Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?
May 14, 2021 at 9:23 AM Post #33,197 of 62,213
OK Thank you again! Are all the 2,5mm cables for IEM´s balanced cables?
Will order the cable (from AE) at the same time i order the Qudelix 5k because the EU custom regulations change at 01.07.2021. From that time on we have to pay custom fees on all orders above 5€ inclusive shipping costs. So it makes sense to get things like this now.
And what do you think about the Tripowin Zonie 16 cable? I ask not because it is slightly cheaper. I ask because it looks like it is braided tighter. So i would expect that it will not twist/tangles that easy.

The 5K is a great device and seems to tick all the boxes for you. I have been very happy with mine and still use it almost daily it is technically not a "true wireless" device but there is a dedicated thread here if you have any questions.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/the-qudelix-5k-thread.914628/

Qudelix support also does a great job in responding if you post on their official (non-headfi) forum.
 
May 14, 2021 at 10:16 AM Post #33,199 of 62,213
Thanks for the recommendations everyone, here is a few that seemed to popup:

UE FITS- $199// BT 5.0// Playback per chrage 20hr+// SQ- high
https://custom.ultimateears.com/pages/ue-fits

Nobel Audio Falcon Pro - $ 239// Playback per charge 7hr// SQ- High
https://www.nobleaudio.com/wireless/p/falcon-pro

Lypertek Pureplay Z7- $199.99 // BT 5.2 // Playback per Chrage 10hr but Can charge wirelessly from case? SQ??
https://www.lypertek.com/pureplay-z7

Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch- $129.99// BT 5.0// 50hr per chage// SQ- high
https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/usa/en/products/headphones/melomania-touch

Master Dynamic MW08- $299 // BT 5.2// Charge? // SQ- high
https://www.masterdynamic.com/products/mw08-active-noise-cancelling-true-wireless-earphones


For me the most important factors are Sound Quality, comfort and battery life/ connectivity. Probably hard to fins al those in one:)

ANC is not the biggest issue for me as I've never been a huge fan of it.

Im not sure if there is a big difference between Bluetooth 5.0 and 5.2?

So far it seems the the MWo8's are the best out in the list above? But the UE fits seem like they coudl be the kings of comfort?

Please feel free to add anything else!
I have all but the Z7 and MW08, though I had the MW07 GO and couldn't stand it.

The FITS are, in theory, the most comfortable, but also have the most "neutral" sound signature. It's a grower and I usually find myself enveloped in it after about 45 minutes of listening. It does not immediately grab you as a fantastic pair.

However, the semi-custom fit process is new and temperamental. Luckily, UE has been very accommodating with me on getting the fit just right. New tips #3 arrive today. Keep in mind I have a funky right ear, so this is not entirely their fault.

The Melomania Touch have a warm, robust sounds signature (similar to the M&D), but provide enough midrange and treble detail to avoid being dark. Some have had issues with firmware that have since been corrected while others have issues with charging in the case.

The Technics also have a charging issue; the case parasitically drains the battery over time. This becomes a non-issue if they're your daily driver, but I have pulled my pair out a couple times only to find the battery completely dead. Just got my second pair back via RMA. Hopefully this has been corrected, but I'm not optimistic. Don't care; like the FITS, they have an airiness about them that makes them a mainstay in the collection.

The Lypertek and Noble will probably be the best all-rounders, just at different ends of the price spectrum. I don't have the Lypertek, so can't comment on it. I do have the Noble. Ergonomics? Check? SQ? Check. Good app and stable firmware? Check. AptX Adaptive, so far, has not been ready for primetime, though, so I recommend running them on aptX instead. Very sensitive IEMs, but the app includes a pre-gain slider to help with volume control. If you can max those out, I question your sanity.

Wouldn't put too much stock in the sub-variants of BT 5. There's theoretical benefits in latency and range, but it's pretty negligible in practice.
Interesting.. First time I have heard about the Technics AZ70
He and I might be the sole acolytes for the AZ70Ws left for reasons mentioned above. I positively love them, though.
Any suggestions for a good sports wireless IEM's?
Jabra Elite Active 75t. Swap the tips with EPro TW00 to improve the tip grip and you'll have a rock-solid pair of workout buds you can also take with you into a day of WebEx calls. Firmware updates introduced ANC, which is serviceable, but as you mentioned it's not a priority, consider it a fringe benefit. Unlike the 65t/85t, these are tuned for fun. Don't do serious listening on these. Break personal records with 'em.

