[clerkpalmer]

Been researching Wireless IEM for the past couple of days. Read a good chunk of this thread and still don't feel like I'm that much closer to reliably being able to choose something than when I started. So I figured I'd make this post before I finally choose a couple of options to buy with return potential.

I've been using Klipsch Image S4 for as long as I can remember. I think I've gone through five or so pairs of them, with a replacement every couple of years as they seem to reliably die around that time. I don't remember the specific models of the alternatives I've tried but I know there was a $200 Shure IEM, a $300 Etymotic IEM, a few different Bose options, and I vaguely remember Ultimate Ears and Beats at some point. All of these were wired. I remember liking the Shure quite a bit, although not as much as the Klispch I ended up with. While I was impressed by the Etymotic, it wasn't really the sound I was looking for and I had major issues with the comfort of the included tips. I hated all the others.

The main thing I'm looking for, and the reason why I've defaulted to the Klipsch S4 all these years, is decent sound separation together with a slightly warm signature. I primarily listen to music that is both complicated in terms of composition and instrument type/quantity and driven by strong energy. Most of what I read suggests that most options (and this is true of cheaper headphones in general) either have more of a balanced sound signature with a potential for strong separation or are heavy on bass to the detriment of clarity. I'm not interested in either/or considering I currently have the option to stick with what I know I enjoy. I will happily accept some weaknesses in how single instruments sound in order to get a degree of separation I find reasonable, however. That's more or less the tradeoff I'm already making with the Klipsch S4.

Anyway, this is long so I'll get to the main point/question.

Does anyone have experience listening to both something along the lines of the S4 (or the Klipsch sound in general) and something along the lines of the Master and Dynamic MW07? The latter seems like one of the only options where the descriptions I'm reading match the sound I'm looking for. I know Klipsch themselves make a True Wireless IEM but they changed their physical design starting with the S6 and they no longer fit my ears whatsoever. I'm worried about trying the T5 out due to similarities, especially since the only brick and mortar store around that carries them isn't accepting returns right now due to Covid. Other recommendations are appreciated, of course.

I used to rock the s4 back in the day. Those were great iems. I used them running and in the gym. I think you would be very satisfied with the mw07 coming from the s4. The mw07 is an upgrade in sq for sure even though they are wireless.

 

[assassin10000]

Generally metal and edm, yeah.

I need something that can handle the wide variance of instruments often found in progressive and symphonic metal, while still having the energy for power metal and (slightly) more mainstream hard rock. My edm tastes are a bit more specific though. I don't really care for the kind of bass you might associate with club thump, bass drops, or more broadly the dance/club part of edm. For the most part, a sound that works with symphonic metal is also going to work with more classically inspired edm like BT and the power metal sound is going to work with more intense synthwave like Carpenter Brut.

I do listen to quite a bit outside of those genres, but most of it is still pretty busy all things considered. Something like the symphonic metal sound is still likely to work better with the pop music that I listen to than the more common vocal centric sound often associated with it. Hell, even the softer stuff I listen to like math rock is well above the mainstream standard for complexity.

Do you mean the Mavin Air-XR? $120 on amazon right now. I'd prefer to try something I can get brick and mortar with a strong return policy first, but I've bookmarked it in case I give up on the mainstream options.

I listen to more vocal trance and melodic style edm. Most of the heavier club style I skip as well. I like a more sub-bass and bass focus, with a lesser amount of mid-bass.

Similar to using a good speaker setup and a subwoofer with a low pass crossover. More clean sounding. Less resonance and more depth, if that makes sense.

 

[jasonb]

So I've been trying the wf1000xm3 with the Wavelet Android app with the autoEQ. I definitely like what it does. It even makes them sound better with the Dekoni Bulletz foam tips.

 

[SavoryTruffle]

I used to rock the s4 back in the day. Those were great iems. I used them running and in the gym. I think you would be very satisfied with the mw07 coming from the s4. The mw07 is an upgrade in sq for sure even though they are wireless.

It's looking like I'll be trying out the mw07 go. Can't find much in the way of obvious mainstream alternatives. If they don't work out I might just go with either Galaxy Buds or Hifiman 600 (mostly because they're cheap-ish) for wireless and stick with wired when I care more about sound.

 

[clerkpalmer]

It's looking like I'll be trying out the mw07 go. Can't find much in the way of obvious mainstream alternatives. If they don't work out I might just go with either Galaxy Buds or Hifiman 600 (mostly because they're cheap-ish) for wireless and stick with wired when I care more about sound.

You might consider the AKG n400 for 200 on amazon. Compared to the mw07 they are less warm and colored. Less v shaped more balanced. They are my new favorites. You can't go wrong either way. The AKG have ANC and support AAC but not aptx. The Go has no ANC, aptx but no AAC.

 

[clerkpalmer]

and stick with wired when I care more about sound.

I think you'll pleasantly surprised by the sq of the true wireless. It won't be a downgrade from the s4. Wireless has come a long way. That said at my desk, I go wired.

 

[jasonb]

I think you'll pleasantly surprised by the sq of the true wireless. It won't be a downgrade from the s4. Wireless has come a long way. That said at my desk, I go wired.

True Wireless can be great for just enjoying the music.

 

[chinmie]

Also i noticed depending on which side of the earbuds I was using as the master, the max volume is a little different. Maybe it's a QCC3020 thing

QCC3020 TWSs does that, each unit (left and right) has different pairing names to the phone, and the phone see each of them as a different BT unit depending on which one's making the connection and act as the master.. so both L and R have individual volume memory of their own.

