[IamInnocentX3]

Man, I'm hoping my earbuds will arrive soon. It's been 3 weeks from my preorder date and so far no shipping news. I'm #36.

 

[tgx78]

Man, I'm hoping my earbuds will arrive soon. It's been 3 weeks from my preorder date and so far no shipping news. I'm #36.

Appreciate your patience. I am currently building #32, 33 and 34.

 

[Loy Kun]

Greetings,

Received my Sunniva today

I decided to share my Sunniva experience below.

Disclaimers:
- I'm mainly just a casual music enjoyer
- I've foam rolled my Sunniva with all the foams provided except the Neutral foams (I'm too scared to use it, fear that I might rip it lol). I found myself to prefer using the rubber rings as it provided tighter and better seal.
- I mostly only listen to Rock, Jpop, EDMS and Orchestra

Bass:
- Mid-bass has more presence compared to sub-bass imo.
- To me personally the bass feels adequate, with good enough quantity and transients. Its more of the punchy type rather than deep rumbly type of bass, so to speak.
- Bass kicks felt very satisfying, with them feeling very thumpy with good extensions.
- If you feel like the bass is not enough, I would suggest to give the rubber rings a try, or use the full foams instead.

Mids:
-Overall, the mids sounds very engaging and exciting. Most instruments' timber sounded natural to me. Guitar strings have good reverbs to it in which I really like.
- Despite the rather warm tuning, I don't think it bleeds into the mids. I love the male vocals on this a lot. They carry a good heft to their weight making it sound very satisfying. Female vocals sounded lush, sweet and comfy. No hint of sibilant whatsoever.
- For vocal positioning, its not as intimate as Ripples but not as recessed as Serratus as well. It sits somewhere in the middle between the two.

Trebles:
- Treble texture is quite smooth. This creates a comfortable listening experience albeit you're ok with the bass and mids' intensity.
- If the stock treble experience is still too sharp or zingy for your liking, I suggest to swap to the full foams included, the one that's labeled "smooth". I found that it really helps smoothens out the trebles.
- Good extension on violins and guitars. High hats are not zingy and are comfy. Great air.

Tech:
- Great staging that sounds very expansive. Good height and depth.
- Layering to me personally is above average, with decent separation clarity and imaging.

I'm very happy with how this set turns out. It suites my library very well.

Thank you for reading and thank you Jim for making this wonderful set.

 

[itwasluck]

Sunnivas are finally here, can’t wait to burn these in! Hiegi foams were a nice inclusion!

 

[Reebonz]

Sunnivas are finally here, can’t wait to burn these in! Hiegi foams were a nice inclusion!

It's great to see Jim include the Hiegi's foams. I assume it's only for the Sunniva since Hiegi foams are not cheap?

Hiegi donuts are my favorite, so I always make sure to stock up on multiple packs to ensure I never run out of them.

 

[happyblack]

Ouch, I didn't get any Hiegis with my #12 order..
) :

 

[WoodyLuvr]

Ouch, I didn't get any Hiegis with my #12 order..
) :

Waiting for the punchline...

 

[IamInnocentX3]

Dang, that ain't cheap

https://penonaudio.com/hiegi-foam-cushions.html

 

[ttorbic]

FYI, Hiegi foams, while very soft and cushy, drastically alter the sound of the earbuds - I don't like Hiegis on my Serratus, for example

 

[ian91]

FYI, Hiegi foams, while very soft and cushy, drastically alter the sound of the earbuds - I don't like Hiegis on my Serratus, for example

Interesting that heigi are included with Sunniva (unless it was just a one off gesture) which from impressions runs smooth in the treble and full in the bass on the other included foams. Comfort is great on them but they are definitely warm foams. I guess more choice is always better!

@Natesdailies, how are you settling in with the Sunniva?

 

[Ace Bee]

It took a long time... Over a month almost... But finally I have my Sunniva in my hand today.

And since I was reviewing the Hiby R6 Pro II, I naturally gave the Sunniva a spin with them!

First impression: positive, but not exactly mind-blowing like the Serratus. Sunniva has a much different tuning, one that will take time to get used to, and one that will not work with every genre. I'm discovering it slowly, but it definitely does not work well with those orchestral music having a strong bass presence, whereas it works wonder with pop. Yet to hear how the various genres of rock works with them.

Coming from Serratus, the bass of Sunniva hit me like a truck... With a load of pleasure. However, upon careful listening I found the emphasis to be more on the mid and upper bass, instead of mid to subbass, which sometimes might make the bass come off as a bit honky. I really would have preferred a bit more focus on the subbass instead of the upper bass, but nevertheless, I hope the 50 hours burn-in will settle it. And if not, I might really need that bass tuning kit that @tgx78 will so generously supply later.

