing a driver, tuning and assembling of an earbud. Not only does he have to order the drivers in much larger batches, R&D should also be factored in. And if the early impressions are anything to go by, Jim has truly been able to stretch his legs with this model.
I can understand $350+ for an earbud to be a bit excessive but that's if you are doing the same thing as everyone else. But Jim is in fact innovating quite a bit here. In the IEM market you can clearly see most $1k+ IEMs pushing innovation further and further and we end up paying for that (for better or worse). Some of this technology has trickled down into lower tier models so IEM price/performance is constantly changing. With earbuds though you can reach TOTL for much cheaper. I am in fact perfectly content with my $100-200 buds, but I also don't mind paying for innovation.
The market is always changing based on whats out there. The earbud market was pretty static for a while sparing some custom makers (charging $500+ for custom one offs etc.). But in recent times we have had a ton of companies coming in with their own buds at varying price points. We have some great custom bud makers offering earbuds custom tuned to varying sound signatures. But I believe this is the first time that someone from this space is making a fully custom driver. It's just not something you can buy off the shelf from aliexpress or wherever.
NookIsACrook
New Head-Fier
I think that's a fair concern. On the other hand, Jim has added back in Alpha (at a lower price than Ripples/Totem), and also put AluBell Serratus less than Ripples/Totem. So there's no guarantee that the next bud will be more - if they're not intended to be flagship, then it might be less.
Regarding the mission statement, try not to conflate the general appeal of buds with what Jim is aiming to do. I don't know that he has ever said he wanted to release the best price-to-performance buds. And given the proliferation of cheap, good IEMs, I'm not even sure the price-to-performance argument still holds like it used to.
I like Jim's buds, and would like to buy as many as possible, but in the end it's up to me to choose which buds fit my budget.
Absolutely. I’ve bought Ripples and Serratus secondhand for great prices because of where my budget can afford equipment. But as much as I do want to support Jim by buying something direct, Totem and Sunniva are already priced out of my budget and if we’re going up more in price, and not coming down to Serratus price, I’m not sure when I will be able to support with my wallet.
Truly first world problems, I know
Picked up my Sunniva 
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These are sounding amazing. I'll do a 4 way comparison with my buds at some point.
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These are sounding amazing. I'll do a 4 way comparison with my buds at some point.
That is a sick Mondrian case!Picked up my Sunniva
These are sounding amazing. I'll do a 4 way comparison with my buds at some point.
Serge Bernamej
500+ Head-Fier
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That’s some purrrrrty nice buds man !Picked up my Sunniva
These are sounding amazing. I'll do a 4 way comparison with my buds at some point.
Jim really outdid himself with those metal faceplates!
Hi, I am interested in tgxear buds, I was wondering if anyone has experience running them off something like a Qudelix 5k or Btr 5. Also is tantalus the best option for vocal-centric music. Thanks
KokushiTsumo
100+ Head-Fier
Grab a Serratus and don't look back
I have an Aluminium model for sale right nowGrab a Serratus and don't look back
I will have a Tantalus for sale if my Sunniva, once arrived, confirms to be the best complement to my Totem 
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