[tiagopinto]

@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.

​

Thank you very much for the thorough explanation. That’s what happens already with whatever comes from the US. Except that VAT taxes in Portugal are 23% (instead of Germany’s 19%, that’s because Portugal has so much better wages than Germany... sorry, sad sarcasm) but yes, Europe is protecting itself more and more trade-wise. But it also has to be able to provide for alternatives on products for consumers “internally” and I don’t think the EU market is anywhere near that. So, it’s just more tax money taken from Europeans and at the same time it’s Europe protecting itself from massive Chinese trade control. The positives will outweigh the negatives in the long run, or so I hope, but meanwhile the consumer is paying for the eventual change.

Sorry for the longer off-topic but I believe this may be of interest to people here. Cheers.

 

[Jaunty]

Sounds faulty to me, i dont think i had a single dropout with them and `i used them in the city of london tons, jogging, etc. iphone xs max

Oh that’s great to hear! Will see what M&D say.

 

[bronco1015]

Hi guys! Im about to buy myself a TWS set, but its isnt easy to choose one.. I will NOT be spending 3-400 usd on a new TWS. Im looking for max 200 new. I also use LG V40 with Android 10.
Does someone have experience with:

* Panasonic RZ-S500? Seems like a very good deal at 99 usd and it got full pot at "What HiFi".
* Moondrop Sparks? They look stunningly good! And the price is very good.
*Anker soundcore liberty air 2 (with or without pro) or other Anker TWS?
*Jabra elite (active)75T?
* LG Tonefree FN6/7 series? They seems very interesting since they are tunes by Meridian and for what i can understand they have some form of spatial audio? (Im fan of spatial audio, as long is done right).

Its important for me that it can be connected to 2 phones at the same time and that the micro Phone is decent( Teams meetings at work). Stable connectivity and decent soundquality. Its not gonna be my critical listening buds at all. Just buds for work, podcast and music when jogging/Walking

Since i use LGV40, i dont want Airpods og galaxy buds. This is because it seems that i cant use all the features they have since i dont have IPhone or Samsung.

Thanks!

the Tone free FN7 have decent ANC, but the sound was just odd to me. I can't remember enough to go in to detail but i quickly traded them. especially since you mention these will be for out and about, I'd recommend the 75T. Decent SQ that's customizeable, multipoint, good call quality, ambient, they call it hearthrough, ANC after an update, a decent IP rating, I used to swim with a pair of 65T non active and never had an issue, someone else has as well and they've posted about it but can't remember whom. I miss the gym and swimming. Anyway, back on topic, 75T. FWIW, I use both a V40 on Android 10 and a V60 on Android 11.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Hi guys! Im about to buy myself a TWS set, but its isnt easy to choose one.. I will NOT be spending 3-400 usd on a new TWS. Im looking for max 200 new. I also use LG V40 with Android 10.
Does someone have experience with:

* Panasonic RZ-S500? Seems like a very good deal at 99 usd and it got full pot at "What HiFi".
* Moondrop Sparks? They look stunningly good! And the price is very good.
*Anker soundcore liberty air 2 (with or without pro) or other Anker TWS?
*Jabra elite (active)75T?
* LG Tonefree FN6/7 series? They seems very interesting since they are tunes by Meridian and for what i can understand they have some form of spatial audio? (Im fan of spatial audio, as long is done right).

Its important for me that it can be connected to 2 phones at the same time and that the micro Phone is decent( Teams meetings at work). Stable connectivity and decent soundquality. Its not gonna be my critical listening buds at all. Just buds for work, podcast and music when jogging/Walking

Since i use LGV40, i dont want Airpods og galaxy buds. This is because it seems that i cant use all the features they have since i dont have IPhone or Samsung.

Thanks!

You described the Jabra Elite Active 75t. Only pair in my stable (aside from the 85t) that supports multipoint and doesn't cost an arm and leg.

Man, taking a risk on that pair was such a good idea.

The RZ-500 is a lower-end Technics AZ70W. Great for acoustic/live stuff, but could potentially have the Technics' parasitic drain issue with the battery. Just don't lean on What.Hifi's recommendation. They have steered me wrong so many times (cough Sennheiser cough).

The Sparks are brand new; I've heard they're very fun-tuned, but the shell size gives me pause. I'd only get them in black. Moondrop's VDSF tuning is usually a slam dunk for the average listen. Somewhat Harmon-like, but without the exaggerated bass. The app they seem to be developing sounds like a knockout.

The Liberty 2 Pro seems to be the Soundcore to get. I have the Air 2 Pro and it's okay, but unless you need something with stems, I'd honestly pass. SpinFit tips with them are a MUST. The app is phenomenal, though.

Of your list, I would personally get the Jabra EA75t. Best deal if the bunch, especially when you buy the refurb on fleabay from Jabra's official store. They pair amazingly well with both the Final TWS and EPro TW00 tips. Most people will appreciate their fun tuning, but they are responsive enough to EQ that you can tame some of that punchiness out. Take the savings and get one of Jabra's Link 380 dongles for when you need to run Teams on the computer as well; they do make a variant specific for Teams compatibility.

