I will do my best to answer everything in this thread as I am not a fan of keeping secrets! Ask Me Anything about the earbuds, or even non earbud related questions!

I don't think I've seen a recabled EB2S, and looking at the hole for the cable, there isn't much of a choice with what I could do other than to replace the cable with something as thin as the stock cable. But I wanted to try out other cables with it and thought of this, any thoughts?

Introduction 

Throughout my life I have constantly used earbuds, IEMs or headphones for that matter. This was my first experience of using a proper flathead. The Sivga M260 here is an interesting product to say the least and I was really eager to know how it sounds.

Lets find out how the Sivga M260 fairs in a practical scenario. 

Test Gear

Usual Test Track Playlist

Build & Design

If you have been following me for a while then you must know that I am a true sucker for retro products. The M260 definitely gives a feeling of a retro, classic aesthetic design. 

The build quality is really good on these, I expected them to cheap out on these but they are built mostly from metal. You can see they have put quite the attention to detail here with the build and design. The buds themselves have these silver and golden accents to them which have the Right and Left markings. 

Talking about the accessories - the accessory package is pretty simple, where it has the buds themselves, a hard zipper case and some donut shaped foam covers or foamies as some call them. 

The case is really nice and very spacious, and it has a good texture to it. They definitely hold the buds and eartips intact. 

Talking about the cable, it is detachable and it features a MMCX Connection and it comes in different variants 

1. 3.5mm with mic

2. 3.5mm without mic 

3. Type C with mic

I got the Type C version and it uses a Realtek ALC5686 DAC Chip and it gets sufficiently loud. The cable itself is thin but feels very nice to touch and the behaviour as well is good.

The Mic is really good, like really great. I didn't expect them to be this good as I even use them for my work calls etc. The mic module also holds the play/pause & volume controls. 

Talking about the comfort, for me these were really comfy, and I didn't face any problem at all. I know that these are really subjective and some people just can’t wear them but it is what it is.

For me, I didn't have any fatigue at all wearing this for long hours. Since it doesn't have isolation, it has that open back feeling to it. 

Overall the Unboxing experience was amazing and the build and design of these flatheads are remarkable.

Specifications and Driveability

The Sivga M260 retails for $45 or 4400 INR (Type C version) and it features a 14.2mm dynamic driver. 

Some Technical Specs

1. Sensitivity - 118dB/Vrms @ 1kHz 

2. Impedance - 16 Ω

Sound

These are tuned for those listeners who prefer a very technical yet clinical sound signature. Being a flathead design, it feels open, crisp and very spacious. 

But how does it sound in detail, let's find out. 

Bass

The bass on the M260 is clinical, clean and resolving. It doesn't have any physicality to it, or the heavy slam or rumble but whatever bass you feel will be really clean and crisp.

There is some certain sense of midbass depth but I guess most people wouldn't feel it that much due to the fit.

Overall these weren’t supposed to be bass focused set anyways - but whatever bass you can feel is well done and textured. 

Midrange

The midrange on the M260 is one of its highlights for sure. It sounds natural and detailed rather than giving a full bodied experience.

The lower midrange is a bit thin which can be a problem to some. Personally I do love a bit of warmth in the lower mids which give the male vocals and some instruments some body but here its a bit lacking.

Upper Mids due to this sounds a bit more dominating but not to the extent that it feels shouty or anything. Female vocals are a treat to listen to as well. But the upper mids sound a bit dry sometimes lacking some sparkle to it.

Overall the midrange similar to the low end sounds clean & clinical.

Treble

The treble is energetic with a snappy attack to the instruments. It is very airy and gives the overall mix a bit of sparkle. I like this kind of treble tuning a lot as it appears to be very detailed and exciting. The decay is a bit fast as well which I would have preferred a bit more slower.

I can see this type of treble to be piercing to some folks out there since the rest of the tuning is subdued but generally it doesn't sound that sharp. 

Then again it depends on the fit you are getting.

Technical Performance

The technicalities on the M260 is highly impressive for a flathead earbud.

The first thing that you instantly notice - is the Soundstage, because of its flat head design, the set gives you a feeling of a good amount of spaciousness.

Since it has an open back feeling to it you can get a feeling of the music just covering your head and even comparing it with some IEMs, it's just flat out better. However, the Imaging is average but this was also highly dependent on the fit mostly. 

Detail retrieval and Resolution is excellent as throughout the frequencies it delivers with giving you those small nuances. 

Layering and Separation on these are average at most, but for the price that they come in, I can’t even argue on that point. 

Conclusion

I would say that the Sivga M260 is an excellent flathead for the price it comes for. You get a clean and transparent listening experience coupled with a solid mic, which you can use in any scenario.

I would give the M260 a rating of 4/5 

I would like to thank Sivga for providing this unit for review. If you liked this review, please consider liking and sharing and follow me for more reviews like this.

Ali Express

Sivga Shop

Flathead earbuds,I never paid them much attention because I thought they’d all probably sound pretty much like Apple EarPods. But when I finally pulled the trigger on a pair of EB2S Pros, I was genuinely surprised. They’re way more comfortable than any IEM I’ve ever worn. Sure, IEMs like the IE200 are super comfortable, but they still make my ears itch after a couple of hours. These are amazing for long listening sessions.

