Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?

[Canabuc]

So I know I am closing up the thread a lot lately it's just that I have been A/Bing many good earbuds at same time of the more will known models.

It is allowing me to really see the pros and cons of each.

For instance one real pro for me if the Jabras are the controls.
Some people prefer touch controls to buttons but if you live in colder climates and wear a hat or gloves good luck.
I went snow shoeing today with thick gloves and a tuque and could still click the controls without telling anything. Impossible with any touch control earbuds. And the buttons are responsive enough that they don't hurt you ears pushing them. You also can control every aspect from ANC/Ambient to track control volume control and vice assistant.
Only the Technics a slow that as well as the 1 more and the Samsung's.

I know this is Head-Fi and sound quality is king but I am assuming most of you own better quality ear it had phones then tws.
So while sound quality is important, if the buds are uncomfortable or fall out or lack water resistance for exercise or don't get loud enough or provide ambient sound then they may not be your best choice even if the sound overall is better.

This is why I am disappoints with the Sony. They fail on controls for me. They lack ip rating. They require an investment in multiple ear tips in trial and error to get a good seal. Even then they seem to want to fall out. They have a bulky case with no QI charging.

This is why Samsung and Jabra are very good options for most. They have great controls great fit small cases can be used for exercise (and even swim with Jabra active model).

L2P lack the ambient sound/ANC and full controls to be my perfect bud.

Jabra active 75t lack Qi charging in most versions and sound while very good is not the best in this category.

Technics lack Qi charging are a bit large and while sound great miss some thump at the low end or they would be a favorite.

1more has everything. Qi great case comfortable fit enjoyable sound but need tuning and a bit more volume. Maybe wavelet?

85t and upcoming galaxy buds pro intrigue me as they eachight give a detailed sound with great base and full controls with ambient sound ANC and QI charging.


Purposely didn't discuss APP because if you don't use iPhone then they are severely limited.

MTW2 and Bose to me are too expensive for this category knowing that technology and battery lifeeans that unlike a headset these have and effective life of 2 years of heavy use.

 

[GradoSR80]

This is a huge thread and interesting topic as the genre of TWS in ear buds develop. I've been on a quest myself recently and I'm looking forward to contributing my experiences on here.

However on this post, I'm posting to reach out/call out any other fellow Earfun Air Pro owners out there. I recently got a pair and though I may have some things to say about it's performance later on, I found that they are extremely frustrating as they always open up the music player and begin to play music each and every time they connect to a device, I have tried this on an iphone, android, and even a blackberry and it does the same for all devices.

With my Earfun Air Pro's, as soon as the Earfun Air Pro's are paired(even on the first initial connection/setup) it immediately and automatically opens up the music player app(default music app for ios, vlc-my default for android, and default music app for blackberry) and begins to play music. In addition, after I stop the music and even close the music player, if I remove one or both of the earbuds momentarily from my ear and stick them back in my ear, the music app will re-open and begin to play music again. I could be on my home screen, or web browsing and it still does this, very annoying, very frustrating.

I'm not sure if my Earfun Air Pro's are defective, or if they sent out a batch with this glitch(I saw that one other recent reviewer on Amazon mentions this), or if this is normal. I understand that the Earfun Air Pro's are supposed to pause/resume music when taken off and put back on while listening to music.. however my issue is that it will do this even if I wasn't listening to music... and in addition, as soon as the Earfun Air Pro pair to my device it opens up the music app and begins to play music and I have to stop it.

I've tried numerous things, like resetting the connection(forgetting the device, etc.), double tapped the reset button, long hold (3+ second) reset, I also tried disabling music app notifications, and of course I've closed the music app altogether, and none of these things worked, the Earfun Air Pro still exhibit the same behavior and proceed to open the music app and plays music once connected.

I hope what I described made sense, apologies for sounding redundant as I was trying to be concise. Essentially my Earfun Air Pro's always launches the music app and begins to plays music, every time, all the time from the first connection to each subsequent temporary removal of the earbud.

 

[dweaver]

Hi folks,

Just arrived in this thread. I usually try to go over what people are saying but 1870 pages is quite overwhelming and search isn’t helping.

I’m looking for a pair of TW earbuds and could definitely use your help.

My main concern, as always, is sound quality with a flat frequency response. I own the Shure Aonic 50 and absolutely love them.

I don’t care about the app or EQ or any fancy features. Transparency mode is a must, ANC and a good battery with a Qi case would be nice.

