[jant71]

What a shame. Mpow has quality products and shouldn’t have thought they needed shill reviews.

There is always Amazon Japan. Still 1 M5 Plus left and ships to the US...

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Airplay is 16bit / 44.1kHz aka CD-quality. I assume wifi chips much more power hungry in comparison and TWS as a device is still heavily limited by sheer physics.

Yep. It's a combo of the power management and having to acquire licensure for WiFi transmission of audio. Being this late to the game, Apple doesn't have much to be able to make their own, but they also strike me as being fundamentally against a licensing play with someone like Sonos. It'll be interesting to see how they manage it.

 

[samandhi]

Mentioned them yesterday and a Gamesky video today

Those look fantastic. So for aesthetics they get an A+, but pressing 3 times for volume control??? That is just ridiculous setting the second most used setting as the hardest to do on the fly. In the grand scheme of things, it is not really that hard, but you get what I'm saying.

As for sound? What would you compare them to sound signature-wise? I am not really interested at this point in buying them (per se'), as I have plenty to keep me occupied ATM, but one never knows right?!

 

[TK33]

Ah nice I have quite a few local files too. DSDs sound incredible.

right now I’m rolling with Tidal and Qobuz. How does Amazon compare?

I came across an app or some kind of product a while back that synchronizes playlists and songs between services but I can’t remember where I saw it. I’m kind wasting storage on my DAP SD card because I have some of the same tracks stored offline.

Are you thinking of Soundiiz?

 

[jant71]

Those look fantastic. So for aesthetics they get an A+, but pressing 3 times for volume control??? That is just ridiculous setting the second most used setting as the hardest to do on the fly. In the grand scheme of things, it is not really that hard, but you get what I'm saying.

As for sound? What would you compare them to sound signature-wise? I am not really interested at this point in buying them (per se'), as I have plenty to keep me occupied ATM, but one never knows right?!

Don't have them so can't tell for sure what the sig really is or how the driver set-up presents. Interesting this pic...

People talking about the high detail also makes me think this could be the Magnetostat like in the Shuoer Tape and the BGVP Zero. In that case I could say what it might sound like cause I did have the tape Very feasible cause the Zero was $79 so these being $99 is not out of the question. Weird naming might be a clue since they can't use the magnetostat name so Noble used it and called it something, Shuoer called it Electrostat, BGVP EST etc. so Sabbat going with the odd balanced membrane thing seems like another we had to come up with a name cause we can't call it magnetostat situation.

 

[chinmie]

Any idea if he plans to build a Bluetooth version with LDAC? I might hold off until then.

I've been really digging the BTR5 the last few days. It's the perfect companion for IEMs on the go IMO. Makes me wonder why I didn't purchase them sooner. Although, I still like my Hip Dac a lot, the BTR5 just seems to be pair better with a wider variety of IEMs. Having such wonderful sound and power in such a tiny device is quite amazing. Only reason I chose the Hip Dac in the beginning was the MQA license and it's sleek design and power output. Still a great, lovely sounding DAC though.

the BTR5 is a great product that i recommend a lot to my friends. if i haven't owned my BlueDAC already, i might have purchase it, as it has a better build, transport control, and smaller footprint, while sound-wise i still prefer the BlueDAC slightly.

Hip DAC is also good, but nowadays i can't stand the hassle of being tethered to my music player. the sound improvement from the BTR5 is minimal enough that i prefer the BTR5 more (and even like the sound better in some instances)

Mentioned them yesterday and a Gamesky video today

always love the Sabbat, i see this one adopts the newer Vooplay case, which is better. the only thing that i don't get is why Sabbat still doesn't have a support app for their product at this time of day, seeing even the cheaper chifis like the QCY or Haylou would have one.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

the BTR5 is a great product that i recommend a lot to my friends. if i haven't owned my BlueDAC already, i might have purchase it, as it has a better build, transport control, and smaller footprint, while sound-wise i still prefer the BlueDAC slightly.

Hip DAC is also good, but nowadays i can't stand the hassle of being tethered to my music player. the sound improvement from the BTR5 is minimal enough that i prefer the BTR5 more (and even like the sound better in some instances)

Yeah, I love this little thing BTR5. It's a near perfect device in my book. The size reminds me of a an old iPod shuffle (USB stick). Those things used to cost a $100 bucks back in the day.

If I had to really nitpick, it would be that it has a 2.5mm instead of 4.4mm balanced jack. Made me buy a Fiio LB-4.4m cable. And I wish that it could mirror my phone and make use of that beautiful OLED display, so that I could switch playlists or albums in Tidal, etc. Instead of having to pick up my phone.