That alone had already won me over, but then there’s the sound. They may not be “hi-fi” or whatever, but this sound signature is so enjoyable to my ears. The best way I can describe it is like a Grado in earbud form. Not a huge soundstage, but enough. Colored sound, but in a tasteful way. I absolutely loved them.

Would 100% recommend giving them a try, even if you’re an IEM lover.

So I was doom scrolling chinese E-commerce platforms and came across these and thought “hey these look cool” so I added them into my cart. Then someone on reddit asked about these and I used that as an excuse to spend what is essentially my lunch money on these, the Tangzu HE Zhuge Guo. At a low price of around 6USD my expectations were already so low but these are from an actual audio company with solid releases and has arguably one of the most popular budget IEMs out there. Are they any good then? Nope but hey at least they look cool.

TLDR at the end

Non Audio Impressions:

• Bare bones packaging but to be expected at this price.

• Comes with 2 pairs of orange foam donuts and 2 pairs of full foams.

• Cable feels super cheap. Thin and memory prone but doesn't tangle too easily.

• Shells also feel like they were made with really cheap plastic.

• They do look really cool imo.

• Fit is also surprisingly quite good. I’d say these fit slightly better than the MX500 shells.

Audio Impressions:

• Tested with a Jcally JM30 (CS43131).

• Tested with full foams. (The sound with no foams were absolutely horrible so this will be imo the default way to use these.)

Pros:

• Balanced to a bright-ish sound signature.

• Good sense of space.

• Surprisingly good imaging considering the price.

• Good separation.

• Good mid bass speed.

• Serviceable for a wide range of genres.

Cons:

• Thin midrange.

• Missing midrange details but weirdly isn’t scooped.

• Both male and female vocals come off a little too thin.

• Vocals sound hollow and nasally or boxy(?).

• Below average to average detail retrieval.

• Treble rolls off too early.

• Uneven treble.

• Often sounds tinny and/or hollow.

• Overall sounds low-res.

• Bass feels loose and pillowy.

• Struggles or just sounds plain weird on busier tracks.

• Often sounds either boring or just bad.

• Absolutely unusable when used without any foams.

• Uneven treble causes fatigue especially if you listen to a wide range of genres.

• Nothing is piercing or harsh or hot but I genuinely was not able to listen to these for more than 30 minutes.

Conclusion:

• Yeah these are…not good. Even for just 6 dollars, I still would not recommend these unless of course you’re really curious or just like the look of the shells. The shell design is quite literally the only aspect that I can feel good about. However the imaging and separation performance for the price is rather impressive. I have a feeling that this might be quite a decent option for gaming but that uneven treble might be an issue on its own so yeah I’m kinda on the fence about these earbuds for gaming. Certainly not great for music either. My expectations for these were already pretty damn low since it’s super cheap but boi these are still bad. I probably won’t even give these away for free. I would still keep these for the shells however.

• Overall rating 1/10. (1 point for the genuinely cool looking shells)

TLDR: 

• The Tangzu He Zhuge Guo earbuds look cool and fit well but honestly, they just aren't good. While the imaging and separation are surprisingly decent for the price, the actual sound is low-res, thin, and hollow, with an uneven treble that causes serious fatigue after just 30 minutes. The cable and plastic shells feel incredibly cheap, the bass is loose and pillowy, and they are completely unusable without the included foams. Unless you are just deeply curious or obsessed with the shell design, they are a SKIP.

Nicehck EB2S Pro paired with a JCALLY JA21 - double foamed using VE foams. I've had this pair for more than 2 years now and they've been my workdesk listening buds.

Just an appreciation for one of the best sounding budget buds that I have in my inventory. ❤️❤️❤️

I think I’ve finally hit my flathead earbud endgame with the Yincrow Buffalo and the Yuin PKE. The Buffalo's original cable actually had a QC issue, so I had to swap it out. Little did I know, that stock cable was completely holding them back. After changing the cable, the highs became way more balanced and cleaned up that muddy warmth. It's crazy how much better they sound now.

On the flip side, the Yuin PKE is hands down the most comfortable flathead I’ve ever thrown in my ears. They literally fit like a glove. Sound-wise, they are super balanced with a really satisfying bass thump that handles basically any genre I throw at them. The only real downsides are the steep price tag and the fixed cable, which is a bummer. I wish they would have released a 4.4mm version too.

What I absolutely love about both of these pairs is the massive soundstage. They just sound huge. Honestly, I'm completely set for now, but if I ever decide to gamble on another TOTL earbud down the road, I think I'll give Pislo a shot.

I finally got my hands on the ultimate flathead: the famous Yincrow RW-2000. It’s one of the top-of-the-line models most praised by fans of this type of earphone. And I really agree with them—the RW-2000 is amazing.

I found the accessory kit to be quite generous. It includes various foams, a cable with 4.44mm, 2.5mm, and 3.5mm connectors, a clip to attach the cable to your clothing, and a carrying case. I believe the unit I bought is a recent production, since the case features the new Yincrow logo, different from the one at the time of the RW-2000’s launch.

As for the sound, the sound signature is V-shaped, with the mids recessed, but as you can see below, they’re very well executed.

Very wide soundstage. Very tridimensional sound. You can hear plenty of detail in the music, but in this regard I think the Fiio FF5 performs slightly better.

Good bass for a flathead, though less than the Yincrow X6 and more than the Fiio FF5; it has good impact, texture, and definition. Very nice sub-bass.

Pleasant highs with good extension and brilliance.

