Former Sennheiser engineer Axel Grell made a $200 pair of ANC true wireless earbuds - the TWS/1
Feb 7, 2022 at 6:30 PM Post #391 of 494
I've taken my TWS/1 twice to the park to just walk around and had no issues. Your mileage may vary though in different environments.

This was my own experience. I have one of the first batches, so mileage may vary we newer batches.

I have not experienced any disconnect issues with my iPhone XS in the 1 month I have been using them. I have used them Indoor, Outdoor, on Transit and in a rather congested 2.4G RF environment.

Thanks for the feedback. Appreciated.

I've read the entire thread...the TWS/1 seems to a good fit for my use.

The other alternative I've been contemplating is a semi-wired environment with the 7Hz Timeless powered with an ES100 I already have (which has many options for EQ/tuning in their app).

Decisions, decisions.
 
Feb 7, 2022 at 6:35 PM Post #392 of 494
Just another Chinese ODM tweaked wireless.
 
Feb 7, 2022 at 9:59 PM Post #393 of 494
Thanks for the feedback. Appreciated.

I've read the entire thread...the TWS/1 seems to a good fit for my use.

The other alternative I've been contemplating is a semi-wired environment with the 7Hz Timeless powered with an ES100 I already have (which has many options for EQ/tuning in their app).

Decisions, decisions.
The Timeless would probably sound better IMO. Though this is based on others’ impressions and measurements. You lose the active ANC (which isn’t the strongest) though the Timeless doesn’t look like it isolated the strongest, I’d wager it’s about average in the IEM world.
 
Feb 8, 2022 at 9:03 AM Post #394 of 494
Hey everyone! Content drop time!

I read many people here (and on Drop) commenting that they were having trouble understanding the graphical touch instructions, so I put on my videographer‘s hat (and learned a bit about how to apply makeup) and made a short walkthrough of all the touch commands from standard use:


While we were at it, I also filmed other videos to show the unboxing:


Pairing instructions:


and firmware update process:
 
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Feb 8, 2022 at 9:46 AM Post #395 of 494
Just some further feedback:
- I didn't experience any connection drops with the in-ears (FW 2.3.0, LG V50)
- Touch control sensitivity is really good now. Single touch presses are now much more reliable than with the release firmware version
- I didn't have any issues updating the in-ears, neither with the release firmware versions nor the later released versions
- Uploading the SoundID profile takes quite long time (several seconds). I don't know how much data is transferred but I thought it should basically be be some parametric EQ settings which shouldn't be a lot of data.
- ANC works great for low frequency rumble like in a train or airplane

Here are some things which would be great if they could be implemented in a coming firmware version:
- Remember ANC setting so that it will use the previous setting when removing the in-ears from the case
- Switching to the SoundID equalizer currently stops playback and the realtime EQ preview only works for the provided demo samples. I don't know if this is a limitation of Android but it would be great if I could change the EQ settings during normal playback and the settings would then be applied in realtime.
- Add setting for high- and low-gain mode. For background listening it would be nice if there was a low-gain mode which would lower the volume compared to the high-gain setting.
- When changing a setting (e. g. setting transparency on) there's first the message that the setting is applied and then the setting is actually applied. For me it would be more convenient if the setting was first applied and then I got the audio message about the setting.

If would be really great if you could offer replacement filters additionally to replacement ear-tips. During tip rolling I somehow managed that one of the filters got loose.

I really do hope these in-ears get some more attention. I've got some really nice physical bass from these and with the addition of the SoundID profile and the additional parametric EQ you can tune them to whatever sound you like.

Just checking in on the silicone tips. Is this something to be available in the next month or so???
We’re hoping to have tips available on our website after CanJam NYC this month!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! We worked pretty hard on our firmware so far, and Sonarworks worked extended hours improving their backend to speed up the firmware download and give a better progress indicator. It’s our pleasure to see your enjoyment :)

Currently, using the sound samples built-into SoundID is a Sonarworks limitation, and may be due to copyright laws in different countries. It could also be limited due to the way SoundID allows you to quickly switch between EQ settings in real-time… changing the EQ stored internally in the TWS/1 (and TWS1X Drop Edition) does require a short delay that would impact the A/B testing. We are having conferences with Sonarworks about this, and we’ll happily update users if this feature changes or at least offers more demo track variety.