Feel free to ask any more questions about the choices mentioned.

Happy hunting!

 

[Caipirina]

Hi guys! Im about to buy myself a TWS set, but its isnt easy to choose one.. I will NOT be spending 3-400 usd on a new TWS. Im looking for max 200 new. I also use LG V40 with Android 10.
Does someone have experience with:

* Panasonic RZ-S500? Seems like a very good deal at 99 usd and it got full pot at "What HiFi".
* Moondrop Sparks? They look stunningly good! And the price is very good.
*Anker soundcore liberty air 2 (with or without pro) or other Anker TWS?
*Jabra elite (active)75T?
* LG Tonefree FN6/7 series? They seems very interesting since they are tunes by Meridian and for what i can understand they have some form of spatial audio? (Im fan of spatial audio, as long is done right).

Its important for me that it can be connected to 2 phones at the same time and that the micro Phone is decent( Teams meetings at work). Stable connectivity and decent soundquality. Its not gonna be my critical listening buds at all. Just buds for work, podcast and music when jogging/Walking

Since i use LGV40, i dont want Airpods og galaxy buds. This is because it seems that i cant use all the features they have since i dont have IPhone or Samsung.

Thanks!

i think the Jabra is the only one in your list that does multi connections. and now also can be upgraded to ANC ...

The panasonics are nice at that price, but I do experience battery drain like described for the Technics .. but sound and ANC are top and 99usd is a great price

 

[Tommy C]

Jabra is very underrated, not known for being a brand geared to audiophiles per se but they really stepped their game up in recent years.
Personally my experience with them has been great. Never any issues, they are super reliable and sound good regardless.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

ADV Update #1

Day 1 of testing is completed with a mixed bag. I will lead off, as I stated yesterday, that I have outstanding questions for ADV and am giving them a chance to respond before I mention them here. Some are engineering-level questions, so I am not expecting a rapid-fire response over the weekend. If something I'm having concerns with falls under that scope, I will also include the word (DISCLAIMER) in that statement to indicate as such.

From purely a listener's standpoint, these are jaw-droppers for those who may appreciate the Melomania Touch, but want just a little less bleed into the mids. Granted, updated MT tunings have significantly helped with this, but the M5 simply digs deeper, with more authority, and doesn't bloat over. Midrange detail is fantastic and I have to imagine this is the kind of treatment Nuarl lovers have been privileged to experience all along.

Things take a pretty heavy departure in practicality. Here's why:

• (DISCLAIMER) These shells, while 3d printed and positively gorgeous, are some of the most slippery buggers around. There are clear detents on each IEM where the user is expected to grab when you remove the bud from the case, but my normal-size hands have a very difficult time removing them. I did suggest to ADV that, since these are 3D printed anyway, they explore texturing these contact surfaces just a little bit to improve grip.
• Related to the above, ADV has gone the route of "best approximation of the average ear" when it comes to overall shape; these may sit perfectly in your concha or they may cause endless grief. I fell asleep with mine in last night, fwiw. Luckily, ADV has a plethora of included tips, including "Type A," "Type B," and some verrrry small foam tips. The only difference I can tell between the two types are loft and width, which should be a boon for people who want to dial that fit in just right. Nozzle length seems unchanged. I will need a lot of time to swap between to see if there's any sonic difference, but currently I can detect none.
• (DISCLAIMER) No app and, therefore, no support for firmware updates that I can see. This was bullet point #1 in my email to ADV as I know that's going to be a dealbreaker for a lot of people.
• These do not seem to support the TWS+ standard, meaning communication is piggybacked from one bud to the next. This could potentially explain why I can't simply pull the second bud from the case and insert the first one while expecting music to continue. This is a TWS standard issue, not ADV's. I don't think it's fair to put that on them
• (DISCLAIMER) Limited control scheme. As there is no dedicated app and (from what I can see no tap gesture for volume control), those who rely on independent volume should look elsewhere. If ADV's response proves that claim as incorrect, I will retract this statement. I know some of you depend on independent volume control, so I am being fully transparent in saying that I don't see it possible here

So it's currently a mixed bag. These are so pretty and this is a pair you wouldn't mind showing off to your non-tech friends. They'll even think they sound amazing. I wish I could say just buy and wait for some firmware fixes, but since I don't see how that's managed at the moment, I can't.

Hype train has not left the station. Casey Jones has no speed to watch for whatsoever, but if you can handle all of the issues I mentioned above and just want a no-BS pair that leans on the more fun side of neutral without losing its technicalities, these are priced exactly where they should be.

 

[SharkSkin]

Hi guys! Im about to buy myself a TWS set, but its isnt easy to choose one.. I will NOT be spending 3-400 usd on a new TWS. Im looking for max 200 new. I also use LG V40 with Android 10.
Does someone have experience with:

* Panasonic RZ-S500? Seems like a very good deal at 99 usd and it got full pot at "What HiFi".
* Moondrop Sparks? They look stunningly good! And the price is very good.
*Anker soundcore liberty air 2 (with or without pro) or other Anker TWS?
*Jabra elite (active)75T?
* LG Tonefree FN6/7 series? They seems very interesting since they are tunes by Meridian and for what i can understand they have some form of spatial audio? (Im fan of spatial audio, as long is done right).

