[miserybeforethemusic]

The other MMCX-2pin adapters finally showed up. For the BT adapter crew out there, figured it'd help if you saw a size comparison:

There's definitely a reason you're paying more for smaller connectors. Build quality is not comparable and it really shows in the amount of extra space the cheaper adatpers require. Those OEs are deceptively small and it translates to a fantastic experience with the CF01. Not factoring in the length of the pins, they're literally half the size. Makes a huge difference in where the IEM falls in your ear, but having both types will allow me to tweak the fit of each IEM to my liking.

 

[tinyman392]

There are probably a lot of better metrics to use to compare codecs. The best would likely be to compare the outgoing signal and compare it to what is expected of it. If there was some way to capture the outgoing signal then uncompress it to the raw PCM, then you could compare it to the source and get a true metric that way. For example, use a FLAC, ALAC, WAV, or other lossless format as input, send it through the BT pipeline, capture the output, decompress it. It would be awesome to see the decompressed signal on the headphone itself, but that likely isn't possible.

From there, you can compare the expected signal (lossless) to the output signal and compare them. The problem now is how do we compare the signals. Do we weight errors at say 1kHz less than errors at 20kHz? How do we weight it, if at all?

 

[SemiAudiophile]

The other MMCX-2pin adapters finally showed up. For the BT adapter crew out there, figured it'd help if you saw a size comparison:



There's definitely a reason you're paying more for smaller connectors. Build quality is not comparable and it really shows in the amount of extra space the cheaper adatpers require. Those OEs are deceptively small and it translates to a fantastic experience with the CF01. Not factoring in the length of the pins, they're literally half the size. Makes a huge difference in where the IEM falls in your ear, but having both types will allow me to tweak the fit of each IEM to my liking.

Thanks for the comparison. Didn't realize how big those cheaper ones were. Glad I didn't get them from AE.

I still notice some dropouts with the OE adapters though. Usually when I'm lying down and the MMCX will swivel around. When I'm sitting upright it's fine.

Man I wish Fiio would make some swappable adapters like TRN did with the BT20S.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Haven't had any dropouts or inadvertent rotations with the OEs and CF01; they lock on very tight. Sorry to hear about the swivel issue. Have already found one of the cheaper connectors that's wired identically left-and-right (meaning if you tried to use them on a keyed IEM, you'd be out of phase).

Am I getting this right with the OE connector, btw? Seems like the outer ring is (+) and the inner core is ground. Might be messing that up, though. I usually let my ears figure it out, but feel really dumb for tossing this around in my head for this long.

There is a pretty significant size difference. I suppose it'll come in handy with some people's ears, especially when they just need that extra 5mm or so of distance. This is why I guinea pig stuff; so other people don't have to

 

[SemiAudiophile]

Am I getting this right with the OE connector, btw? Seems like the outer ring is (+) and the inner core is ground. Might be messing that up, though. I usually let my ears figure it out, but feel really dumb for tossing this around in my head for this long.

Good question, I just assumed (+) meant right and (-) meant left. The other OE adapters had 'L' and 'R' written on them.

 

[samandhi]

I don't have a compatible headset or accessory of any kind to test this with, but in dev options LHDC is an optional codec to select on my mi Mix2S. It's below the LDAC playback options. But I didn't see Xiaomi on that list. Weird.

It is probably because LDHC is in fact open source. It is a good thing that even non HWA members are adopting it. I'm a bit jealous because my Deva support it, but I have to use the crappy Hifiman player to get it (which sounds great, but has no options).

Haven't had any dropouts or inadvertent rotations with the OEs and CF01; they lock on very tight. Sorry to hear about the swivel issue. Have already found one of the cheaper connectors that's wired identically left-and-right (meaning if you tried to use them on a keyed IEM, you'd be out of phase).

Am I getting this right with the OE connector, btw? Seems like the outer ring is (+) and the inner core is ground. Might be messing that up, though. I usually let my ears figure it out, but feel really dumb for tossing this around in my head for this long.

There is a pretty significant size difference. I suppose it'll come in handy with some people's ears, especially when they just need that extra 5mm or so of distance. This is why I guinea pig stuff; so other people don't have to

If you are talking about the MMCX side, it is the other way around. It is Shell=Ground, and Tip=signal. The 2 pin should just be + for one side, and - for the other.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

If you are talking about the MMCX side, it is the other way around. It is Shell=Ground, and Tip=signal. The 2 pin should just be + for one side, and - for the other.

Funny enough, I have one L marking and no polarity markings that I can see on either OE adapter, so have to go off the MMCX side. This should help. Thanks!

 

[samandhi]

Funny enough, I have one L marking and no polarity markings that I can see on either OE adapter, so have to go off the MMCX side. This should help. Thanks!

Oh. That kinda' sux! G'luck, hope you get the right sound?! I am sure with experimentation, your ears will come through for you in the end....

 

[samandhi]

Funny enough, I have one L marking and no polarity markings that I can see on either OE adapter, so have to go off the MMCX side. This should help. Thanks!

It is possible that they picked two of the same type from the factory (that they have the same pinout and not inversed). You may have to do some surgery on one of them if you don't want to send it all the way across the world...

