Short answer: a tie on sound quality. Both are rated 3.6/5 (#743 and #721 of 1291 in-ear headphones) at nearly the same price ($129 vs $127.99), so choose on features and fit.
Why pick the Tekkusai Lucid: A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 69 against the Harman target. Watch for: Treble about 2 dB below target from 3 to 10 kHz, which can sound dull or veiled next to brighter headphones.
What the TRN Whale Shark does well: A warm, bassy hybrid in-ear with three dynamic drivers and a planar, bass 3.3 dB above target and upper mids almost on target. The tradeoff: A 6.3 dB dip near 6.1 kHz followed by a 6.5 dB peak near 8.1 kHz makes cymbals and sibilance uneven, and air above 10 kHz runs 4.6 dB hot for an extra sharp shimmer.
Buy the Tekkusai Lucid or the TRN Whale Shark on features: they are rated the same for sound quality at close to the same price.
Want more options? Browse the full Headphones rankings.
A broadly balanced tuning with a preference score of 69 against the Harman target.
Amazon $129 eBay
A warm, bassy hybrid in-ear with three dynamic drivers and a planar, bass 3.3 dB above target and upper mids almost on target.
Amazon $127.99 eBayPrices on this page were last checked October 16, 2026 at 5:46 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Tekkusai Lucid | TRN Whale Shark | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $129 | $127.99 |
| Ranked | #743 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones | #721 of 1291 in In-Ear Headphones |
| Form Factor | In-ear | In-ear |
| Back | Closed | Closed |
| Harman Preference Score | 69 (median of 4 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) | 69 (median of 8 squig.link measurements, calibrated to AutoEQ) |
| Deviation From Target | 1.95 dB standard deviation | 2.41 dB standard deviation |
| Tonal Tilt | -0.92 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) | -0.39 (negative is warmer, positive brighter) |
| Sub-bass Extension | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (+2.3 dB at 30 Hz) | Within 6 dB of target down to 20 Hz (-0.9 dB at 30 Hz) |
| Connection | Wired (3.5mm) | Wired |
| Driver Type | Hybrid | Hybrid (3 dynamic + 1 planar magnetic) |
| Drivers | 1 Dynamic, 2 Balanced Armature | 3 x dynamic + 1 x planar magnetic |
| Impedance | - | 16 ohms |
| Sensitivity | - | 110 dB SPL/mW |
| Frequency Response | - | 10Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
Frequency Response Compared
Both headphones’ measurements overlaid on the Harman target. Above the target sounds louder in that range, below it quieter. Each curve is the median of several independent measurements, shifted so its 500 Hz to 2 kHz average sits at 0 dB, so only the tuning is compared.
Measurement data: the Tekkusai Lucid from audioamigo, flare, gadgetrytech and jaytiss; the TRN Whale Shark from atechreviews, audioamigo, dvewlsh, eplv, jaytiss, musicafe, soundcheck39 and tonedeafmonk, all via squig.link.
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