Cambridge Audio Melomania TWS Alternatives
Jun 5, 2020 at 11:57 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 2

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I’d be really grateful for advice on true wireless alternatives to the Cambridge Melomanias. I’d consider myself musical and appreciative of good audio but not an audiophile. I have been using the Melomanias for the past week but I’m going to have to send them back as they have pairing problems (they’ll only remember one device at a time and have to be reset to pair again).

Pairing aside, I have found Melomanias' fit uncomfortable for me—I guess I have fairly narrow ear canals—and the sound quality less great than I’d hoped for. My other earphones are Shure SE215s (wired), and in comparison the Melomanias sounded much less precise, with narrow soundstage and (once I got proper fit) bass that was a bit muddy and mids that felt recessed. The Melomanias also have a noticeable lag with YouTube videos which makes them difficult to watch. My main reason for wanting TWS earphones is (yes) getting a new iPhone, and soon a new iPad from work, both of which lack headphone jacks. When I’m out and about—I hope this is forgivable on here!— I just want something portable that makes lossy streamed music sound as good as is reasonably possible, for around £100/$100, though I could stretch to about £150/$150 if there were something truly worth it.

I may be hoping for too much, but I’m after TWS earphones with
  • precise sound, with decent separation and soundstage. My preference is for controlled, not overbearing bass: my bass-light Audio-Technica ATH-AD900x Airs perform fine for me in this department
  • a comfortably pocketable case
  • no pairing issues. Easy switching between devices essential, multi-pairing a big bonus
  • individual pairing, so I can listen to either earphone by itself
  • comfort for longish periods—a bonus would be wearability in bed, a feature of the IEM shape I like
  • a usable mic for calls would be a bonus but isn’t essential
My shortlist so far, with cons I see them:
  • Lypertek Tevis (case looks big, not clear the sound will be an improvement on the Melomanias)
  • Shanling MTW100 BA (some connectivity problems noted on the thread here, and case seems flimsy)
  • Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus (I really dislike the bulbous, shiny design, but not a dealbreaker; comparative sound quality unclear to me)
  • BGVP Q2s (again, case looks barely pocketable)
  • Mifo 05 Pro (case looks large, not sure about sound quality)
  • None of the above: continue using my Shures with dongles (not ideal for switching between portable devices with different ports, or listening and charging at the same time. Also, my left Shure earbud is intermittently cutting out, so I’d need at least new wires soon, but I only got a replacement 18 months ago, which is irritating).
Other possibilities
  • Noble Falcons (a bit expensive, apparently not available in the UK, and possibly on the large side)
  • Mifo 07s (likewise: expensive and the case looks too big)
Ruled out
  • Shure alternatives (Aoinics too expensive; ‘non-true’ wireless seems the worst of all worlds)
  • Sennheiser TMW (too expensive)
  • Sony WF-1000XM3 (massive case)
I have read very mixed reviews on Audio Technica and Klipsch offerings, which I would otherwise be tempted by. Likewise with the TRN BT20s.

Any advice—especially on choosing between those on my shortlist or anything I've missed—would be much appreciated. Thank you!
 

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