Its important for me that it can be connected to 2 phones at the same time and that the micro Phone is decent( Teams meetings at work). Stable connectivity and decent soundquality. Its not gonna be my critical listening buds at all. Just buds for work, podcast and music when jogging/Walking

Since i use LGV40, i dont want Airpods og galaxy buds. This is because it seems that i cant use all the features they have since i dont have IPhone or Samsung.

Thanks!

I've got the FN6. Out of the box the tuning is weird as bronco1015 said of the FN7. Its completely devoid of bass. No rumble, no impact, not even a bit of punch. And I'm not even a huge basshead. What I will say is that it does at least respond well to EQ, so I decided to keep them and still use them semi-frequently. Oh and in so far as spatial audio, I'm not sure that's really what it is. It has an immersive mode that makes it seem like it has a wider soundstage, but its not what I would consider to be spatial audio.

In so far as Anker TWS, I've got the Liberty Pro 2 and the Life A2 ANC. Pretty similar tuning in that they are bass heavy, with the LP2 having better highs in its out of the box tuning. I find the LP2 responds alright to EQing and I haven't really done much EQing with the Life A2 ANC.

 

[jsmiller58]

All the chatter about the Jabra 75t brings to mind a question - how do they compare to the 85t? I have seen some nice reviews about SQ, ANC, and call quality. Is the 85t a step up? The biggest worry I have is how good a seal these will make and how stable in the ear they will be... Even if something stays in the ear, it bothers me if it “feels” like it is coming out...

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

All the chatter about the Jabra 75t brings to mind a question - how do they compare to the 85t? I have seen some nice reviews about SQ, ANC, and call quality. Is the 85t a step up? The biggest worry I have is how good a seal these will make and how stable in the ear they will be... Even if something stays in the ear, it bothers me if it “feels” like it is coming out...

Not in SQ. The 85t are very boring, and not in a neutral sense. I find they don't have the technicalities to back up the ease of listening.

They're super comfortable, though. Seal is different as the enclosure is vented, so you don't get that same feeling of pressure in your ears as you would normally. They're straight-up all-day comfortable.

Honestly, the 85t only makes sense to me when it's massively marked down. They're a great pair, but even better below $150. I'd still but the EA75t.

 

[zeebee45]

Does anyone have thoughts on the Earsonic Aero tws buds? I've only seen a few reviews and am not comfortable spending such a large amount on a set without seeing more reviews and personal experiences. https://www.earsonics.com/in-ear-monitors/en/aero/#

I was also considering the Noble Falcon Pros but have seen mixed feedback on them having some harshness.

I purchased my first TWS paid last week, the Soundpeats TrueAir2 which are great except they fall out of my ears and are harder to hear when commuting via the subway.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Does anyone have thoughts on the Earsonic Aero tws buds? I've only seen a few reviews and am not comfortable spending such a large amount on a set without seeing more reviews and personal experiences. https://www.earsonics.com/in-ear-monitors/en/aero/#

I was also considering the Noble Falcon Pros but have seen mixed feedback on them having some harshness.

I purchased my first TWS paid last week, the Soundpeats TrueAir2 which are great except they fall out of my ears and are harder to hear when commuting via the subway.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

I don't find the NFP harsh, but the in-app EQ is easy enough to use and dropping the 3k band by a couple notches should help with that pinna excitation. Earsonics makes a fantastic product and I believe @erockg has a set of their TWS, but might be mistaken.

 

[jsmiller58]

Not in SQ. The 85t are very boring, and not in a neutral sense. I find they don't have the technicalities to back up the ease of listening.

They're super comfortable, though. Seal is different as the enclosure is vented, so you don't get that same feeling of pressure in your ears as you would normally. They're straight-up all-day comfortable.

Honestly, the 85t only makes sense to me when it's massively marked down. They're a great pair, but even better below $150. I'd still but the EA75t.

That is extremely appreciated! Saves me both money and frustration!!

I am really just beginning my TWS journey. I have something like 11 over ear headphones and somewhere over 20 wired IEMs. As to TWS, so far, though, only the Soundcore Liberty Pro 2, Soundcore A2 NC, and the Amazon Echo Buds v2. Rather than the try anything approach I used for headphones and IEMs I think I will be more selective with TWS... but really itching to get something really good...

 

[zeebee45]

I don't find the NFP harsh, but the in-app EQ is easy enough to use and dropping the 3k band by a couple notches should help with that pinna excitation. Earsonics makes a fantastic product and I believe @erockg has a set of their TWS, but might be mistaken.

Thank you!! So greatly appreciated; if you were to pick between the Noble and Earsonics for long listening sessions as well as business calls, which would you personally go with?

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Thank you!! So greatly appreciated; if you were to pick between the Noble and Earsonics for long listening sessions as well as business calls, which would you personally go with?

I'd vouch for the Noble. Can't say anything about the Earsonics outside of what I've read from other peoples' accounts. Plenty comfortable and nobody claims over the phone that they can't make out what I'm saying.