ADV M5 TWC CIEM questions

[zero7404]

Hello,

Am interested in a set of these, I'm impressed by how long they run on a single charge .... compared to many other universal IEM's, the only brand i know about that can come close are Samsung (TWS) and perhaps Shure (BT2).

Was curious to hear about them from people that have them, quality, fit, finish, comfort, performance, etc ?

Want to see if they live up to what ADV states ....

I've never had custom IEM's before, so I'm coming from universal fits, which in my experience after having used about a dozen different brands, may be a relief to go with CIEM's. Most comfortable set I've kept in my ears for 8+hrs have been the Shure SE215's, followed by Airpods Pro - but even so I'm finding myself adjusting from time to time and switching between foam and silicon at times. The experience in general is uncomfortable, when compared to the concept of a CIEM - put them in your ears and you forget they are there.

In terms of SQ, not picky and i'm sure the M5 TWS would be more than good enough for my uses. I had looked at UE's as well but not quite happy about the 4hr running time on the cable and the fact that they use IPX vs. MMCX would not allow me to use my Shure BT2 cable with a set of UE CSX or Pro.

Thanks in advance for any feedback and remarks

 

[rantng]

https://theheadphonelist.com/adv-m5-tws-review-rejoice/

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/advanced-m5-tws.24137/reviews

 

[zero7404]

https://theheadphonelist.com/adv-m5-tws-review-rejoice/

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/advanced-m5-tws.24137/reviews

thank you for those links.

maybe i came across wrong ... i am interested in the custom version of this IEM - shaped to the individual's ears:

https://www.adv-sound.com/products/m5-tws-custom

 

[tinyman392]

Hello,

Am interested in a set of these, I'm impressed by how long they run on a single charge .... compared to many other universal IEM's, the only brand i know about that can come close are Samsung (TWS) and perhaps Shure (BT2).

Was curious to hear about them from people that have them, quality, fit, finish, comfort, performance, etc ?

Want to see if they live up to what ADV states ....

I've never had custom IEM's before, so I'm coming from universal fits, which in my experience after having used about a dozen different brands, may be a relief to go with CIEM's. Most comfortable set I've kept in my ears for 8+hrs have been the Shure SE215's, followed by Airpods Pro - but even so I'm finding myself adjusting from time to time and switching between foam and silicon at times. The experience in general is uncomfortable, when compared to the concept of a CIEM - put them in your ears and you forget they are there.

In terms of SQ, not picky and i'm sure the M5 TWS would be more than good enough for my uses. I had looked at UE's as well but not quite happy about the 4hr running time on the cable and the fact that they use IPX vs. MMCX would not allow me to use my Shure BT2 cable with a set of UE CSX or Pro.

Thanks in advance for any feedback and remarks

That's a very interesting TWS headphone. First custom for sure, but it was bound to eventually happen. If you want to know about performance the normal universal M5 reviews may give you an idea about how they might sound, but you'd need to confirm with ADV that they are utilizing the same drivers. I only have one CIEM, the HiFiMan RE-1000 which fit well, though they're about 6-7 years old at this point if I'm not mistaken. With all IEMs, I tend to always be fidgeting and adjusting them, the RE-1000 was no different. That said, the fit will depend on how good ADV is with their molding processes.

One note regarding the Ultimate Ears, they do offer an IPX Bluetooth cable. I don't know much about its specs as UE doesn't really list much. So if you wanted to know what codecs it supported you'd likely have to ask. Their cable does quote an 8 hour run time like the ADV (I'm surprised they are able to get that battery life in them). Note that it may be possible to get other custom IEMs in a full TWS format using Shure's, Fiio's, or TRN's adapters (though you're limited to standard 2-pin and MMCX connectors).

 

[rantng]

thank you for those links.

maybe i came across wrong ... i am interested in the custom version of this IEM - shaped to the individual's ears:

https://www.adv-sound.com/products/m5-tws-custom

Sound quality & performance should be the same for the most part between the universal & custom versions, albeit with the usual tradeoffs/benefits. CIEMs tend to offer a slight boost to bass owing to the greater isolation of the custom fit. Fit & comfort are highly subjective to the individual's ears; some people just don't get along with customs, others love them.

