[stacey]

Finally, gotta give apple credit for a flawless launch. Nobody does a release better than apple. Announced monday and shipped to my door in under 48 hours. Well done.

IDK, when the AirPods were new to the market, people were waiting in line for months on end for their AirPods. just putting that out there.

 

[Caipirina]

All this talk about the AirPod Pros leaves me salivating (and devising schemes on how to get them here quick without paying the 150% import tax markup) ...

But like Stacey I would like to know how the ANC compares to the Bose QC20

 

[sly_in_the_sky]

Hello,

I have been searching for this info but I don't know if the Noble Falcon TWS have been referenced here.

https://twitter.com/i/moments/1182133806477656064

 

[typhoon838]

Hi guys!

So I've been out of the loop for a little while as far as the newest updates in TWS (and more specifically budget options).

I've had the Anbes 359 (seems like I got one of the last pairs) since earlier this year and LOVE them. They are such a versatile, great sounding pair and I'm completely satisfied with them. However, one of the little rubber pads fell off, and while I managed to glue it back on, it made me think that it might be time to get something new.

I like the sound signature of the anbes, but wouldn't mind more sub bass. I understand that it'll be hard to accommodate that while maintaining the excellent clarity and soundstage that the anbes had.

Before I fell off the face of the earth, the Kissral R18 was supposedly the same as the Anbes 359, but rebranded. Is this still the case, for the Kissral r18s being sold on amazon?

The other ones I was looking into were the Tranya T3s (I heard they have excellent bass and comparable sound quality to the anbes), or the Tranya B530, which were being sent to people for testing last time I checked. Any update on those? I think I remember the MPOW T5s being highly recommended as well. Also, I know this is a longshot, but ambient mode would be amazing, I just haven't seen any offerings that aren't super expensive, that sound like what I want.

What do you guys think, and are there any contenders that I'm missing?

 

[webvan]

Well, I got home tonight and the Amazon Echo Buds were waiting for me, so I spent some time listening to them at home (and while I walked the dog) to get a sense of how they compare to the AirPod Pros. It's too late to write a detailed comparison, but here are a few quick observations:

• The Amazon Buds insert much more deeply into the ear canal than the AirPod's, resulting in much better passive isolation -- so even though their "Bose Noise Reduction" isn't as strong as the AirPod's ANC, the net result seems about the same. I'll know better after my subway ride in the morning. The downside of their deep insertion is less comfort. The AirPods are so comfortable you can forget you're wearing them, but the Amazon Buds, while not uncomfortable, don't exactly disappear in the same way.

• The Amazon Buds' sound signature is much brighter than the AirPods'-- but the Alexa app includes an equalizer, so you can pretty much tune the Buds as you like. They apparently have two balanced armature drivers, and they sound very good. I took a look at the connection speed in Console, and they connect at 256kbps, then drop to 244kbps and stay there -- which is not bad at all, and suggests a good, fast bluetooth connection. (The AirPods have a rock solid 256kbps connection.). I need to listen to both the Amazon and Apple earphones a bit more to compare the sound in more detail.

• It took me quite a while to find tips for the Amazon Buds that fit my ears and still allow the case to close properly (and charge the earphones). The tips that came with the Amazon Buds were all too small for my ears. Most larger tips didn't fit in the Amazon Buds' case. I ended up using the large tips from the Jabra 65t's, and with those tips the earphones sealed, and the bass opened up nicely.

• Alexa works really well, and the microphones seem great, so I'm expecting that calls will be very clear on the other side. (I'm glad that there are a number of TWEs that are good for calls on the market now.)

• Finally, the Amazon Buds support fast bluetooth switching, so (like the AirPods) if you're paired with several devices, you can connect to one device without first disconnecting from another device you may be connected to (i.e., the disconnection from the first device happens automatically when you connect to the second device). That's the way it works on all Apple devices with an H1 chip, and the Sonys and the Galaxy Buds also have fast switching -- but not a lot of other earphones have it, so it was nice to see Amazon thought of it here.