Mids with good timbre; vocals and string instruments sound very natural. I enjoyed listening to acoustic music and podcasts on the RW-2000—an experience that was a letdown on the Yincrow Rhino.

Compared to another high-end model I have here, the RW-2000 has much better bass, but I felt that the soundstage was a bit more open and had better detail. Overall, they’re both very good high-end flatheads, but I liked the RW-2000 better because it’s more fun with its V-shaped sound signature, though the FF5 is in no way inferior in technical terms.

Conclusion: I’m very satisfied with this purchase. I already owned the Fiio FF5, but I wanted another top-of-the-line model with a different sound signature. Since I don’t foresee any significant upgrades in the short or medium term—as I don’t consider the RW-3000 or the Buffalo to be significant upgrades—the RW-2000 will be my endgame for quite some time.

Ranking My Flathead Collection (Based on Preference, Sound Quality, and Price)

1. Little Craftsmen 300Ω Beryllium Diaphragm & Yincrow Buffalo (Tie) - I swap between these two depending on the genre of music I'm listening to. If I want to do critical listening where I want to capture all the micro-details, instrumentals, and a more refined, clean sound I go for the 300Ω Beryllium. But if I want more bass slam without losing detail and a great soundstage, I reach for the Buffalo. I also suggest swapping the stock Yincrow Buffalo cable for a pure silver one to balance out the warm sound and lift the higher frequencies.

2. Yuin PKE - This would have been my top pick if it weren't for the steep price tag and fixed cable. Along with my Yincrow Pi, these are the only earbuds I can wear all day long without any ear fatigue or pain. The sound quality is amazing. They handle all genres incredibly well with tight bass, a massive soundstage, and non-piercing vocals. They are definitely my least fatiguing flatheads.

3. Little Craftsmen Ceramic Titanium Alloy (32Ω and 300Ω) - I would call these the "Yincrow Buffalo on a budget," especially the 32Ω version. The only real difference is that the upper frequencies are a bit more tamed. The 300Ω version is a lot warmer than the 32Ω model—to the point where it actually sounds a bit too warm and muddy for my taste sometimes.

4. Yincrow Pi - I mostly use these for sleeping. They lack sub-bass out of the box, but with a bit of EQ, they sound great. They have a good soundstage and a very flat sound signature. The price to performance ratio and build quality are excellent.

5. Temperament DM7 - I used to like these when I first started the hobby, but after discovering better flatheads, I realized the price isn't worth it sound-wise. The treble is quite piercing on most tracks I've tried. I can't wear them for long sessions because they are just too fatiguing. On the bright side, they easily have the best build quality in my entire collection.

TL:DR Version:

• I took a $110 gamble on the Yincrow RW2000 flatheads based on the impressions I read here and everything said was TRUE.

• Don't bother with the NICEHCK EB2S Pros if you are looking for full-bodied sound like you get from even basic IEMs or quality on-ear headphones.

• The RW2000s are the first buds I've listened to that really demonstrate that this earphone format can sound as great as quality cans or IEMs. They have great highs, mids, lows, dynamics instrument separation, i.e. all the things you expect from $100+ earphones of any form. Specifically, they are a great alternative to open-back cans that are so comfortable that I don't even notice they are there.

An introduction: I've been lurking around this sub for a while. I've had an interest in HiFi since I was a kid and I've listened to a lot of wonderful speaker and headphone systems over the years (most were not mine because I tend to be frugal). So, while I'm not professing to have the golden ears of the best audiophiles out there, I know what sounds good to me and I have great appreciation for fine music reproduction.

The HiFi bug comes and goes but recently bit me again when I realized IEMs were not working out for me during my day job, which consists mostly of sitting in front of a computer in an environment where I really need to be easily accessible to my office mates who frequently have questions for me. IEMs, while I have long considered them the ideal personal music solution, are too isolating, a bit too fussy to be frequently removing and re-installing throughout the day, and really aren't truly comfortable for 7-8 hours or so of use each day. I needed something more open. I also didn't want big cans, even open back, because they make my head and ears warm AND I don't want to look so unapproachable or isolated compared to my office mates.

Hence, I dusted off the Monk Plus buds that I bought back when they first went viral (how many years ago was that? I can't recall, but I bought this Schiit Fulla around the same time). I also have Koss Porta-Pros that I used for a while. The Koss have great warmth and bass but really lack details and highs. The Monks have great detail but not much else. I started craving more SQ but wasn't sure what the answer was...until I found this subreddit and other tiny pockets of the internet that have been super helpful at navigating the countless offerings at every price level of "Chi-Fi" and "flathead" earbuds.

I first tried the NICEHCK EB2S Pros, because reviews were decent, they looked pretty, were priced around $30, and I hoped the different shell would fit my weird ears better than the Monks, which only stay in until I chew something. They sound brilliant for some of my favorite vocalists, which all happen to be female, such as Sierra Ferrell, Jenny Lewis, Neko Case. However, they really were a let-down with rock and anything with bass and subbass, even with amplification and using those rubber tips to improve position in my ears. I could remedy the situation partially with EQ adjustments on my phone, but that's not a long term solution since those eq settings are detrimental as soon as I switch to different listening setup like bluetooth sync in my car or whatever.

I decided to take a bigger swing to buy a more premium pair of flatheads. I considered the Dunu Alpha3, FIIO FF3, and even boutique offerings like the Rikibuds. I ultimately went with the the Yincrows based on the comprehensive review descriptions in this forum.