I asked about the cerumen (ear wax) filter for you just now, thanks for your patience while we find out about stocking extra of that part.

Have completed a series of tests using Sony and Samsung phones and the latest firmware loaded on TWS1 (not the DROP version) to check connectivity.
During this test I also started by doing a new pairing after the latest FW was installed to ensure I was starting from scratch

A) Stationary Test: Indoors not moving within home office. 85% volume/Silicone tips.Misic played from phone files, no streaming

Connection was a bit glitchy upon first playing right after removing from case.But became stable and no drops observed. Including while moving around within 10 '.
I retested by taking out of case placing on desk and waiting 10 seconds prior to start playing music. Notice that glitches were none existing.

B) Stationary Test:Now in kitchen. No issue observed until a turned a 2021 LG microwave. Noticed some glitches, that went away as soon as I paused microwave. As I moved away glitches went away. Tested a Senheiser and B&O both did not react to microwave

C) Patio setting : Same conditions a lot of trees and not a lot around me. Everything was ok but if I moved I noticed that music quality was being impacted

D) Change Setting: Went out front door and walk half block to USPS mail box. Experienced 15 connection glitches, If I would stop moving they would pause, but as soon as I moved my phone or my head the connectivity would fail

Decided to place in case and reconnect while outside. The connectivity would not hold

As soon as I walked in the house, place the device in the case and then reconnected and would work normal again

Drove to a nearby children's park and again the connectivity was a challenge.If I placed my phone in pocket, moved my head,etc the connectivity would just go bezerk

Did a test in the morning with my Sony and then in late afternoon with Samsung and the behavior was identical

Tried a few other TWS units as to increase the sampling data and found that in the house office they all performed in an identical fashion. In the kitchen the Grell was sensitive

Outdoors only the Grell exhibited the erratic behavior

For now this testing tells me that the issue is not software ( unless something in the processing portion is using a certain frequency of that is different from other TWs units)
I am inclined towards a hardware issue with some sort of shielding or reference point issue

Would like to hear from others if they have found connection instances and maybe under which conditions and if anyone has any tips would appreciate it
I've taken my TWS/1 twice to the park to just walk around and had no issues. Your mileage may vary though in different environments.
I have not experienced any disconnect issues with my iPhone XS in the 1 month I have been using them. I have used them Indoor, Outdoor, on Transit and in a rather congested 2.4G RF environment.
From Axel: “We had that "one bud is loosing connection" issue in the development phase - and it was solved by firmware. We had the "bad connection" issue (both sides affected) due to hardware limitations - and it was solved by using a plastic ring instead of a real aluminum ring. Therefore, I think the current problems will be solved by firmware 😃
In other words, we were able to observe the signal strength and hardware-bound reception quality of the TWS/1 in various environments, so we feel confident that most people’s TWS/1 should hold a great connection and that the buds will be able to be updated with software to further stabilize the connection, similar to how we resolved the touch responsiveness. Darveniza’s situation seems unusual (interesting that it seems to mostly happen while moving), possibly it will be improved with software, but its great to see a detailed account of his experiments.

As for me, I recorded my experience going for a walk in a local park, during a heavy snowfall at 26°F (right after getting a booster shot… I ended up going to bed early and basically staying in bed all through the next day, I probably should have waited two days 😅):


What do you guys think? Should I do walk and talk videos like this more often?
 