I agree. The Hip DAC attached to my phone is like carrying a brick. I like to browse on my phone while listening to music and this makes my arm tired. Having a Bluetooth transport with LDAC is really nice. I have to make sure I'm on optimal quality setting everytime I connect though. It sets to adaptive by default.

 

[samandhi]

Don't have them so can't tell for sure what the sig really is or how the driver set-up presents. Interesting this pic...

People talking about the high detail also makes me think this could be the Magnetostat like in the Shuoer Tape and the BGVP Zero. In that case I could say what it might sound like cause I did have the tape Very feasible cause the Zero was $79 so these being $99 is not out of the question. Weird naming might be a clue since they can't use the magnetostat name so Noble used it and called it something, Shuoer called it Electrostat, BGVP EST etc. so Sabbat going with the odd balanced membrane thing seems like another we had to come up with a name cause we can't call it magnetostat situation.

I find it odd that they chose to call it something besides Orthodynamics (planar), but to call it an electrostatic driver seems like it is false. Normally with an elctrostatic driver, you need a special amp that converts normal electricity to static electricity. I might be behind on my driver "lore" here so forgive if I'm wrong.

As for Magnetostatic drivers, this is the same way a planar magnetic driver works. Sure there might be some differences to make them different (propritary), but it seems (from the reading I have done on them) they are overall the same.

Can you confirm or correct me on this?

 

[chinmie]

I find it odd that they chose to call it something besides Orthodynamics (planar), but to call it an electrostatic driver seems like it is false. Normally with an elctrostatic driver, you need a special amp that converts normal electricity to static electricity. I might be behind on my driver "lore" here so forgive if I'm wrong.

As for Magnetostatic drivers, this is the same way a planar magnetic driver works. Sure there might be some differences to make them different (propritary), but it seems (from the reading I have done on them) they are overall the same.

Can you confirm or correct me on this?

the translation /description are a bit over the places, some website saying it's a dynamic and BA driver hybrid (calling it DM driver), some say 2 DD config, and also one website saying it planar tech

 

[FYLegend]

Here is my review of the SoundPeats T2. Due to a number of issues encountered which may or may not be due to a faulty unit, I have decided to include a weighted and unweighted score depending on the scenario. I have also included details about using the AirReps156x app to enable/adjust some features, which might also work on many other Airoha earbuds. Unfortunately the T2 has the EQ feature disabled - it works fine on my TaoTronics 94 but adjustment is cumbersome and the default setting sounds worse than the original tuning..

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/so...reless-earbuds-tws.25068/reviews#review-26000

 

[Peddler]

Tronsmart are producing some excellent products at affordable prices. Whilst I still think my Sony WF1000XM3's sound, look and feel better than their Tronsmart counterparts, they still represent excellent value for money. They have kindly sent me pretty much their entire catalogue of bluetooth products to review and haven't put any pressure on me to award them with top marks. The truth is that their products deserve the praise. I think it's a bit of a shame about Mpow - I also rated their products highly for their value for money but I guess they really need to trust in their products a bit more and not try to influence genuine reviewers.

These new Sony WF1000XM4's do look interesting but I'm very reluctant to spend any more money on headphones as I already have way too many in my collection (although I can pretty much rationalise the need for each one - I bet I'm not alone there!). Since getting my WF1000XM3 and WH1000XM2's I've resisted buying any more.

The truth is, I'm getting old and I have to accept that my hearing isn't going to be as good as in my teens. I can't help thinking that we're rapidly approaching the stage where any improvements to the sound are going to be quite subtle for me. I love the sound of the Sony WF and WH headphones - whilst I accept that they're not the most accurate out there, they are extremely 'musical' in my opinion and I'm still happy with my purchase.

Due to their price I tend to only use the Sony's for static stuff - they're just too damned expensive to accidentally run them over with the lawnmower! This is where Tronsmart's Apollo Bold and Apollo Air's come into their own.

 

[FYLegend]

Chi-Fi means of course no ambient once again. Too many presses for volume 3 up and 3 down. They seem to sound good. The right tips and some Cowon EQ would be interesting to see how good they can get. Always like the shape since they have the rear bump that let's you press on them w/o making them sink in to the ear more. Might keep an eye for a good sale. Also think if he says they leak and are bright I'm thinking a better seal is there for the taking Sure they could use other tips to get the best out of them. They probably come with the too soft kind like a KZ.

I didn't mind the triple press on the E12 Ultra as it worked very well and quick. More annoying is that I've had other earbuds where triple or double taps must be made with a certain timing. Not sure why Chi-Fi are ditching ambient. Disappointed at this price point and I do wonder if the chipset itself is capable of it as well.