If you want more info, feel free to PM me (I am not a vendor and I am not trying to peddle my own wares). Just believe these purchases are personal things and it'll take time to make a personal recommendation.
 
May 14, 2021 at 10:21 AM Post #33,200 of 62,213
@tiagopinto
At the moment we have a tax free threshold of ~26€. Every Package with value below this is tax free and gets delivered to your home address without any additional cost. At 01.07.2021 this will change. From that date on every package with a value above 5,20€ will cost tax. And here in Germany you have 2 choices.
1. You can pay the tax at the customs office. But you have to drive to the office for each package (for me ~20km forth and 20km back) and most of the time wait 1h and more to get the package.
2. You can allow DHL to do it for you (then you can pay when the package is delivered to your home address). But this will cost extra fees. If the custom declaration for the package is complete and everything is correct you only have to pay 6€ ontop of the 19% tax (DHL takes this money becuase they pay the tax in advance and this is the fee for it). If DHL has to handle the custom papers because it is not filled in correctly from the sender they take another 28,50€ for doing it.
So if you get a 6€ package from outside the EU (inclusive shipping costs) and you get it yourself at the custom office you will have to pay 1,14€ tax
If the papers are correct filled in and DHL handles the package, you have to pay additional 7,14€ (6€ DHL fee +1,14€ tax)
If the papers are not correct filled in and DHL has to do everything it will cost you additional 35,64€ (28,50 DHL custom declaration fee, 6€ DHL fee for paying the tax in advance +1,14€ tax)
Regardless what you do. It will end up in way more work (for every package from outside the EU) or it will get very expensive.
So at the moment i order a lot of stuff. Usually i would order the stuff over the next few month but because of the new regulation i try to get it to me before 01.07.
I hope that for example Aliexpress will get Warehouses inside the EU ready when the new regulation is in place. But it will take time to get everything smooth running again.
And even if they ger the warehouses inside the EU. You can be sure that everything will get a bit more expensive.

 
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May 14, 2021 at 10:22 AM Post #33,201 of 62,213
Thank you guys for recommending FiiO UTWS3 + ZAX COMBO. Fantastic sound.
Any other recommendations to use with UTWS3, maybe with a little darker signature. UTWS3 + ZAX is a little bright for me.
Did anybody tried any Campfire Audio Products with Fiio?
The DUNU DK-3001 pro are outstanding withe the MMCX version of the UTWS3…. probably end-game for me…but it is a 600 euro outlay🤪
 
May 14, 2021 at 10:23 AM Post #33,202 of 62,213
OK Thank you again! Are all the 2,5mm cables for IEM´s balanced cables?
Will order the cable (from AE) at the same time i order the Qudelix 5k because the EU custom regulations change at 01.07.2021. From that time on we have to pay custom fees on all orders above 5€ inclusive shipping costs. So it makes sense to get things like this now.
And what do you think about the Tripowin Zonie 16 cable? I ask not because it is slightly cheaper. I ask because it looks like it is braided tighter. So i would expect that it will not twist/tangles that easy.

The Zonie should work out well, too. I just recommend the C8 because ears I trust own it and love it. Would not expect the Zonie to be a massive departure from that.

The cables I use come from the company pictured; they won't be Tripowin cheap, but it also wouldn't surprise me if they're all built under the same roof anyway. Fwiw, some of these companies are not allowed to be discussed on Head-Fi for...unsavory business practices. These guys have given me no grief.
IMG_20210513_144756.jpg

They can also be terminated in 2-pin or QDC if that's what your IEM needs. Never tangles.
Thank you guys for recommending FiiO UTWS3 + ZAX COMBO. Fantastic sound.
Any other recommendations to use with UTWS3, maybe with a little darker signature. UTWS3 + ZAX is a little bright for me.
Did anybody tried any Campfire Audio Products with Fiio?
Not the Fiio, but my writeup for the Comet with the iBasso CF01 is up earlier in this thread. Mixed feelings, but that has more to do with the Comet itself than the pairing. No hiss, but it's also not an Andromeda, so can't say definitively if you'll experience it. Once my OE adapters show up, I'll run the gamut on my 2-pin IEMs.
 
May 14, 2021 at 10:24 AM Post #33,203 of 62,213
The DUNU DK-3001 pro are outstanding withe the MMCX version of the UTWS3…. probably end-game for me…but it is a 600 euro outlay🤪
100% agree, just on a different adapter. That IEM in general is a neutral-lover's dream.
 