I bought the B&O E8 Sport, Rapha Edition on an absolute impulse but still haven’t opened the box as I’m struggling to decide if I should send them back after reading about a constant hiss, connection issues, disparate volumes between buds... to me they are very beautiful but I’m more concerned if what is fed into my ears is even more beautiful.
I usually don’t like the Sony or Beats sound signature which I find to be bass bloated, or the Bose which are usually a little bland.

They are also expensive so I’m kind of hoping you may guide me between these and the AirPods Pro, the Senn MTW2... or any other you may recommend. Just like this threads apt title, too soon or are we there yet?

Thanks everyone and have a Happy 2021!

GBUDS+ might be the only pair that had a neutral sound along with Qi as Canabuc mentioned. I own the original Gbuds and they are definitely AKG influenced. My only issue with them is that they seem a bit lifeless, hopefully the + model has fixed that.

I own the AZ70 and I agree with Canabuc about recommending them if your OK losing Qi as they are definitely more neutral than any TWS I have heard which includes Sennhieser MTW and Soundcore L2P but while being neutral they also allow for some sub-bass if present in the song and they definitely do not sound lifeless.

 

[Thesonofkrypton]

Hi folks,

Just arrived in this thread. I usually try to go over what people are saying but 1870 pages is quite overwhelming and search isn’t helping.

I’m looking for a pair of TW earbuds and could definitely use your help.

My main concern, as always, is sound quality with a flat frequency response. I own the Shure Aonic 50 and absolutely love them.

I don’t care about the app or EQ or any fancy features. Transparency mode is a must, ANC and a good battery with a Qi case would be nice.

I bought the B&O E8 Sport, Rapha Edition on an absolute impulse but still haven’t opened the box as I’m struggling to decide if I should send them back after reading about a constant hiss, connection issues, disparate volumes between buds... to me they are very beautiful but I’m more concerned if what is fed into my ears is even more beautiful.
I usually don’t like the Sony or Beats sound signature which I find to be bass bloated, or the Bose which are usually a little bland.

They are also expensive so I’m kind of hoping you may guide me between these and the AirPods Pro, the Senn MTW2... or any other you may recommend. Just like this threads apt title, too soon or are we there yet?

Thanks everyone and have a Happy 2021!

How dare you put Sony and Beats in the same category lol

Out of the options you listed, AirPods Pro for connectivity, call/mic quality and fit. MTW2 for sound quality.

but the Sony would be the smart choice as you can eq the bass down with their app if you’re not a fan of a slightly elevated low end or warm sound. You also get the best anc and sound quality in the game IMO.

 

[Thesonofkrypton]

Got shipping for the Melomania Touch. Looking forward to comparing them to the Sony xm3.

 

[assassin10000]

Hi folks,

Just arrived in this thread. I usually try to go over what people are saying but 1870 pages is quite overwhelming and search isn’t helping.

I’m looking for a pair of TW earbuds and could definitely use your help.

My main concern, as always, is sound quality with a flat frequency response. I own the Shure Aonic 50 and absolutely love them.

I don’t care about the app or EQ or any fancy features. Transparency mode is a must, ANC and a good battery with a Qi case would be nice.

I bought the B&O E8 Sport, Rapha Edition on an absolute impulse but still haven’t opened the box as I’m struggling to decide if I should send them back after reading about a constant hiss, connection issues, disparate volumes between buds... to me they are very beautiful but I’m more concerned if what is fed into my ears is even more beautiful.
I usually don’t like the Sony or Beats sound signature which I find to be bass bloated, or the Bose which are usually a little bland.

They are also expensive so I’m kind of hoping you may guide me between these and the AirPods Pro, the Senn MTW2... or any other you may recommend. Just like this threads apt title, too soon or are we there yet?

Thanks everyone and have a Happy 2021!

None of these will have a flat response, they are mostly in ears and will have some sort of pinna gain. Most are V shaped, some U and a couple L.

You'll need to figure out what IEM signature works for you and then find a TWS that matches it or EQ it to your preferences.

Crinacle has a nice selection of many TWS measurements here:
https://crinacle.com/guide/tws/

Another good source is scarbir.com but no measurements.


Your other option is a TWS adapter like the Fiio UTWS3, TRN BT20S Pro, etc and your choice of IEM/Earbud. Like a Tin T2+

GBUDS+ might be the only pair that had a neutral sound along with Qi as Canabuc mentioned. I own the original Gbuds and they are definitely AKG influenced. My only issue with them is that they seem a bit lifeless, hopefully the + model has fixed that.