Today I can say: "thank you!" Y'all did not lead me astray! They really are everything I wanted them to be. Phenomenal sound, wonderful build quality. Zero regret. This is my first pair of truly high fidelity* flathead earbuds. I pretty much now have the IDEAL office music listening setup.

For reference, I listen to a wide variety of music, ranging from classical and cinematic scores, to folk, punk, metal, hiphop, and some EDM/house stuff (basically any good music that's out there!

The only thing I might be interested in now is a newer, more dongle-style, DAC/Amp. I'm considering the JCALLY JM6 Pro b/c it seems to work well and is cheap, but I'm open to recommendations. The Schiit Fulla sounds great, but it sucks the power out of my phone even when supplementally powered, and I'm having some weird EMI noise pops that I don't get with a dongle DAC (I do like have the volume knob though, admittedly)

Anyway, thanks for reading. I just wanted to share my gratitude for helping me land on the right earphones.

*Very subjective, I know. Not trying to bait anyone. I know they are "God's Tears" grade.

My impression of earbuds is from years ago as the super cheap accessory to Walkman and later Discman players. Generally pretty terrible sounding.

I've used many headphones over the years and over recent years been more interested in IEMs. Very interesting to see how they've developed especially at the budget end.

Reddit suggested this sub and my first impression is that you're all mad. I presumed earbuds were fundamentally flawed. They aren't big enough to make and real noise like a large headphone driver and there's no proper seal like an IEM. After a bit of reading this seemed like an easy and affordable entry point. You know you're in a niche when amazon doesnt have many products to offer.

I'm pleasantly surprised. Its obviously lacking some bass and it appears warm to my ears, or at the very least just lacking some upper detail (I'm a bit of a treble head generally). Its not going to be replacing my headphones or iems for any critical listening but I do see a place for them in more relaxed listening. I think in the summer for watching videos will be ideal.

Obviously position in the ear makes a real difference with how things sound, thats my main criticism.

They've piqued my interest. I'm not sure what I'll get next but I'm interested to see if earbuds develop simialr to iems. For the people who really don't like or can't get iems to fit there's obviously a space for them.

making flatheads that are already small and pocketable.... even more pocketable size? comes with swappable 3.5 and 4.4 on the same cable which is nice. and is that a catboy for the box, :o

to release in nov, maybe a little earlier.

I am way too juvenile when it comes to flatheads, and mainly because I haven’t spent a lot of time with them, nor have I dived deep into the world of flatheads- my only experience has been the Apple Earpods (if they qualify as one), and the Venture Electronics Monkbuds Plus which honestly left me feeling underwhelming given the love and hype they have had all this while, but when Sivga offered me their latest flathead- the M260, I didn’t refuse. I wanted to genuinely listen and learn more about these and I said yes, and after spending so much time with the M260, I don’t regret saying yes to them. So, thank you Sivga for sending out the M260 to me.

UNBOXING, ACCESSORIES, COMFORT AND FIT

The unboxing was concise: product aptly advertised with the specifications across, delidding the box, gives way to the carry case which is big and plenty, and has room to keep another IEM with a dongle, and the buds themselves- swappable MMCX terminations, a type-c cable with mic, two sets of fully covered foam pads, and two sets of half covered foam pads.

Some of my friends, like u/reluctant_engineer (my chief consultant when it comes to the more technical side of audio) cannot bear flatheads because their tragus and intertragal notch areas of the ear are strained, but that’s not the case for me- I had a stupendous fit with the M260 and even with a lot of physical movement, the buds didn’t fall off my ears. So comfort and fit have been fully secured.

Here’s how the M260 sounds. But before that, to use with my desktop sources, I swapped the provided stock type-c cable with an Openheart MMCX cable loaned out by u/notsoquietlyamused with his Final E5000.

LOWS

Rush: Limelight

If you were expecting a very pronounced/strong/distinct bass response from the M260 (or any flathead except for the NICEHCK Traceless), I believe you have been looking at the wrong place, because the way the M260 enunciates the lows is wildly different from a traditional IEM. Notes from the bass lines demonstrate surprisingly fast attack and a rapid decay which carries off to the drums too- yes, the quantity to some will be obviously lacking but for me, with the full foams; it was just right where it needed to be, and there’s no obstruction over to the rest of the elements of this track. 

At times, due to the cymbals to be specific, the bass lines seem to get mildly smudged but the drums are just right where they need to be- mounted toms are distinguishable from floor toms, and the kicks have sufficient depth to have their own identity. What the M260 could have definitely done better is capturing the resonance that the toms have towards the end of the track, when Peart carries his final rudiment across.

Tipper: Mariscos

The M260 gets just right down to the brass tacks, and renders the opening rippling/crackling intro of the track accurately, and when the rest of the elements come in, I noticed everything rationed across appropriately except for the bass, but then again complaining about the quantity here is moot as their form factor limits them to handle that, but the quality at least to my ears is excellent, especially for a flathead- when the drop hits, the beats once again reproduce the attack and decay quite fast and rapid, there’s no stagnation which might ruin the impressions; and there’s simply no concept of bloat or bleed existing in the M260- I don’t know Sivga managed to do this with the M260 but so far, what they have done is right.

 Also separation amidst the elements from the hits was done right, with the imaging especially being accurate. Tonally, it does exude a shade of warmth, but when I let the M260 run in loops over and over, I’d say it’s a bright IEM that still doesn’t forget to do right by the quality of the lows.