May 14, 2021 at 10:27 AM Post #33,204 of 62,213
B60423DA-28C6-4624-8450-555BEE110DB6.jpeg

Pairing was as simple as opening the case (once I removed the blue shipping tape from the contacts) and opening thr Bluetooth settings on my iPhone. I was immediately impressed with the sound! These have considerably more power than my TRN BT20S, and the ZAX sound even better.
The fit is very light, but also a bit loose for me. If you look closely, you can see that they don’t even touch the top of my ear. I’ll have to run and jump and play in them to see if that’s gonna be any issue.
One minor complaint…they don’t seem to automatically connect when I take them out for subsequent listens - I have to open Bluetooth settings on my phone and click on their name. Maybe they would if I let them go for a bit longer….
 

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May 14, 2021 at 10:38 AM Post #33,205 of 62,213
Thank you guys for recommending FiiO UTWS3 + ZAX COMBO. Fantastic sound.
Any other recommendations to use with UTWS3, maybe with a little darker signature. UTWS3 + ZAX is a little bright for me.
Did anybody tried any Campfire Audio Products with Fiio?
I don't find the UTWS3 and ZAX combo bright at all. Have you tried EQing the treble down a bit? The Fiio app hasn't been working that well for me but Wavelet is pretty awesome.

The Moondrop B2 Dusk is a excellent pairing as well. I wouldn't necessarily call them "dark" but has a somewhat warmer sound. More like neutral with bass boost.

Depending on your budget, you could also try the Aria, which has supposedly a warmer, bassier sound. Or the Starfield which is more neutral. I haven't heard those those two so take that with a grain of salt.
 
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May 14, 2021 at 11:12 AM Post #33,206 of 62,213
I also do not find the ZAX bright in any way with the UTWS3, quite the contrary really…a bit heavier on mid-bass than the DUNU but also sounds excellent (considering it is a fifth the price of the DUNU)
 
May 14, 2021 at 11:15 AM Post #33,207 of 62,213
B60423DA-28C6-4624-8450-555BEE110DB6.jpeg
Pairing was as simple as opening the case (once I removed the blue shipping tape from the contacts) and opening thr Bluetooth settings on my iPhone. I was immediately impressed with the sound! These have considerably more power than my TRN BT20S, and the ZAX sound even better.
The fit is very light, but also a bit loose for me. If you look closely, you can see that they don’t even touch the top of my ear. I’ll have to run and jump and play in them to see if that’s gonna be any issue.
One minor complaint…they don’t seem to automatically connect when I take them out for subsequent listens - I have to open Bluetooth settings on my phone and click on their name. Maybe they would if I let them go for a bit longer….
Not to be that guy, but are you sure polarity is good? Wouldn't be the first time one of these pairs is wired out of phase with each other
 
May 14, 2021 at 11:15 AM Post #33,208 of 62,213
Love the wireless experience and willing to accept slightly reduced sound performance. Having used quite a few various Bluetooth cables, the best I came across is definitely ikko itb05, it supports 2 akm4377 DACs can drive demanding sets. So far very good (it has its own limitation and downside obvious)

Close 2nd would be CF01 - had it got more power to drive my EJ09, it would be close to perfect to me: easy to use (like AirPods), good battery life (3hrs if max vol), turn your IEMs into TWS. Battery case has pads to protect your sets and big enough for large sets.

ITB05 - has to get a separate (£10) case in preparing for returning to commuting
C91B2E66-1F8C-447D-BD54-E8D1A0BA1AF2.jpeg
 
May 14, 2021 at 11:47 AM Post #33,209 of 62,213
Love the wireless experience and willing to accept slightly reduced sound performance. Having used quite a few various Bluetooth cables, the best I came across is definitely ikko itb05, it supports 2 akm4377 DACs can drive demanding sets. So far very good (it has its own limitation and downside obvious)

Close 2nd would be CF01 - had it got more power to drive my EJ09, it would be close to perfect to me: easy to use (like AirPods), good battery life (3hrs if max vol), turn your IEMs into TWS. Battery case has pads to protect your sets and big enough for large sets.

ITB05 - has to get a separate (£10) case in preparing for returning to commuting
C91B2E66-1F8C-447D-BD54-E8D1A0BA1AF2.jpeg
What codecs does the Ikko support? I assume aptx HD, aptX, AAC, and SBC?
 

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