I own the AZ70 and I agree with Canabuc about recommending them if your OK losing Qi as they are definitely more neutral than any TWS I have heard which includes Sennhieser MTW and Soundcore L2P but while being neutral they also allow for some sub-bass if present in the song and they definitely do not sound lifeless.

Buds+ aren't flat. They are 2020 Harman. I found them a bit shouty/sibilant and needed to EQ the upper mids/lower treble a hair. Depending on the song they were also a bit thin sounding.

 

[bladefd]

Got shipping for the Melomania Touch. Looking forward to comparing them to the Sony xm3.

Very much looking forward to that comparison!

 

[dweaver]

Hi folks,

Just arrived in this thread. I usually try to go over what people are saying but 1870 pages is quite overwhelming and search isn’t helping.

I’m looking for a pair of TW earbuds and could definitely use your help.

My main concern, as always, is sound quality with a flat frequency response. I own the Shure Aonic 50 and absolutely love them.

I don’t care about the app or EQ or any fancy features. Transparency mode is a must, ANC and a good battery with a Qi case would be nice.

I bought the B&O E8 Sport, Rapha Edition on an absolute impulse but still haven’t opened the box as I’m struggling to decide if I should send them back after reading about a constant hiss, connection issues, disparate volumes between buds... to me they are very beautiful but I’m more concerned if what is fed into my ears is even more beautiful.
I usually don’t like the Sony or Beats sound signature which I find to be bass bloated, or the Bose which are usually a little bland.

They are also expensive so I’m kind of hoping you may guide me between these and the AirPods Pro, the Senn MTW2... or any other you may recommend. Just like this threads apt title, too soon or are we there yet?

Thanks everyone and have a Happy 2021!

None of these will have a flat response, they are mostly in ears and will have some sort of pinna gain. Most are V shaped, some U and a couple L.

You'll need to figure out what IEM signature works for you and then find a TWS that matches it or EQ it to your preferences.

Crinacle has a nice selection of many TWS measurements here:
https://crinacle.com/guide/tws/

Another good source is scarbir.com but no measurements.


Your other option is a TWS adapter like the Fiio UTWS3, TRN BT20S Pro, etc and your choice of IEM/Earbud. Like a Tin T2+




Buds+ aren't flat. They are 2020 Harman. I found them a bit shouty/sibilant and needed to EQ the upper mids/lower treble a hair. Depending on the song they were also a bit thin sounding.

I found the original buds a bit thin sounding as well and at times a bit shouty. I meant neutral as in they don't have a big bass response like a lot of TWS. Its funny that I found them a bit lifeless considering they are also a bit shouty but there was just something about them that missed the mark for me.

The AZ70 will similarly not be neutral as they also have a midrange/treble oriented sound. But they do have more bass than the GBuds especially in the sub-bass region and they manage the midrange and treble more adeptly as well and definitely have a larger sound stage.

 

[Canabuc]

I found the original buds a bit thin sounding as well and at times a bit shouty. I meant neutral as in they don't have a big bass response like a lot of TWS. Its funny that I found them a bit lifeless considering they are also a bit shouty but there was just something about them that missed the mark for me.

The AZ70 will similarly not be neutral as they also have a midrange/treble oriented sound. But they do have more bass than the GBuds especially in the sub-bass region and they manage the midrange and treble more adeptly as well and definitely have a larger sound stage.

Interesting because the buds plus for me have much more Bass than the Technics. If I could that amount of Bass in the AZ70 I would have my perfect sound. Technics mids are so good. Norah Jones sounds better on them than any other set.

 

[dweaver]

Lol I listen to a lot of music like Norah Jones which one of the reasons I really like the AZ70. I also love them for music that has lots of little transient sounds.

 

[dweaver]

Also I remembered I have a pair of Fender FXA2 so took a peek and sure enough they have those fancy TPE tips on them so snagged those and gave them a try. Super comfortable and they have a bit more bass than the Sony tips. They feel weird because of their design so I feel like they are loose but they don't move when I test them. Glad I remembered I had them. Beats the heck out of paying the crazy money for the tips available in Canada. I would buy another pair of Fenders before I would pay 2/3 their cost just for tips.