 

[zero7404]

That's a very interesting TWS headphone. First custom for sure, but it was bound to eventually happen. If you want to know about performance the normal universal M5 reviews may give you an idea about how they might sound, but you'd need to confirm with ADV that they are utilizing the same drivers. I only have one CIEM, the HiFiMan RE-1000 which fit well, though they're about 6-7 years old at this point if I'm not mistaken. With all IEMs, I tend to always be fidgeting and adjusting them, the RE-1000 was no different. That said, the fit will depend on how good ADV is with their molding processes.

One note regarding the Ultimate Ears, they do offer an IPX Bluetooth cable. I don't know much about its specs as UE doesn't really list much. So if you wanted to know what codecs it supported you'd likely have to ask. Their cable does quote an 8 hour run time like the ADV (I'm surprised they are able to get that battery life in them). Note that it may be possible to get other custom IEMs in a full TWS format using Shure's, Fiio's, or TRN's adapters (though you're limited to standard 2-pin and MMCX connectors).

By performance, I meant that, more than likely i'll be happy with sonics from many of the well-known and revered brands. in fact, the sound performance of the ADV's or even UE's may be overkill for my needs. not too picky in that regard. What i meant was how they (M5 TWS Custom) function in the world, when I am listening and then need to take a call. Or when one of them dies down sooner than the other, is independent play/use seamless, etc. They are also acrylic, which is probably less comfortable than silicone but perhaps better because silicone tends to make my ears warm up after a while and feel somewhat moist around where the material seals. perhaps that's not the case with acrylic, or perhaps they are too unforgiving. I personally tend to all-day wear earbuds. Side-by side, afa universal fits are concerned, the SE215's can tag along for 4-6 hrs without discomfort. less than that with others like Airpods Pro and Buds +.

With UE's, I did ask presales questions - what I got back is that the IPX cable will provide 4 hrs. in order to get 8, you must attach a dock to the remote. dock looks small enough to be wearable, but if it adds heft to the cable, then it becomes an experience where the cable will pull down on the ear enough to be noticable or bothersome. not too big a deal that the dock is the only way to charge it, but i would have to carry it around. If there were other IPX BT cables available I would consider a set of UE's with another brand cable, or if, say Fostex for instance, offered IPX then that's an option also. At the moment UE only offers MMCX with the UE 18 + the Fostex, which is out of my league @ $1600. Whereas the M5 TWS Custom can run for 8hrs in between charges without any cable or add-on battery. One other thing I like about them that's cool is they connect to a power source as easy as Shure's offering - you take out your charging cable, plug one end into the power source and the other to the earphones.

Besides, these M5 Customs are basically cutting out all of the bulk and baggage that many of the others come with and going straight to the front of the line.

As another option I am willing to go with something like Buds + with ADV half shells, I could be happy with that. or even my set of Shures with ADV half-shells.

Personal opinion for me is I'd rather combine the custom fit with the IEM (wired or not) and if possible find one that will last some years, give good battery life, etc.

There's pro's and cons with bluetooth cable setups as well as TWS setups but TWS seems to mostly have closed the gap as far as features and function but without the wires.

 

[zero7404]

Sound quality & performance should be the same for the most part between the universal & custom versions, albeit with the usual tradeoffs/benefits. CIEMs tend to offer a slight boost to bass owing to the greater isolation of the custom fit. Fit & comfort are highly subjective to the individual's ears; some people just don't get along with customs, others love them.

not sure if I'd want to venture out to buy a custom set of IEM's and later find out i can't quite get a comfort level i expected. i am assuming they are the the least uncomfortable of the many different earbud fit types. but as you say my ears may not take to liking CIEM's in general.

I can't say I've tried all universals out there but have tried at least a dozen - from the brands like Bose, M&D, Sen., Apple, Shure, Samsung, Jabra, etc. Those that just wouldn't sit or were not comfortable to use would end up getting returned. I can't discount that there may be one particular brand with a particular shape that just happens to work best and be universal. but i'm not going to go out on a trek to find them - would rather just go for custom fitting.

I know UE offers a return policy, so I won't lose out much if I got them and returned. But I don't think I could do that with ADV.