Be careful of the polarity, it COULD damage your drivers...

 

[bronco1015]

It is probably because LDHC is in fact open source. It is a good thing that even non HWA members are adopting it. I'm a bit jealous because my Deva support it, but I have to use the crappy Hifiman player to get it (which sounds great, but has no options).

If you are talking about the MMCX side, it is the other way around. It is Shell=Ground, and Tip=signal. The 2 pin should just be + for one side, and - for the other.

Dang. I go back and forth on buying the deva. This morning, i made a completely random impulse purchase, i owned one of these 4 years ago but it was stolen a while back. a V-Moda Forza Metalo wireless. pretty great detail retrieval imo, plus love how comfortable they were. I may regret this purchase when they get here though, but there are situations where I prefer a neckband. curious how they'll sound vs the AZ70, N6P, MTW2 and Bose QC buds. They were still better than my MTW1 i felt, but that was the only TWE i had that came close to them when they went missing.

 

[samandhi]

Dang. I go back and forth on buying the deva. This morning, i made a completely random impulse purchase, i owned one of these 4 years ago but it was stolen a while back. a V-Moda Forza Metalo wireless. pretty great detail retrieval imo, plus love how comfortable they were. I may regret this purchase when they get here though, but there are situations where I prefer a neckband. curious how they'll sound vs the AZ70, N6P, MTW2 and Bose QC buds. They were still better than my MTW1 i felt, but that was the only TWE i had that came close to them when they went missing.

They are well worth it (and actually more IMO). Do let us know how they sound. V-Moda was considered one of the best headphones to get for the fun side for many years. The only reason I never pulled the trigger then was because they were just too bass heavy for my tastes.

 

[jsmiller58]

Unfortunately my CA M5 TWS are likely on their way back to Amazon... With my LG v30 while listening to Audible audiobooks or Tidal music the BT connection is great, but on phone calls the BT connection is very unstable. But worse is the left earbud is no longer charging in the case... sigh, great sound, poor quality...

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Unfortunately my CA M5 TWS are likely on their way back to Amazon... With my LG v30 while listening to Audible audiobooks or Tidal music the BT connection is great, but on phone calls the BT connection is very unstable. But worse is the left earbud is no longer charging in the case... sigh, great sound, poor quality...

The MT still giving you grief? Sorry to hear, bud. Still waiting on a response from the CEO, but I did let him know some of us were still dealing with issues. Hopefully he'll reply back with some good news.

 

[BooleanBones]

Hi All,

First and foremost, thanks to all for all of the informative posts. I never post here as I don't have much in the way of valued input generally, so I typical just read. That being said, I thought I would give my thoughts on the B&W PI5s that I bought and received today. I purchased these in hopes of an improved music listening experience as my number one goal, but possibly for use in my home office for conference calls, etc. I use Air Pods Pro for that currently or an external BT speaker. Below is a summary of my initial tests:

Media player used - iPhone 12 Pro (I used this for neutrality across the headphones)
Earbuds used - Air Pods Pro, B&W PI5, B&O E8 v1, B&W PI3 (will explain non TWS below)
Songs used - No Light No Light-Florence and the Machine, Holloway Blvd-Pogues, Judith-Perfect Circle, Neon Moon-Brooks and Dunn, Flight Response-Days of the New

I will be honest, after listening to the first two songs across the three TWS sets, I put the Airpods and E8s away as there was really no comparison in the range and fullness with the PI5s. I then decided to break out the PI3s as a comparison set. The PI5s are actually very comparable in range and fullness to the PI3s to my surprise. I don't have the ear sensitivity as some of the audiophiles here, but I am quite impressed with the audio performance of these.

Additional functionality thoughts
The ANC and ambient pass through are decent, but the Air Pods win this front so far. The PI5 case is very portable and has both wired/wireless charging ability, which works well. I have had no issues pairing the PI5s with my phone or my Sony MP so far. The case has a small button used for pairing new devices which is a bit hard to press if you have big fingers, but it works ok for me. In addition to sound quality, a big must for me was fit. The E8s left a bad taste in my mouth as they would pop out and are a bit clunky sitting in my ears. So far, the PI5s are very comfortable in my ears and do not feel like they are going to fall out every time I turn my head fast. They come with S/M/L tips, with the Large fitting me best and seating nicely. I will try and update as I use them more as some folks have had BT sync/drop issues with the higher end PI7s, but I have not as yet. I actually let the phone on my patio table and walked 20-25 feet away around the side of my house and no drops. Shout if you have any questions or want me to try something out.

 

[AmericanSpirit]

I’m a believer in high end codecs but bitrates do not tell the entire story when it comes to these things. Implementation matters and AAC over iOS is implemented very well. And then there’s the question of whether my ears can tell a difference. Many report AAC on iOS is audibly transparent. I will admit that LDAC and AptxHD sound better to me than SBC and Aptx but it gets much harder when AAC is involved.

I tested HD560S with various codec, and my impression was
LDAC SQ preferred mode>huge dynamic range illustration difference >AptX HD>SBC>AAC when using BTR5. Not sure what bitrate is AAC on BTR5 though. AAC sounded very flat to me, like 192kbps .mp4