 

[bladefd]

I finally got to testing the Sony wf-1000xm3. So here’s my comparison of it to Sennheiser cx400bt and kind of Technics AZ70. Technically I no longer have the AZ70 so I can’t do an A/B test with Sony. I can only go by memory of it from 2 weeks ago and my notes. I don’t like to go off memory so I will probably focus more on cx400bt vs Sony xm3 for that reason. I will occasionally mention AZ70, which actually has a fairly similar sound quality to Senns even though the signatures vary a bit ( posted a comparison here - Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet? | Page 1842 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org (head-fi.org) and here - Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet? | Page 1843 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org (head-fi.org) ).


Sony sounds awesome. First observation is they are less loud. Second, the Sony eartips are more comfortable than the Senns/AZ70 (more on it later). Third, Sony app seems nicer than both Technics & Senn with by far the most EQ presets of the three.

Lows - I would say Sony bass quality is almost neck-to-neck with Senn. I truly like the Sony here, which have spectacular lows. Sony seems more fun and energetic than even the Senns, but Senns probably have slightly better quality drivers. I feel I need to bring down the bass a tick on Sony if I want to enjoy music without tiring myself - not that the bass is overwhelming. Issue is it occasionally feels to be blanketing over the mids (depends on song), and I grumble about that a bit. Don’t mess with my mids! You can EQ it by bringing it down so not a big deal. If you listen to heavy metal or rap, you might like Sony the most. AZ70 had clean deep thump, but there was that ‘oomph’ missing.
My ranking in quality: Senn > Sony > AZ70

Mids - Vocals is what I focus on with mids, but certainly important with instruments like piano, guitar, etc. I considered Senn and AZ70 equal in mids. I think Senn/Az70 have cleaner smoother mids than Sony, but it’s so damn close though. I don’t think you will feel mids are lacking with any of the 3, and I don’t feel comfortable ranking one over the other here. Sony lows felt to be getting a bit in the way of mids as I mentioned so I had to EQ lows down a bit. I guess in a vacuum, I will put Sony slightly under the other 2.
My ranking in quality: Senn = AZ70 > Sony

Highs - The Sony sounded very good in highs. I found it getting a bit tiring for certain songs so I brought it down a notch in EQ using manual preset. I didn't feel that way with the more refined Senns or the smoother AZ70. Again, you can EQ it so not big deal, but quality does matter.
My ranking in quality: Senn > AZ70 > Sony

Soundstage - I feel soundstage is very nice on Sony. You could distinguish between different instruments, placement and clear imaging. Soundstage is not quite Senn-level, but close. I think Senn has best soundstage of the 3. I initially said the AZ70 was behind in this category versus the Senn..
My ranking in quality: Senn > Sony > AZ70

Features - Sony and AZ70 battle for this one obviously. Sennheiser cx400bt has no anc, no auto-pause, no ambient mode, and no water resistance. Az70 and Sony has the full package so what’s the difference? Az70 has ipx4 water resistance & best build quality. Sony has best app of the 3 & best ANC. I would choose AZ70 here due to best build quality.
My ranking: AZ70 > Sony >>> Senn

Comfort - I’m surprised to say this but I don’t feel the extra weight & massive size of the Sony (I was expecting fit issues but they fit good for me). With AZ70 I recall constantly feeling they would fall out - they were sticking out bit too far. The Senns felt so hefty (they are like a big block) and ears got stiff after few hours - neither of that with Sony. Sound quality is great, but if your ears hurt, you must consider that. I know a lot of people have fit issues with Sony so I don't want to rank this one. It's difficult to rank comfort for earbuds. It's different from over-ear full-sized headphones.


Overall.. Sony has excellent sound quality and tuning. I would not consider them neutral like the Senns/AZ70, but you can EQ them to your desire. I messed with the EQ for each song, but typically used ‘bright’ or ‘vocal’ presets, which sounded great depending on song (‘excited’ was good too for fast-paced music but bit bass heavy - perfect for rap/rock). Sony definitely seems to have lower latency than Senn (not sure how AZ70 compare without A/B test). Overall sound quality is not as great as Senn, but it is very close.

I don’t know which I am keeping between the Sony and Senn, but I plan on trying the British company Cambridge Audio’s new Melomania Touch. I believe I will keep one of the 3. I’m leaning towards Sony right now, but I won’t decide until next week after testing the Touch. I got Sony for $160, Sennheiser for $130 and Touch will be $150. I will definitely consider everything before choosing 1 of them.