 

[tinyman392]

By performance, I meant that, more than likely i'll be happy with sonics from many of the well-known and revered brands. in fact, the sound performance of the ADV's or even UE's may be overkill for my needs. not too picky in that regard. What i meant was how they (M5 TWS Custom) function in the world, when I am listening and then need to take a call. Or when one of them dies down sooner than the other, is independent play/use seamless, etc. They are also acrylic, which is probably less comfortable than silicone but perhaps better because silicone tends to make my ears warm up after a while and feel somewhat moist around where the material seals. perhaps that's not the case with acrylic, or perhaps they are too unforgiving. I personally tend to all-day wear earbuds. Side-by side, afa universal fits are concerned, the SE215's can tag along for 4-6 hrs without discomfort. less than that with others like Airpods Pro and Buds +.

Personally I have no issues with the acrylic buds of my RE-1000, they're as comfortable, if not more, than silicone universal stuff. Though I feel like a silicone CIEM might last longer (ears change change with) and work better with misfits on the CIEM construction side. Granted I must admit, like others have stated, different people have different feelings and experiences with CIEMs. They can be tricky to get going as mine do require me to have them inserted pretty deeply on my right ear to get the sweet spot that seems very nicely.

With UE's, I did ask presales questions - what I got back is that the IPX cable will provide 4 hrs. in order to get 8, you must attach a dock to the remote. dock looks small enough to be wearable, but if it adds heft to the cable, then it becomes an experience where the cable will pull down on the ear enough to be noticable or bothersome. not too big a deal that the dock is the only way to charge it, but i would have to carry it around. If there were other IPX BT cables available I would consider a set of UE's with another brand cable, or if, say Fostex for instance, offered IPX then that's an option also. At the moment UE only offers MMCX with the UE 18 + the Fostex, which is out of my league @ $1600. Whereas the M5 TWS Custom can run for 8hrs in between charges without any cable or add-on battery. One other thing I like about them that's cool is they connect to a power source as easy as Shure's offering - you take out your short charging cable, plug one end into the power source and the other to the earphones.

So if I'm not mistaken the dock is essentially an external battery that you magnetically attaches onto the back of the BT cable itself. Without a wire, it should be perfectly comfortable to wear. But if you have it plugged in, then yeah that could cause some issues. That said, if you do it correctly, like run the BT cable 2 hours, attach the dock adapter , let it charge the BT cable fully, then remove it and charge it, you should still have 2 hours of play on the BT cable left over. Rinse and repeat and you could in theory run it forever (at least until the batteries turn to crap and you need a new cable after a couple years). If you are not moving around, it may also be possible to wire the charging cable so it doesn't tug hard when it's on (though at this point, there really isn't much battery life to worry about).

You could also buy the Fostex TWS IEM for 300 which comes with the IPX adapters as well (I forget if it comes with the IPX or MMCX). If I'm not mistaken that's the way that UE18 + Fostex is set up anyways (though they may discount the 300 dollar IEMs).

Besides, these M5 Customs are basically cutting out all of the bulk and baggage that many of the others come with and going straight to the front of the line.

As another option I am willing to go with something like Buds + with ADV half shells, I could be happy with that. or even my set of Shures with ADV half-shells.

Personal opinion for me is I'd rather combine the custom fit with the IEM (wired or not) and if possible find one that will last some years, give good battery life, etc.

There's pro's and cons with bluetooth cable setups as well as TWS setups but TWS seems to mostly have closed the gap as far as features and function but without the wires.

If you don't need TWS, there are a lot of neckband style BT cables that exist for 2-pin and MMCX setups that are very comfortable and work very well. They tend to boost longer battery life as well. Granted the UE might fall into this category too. But that would also allow you to use virtually any 2-pin or MMCX CIEM with them. I have a cheap Macaw TE10-50XS (Chinese generic BT) that works very well with my RE-1000 while I have a pair of AAW Nightingales connected to the Fiio LC-BT2 which has a ton of other features on it (EQ, control, other sound options, etc.). The Macaw has an 8 hour battery life (no external stuff) while Fiio claims 24 hours (I haven't really kept track of its battery life, but it's been a least a week or two since I last charged it). I haven't given the Macaw as much use as I'd like to unfortunately to test out battery life, but the SQ was good enough with the RE-1000.