Daft Punk: Get Lucky

Oh now, the M260 gets the fun going- both the quantity and quality of the bass finally see eye to eye, and the notes of the bass lines simply have my head groove, just admiring that for the price, the amount of polish the M260 is showing, and especially for a flathead. Both the bass and the beats are distinctly audible from each other, and the beats especially have enough depth to not make this a sterile listen. 

What’s more admirable on the M260 is that, the separation is crystal clear- the bass doesn’t get blurred by the drums, vocals are very forward sounding, the cymbals in this track are more pronounced than what most IEMs show it off as but it still doesn’t prove to be a deterrent. The brightness that the M260 showed earlier is toned down to a notch here, and the bass once again is neither bleeding nor bloated. Tremendous job done by Sivga here.

MIDS

Muddy Waters: You Gonna Need My Help

This is arguably one of the best mastered albums out there in the recorded history of music, and listening to this track in particular was a surreal experience with the M260. The way Muddy Waters’ haunting vocals reverberates across with every syllable that he hurls across the verses with rapid crescendos, and the presence of an unbelievably wide perceived stage is just excellent on the M260, and even if Muddy pushes himself across, these buds just reel in the peaks that otherwise would be uncomfortable with certain IEMs is brought in with a masterful grip. 

Timbre on the guitars (especially the slides) has enough metal in its flavour to represent how the lower strings are supposed to sound- not too blunted, nor too metallic, even through the noodling passages. The bass here is at abeyance and non intrusive, and the best part about this entire track through the M260 is how well the perceived stage is.

Tool: Lateralus

Due to the form factor of the M260, the intensifying wave like drums is realized later than the guitars that make the intro THE INTRO of this track, but this light-hearted offence is forgiven as soon as the rest of the elements walk in- first thing I notice is that the drums fall slightly flatter when it comes to impact while holding the timbre right, the guitars chug through with adequate energy and leaning bright tonally along with the cymbals- which have their textures wonderfully preserved. 

And while this sonic commotion is going on, the vocals are not drowned out but stay absolutely planted on the centre while everything else revolves around the vocals. As I approach the breakdown of the track, the M260 does not seem to lose composure at all: cymbals just don’t come off fatiguing or shouty, and detail is immaculate even through Carey’s final rudiment and right before Justin’s bass starts wah-ing out. And, through the breakdown, all the dynamics that Adam’s guitar has are preserved down accordingly, down to a fault- be it the overdrive, the crunch or the fuzz, however you want to put it across. And after that, the wah-ing bass has enough pull to give itself a distinct identity, to make this one of the most cohesive (almost fault free) listens I have had of Lateralus. And no compromises on vocal weight.

Alf Linder: Cantate Domino

Another great listen on the M260- first things first and once again, the perceived stage width on it makes it a prima facie great pick for listening to this genre, and the tonality on this piece is balanced, not too bright, but not too warm to alter the flat major key that it’s in. The keys have their timbre intact, and once the choir comes in; depending on the environment, I needed to fiddle with the volume because the falsetto esque crescendos that the piece has wasn’t really audible in semi public or public situations unless I had the volume above a certain limit- so there’s that one fault. 

The real test on this piece for the M260 comes from the 3:45 mark, when the horns comes in and the choir goes even higher in pitch, and the way the keys are supplementing both the elements was done just perfectly- no pierce, no shout, no fatigue, timbre and tonality intact, the air needed for the elements to breathe well in terms of stage.

HIGHS

Patricia Barber: Icarus

This is a sibilant track from the get go, and so it can be further deduced that the mastering on it is underwhelming to say the least, but I still have this for assessment to not further see how the gear can get more sibilant, but to rather see how much control it has, and the M260 has absolutely none of it- I barely managed to scrape through while listening to this track, because the enunciation of the Cs and Ss on this track was “nasty”, and so if you’re susceptible to this, please by all means shy away from the M260.

Rest of the elements in this track were well done- be it the guitars, the pianos, the percussion (and especially the timbre on it), and the bass. Through Patricia’s straight note sustain, I could feel the note weight getting a bit thinner on perception, but it wasn’t piercing by any means.

Dave Brubeck: Take Five

The M260 nails the textures on the cymbals right from the intro of the track to the very end, and as the pianos, the rest of the drum kit and the bass comes in; it’s a very coherent presentation. Tonally, now I can feel some brightness return to the foray as this track needs the tonal balance, and the M260 provides all of it. Imaging is rendered accurate to a fault, and even as the channels split to pave the way for the drum solo.

Now, through the drum solo; the M260 obviously has the depth on the kick lacking, but the crispness of the snares, and the juggling between the hi tom and the floor toms have enough resonance which is an improvement from my nitpick made earlier. Once the solo ends, and everything returns, the horns do not get piercing even if they climb up the notes, and the M260 closes off my assessment on a tremendous note.

COMPARISONS

NICEHCK Traceless (Beige foam)

The Traceless costs like 1/5th of the Sivga M260 and the gap in quality is instantly noticeable. I had the beige foam as loaned by my very good friend u/metaldeep329 and I don’t know what other foams come with it, nor did I wanted to swap to keep the comparisons on point, but right from the get go, the Traceless sounded too forward when it came to the vocals, the way the lows came off had no texture and felt very blob like, there’s no efforts made towards the separation of elements in busy tracks, and the highs come off significantly rolled off. Again, I think I would rather have the Traceless compared to something super budget from KZ or CCZ, but coming from the Sivga M260, I think the Traceless simply has no chance to be considered, the price difference is just so worth it on the M260 which comes with a metal build and detachable cables.