 

[Canabuc]

I finally got to testing the Sony wf-1000xm3. So here’s my comparison of it to Sennheiser cx400bt and kind of Technics AZ70. Technically I no longer have the AZ70 so I can’t do an A/B test with Sony. I can only go by memory of it from 2 weeks ago and my notes. I don’t like to go off memory so I will probably focus more on cx400bt vs Sony xm3 for that reason. I will occasionally mention AZ70, which actually has a fairly similar sound quality to Senns even though the signatures vary a bit ( posted a comparison here - Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet? | Page 1842 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org (head-fi.org) and here - Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet? | Page 1843 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org (head-fi.org) ).


Sony sounds awesome. First observation is they are less loud. Second, the Sony eartips are more comfortable than the Senns/AZ70 (more on it later). Third, Sony app seems nicer than both Technics & Senn with by far the most EQ presets of the three.

Lows - I would say Sony bass quality is almost neck-to-neck with Senn. I truly like the Sony here, which have spectacular lows. Sony seems more fun and energetic than even the Senns, but Senns probably have slightly better quality drivers. I feel I need to bring down the bass a tick on Sony if I want to enjoy music without tiring myself - not that the bass is overwhelming. Issue is it occasionally feels to be blanketing over the mids (depends on song), and I grumble about that a bit. Don’t mess with my mids! You can EQ it by bringing it down so not a big deal. If you listen to heavy metal or rap, you might like Sony the most. AZ70 had clean deep thump, but there was that ‘oomph’ missing.
My ranking in quality: Senn > Sony > AZ70

Mids - Vocals is what I focus on with mids, but certainly important with instruments like piano, guitar, etc. I considered Senn and AZ70 equal in mids. I think Senn/Az70 have cleaner smoother mids than Sony, but it’s so damn close though. I don’t think you will feel mids are lacking with any of the 3, and I don’t feel comfortable ranking one over the other here. Sony lows felt to be getting a bit in the way of mids as I mentioned so I had to EQ lows down a bit. I guess in a vacuum, I will put Sony slightly under the other 2.
My ranking in quality: Senn = AZ70 > Sony

Highs - The Sony sounded very good in highs. I found it getting a bit tiring for certain songs so I brought it down a notch in EQ using manual preset. I didn't feel that way with the more refined Senns or the smoother AZ70. Again, you can EQ it so not big deal, but quality does matter.
My ranking in quality: Senn > AZ70 > Sony

Soundstage - I feel soundstage is very nice on Sony. You could distinguish between different instruments, placement and clear imaging. Soundstage is not quite Senn-level, but close. I think Senn has best soundstage of the 3. I initially said the AZ70 was behind in this category versus the Senn..
My ranking in quality: Senn > Sony > AZ70

Features - Sony and AZ70 battle for this one obviously. Sennheiser cx400bt has no anc, no auto-pause, no ambient mode, and no water resistance. Az70 and Sony has the full package so what’s the difference? Az70 has ipx4 water resistance & best build quality. Sony has best app of the 3 & best ANC. I would choose AZ70 here due to best build quality.
My ranking: AZ70 > Sony >>> Senn

Comfort - I’m surprised to say this but I don’t feel the extra weight & massive size of the Sony (I was expecting fit issues but they fit good for me). With AZ70 I recall constantly feeling they would fall out - they were sticking out bit too far. The Senns felt so hefty (they are like a big block) and ears got stiff after few hours - neither of that with Sony. Sound quality is great, but if your ears hurt, you must consider that. I know a lot of people have fit issues with Sony so I don't want to rank this one. It's difficult to rank comfort for earbuds. It's different from over-ear full-sized headphones.


Overall.. Sony has excellent sound quality and tuning. I would not consider them neutral like the Senns/AZ70, but you can EQ them to your desire. I messed with the EQ for each song, but typically used ‘bright’ or ‘vocal’ presets, which sounded great depending on song (‘excited’ was good too for fast-paced music but bit bass heavy - perfect for rap/rock). Sony definitely seems to have lower latency than Senn (not sure how AZ70 compare without A/B test). Overall sound quality is not as great as Senn, but it is very close.

I don’t know which I am keeping between the Sony and Senn, but I plan on trying the British company Cambridge Audio’s new Melomania Touch. I believe I will keep one of the 3. I’m leaning towards Sony right now, but I won’t decide until next week after testing the Touch. I got Sony for $160, Sennheiser for $130 and Touch will be $150. I will definitely consider everything before choosing 1 of them.