 

[zero7404]

So if I'm not mistaken the dock is essentially an external battery that you magnetically attaches onto the back of the BT cable itself. Without a wire, it should be perfectly comfortable to wear. But if you have it plugged in, then yeah that could cause some issues. That said, if you do it correctly, like run the BT cable 2 hours, attach the dock adapter , let it charge the BT cable fully, then remove it and charge it, you should still have 2 hours of play on the BT cable left over. Rinse and repeat and you could in theory run it forever (at least until the batteries turn to crap and you need a new cable after a couple years). If you are not moving around, it may also be possible to wire the charging cable so it doesn't tug hard when it's on (though at this point, there really isn't much battery life to worry about).

The dock itself, after googling the UE BT cable, resembles a clip-on that has the same form factor as the remote. 3 electrical touch-style contacts on the remote come in contact with the dock and can charge while using. the cable by itself = 4hrs, the dock by itself = 4 hrs, and together it's 8hrs. that's respectable. On my Shure BT2, I can get a really generous 10-12 hrs straight. there have been days where I'm counting the 13th or 14th hr of use after unplugging from an overnight charge. Must hand some credit to shure in that even though the BT2 is somewhat awkward setup to get situated on your clothing, if you find something that works you're comfortable throughout the day and wires are not in the way. in this day and age of face masks, over the ear hoops though aren't the easiest to work with compared with TWS buds.

You could also buy the Fostex TWS IEM for 300 which comes with the IPX adapters as well (I forget if it comes with the IPX or MMCX). If I'm not mistaken that's the way that UE18 + Fostex is set up anyways (though they may discount the 300 dollar IEMs).

Not sure which model that is, I looked on Fostex' website and the TM2 has some cable connection options, maybe the A2DC is what you're referring to ? Fostex has some options that look interesting, though I'd have to do more research to see what kinds of setups I can imagine having with those BT modules. maybe there's a narrow spacetime that gets me custom earmolds + fostex TWS modules + a decent universal IEM for around $500 or less ? idk.

If you don't need TWS, there are a lot of neckband style BT cables that exist for 2-pin and MMCX setups that are very comfortable and work very well. They tend to boost longer battery life as well. Granted the UE might fall into this category too. But that would also allow you to use virtually any 2-pin or MMCX CIEM with them. I have a cheap Macaw TE10-50XS (Chinese generic BT) that works very well with my RE-1000 while I have a pair of AAW Nightingales connected to the Fiio LC-BT2 which has a ton of other features on it (EQ, control, other sound options, etc.). The Macaw has an 8 hour battery life (no external stuff) while Fiio claims 24 hours (I haven't really kept track of its battery life, but it's been a least a week or two since I last charged it). I haven't given the Macaw as much use as I'd like to unfortunately to test out battery life, but the SQ was good enough with the RE-1000.

neckbands don't bode too well, in my experience .... with shirts that have collars or a hoodie they need some work to manage and keep out of the way.
and unfortunately with different connector styles and arrangements for connecting source to output, the landscape keeps changing as tech evolves. evolution is a good thing, but i say unfortunately because when thinking about sinking a decent chunk of change into a customized product that only i will be able to use, at the turn of 6 mo or 1 yr some upgrade i would benefit from ... that can't be had unless the product is software upgradeable.

from a modularity perspective, i would see myself getting custom ear tips for 2 sets of IEM's I have and proceed that way.
from an integrated perspective, i would go with UE or ADV molded IEM's

the more expensive option is the 2nd (UE or ADV), and the limitation in lifespan there is the mostly integral battery. With the M5 it's worse because the battery is permanently sealed in the IEM, whereas with UE I'd be able to replace the cable and keep going with the same ear pieces.

perhaps UE would be the better option for me or as close to custom as I'd want to get and have some modularity built in.

 

[zero7404]

here is a review where you can see the charging dock on the UE's

https://geardiary.com/2019/12/18/ultimate-ears-ue-5-csx-are-the-ultimate-in-custom-fit-sound/

 

[zero7404]

just checking back on this ... does anyone on here have the M5 TWS Custom ? looking for some feedback and thoughts on it

 

[parawizard]

Did you end up pulling the trigger on this? I asked them if they were serviceable for a fee and they said no. Hate ewaste. Maybe I would do it myself with my stereo microscope if I had to. Maybe if they provide part number for battery.