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Feb 8, 2022 at 2:01 PM Post #396 of 494
Just wanted to share another real world ANC experience. 5 hour flight yesterday using them the whole time, except briefly to see how the ANC on the Air Pods Pro compared. Just no contest. The APP let in a much louder background sort of hiss noise. I don't expect any ANC ear buds to compete with the additional isolation of closed back over ears like the Sony WH-1000XM2, and the Sony are definitely better overall for ANC, but the TWS/1 are actually enjoyable to listen to.
 
Feb 9, 2022 at 7:00 PM Post #397 of 494
Just got an email regarding Drop’s discount code for the Drop+Grell TWS1X, use GRELLTWS at checkout for 20% off. If my math is right, that would bring it down to 160 bucks which is a decent price for what you get IMO.
 
Feb 13, 2022 at 8:41 PM Post #398 of 494
@Evshrug today I have observed a problem for the second time within one month. When I put in both earbuds, the left one does not play any music, but it’s touch controls seem to be functioning. When I hold the left touchpad for a while I hear noise on the left bud. Maybe this is transparency mode enabled without music. I also can enable ANC.
The right ear bud is playing music normally and I can hear the effect of the tough input on the left side.

It seems this situation can be fixed by putting both earbuds back into the charging case a few times. I think last time I managed to trigger the left earbud to power cycle somehow while it is was in my ear after trying to click for a very long time. But not sure. In both cases it took 5 minutes of playing around to fix this problem.

Can you please look into this issue. I hope this is just a software issue.

Another thing that I have observed is that sometimes the earbuds loose the pairing with my iPhone (latest IOS). I then have to delete them from the list of my paired Bluetooth devices and pair them fresh. This issue roughly happens once per week.

Thanks for your support!
 
Feb 15, 2022 at 10:39 AM Post #399 of 494
@noneedtoargue This looks like it’s just a settings/software issue, and should be easy to fix. If you’re wearing both earpieces, make sure the music is paused, then touch and hold both earpieces at the same time… keep holding both past the other alerts, until you hear the right earpiece say “Disconnected/Pairing” followed by the left earpiece saying “Power On.” That will have performed a reset on the headphones. Then, go to your Bluetooth menu and forget the TWS/1 or TWS1X, and then select the headphones from the “discoverable” list below.

This should stop that from happening once a week. If you continue having issues, contact us at support@grellaudio.com
 
Feb 17, 2022 at 8:32 PM Post #402 of 494
I like how the TWS/1 sound, what I don't like is how the charging case drains from a full charge to almost empty even if I don't use them for a week. There appears to be no smart charging management with these earphones / case. Is there an explanation for this bad battery drain behavior and can this problem be resolved with firmware?
 
Feb 18, 2022 at 7:23 PM Post #403 of 494
I like how the TWS/1 sound, what I don't like is how the charging case drains from a full charge to almost empty even if I don't use them for a week. There appears to be no smart charging management with these earphones / case. Is there an explanation for this bad battery drain behavior and can this problem be resolved with firmware?
Mine have the same charging problem, it's really annoying
 
Feb 19, 2022 at 8:28 AM Post #404 of 494
I like how the TWS/1 sound, what I don't like is how the charging case drains from a full charge to almost empty even if I don't use them for a week. There appears to be no smart charging management with these earphones / case. Is there an explanation for this bad battery drain behavior and can this problem be resolved with firmware?
Sounds like it's an issue with what the TWS/1 are doing while on "standby", which means that instead of "going to sleep" or something similar, they stay active and are still draining battery.
I believe it can be fixed with a firmware update.
 
Feb 19, 2022 at 1:18 PM Post #405 of 494
Sounds like it's an issue with what the TWS/1 are doing while on "standby", which means that instead of "going to sleep" or something similar, they stay active and are still draining battery.
I believe it can be fixed with a firmware update.
From earlier discussion it was mentioned that they stay in standby for a while so you can reconnect them quickly if needed. I mainly use earphones just to listen to music, so when I'm done I put them back in the charging case and that is it. If the TWS/1 is not switching from a 'standby' mode and shutting down while in the charging case then that is a problem and I hope a firmware update can fix it.
 

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