My feelings between Sony and technics mirror yours. Only difference is I could not get a good fit with the Sony. None of stock tips worked for me they were fine if I sit still or walk but if I lean forward I feel them falling out of my ears. Can't imagine exercising with them which is too bad because they are loud and vibrant to great for workouts music. I also hated that the touch controls make you choose between 2 of 3 functions when they could have allowed all 3.

Which tips you using in the Sony?

 

[bladefd]

My feelings between Sony and technics mirror yours. Only difference is I could not get a good fit with the Sony. None of stock tips worked for me they were fine if I sit still or walk but if I lean forward I feel them falling out of my ears. Can't imagine exercising with them which is too bad because they are loud and vibrant to great for workouts music. I also hated that the touch controls make you choose between 2 of 3 functions when they could have allowed all 3.

Which tips you using in the Sony?

Yeah, they are not good for any exercise. They are best if you are sitting on bed reading a book at night or if you are watching nfl/nba on tv & you don't want to listen to the announcers. You can probably use it well for bus/train commuting.

Well, I didn't get good seal with medium silicone so switched to medium Sony triple comfort. Triple comfort have better seal/fit, but sound quality is not as good - little bit muffled. I am thinking of ordering other eartips like Xelastec or Final type e. Someone recommended the Azla earfit on the IEM tips thread. I will do more research and order one of them. I don't know yet which one.

I got symbio f over the weekend, which I only tried with Senn. I will try it tomorrow with the Sony for a few hours. I'm not too optimistic but worth a shot.

My Symbio 'f' take (typed it up few days ago with the intention of comparing to other eartips I buy later, but might as well post now):
I tried the symbio f eartips (all memory foam version) with the sennheiser cx400bt. They are definitely more comfortable than oem. Isolation is improved. I feel the sound is a bit muffled. I think it might be the foam absorbing some of the sound, which is essentially holding down the Soundstage a bit. I noticed that when I realized I had to raise the volume a couple notches. Highs sound more natural and lows are intact. I think the mids might be a bit sacrificed. I boosted up the mids (and lower end of treble) a bit with EQ & vocals sound better.

In the grand scheme of things, symbio are great if you want extra comfort, maintain bass/treble but sacrifice some of the mids/soundstage/details by extension. Mids are easy to fix with EQ, but soundstage you can't do much about.

 

[scstubbs]

Thank you all for your time and work! All the ideas, opinions, reviews, and input are helpful! I'm a long time lurker of head-fi, going back years.

But I have particularly spent many hours on this thread the last months. TWS did not interest me until I got a pair of Xiaomi Airdots. Even with their quirks, they changed my mind. Cooking while listening to a podcast, with my girlfriend next to me studying opera is cool.

It's exciting to see developments in Bluetooth, like LE Audio. It'll be nice to have a standard where one pair of TWS can connect to a phone and a laptop simultaneously. My girlfriend and I want to listen to Opera together with our own TWS. So two TWS connected to one device broadcasting is also pretty cool. I'm aware of some proprietary solutions. And they're all very exciting. But I won't be happy until my mother can seamlessly use bluetooth.

I'd like to give you my input of the Apollo Bold compared to my Airdots. My dream pair of buds are the Sennheiser MTW2, but as it's such an investment I'm waiting for the next version.

I bought the Apollo bold for the ANC and returned them because the ANC did not work for me at all. The Apollo Bolds large oval tips barely protrude from the case. The Xiaomi Airdots are smaller with a longer stem. I tested the ANC with a window air conditioning unit, a sound machine, and a television. With low, medium, and high volumes (of outside noise with music off) the Xiaomi Airdots canceled out the same amount or more noise. It's because my seal was not appropriate.

Now I won't even compare the audio quality here, the Apollo Bold sound much better. They are after all in another class. I have little ears and believe that somebody with medium size ears would really enjoy the incredible value of ANC under $100.

Finessing an appropriate seal with my fingers while holding the Bolds in place gave a glimpse to the amazing ANC it has. it's particularly good at drowning out lower frequencies such as the air conditioning and sound machine. It's really incredible technology. I just wanted to write a heads up for anybody with small ears, that these might not be the best buds for you. And to repeat what many others before me have said, passive noise cancellation from a good seal is the most important thing.

I've returned the Bolds and am anxiously awaiting to jam the Edifier TWS6 deep into my ear canal when they finally arrive.

Upon researching them I came across the Edifier Ejoy5, which look like an updated TWS6. Notably they offer ambient mode! I do a lot of city biking, so I'd value a TWS with comfortable ambient mode.

Edifier Ejoy5