• The Amazon Buds are, of course, about 50% of the cost of the AirPods. On that basis, they're a much better value.

Thanks for sharing your observations in detail. Good point on the net result of passive+ANC based on the setup. Generally speaking great passive isolation is going to require deep insertion and while it works for some (including myself) it gets tiring after a while. It seems the Airpod Pros are like the Libratone Track Air+ *, a seal with a shallow wear. The QC20 take that even further with no seal and great comfort. It makes it hard to compare the respective ANCs.
To test ANC at home I've found I could blast some "cabin noise" videos found on YouTube

* Interestingly Libratone said they planned to add a "fit test" to their app when they launched the Air+, it hasn't happened so far and generally speaking Libratone have done a terrible job at marketing their products with very little info on their site, very few reviews and very limited availability.

 

[msooffutt]

i agree with this. the mid size out of the box showed a good seal but i could tell one ear wasn't sealed all the way. i think its just checking for leaks with the outside mic....

i have the large ones on now, but may try the mids again.
honestly, my biggest gripe with these things are how hard they are to get out of the case. while not hard, i certainly don't get both on the first attempt like the OGs very often. i usually drop one in the case and have to re-pull

An easy way to get them out of the case is to take your finger and place on top and pull towards you and they will pop right out.

 

[Caipirina]

@n20nine - a runner even said that the vent removed the "thump" that you get with IEMs each time you hit the ground.

Now, THAT's a selling point for me!

Not sure though if my sweat output in these humid climates I run in still falls under the IPX4 category ...

 

[legitimmy]

Been listening to the MPOW T20 today. So far it sounds quite good, nothing spectacular, but I need to give it a day or two. I saw TOOL last night and while I did use my Ear plugs most of the time, I left them out long enough to know my hearing is going to take a day or two to recover. That show was beyond Loud!

Any updates and further impressions on the earphones? there's no reviews of them online.... with all the good impression from the Mpow T5 that Ive read im really considering this one.

 

[msooffutt]

Looks like the AirPods pro got a firmware update. Latest version should be 2B584. I think the new firmware fixed the controls. I didn’t think to mention my displeasure with the controls, but they are more responsive now.

On day two with these things and they are awesome! Like I said, the sound isn’t up to the level of the Sony’s or the M&D, but they work so flawlessly and effortlessly that I doubt I’ll look at any other true wireless until the batteries die in these. One last thing to mention is that the comfort of these are fantastic. Barely know they are there.

 

[webvan]

@Caipirina - runners unite I'll give that claim a try later tomorrow

@legitimmy Haven't tried the T20 but I hope they don't have the "noise floor" in the right ear like my T5/M5 do !

In other news I have received the AirPod Pros and they're pretty amazing. Fit, comfort, size, mics, controls (zero problems here with the stem control), weight, ANC (tested with a "cabin noise" video played at full volume on my speakers) is excellent (close to the QC25 in that test and while I no longer have the QC20, going by memory they were notably inferior to the QC25 in that test). One slight niggle is that in Android you can't toggle between Ambient/Off/ANC,it can be done in iOS though. Another slight niggle is that unlike on the Track Air+ the music is not muted when you got to Ambient, I quite liked that.

As for SQ, the treble can be a bit shrill (can easily be EQd out) but the bass is there and the soundstage and imaging is excellent to my ears.

I have now tried the three ANC TWS, the Sony WF-1000Xm3, Libratone Track Air+ and AirPods Pro and the AP clearly come out on top overall. Unlike the other two they have no obvious faults and are pretty much best in class for all the features. Too bad they're the most expensive too !

 

[n20nine]

How do you get the update? Nothing on my end.

Have been doing A/B tests between my Sennheiser MTW and AirPods Pro. The Sennheiser’s definitely have a wider sound stage and bring out more details and you can feel the bass slightly better. However not by much. Nothing new to what me and others shared yesterday. You will need to concentrate on the music to hear the differences. Honestly in other times I don’t really notice the differences. Maybe it’s just me.