If there's some Qualcomm API available out there why can't someone just make a third-party app that has the option to enable ambient or ANC (if the chipset supports it). Does GAIA Control have this? There's an app for Airoha devices (AirReps156X) but it's unavailable for iOS or Windows 10 (but the adjustments you make in the Android app can be temporarily retained until you power them off).

The shape looks nice, the originals did not stay in my ears well and I did not get why people were saying it was good enough. I also don't have much confidence in Sabbat QC - I know many have received good units but I've been 2-times unlucky so far (both of my E12 and E12 Ultra had channel imbalance).

 

[FYLegend]

Tronsmart are producing some excellent products at affordable prices. Whilst I still think my Sony WF1000XM3's sound, look and feel better than their Tronsmart counterparts, they still represent excellent value for money. They have kindly sent me pretty much their entire catalogue of bluetooth products to review and haven't put any pressure on me to award them with top marks. The truth is that their products deserve the praise. I think it's a bit of a shame about Mpow - I also rated their products highly for their value for money but I guess they really need to trust in their products a bit more and not try to influence genuine reviewers.

I would like to try Tronsmart more, but their lack of availability on Amazon.ca and long Aliexpress/Geekbuying shipping keeps me hanging. My Onyx Neo had some channel imbalance and was disappointed by the battery life. Tronsmart's required that I send it back to China before getting a replacement and I decided not to follow with that. Meanwhile some of these budget brands on Amazon would freely ship replacements almost without any warning (no tracking number or anything).

Can't speak for MPOW or Aukey but I did run into something similar with TaoTronics. The box had a giftcard soliciting a 5-star review. If the product was good I would have given them such but it was defective. Unfortunately the replacement also had the same defect albeit less severe and I was still dissatisfied with the case battery life - the company offered a partial refund (no strings attached) but after this they started spamming me weekly to "add another star for service". IF Amazon did have a "customer service/afterservice" rating category, I would give them a high rating, but I also suspect Amazon wants to appear as a single entity embodying these sellers so it is not in their interest to implement something like this. I have seen people give bad ratings for a product wit

It's shady practice and quite annoying, but genuine or not they at least give the sense to care for customers, unlike Samsung reps who play coy with issues with the "do a factory reset"/"get a replacement" gag. I think the bigger violation is that many of these brands are offering full refunds for normal purchases. They will put out a Facebook ad or have a different seller name (especially in Canada). Correct me if I'm wrong but I recall reading that only the seller not the customer is held liable in this situation. However, is this really any different than mainstream reviewers getting review units? I enjoy watching Gamesky, El Jefe, Sean Talks Tech among others but I always have to keep in mind they are using review units. Sean is one of my favourites but he got the SONGX wireless earbuds which really infuriated some of the Indiegogo backers who never received their product.

Busted by Amazon along with Aukey for posting fake reviews etc. Search for mpow amazon ban. Happened around May 11.

Well, TaoTronics is still out there among other brands. Not sure how bad MPOW and Aukey were, but TT basically spammed my inbox every week with a "please add another star to your review" request.

Out of all my daily driver earbuds the Galaxy Buds+ has been the worse in terms of reliablity in the long run. The right bud would drain after 2 weeks of inactivity requiring a slow trickle charge, and now it is also much lower in volume.

 

[zeinharis]

I have bad news and good news.

The bad news is that I won’t able to get my hands on the new Nuarl N10 Plus, because the Nuarl’s authorized dealer here in my country won’t be stocking it for some reasons .

The good news is that the WF1000XM4 is definitely worth the upgrade if you coming from XM3/Jabra 85t/MTW2/Buds Pro, and definitely beats out the B&W Pi7 in terms of sound quality, all I can say right now is “Resolutions” .

Okay it’s more than a week since I bought the Aviot TE-D01g and I got to say it’s growing in me, the sound quality and its technicalities is pretty good for a TWS, I’ve been using it with the Final Type E for TWS. The lack of ANC or an ambient mode is not really bothering me (the passive isolation is excellent), the battery is pretty good, I can get roughly 6 hours and 37 minutes with the EQ on.

 

[Caipirina]

The good news is that the WF1000XM4 is definitely worth the upgrade if you coming from XM3/Jabra 85t/MTW2/Buds Pro, and definitely beats out the B&W Pi7 in terms of sound quality, all I can say right now is “Resolutions” .

Hypothetically, if you somehow already had a review pair (wink wink) How they stack up against the Bose QC buds, especially in the ANC arena?