The Flathead Society’s popular Earbuds Ranking List has received a substantial update, almost a year after the previous version was published on September 18, 2025.

The new list, posted by ttorbic on the HifiGuides forum on August 8, 2026, is marked Version 08082026, replacing the previous Version 18092025. As before, the list is intended as a community reference rather than a strict ranking: the author notes that the recommendations are subjective, and that models are included after being reviewed by multiple trusted earbud enthusiasts. Importantly, models within each category are listed alphabetically and are not ranked against each other.

So, what actually changed?

The “God’s Tears” category is exactly the same as in 2025:

  • Cypherus Audio Black Dragon Susvara (and its variants) ($1200)
  • Flathead Audio Studio ($75)
  • TGXear DS Black Sand ($599)
  • TGXear Desolation Sound ($599)
  • Venture Electronics SMG ($199)
  • Venture Electronics Sun Copper ($598)

The “><-CEPTIONAL” category has also remained almost completely unchanged except that BLOX TM11 drops by one category. In the September 2025 version, BLOX TM11 was listed under “Exceptional” and in the 2026 update it has moved down to “Eggsellent”.

The other five models that were in the 2025 ><-CEPTIONAL category remain there:

  • Ksearphone Temperament DM7 (~$199)
  • TGXear Serratus Black Sand ($250)
  • TGXear Totem ($299)
  • Venture Electronics Zen SL ($299)
  • Yincrow RW-4000 ($499)

Because of the move, BLOX TM11 is now listed alongside the models that were already in the “EGGSELLENT” category. The rest of this section remains essentially unchanged, including the AFUL PolarNight, LREY Aurora, NiceHCK EBX25Ti, Rikubuds Grand Alter Saber 3, Symphonio Dragon 3+, TGXear Serratus variants, VE APWS, VE Sun Dice and Yincrow RW-3000.

Two airrivals in the “VERY G00D” tier:

Flathead Audio Pear finally gets a rating. In September 2025, Pear was listed in the “Waiting for moar impressions / reviews” section. In the 2026 edition, it has finally moved into the main ranking and is now placed in “Very G00D”. The updated list also notes that the Pear is sold out. The other new arrival in “Very G00D” is the Yincrow Buffalo.

The “Best sets under 70 USD” category also gets two additions

The 2026 update expands this budget category to four models by adding: BGVP DX7 and Oak Audio Dao SE

The complete current selection is therefore:

The BGVP DX7 is particularly interesting because it was previously listed in the “Very G00D” category. It has therefore moved from the general ranking into the dedicated sub-$70 recommendations despite the fact it usually costs around $100.