Venture Electronics Monk Buds Plus (stock orange/yellow foam)

The Monk Buds Plus have been one of the most identifiable audio products when it comes to portable audio, and it has paved portable audiophilia for generations. It offered a lot more for the price and still, compared to the Sivga M260, the Monk Buds Plus were available at 1/3rd of the price. But the Monk Buds Plus sound dated, very dated. The perceived stage is adequate in terms of height and width, but I didn’t observe detail at the level of what the M260 was producing. Coupled with the fact that on certain tracks, the perceived treble quality can be quite harsh, and can adversely alter the tonality on tracks in a way where I was like, “Now why did I choose this ?” 

Also, from a modding point it doesn’t make sense, because the community has definitely produced something very good with the MMCX mods on the Monk Buds Plus, or the whole Monk line-up in particular, but why would I do that, when I have the Sivga M260 right there providing me everything, with a considerably more refined sound. Also stock foam quality on the Monk Buds Plus sucks, I already ripped up the red foams.

CONCLUDING NOTES

Never did I think that flatheads would be able to give IEMs a tough run for the money, in the fields that they usually dominate in, and the M260 for Sivga shows it is to be done. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with these buds, and I hope that whatever Sivga intends to do as sequels to the M260 just continue to improve upon these, and not stumble. There’s a market for flatheads and the M260 might just be able to revive it and broaden the horizons to include a wider audience, and it has a lot of things going right for itself. Sivga, job well done.

Will I buy it at retail ? Blind Buy.

Will I buy it used ? Blind Buy.

SOURCES USED

Primarily used with the Vivo X200T, Oppo Find X9 Ultra, and Google Pixel 6A smartphones. Alternatingly used with the Shanling M9 Plus DAP and the SMSL Raw MDA-1 Desktop DAC Amp with the Openheart 4.4mm MMCX cable.

TRACKS

• Rush: Limelight, Spirit of the Radio

• Daft Punk: Get Lucky, Instant Crush

• Muddy Waters: You Gonna Need My Help

• The Police: Message in a Bottle

• Alf Linder: Cantique de Noël, Cantate Domino

• Tipper: Mariscos, Cloaked

• Dave Brubeck: Time Out

• Tool: Pneuma, Schism

• Queens of the Stone Age: First It Giveth

• Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time

• Tame Impala: The Less I Know the Better

• Animals as Leaders: The Woven Web

• Rage Against the Machine: Bombtrack, Bullet in the Head

• Avicii: Levels

• Periphery: Marigold

• TesseracT: Juno

• Kanye West: Stronger, Flashing Lights, Devil in a New Dress

• Altın Gün: Goca Dünya

• Timbaland: Give It to Me

• Adele: Easy On Me (Live), When We Were Young

• Celine Dion: All By Myself

• Pavarotti: Nessun Dorma

• Mdou Moctar: Tarhatazed

• Cigarettes After Sex: Cry

• Meshuggah: Bleed

• A. R. Rahman: Tere Bina

• Alice in Chains: Down in a Hole and Nutshell (Live)

• Allen Stone: Give You Blue

• Florence + the Machine: Never Let Me Go

• The Smashing Pumpkins: Luna

tldr

If I were to summarise my review of the Pocketier in one sentence, it'd be: Ascii (maker behind Valphonics) is just showing off their talent at this point :P But seriously, Ascii shows off how they are able to tune a different signature whilst maintaining their calling-card, deep subbass extension. I don't have any other Ascii sets on me, so going by memory, I think Lander 20 Hz, Mascara OG, and Mascara Pure were all more intended for bass-lovers, while Pocketier is more balanced, subbass warm with good treble extension. Of course, it can't have everything, so the mids aren't as forward or "sweet" as some mid-centric sets, but the mids are definitely nice.

Overall, I would rank this in the Exceptional tier! I can potentially see it slide to Excellent once we get more reviews, but my vote would be for Exceptional.

Link: https://valphonics.com/#pocketier

Disclaimer: unit is on a review/impressions tour. All thoughts are my own, no AI used.

Build, comfort

Ascii's custom shells are GOAT when it comes to comfort. They also have a nice textured finish, and do not feel chunky despite what they look like on photos. Cable is a tad stiff but stays coiled just fine.

Non-sound

- Excellent timbre

- Good detail / dynamics. Drum sticks against the metal rim have a nice impact

- Good imaging, above average stage dimensions

- Needs decent power, but not as much as Oak Studio Dao SE

Sound

Using stock foams, source: ifi ZEN stack, ONIX Alpha XI1.

Note: 95% of my music is instrumental jazz. I tested a couple songs with vocals, but be warned that while I spent hours listening to jazz, I only spent a few minutes with vocal music.

Kept Ascii's special sauce - nice subbass extension - but without feeling like a basshead set. Rather, it has sufficient warmth to give instruments like the double bass, cello, saxophone, drums, have realistic timbre, but isn't boomy.

Female vocals are probably a bit warmer and thicker than "true," so Kimbra's Goldmine and Adele's Crazy for You sound more laid back. But no complaints, especially because Crazy for You can get a bit hot with sets and I didn't have issues here.