Oh by the way, it is not difficult to drive at all! I could run it from my phone to acceptable loudness. Yeah of course running it from more powerful sources benefitted a lot.

 

[happyblack]

Seems like today is a good day to publish some insights.

It's been over a week since I picked up my copy of Sunnivas and I feel like I've listened to them enough to write a word or two for those who are still undecided or just lurking.

I'm not gonna be original in any way - the buds I'll be comparing them to are TGXear Serratus, though in a rather custom flavor, since my pair is bell-shaped and made of a transparent PET which, most likely, slightly alters their original tuning. And, supposedly, it's 500 Ω.

I haven't listened to any other Jim's models, though I happen to also own RikuBuds GrandAlterSaber 2 and RikuBuds Alter Rider 1. I didn't manage to compare Sunniva to GAS2 directly, but I've already A/Bed them with Serratus there: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/tgxear-discussion-thread.964894/post-17537339

To start with, one of the most important questions:
Is Sunniva really a whole different level of buds experience?
Well, not really.

If not, is it even better than Serratus?
Mostly - yes, but not always and not in every scenario.

Ergonomically-wise: it definitely is an improvement.

Like I mentioned earlier, my Serratus are bell-shaped and even though I don't really mind it, a stem makes putting a bud into my ear much easier. Jim provided Sunniva with a better cable, which is now more soft, doesn't tangle and is almost free of any microphonics.
The 4.4 mm connector is also more sturdy and easier to grip. Laugh as much as you want, but sometimes I have trouble unplugging Serratus from TempoTec M3 since the connector is quite short and a bit grooved.


Before I get to the sound section, some info regarding foams: I was #12 customer and, sadly, did not get Hiegi foams like some people above. My pack consisted of 3 types of foams: Smooth, Focus and Clear. They don't differ in thickness, though. Smooth foams do not feature a hole, Focus (which are pre-installed by default) have a tiny one and Clear - slightly bigger.

To make the comparison fair, I applied same type of foams (Smooth variant) to each model and started this way.

In most genres Sunniva sounded more natural, more full and overall - in a way that the majority would prefer.

Having said that, there are some songs which make Sunniva shy of Serratus IF one wishes to stay on Smooth foams.
Especially those with cellos and a double bass - the sound may come in just ever so slightly muddy, as if the strings resonated too much. Not too bassy, just a different sort of mid extension.





BUT: if ones decide to put on Focus foams (or never replaced them in the first place), the issue goes away.
Sunniva still feels a tiny bit warmer than Serratus, but that just results in them being neutral, because Serratus are considered rather cold-ish either way.

A few fellow reviewers have already summarized Sunniva's tonality and I wholeheartedly agree with them.
The mids are just great, just the way I like them - rather weighty, but not congested.
The bass isn't overwhelming and tome appears like it's tuned to provide a better sense of texture than a blunt slam. If Serratus has bass just like a BA-based IEM, then Sunniva is more like DD. Bear in mind that my Serratus may feature more bass than a default MX500 one.
The highs became a little more tamed. They are no longer shouty, but still highly resolving and detailed.


Last, but definitely not least: the soundstage..

I'm not proud of that, but I'll have to use a metaphor I've once read somewhere and that sticked with me, due to how accurate and graphic it is.
If Sunniva sounds like you are standing in the first row, just touching the stage, then Serratus place you on the stage itself. The overall depth, stereo imaging, etc. feel comparable, but the thing that sets them apart is where the vocal and instruments are placed.
Sunniva, in my case, with all the tracks I've listened, never renders the vocal strange. It's in the front, on the right height. Sometimes it does resolve around your head. Serratus is more erratic in this regard. Sometimes the vocal may feel too recessed, as if coming from above and behind you. But sometimes it hits you just in the eardrums, as if someone stood just beside you and sang specifically to you.
It's highly mix-dependant and difficult to foresee, so it leaves you some place to experiment.

Some tracks in which Serratus sounds off, with vocals behind you:



A track in which Serratus misses just a tiny bit, just a couple of centimetres (it's in Polish, sorry - I coulnd't find any better English example):


And, finally, a song that has it perfectly and with which Sunniva doesn't sound that real, that intimate:


I hope that's enough to let you imagine what I had in mind writing this.


To summarize:
Sunniva ticks most of boxes that makes me enjoy the music. Its bass is on a IEM level in terms of quantity and texture. Sure, it cannot deliver that much of a punch or rumble like a proper DD, but I doubt if any earbud could - it's a matter of creating the seal in your ear canal and pushing enough pressure into it.