It's looking like I'll be trying out the mw07 go. Can't find much in the way of obvious mainstream alternatives. If they don't work out I might just go with either Galaxy Buds or Hifiman 600 (mostly because they're cheap-ish) for wireless and stick with wired when I care more about sound.

i used to think that, but in my own experience, nowadays wired only "technically" would give better and less noisy signal when connected to dedicated headphone /earphone amps, and be using higher form of sound file.

if only plugging the wired earphones to a phone jack and listening to streaming music, it's a toss up, and many TWSs would actually sound cleaner.

 

[bedlamite]

Those N400s starting to look good. The comparisons with the Galaxy Buds+ are obvious, seeing how Samsung is AKG's parent company. So the 400s are basically audiophile Buds+ with so-so ANC and poorer software, am I getting this right?

 

[clerkpalmer]

Those N400s starting to look good. The comparisons with the Galaxy Buds+ are obvious, seeing how Samsung is AKG's parent company. So the 400s are basically audiophile Buds+ with so-so ANC and poorer software, am I getting this right?

I cant comment on the Buds plus. ANC seems fine. Not apple or Sony level but as good as m&d and sennheiser. The app works well. The gestures are hit and miss. Definitely not a perfect product on the software side but the sq and hardware are top notch. If it were my money, I would buy them over the mw07 GO for about the same price but both would be excellent. Could always try both and send one back.

 

[bedlamite]

I cant comment on the Buds plus. ANC seems fine. Not apple or Sony level but as good as m&d and sennheiser. The app works well. The gestures are hit and miss. Definitely not a perfect product on the software side but the sq and hardware are top notch. If it were my money, I would buy them over the mw07 GO for about the same price but both would be excellent. Could always try both and send one back.

Yeah, put in an order for a pair of the navys. We'll see how these go.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Yeah, put in an order for a pair of the navys. We'll see how these go.

Cool. I got the silver they are quite fetching.

 

[Jellymang]

Anyone have a recommendation for TWS with really small profile? I was recommended the Tronsmart Spunky Beats and they are the perfect size but the connection strength is very weak with frequent drops (maybe I just got a dud?). So something really similar in size would be good or anything that is quite small, preferably <$50 but open to suggestions.

I was recommended the Treblab XFit, Mavin Air-X, Samsung Galaxy Buds, Mifo 07 as small; if anyone can attest to those vs. Spunky Beats size that'd be awesome too

 

[Hyperfluxe]

Caveat: I haven't revisited this thread in months, so I still need to read the last 30 or so pages of this thread to get a general idea of the current landscape. I might already have made a decision by the time I'm done skimming over those pages. That being said, here goes:

My Sennheiser MTW TWS 2.0 (which I've been using for nearly 3 weeks now) arrived late via the Amazon CA Fulfilment Center, so I still have another 15 days left to return them for a full refund.

Is it worth upgrading to the new MW07+ given that they're the same price in CAD? I use TWS Bluetooth IEMs only for training (full home gym powerlifting setup) or activities requiring arm mobility (since I can't reach for my phone + wired IEMs). So far, from what I gather, SQ is better on the MW07+ but ANC isn't good. Also, I don't think I need the MW07 Go because I don't do excessive aerobic activity, it's heavily anaerobic since this is my competitve sport. In other words, I don't sweat much, just heavy squats/bench/deadlifts with 15 mins daily LISS low-impact cardio on a Rogue EchoBike. Streaming is done with my LG V60 with LDAC playback using Tidal or Spotify.

I use my FiiO FH7 on the go with an LG V60 when I can freely access my phone. No USB DAC/amp dongle is required on any LG phones given their TOTL ESS Sabre DACs and 3.5mm audio jack. At home I've been using the same FiiO FH7 IEM with a FiiO BTR5 amp (in USB wired mode with my 2020 Dell XPS 17). I have a pair of Fostex TH-900 closed backs on their way which will be my first pair of mid-range headphones.

I primarily listen to extreme Metal subgenres (Black, Death, Doom, Thrash, etc.) and DnB (Neurofunk, liquid, techstepm drumstep). Here's a long post I made in the Metal headphones megathread the other day, my Last.FM profile, and my Soundcloud profile for reference. Cheers.

Edit: I forgot to mention that I initially had connectivity issues with my MTW 2.0, even with the latest firmware, but it's been smooth sailing ever since that isolated incident. Not sure what the issue was but I heard it's common with earlier firmware versions of the app. Also, I've tired the Sony WF1000XM3 and Galaxy Buds+, wasn't the biggest fan.

 

[SavoryTruffle]

You might consider the AKG n400 for 200 on amazon. Compared to the mw07 they are less warm and colored. Less v shaped more balanced. They are my new favorites. You can't go wrong either way. The AKG have ANC and support AAC but not aptx. The Go has no ANC, aptx but no AAC.

I've heard good things about the sound but there are a few things that make me hesitate. I don't want to go through amazon until I exhaust my brick and mortar options, for one. Second, the (initial) battery life is the minimum I would consider, and below what I really want. Charging via the case isn't really relevant for my purposes. Third, I do not want active noise cancellation (as in forced ANC would be a dealbreaker) and I've heard enough about other IEM with ANC being weird that I'm not big on taking a chance here. Finally, the $200 price point is about where I'd have to be really super happy to be willing to pay. The main reason I mentioned the Galaxy Buds is because the original can be gotten around closer to $100.

The reason I would still consider wired isn't because I expect that they're all better. It's because there's just so many more options at so many more price points. Honestly, if I wasn't specifically looking to upgrade to wireless I would've probably just blind bought a pair of Moondrop Starfield and called it a day. There doesn't seem to be a similar 'default' choice for wireless.

(I think my phrasing did imply that I think wired have inherently better sound. I have no idea how wireless sound these days. What I meant was that I would still consider a cheap wireless iem for general home use even if I spent more on a wired iem specifically for music.)