[Juturna]

I'm actually so confused trying to find my next true wireless earbud, i've been going back and forth in my mind trying to decide.
I live in a country with extremely limited return policies when it comes to earphones so if I buy something I don't like... i'm either keeping it or selling it at a loss.

So do y'all have any recommendations? I like versatile sound with a decently slamming mid-bass with good timing, and some sub-bass that can be felt when the music warrants it, but I don't like boomy bloated bass that bleeds into the mids and just takes away from the overall experience. What is important to me though is a good/wide soundstage (I mean, as wide as the soundstage can get on an earbud) and decent mids and highs with clarity on top of that bass. I'm pretty sensitive towards sibilance and harsh treble but I like a little sparkle up there too, so i'm not sure where I exactly land on the "bright vs dark" when it comes to the highs.
I also value decent to good call quality, since my old WF-1000XM3's had TERRIBLE call quality and nobody could basically hear me at all if I wasn't sitting at home in an extremely quiet environment.
ANC is a plus, transparency mode is a plus too, a case with wireless charging would be great too but once again not a necessity. I'm using an iPhone currently so it doesn't matter much if it doesn't have AptX or LDAC.

I did not enjoy the sound of the WF-1000XM3's in hindsight, the poor fit made me feel like the sound was congested, lacking in bass in the right places with an excess in the wrong places, lack of detail and a very narrow soundstage, but in the end it wasn't the sound that was the deal breaker, it was the rest: Poor fit, poor call quality, huge case, etc.
I've had plenty of different TWS's and there are plenty that I haven't enjoyed, like the Master & Dynamic MW07's, the Galaxy Buds (first gen), and most of them were just OK and not much else.

I've looked at the Sennheiser Momentum TW2's, Sony WF-1000XM4, Devialet Gemini and I do think the PI7's are the best sounding TWS I've heard, but it's too expensive. My budget is around $300 and I could extend that to pay $320 for the Devialets if they're worth it, but the PI7's are $430 where i'm at (or actually, directly converted from the local currency to USD it's $514) and that's just too goddamn expensive.

 

[Taz777]

I'm actually so confused trying to find my next true wireless earbud, i've been going back and forth in my mind trying to decide.
I live in a country with extremely limited return policies when it comes to earphones so if I buy something I don't like... i'm either keeping it or selling it at a loss.

So do y'all have any recommendations? I like versatile sound with a decently slamming mid-bass with good timing, and some sub-bass that can be felt when the music warrants it, but I don't like boomy bloated bass that bleeds into the mids and just takes away from the overall experience. What is important to me though is a good/wide soundstage (I mean, as wide as the soundstage can get on an earbud) and decent mids and highs with clarity on top of that bass. I'm pretty sensitive towards sibilance and harsh treble but I like a little sparkle up there too, so i'm not sure where I exactly land on the "bright vs dark" when it comes to the highs.
I also value decent to good call quality, since my old WF-1000XM3's had TERRIBLE call quality and nobody could basically hear me at all if I wasn't sitting at home in an extremely quiet environment.
ANC is a plus, transparency mode is a plus too, a case with wireless charging would be great too but once again not a necessity. I'm using an iPhone currently so it doesn't matter much if it doesn't have AptX or LDAC.

I did not enjoy the sound of the WF-1000XM3's in hindsight, the poor fit made me feel like the sound was congested, lacking in bass in the right places with an excess in the wrong places, lack of detail and a very narrow soundstage, but in the end it wasn't the sound that was the deal breaker, it was the rest: Poor fit, poor call quality, huge case, etc.
I've had plenty of different TWS's and there are plenty that I haven't enjoyed, like the Master & Dynamic MW07's, the Galaxy Buds (first gen), and most of them were just OK and not much else.

I've looked at the Sennheiser Momentum TW2's, Sony WF-1000XM4, Devialet Gemini and I do think the PI7's are the best sounding TWS I've heard, but it's too expensive. My budget is around $300 and I could extend that to pay $320 for the Devialets if they're worth it, but the PI7's are $430 where i'm at (or actually, directly converted from the local currency to USD it's $514) and that's just too goddamn expensive.

I've been in the same situation as you. However, I've never had a TWS earbud before, apart from a few days with Apple Airpods Pro, which I returned due to poor call quality with my XS Max phone. I've now changed phones and have spent around a week reading countless online reviews and watching YouTube videos of various TWS earbuds.

It seems like every TWS earbud is the best and the worst depending on which review you read!

After an aborted attempt at buying Sennheiser MTW2 (seller sent used rather than new), I've settled upon Jabra Elite 85t, which I've just received through an excellent Amazon Prime Day deal. Given my use cases (call quality and good for listening to music on my long evening walks) I thought the 85t earbuds ticked the most boxes whilst not being being outstanding in any one category. It was a bit of a left-field choice as the 85t didn't even make my original shortlist!

I'll know in a few days if I've made the right decision.

 

[gwompki]

I'm actually so confused trying to find my next true wireless earbud, i've been going back and forth in my mind trying to decide.
I live in a country with extremely limited return policies when it comes to earphones so if I buy something I don't like... i'm either keeping it or selling it at a loss.