It may not have come as a total breakthrough to me, like Serratus first did, but in most situations I may prefer it over its older sibling. That is to say: Sunniva doesn't make Serratus obsolete, it just happens to delegate it to more specific songs.

 

[itwasluck]

Interesting that heigi are included with Sunniva (unless it was just a one off gesture) which from impressions runs smooth in the treble and full in the bass on the other included foams. Comfort is great on them but they are definitely warm foams. I guess more choice is always better!

@Natesdailies, how are you settling in with the Sunniva?

I don't think they are included in everyone's copy, he specifically sent them to me because he knows how much I love the LCD-2Cs. Funnily enough, I immediately swapped the stock foams for full hiegi foams. I am still burning in the Sunnivas but wow, I am shocked at how resolving these are. If the top earbuds (around the 100-200 price range) are considered TOTL, these are easily 20-30% better. Vocals are truly life-like, treble is detailed but smooth and what impressed me the most was the holographic soundstage, it is not ridiculously wide but it has incredible depth and the imaging is pinpoint accurate. These should fair well for gaming. Here's the kicker, you can really feel the reverb from sounds allowing you some insight into the recording environment. This is something I honestly haven't experienced before with any earbuds in the past. Mid-bass is also very punchy but the quantity isn't so much as other's have complained about. The mid-bass is just right vs the GAS2 which felt boosted. I am not too keen on discussing sub-bass yet as that is something that seems to be improving slightly overtime but these have rumble (some more would be nice)!

For a portable setup, the Sunnivas pair really well with the Cayin RU7.

EDIT: After some more time with the sunnivas, I have to say if you are complaining about the lack of sub-bass try running it on a solid state amp. The bass is nuts with hiegi (full) foam. Sub-bass does not feel rolled-off at all anymore, I can't imagine what Jim's bassy set will bring to the table!

If that's still not enough bass for you, try FIIO bass enhancing foam. screw mid-bass is so punchy, its unreal, this easily beats most IEMs.

 

[IamInnocentX3]

#36 Reporting! Received my Sunnivas this morning (about 7 hours ago), but I opened it just now at my workplace.

First impression of the Sunnivas in comparison to the Serratus: More bass, more transparency, a bit more detailed, less glaring on the treble, and a bit easier to drive with dongles as compared to Serratus (Still, it scales with sources.)

The Serratus requires the desktop amp to dial to 11.30 for it's full potential, yet for the Sunnivas, 11 would be enough. Same situation on my Moondrop Dawn dongle; 64 steps on the Serratus and 59 on the Sunnivas. Just one step less power required on the Sunnivas. Comparing the desktop setup to my dongle, it has more bass presence and its tuning is warmer, but it did many things right that the little dongle can't achieve.

Serratus with a desktop amp opened up so much more compared to using a dongle. Better bass, better control, more transparency. The Sunniva also scales well with the desktop amp, and is better on the desktop than the dongle. Though, when comparing both under the same setup, I would rank the Sunnivas better than the Serratus.

My treble preference is based, and I like it to be a bit glaring as to how electrostats presented. Sunniva's warmer tuning shadows the treble, yet its treble control is better than the Serratus. Shocking, but this shows how masterful timbre can do a better job on the treble presentation and not reduce treble sparkle.

Several tunes which have a more treble forepl- *ahem* I mean which utilizes more treble region is still better on the Serratus.
Like this:


Others which has a more 'chamber-like' arrangement of instruments shine on the Sunnivas:


Faster genres like Drum and Bass and J-Pop however, is still better on the Serratus. EDM is 50/50, depending on the presentation, several will do better on the Serratus while others on the Sunniva. These depend on how the tunes are mastered and presented. Serratus have neutral type tuning that does not shy on being bright, giving the higher frequency range the attention they deserved, while the Sunnivas are tuned for a more chamber-like/atmospheric/'dank' environment to shine, all of which are not uncommon towards EDM of this era.

These are my impressions of two hours settling into the Sunnivas. Even though I prefer the treble of the Serratus, most, if not, every other thing is better on the Sunnivas. And that includes everything other than shoving treble in your face, and that being the only one thing that I miss when switching from the Serratus into the Sunnivas. Yet the more I listen to the Sunniva, I more I sink into their beautiful presentation of music. Ahhh, LG Life's Good.

Bonus: Comparing Sunniva's Smooth foams and the stock foams on the Serratus, the treble is more tamed on the Serratus, tuning becomes non-offensive. Sound though, becomes a bit more muffled. Treble is still shoved forward, but lost the sparkle that makes the Serratus shine. So, stock foams for life!

(Left: Stock. Right: Smooth)

 

[Ohmboy]

Sunniva #15 aboard the barge safely and thank you Jim for another amazing build you always exceed the expected
Got a mostly free weekend ahead to give them some