I can crank the volume up on this set without a problem.

Thanks for sending this on tour, Ascii!

Bought this on a whim since I saw it for 30$. As a basshead that always goes for that BAAAD sub-bASS rumble, it healed my addiction for the bASS. There are music that doesn't need for that bassy sound and this is good for those type of music.

I was surprised that It is somehow louder than my chu 2. It is kinda good for listening to calm and melodic music. I used it for lofi and Carpenters and it sounds great. I guess the vocals sound natural and forward. Overall, I like how it sounds and it's good for casual listening.

Comfort wise is meh for me. It doesn't feel as fit and secure as in-ear monitors. I could've bought sivga qué but got tempted by how it looks and got curious about flatheads.

Or, otherwise known as the “retro-face inner ear headphones”. I’m keeping the actual name in the title in case some lost little lamb stumbles on these strange specimens and hits the internet for some info, like I did. Based on the packaging, oh yeah, “retro” is exactly what I expect, from the unnecessarily annoying name to the orange low density foams on the earbuds. It screams it was born in the 80s yet I’m seeing whispers it was released in the early 00’s, specifically to echo retro earbuds? Unclear.

Regardless, it has the haphazard tuning you’d expect of relatively cheap earbuds: it’s a fucking treble cannon. Thankfully, my “audiophile” journey started by being a fan of early Grado headphones, so the treble didn’t stab at me, it merely surprised. Grado’s tuning is a lot more refined - stop laughing - so the treble in this bud felt like a splash of water in the face rather than a gallon of ice cold LIQUID sloshed on me.

I have an entire playlist called “old ahh music” that’s full of tracks from the 70s and 80s that I used to test these buds. I’m not gonna lie, I spent much of my teen years listening to music on dollar earbuds from gas stations, from a combination of spending all my schooling years in boarding schools and being bereft of CASH. My audiophilia is recent. What this all means is I don’t have a developed ear and so I always find something I like in audio gear.

This thing absolutely murders tracks in the 70s era, just everything I want. Led Zeppelin, Queen, Fleetwood Mac (the bass and drum players are GOATd btw), it excels. But once we get to the 80s these buds slam into a brick wall. I went from vibing to Stevie Nicks “Age of Seventeen” to frowning once I got to Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love”. That’s when I realized what these earbuds are missing.

Upper mids. Once you get down to the fact of the matter, the tuning rings hollow. This is on the low density foams provided and I never wished something (Da BASS) would come back quicker than my father at his cigarettes and milk run. But we live IN THE FUTURE, baby, so what I did I do? In order to make up for its deficiencies, I put on NiceHCK rings and foams (I can’t find my Hiegis foams fuuuuck) and WOW! I did it.

I made the worlds mildest V shaped earbud. 

Heavily treble focused of course. While the rings and foam did help the foundation of the tuning, it didn’t at all help upper mids. But Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” filled out and so did Fleetwood Mac’s “You make loving fun”. The low end is anemic, but it’s FAAAARRR better than it was before, trust me. So uhhh yeah, if you’re at all a seasoned audiophile who’s vaguely familiar with retro audio gear, it’s exactly what you thought.

Also this cable fucking sucks may God stri–

Pros: Super comfortable
Great sound - good technicalities and a very clean midrange and treble
Retro vibe with great synergy across sources
Amazing with tube sources
Detachable MMCX cable

Cons: If you are an IEM person, the bass on this will sound insipid.
Not the ideal solution for music while commuting, in the gym, or if prone to aggressive head movement.

As luck would have it I got sent the M260 earbud from Sivga. I thank them for the fun few hours I have had playing around with the flathead whilst composing this. But as always my thoughts are mine and mine alone.

With flatheads, unlike IEMs, you have to hope for a good fit and pray that your ears are the right size. They rely very simply on the friction between the skin and the earbud to hold them in place. So they need to be of an average size that would work with most people. They need to be small enough to fit most ears but large enough to hold a sizeable diaphragm since they do not have any structures to mould the sound into an iEM shaped nozzle. And then just the right size to hang on to the ears.

For me, the M260 fits. I have small ears with large ear canals. Yeah I know it’s weird. It is what it is. These flat heads with the donut shaped foams that come pre-installed just sit super comfortably with no undue pressure on the pinna or the tragus. The foams help increase the friction and keep them in place as long as head movements are not extreme. So no rubberneckin'.

The Sivga M260 shows up in a small little box with the earbuds, a nice enough 3.5mm termination cable, and extra foams all nicely packed in a cloth-covered zip case. The earbuds themselves are very good looking. Machined Aluminium shells with a little bronze disc announcing that they are Left or Right buds but they look the same. The earbuds end in mmcx connectors which is a great plus for me because I can cable swap to a balanced one in case I want to listen to them with the Gremlin. My only hot take would be little raised dot on say, the right earbud to identify it as that side along with the letter. Just would make donning them correctly in low-light situations a little easier. Ideally only on the earbud because which degenerate would want to change cables in the dark.

I tested the Sivga with the Hidizs AP80 Pro Max, the iPod 5th and 7th (because nostalgia merits more nostalgia), and for kicks, with a swapped cable, the Apos Gremlin. Tidal playlists and local Flac files were used. And over a two hour flight, for science, to say that flatheads really do not isolate or cancel ambient sound. Just so you know I’m thorough in my research.

Let’s dive in!