As a package the AirPods are far better. So much more comfortable, very small, great battery life and most importantly - fantastic mics. This is my first TWS that I can use for conference calls.

I don’t think I will miss the Sennheiser’s and will keep the AirPod Pros. The pressure vent thing they have also works well.

Looks like the AirPods pro got a firmware update. Latest version should be 2B584. I think the new firmware fixed the controls. I didn’t think to mention my displeasure with the controls, but they are more responsive now.

On day two with these things and they are awesome! Like I said, the sound isn’t up to the level of the Sony’s or the M&D, but they work so flawlessly and effortlessly that I doubt I’ll look at any other true wireless until the batteries die in these. One last thing to mention is that the comfort of these are fantastic. Barely know they are there.

 

[msooffutt]

How do you get the update? Nothing on my end.

Have been doing A/B tests between my Sennheiser MTW and AirPods Pro. The Sennheiser’s definitely have a wider sound stage and bring out more details and you can feel the bass slightly better. However not by much. Nothing new to what me and others shared yesterday. You will need to concentrate on the music to hear the differences. Honestly in other times I don’t really notice the differences. Maybe it’s just me.

As a package the AirPods are far better. So much more comfortable, very small, great battery life and most importantly - fantastic mics. This is my first TWS that I can use for conference calls.

I don’t think I will miss the Sennheiser’s and will keep the AirPod Pros. The pressure vent thing they have also works well.

It should update automatically if you’re using an iPhone. If on an iPhone, go into setting and choose general < about and then scroll down until you see AirPods pro and select it. There it will tell you what firmware you’re on, and if not on the current version, it may trigger it to update. You won’t have to do anything, it will just update in the background.

 

[n20nine]

Thanks I see that I’m on the new version as stated previously. Like how it does it all seamlessly which adds to the benefits of being in the ecosystem. Not for everyone though - some may not like it.

It should update automatically if you’re using an iPhone. If on an iPhone, go into setting and choose general < about and then scroll down until you see AirPods pro and select it. There it will tell you what firmware you’re on, and if not on the current version, it may trigger it to update. You won’t have to do anything, it will just update in the background.

 

[mjb152]

Hi guys!

So I've been out of the loop for a little while as far as the newest updates in TWS (and more specifically budget options).

I've had the Anbes 359 (seems like I got one of the last pairs) since earlier this year and LOVE them. They are such a versatile, great sounding pair and I'm completely satisfied with them. However, one of the little rubber pads fell off, and while I managed to glue it back on, it made me think that it might be time to get something new.

I like the sound signature of the anbes, but wouldn't mind more sub bass. I understand that it'll be hard to accommodate that while maintaining the excellent clarity and soundstage that the anbes had.

Before I fell off the face of the earth, the Kissral R18 was supposedly the same as the Anbes 359, but rebranded. Is this still the case, for the Kissral r18s being sold on amazon?

The other ones I was looking into were the Tranya T3s (I heard they have excellent bass and comparable sound quality to the anbes), or the Tranya B530, which were being sent to people for testing last time I checked. Any update on those? I think I remember the MPOW T5s being highly recommended as well. Also, I know this is a longshot, but ambient mode would be amazing, I just haven't seen any offerings that aren't super expensive, that sound like what I want.

What do you guys think, and are there any contenders that I'm missing?

I'm in exactly the same boat, and am looking at this lot, trouble is new models keep coming out :-

Shanling MTW100 $89
Lypertek Tevi True Wireless £99
Sabbat E12 Ultra £65
Anker Liberty pro 2 $149
Galaxy Buds £99
Soundcore liberty air pro 2 £149

 

[d3myz]

Any updates and further impressions on the earphones? there's no reviews of them online.... with all the good impression from the Mpow T5 that Ive read im really considering this one.

I commented a while back. Nothing remarkable about them, def. not a step up from the T5. I sent the M20 back. They weren't terrible, but they are no earfun Free, which i'm currently really enjoying.