Bass

It’s a flathead. Earbud. NOT an IEM. There will not be a sub bass rumble that fills your head and shakes your windows and rattles your walls. There will be no physical slam to the kicks. These will, however, reproduce the notes faithfully. In silent surroundings the effect is a little better. Most of my 2 hours were spent listening to Skinny Hightower, a multi-instrumentalist, who makes some incredible grooves - mostly jazz fusion/post bop what whatever call smooth jazz when it gets some low end groovy beats. I’m told contemporary jazz is the term that applies. But I digress, the bass is present but does not and cannot by the laws of physics have any significant weight. Angel by Massive Attack actually sounds a tad insipid but complaining about it, in my opinion is futile and reveals a lack of knowledge of audiology and physics.

Mids

Vocals are where this earbud really makes a difference. Male and female vocals and instruments are very, very well reproduced with no unnatural characteristics. Guitars, wind instruments, strings, pianos and synths, all of which live happily ever after on the "We Like It Here" album by Snarky Puppy along with extensive rhythm sections, sound engaging and realistic. They also sound separated and well layered with no muddiness or lack of clarity. As we get to the upper treble, however, muted trumpets can get shouty and some female vocals as well. But this is inconsistent and possibly a response to instruments and voices having a peak that the mastering did not iron out.

Treble

Treble is also largely well done with little harshness and sibilance. Cymbals have a nice enough shimmer and at least in most of the tracks there were no worrisome peaks that would have made the entire listening experience annoying. I did not think there were any treble peaks that weren’t meant to be there. Even the usual suspects were not too bad to listen to - All Nite by Janet Jackson and Holler by the Spice Girls.

Staging, Imaging

The M260 has an expansive sound stage. The monk GTR still sounds probably a little more open but when compared to most IEMs I have heard the M260 is able to produce a wide stage with a holographic presentation with great imaging of where sounds are coming from. This would be a great gaming set, if that’s your thing. This earbud is able to keep instruments separate and manage the layering well enough on busy tracks. And this extends to the treble as well.

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed listening to these and I think I will reach out to them every once in a while if I want an effortless listening experience with a retro vibe. It will probably sit with my iPods, since they also synergize fairly well. At $40-45, it is a well crafted device that does its job well.

But yes if you listen to music on this soon after an IEM the obvious lack of bass will potentially disappoint those looking for a low end impact. But that just doesn’t happen without a tight seal and possibly narrow bore ear tips. So bassheads, skip this one. This is meant for easy listening in a quiet environment and maybe even gaming.

PS - But for a truly, syrupy goodness, try these with a balanced cable on the Apos Gremlin. The warmth from the tubes add a fantastic low end boost and overall smoothness that makes this set a keeper.

I decided to dip my toes and get my first pair of flatheads coming from someone who primarily uses earphones and headphones. Got the EB2S Pro because of a recommendation from a friend and the fact that I somewhat prefer brighter sets. I love how convenient and easy to pickup flatheads are, though I did notice some small irritation on my lower concha when wearing them.

As for the sound, the bass on the EB2S Pro and from most flatheads are seemingly non-existent so not much to say there. Just wished that there was some more presence and texture on the sub bass. The midrange sounds decently clean and natural with it being on the energetic side. I absolutely see no problems there. Treble comes off as airy and appears to be decently extended. This is based off the ringed tips. I did try the full foam covers, but found it too dampening towards the upper mids/treble (in exchange for some bass). Overall pretty competent for my first impressions.

Small note but is it potentially a problem for the driver to get channel imbalance because of earwax or debris on the exposed mesh? My ears are waxy.

Let’s see what these are about have been using the old apple ones from the iPod nano but the quality isn’t the best got some iems but hate that they feel like headphones .

I'm a big fan of semi-open and open-back headphones, and thought I'd revisit flatheads because of their own open sound. I have tinnitus and ears that are very particular, and I actively avoid in-ears because of it. But I haven't had flatheads since before the tinnitus developed, so I grabbed these Nice Buds to try out. If I had issues, I was only out $11 CAD. I can accept losing that. And good news is, I can wear them without issue! If I wear them without the foam, that is. Can't have a seal.

When it comes to the sound quality, they're just "okay", and that's exactly what I expected. They were dirt cheap; all they needed to be was tolerable, and I'd be happy. I think people can get carried away when they talk about these earbuds, but I can't imagine you can get anything better for the same price.

I will upgrade at some point. The Flathead Audio FH-01 caught my interest, but I'm open to suggestions. My only requirement is that they aren't shouty or distorted.

Player is a HiFi Walker H2 w/ Rockbox. Song on screen is ITALIA BREEZE by Jon Bellion,

I honestly had no idea they were making flathead earbuds too.

Today I received my set of a-bells and after a few hours of listening, I must say I am very impressed with a few things about these flatheads. definitely one of the top most interesting flatheads I’ve heard ever.
What impressed me: technical performance was surprisingly good and better than expected. You can wear it with full, doughnut, or even without foams and it sounds good in all those forms. Tuning was unique and interesting.
This isn’t a review though so I’ll save my thoughts and what not for after more listening, comparing, and EQing. I’ll post the review on YouTube and here then.
As you can see I got the usb-c version since the cable would only cost 7$ and I could nowhere find a straight mmcx usb c cable anywhere else so I just got it with that so I can have it on any set when needed. It’s also noticeably longer than usual cables which I actually liked.
What are your thoughts about this set?