So do y'all have any recommendations? I like versatile sound with a decently slamming mid-bass with good timing, and some sub-bass that can be felt when the music warrants it, but I don't like boomy bloated bass that bleeds into the mids and just takes away from the overall experience. What is important to me though is a good/wide soundstage (I mean, as wide as the soundstage can get on an earbud) and decent mids and highs with clarity on top of that bass. I'm pretty sensitive towards sibilance and harsh treble but I like a little sparkle up there too, so i'm not sure where I exactly land on the "bright vs dark" when it comes to the highs.
I also value decent to good call quality, since my old WF-1000XM3's had TERRIBLE call quality and nobody could basically hear me at all if I wasn't sitting at home in an extremely quiet environment.
ANC is a plus, transparency mode is a plus too, a case with wireless charging would be great too but once again not a necessity. I'm using an iPhone currently so it doesn't matter much if it doesn't have AptX or LDAC.

I did not enjoy the sound of the WF-1000XM3's in hindsight, the poor fit made me feel like the sound was congested, lacking in bass in the right places with an excess in the wrong places, lack of detail and a very narrow soundstage, but in the end it wasn't the sound that was the deal breaker, it was the rest: Poor fit, poor call quality, huge case, etc.
I've had plenty of different TWS's and there are plenty that I haven't enjoyed, like the Master & Dynamic MW07's, the Galaxy Buds (first gen), and most of them were just OK and not much else.

I've looked at the Sennheiser Momentum TW2's, Sony WF-1000XM4, Devialet Gemini and I do think the PI7's are the best sounding TWS I've heard, but it's too expensive. My budget is around $300 and I could extend that to pay $320 for the Devialets if they're worth it, but the PI7's are $430 where i'm at (or actually, directly converted from the local currency to USD it's $514) and that's just too goddamn expensive.

If you didn't care for the sound of the XM3, I would stay away from the XM4. VERY similar sound signature to my ears. I never tested the call quality because I could never get past the sound. I currently am testing the Bose QC buds which have a very pleasing sound, but the form factor and other features are not nearly as nice as the Sonys. I have a set of Devialet Geminis scheduled to arrive tomorrow that I'm hoping will be the last stop on this journey. I can let you know my impressions of those once I receive them. Fingers crossed they will be the last stop on this journey.

 

[tiagopinto]

I'm actually so confused trying to find my next true wireless earbud, i've been going back and forth in my mind trying to decide.
I live in a country with extremely limited return policies when it comes to earphones so if I buy something I don't like... i'm either keeping it or selling it at a loss.

So do y'all have any recommendations? I like versatile sound with a decently slamming mid-bass with good timing, and some sub-bass that can be felt when the music warrants it, but I don't like boomy bloated bass that bleeds into the mids and just takes away from the overall experience. What is important to me though is a good/wide soundstage (I mean, as wide as the soundstage can get on an earbud) and decent mids and highs with clarity on top of that bass. I'm pretty sensitive towards sibilance and harsh treble but I like a little sparkle up there too, so i'm not sure where I exactly land on the "bright vs dark" when it comes to the highs.
I also value decent to good call quality, since my old WF-1000XM3's had TERRIBLE call quality and nobody could basically hear me at all if I wasn't sitting at home in an extremely quiet environment.
ANC is a plus, transparency mode is a plus too, a case with wireless charging would be great too but once again not a necessity. I'm using an iPhone currently so it doesn't matter much if it doesn't have AptX or LDAC.

I did not enjoy the sound of the WF-1000XM3's in hindsight, the poor fit made me feel like the sound was congested, lacking in bass in the right places with an excess in the wrong places, lack of detail and a very narrow soundstage, but in the end it wasn't the sound that was the deal breaker, it was the rest: Poor fit, poor call quality, huge case, etc.
I've had plenty of different TWS's and there are plenty that I haven't enjoyed, like the Master & Dynamic MW07's, the Galaxy Buds (first gen), and most of them were just OK and not much else.

I've looked at the Sennheiser Momentum TW2's, Sony WF-1000XM4, Devialet Gemini and I do think the PI7's are the best sounding TWS I've heard, but it's too expensive. My budget is around $300 and I could extend that to pay $320 for the Devialets if they're worth it, but the PI7's are $430 where i'm at (or actually, directly converted from the local currency to USD it's $514) and that's just too goddamn expensive.

Aren’t we all on the same boat...

The wanted specs you describe are on my list as well. My first priority is sound quality, the rest are bonuses. For my budget, I went for the CA MT. At 130€ they’re absolutely unbeatable. Great sound (for bluetooth earbuds at this price and well above), great comfort, very good battery, very good app, nice but sensitive controls, scaled transparency mode, no ANC, no Qi.

@miserybeforethemusic will probably recommend the ADV M5, in this category. I trust his judgment. Like you, I’m not able to try out many options but I’d risk these.

I wouldn’t go for the Sony or Bose, because I don’t like their “house sound” (more so on the Sony), although their ANC is top notch and Sony have some other interesting specs. I wouldn’t go for the B&W because of price and horrid battery life.
For a mid-priced one, I’d jump at the KEF MU3 or the NFP, mainly for their sound characteristics. Or even the MTW2, although they have some battery issues.
For a higher priced option, probably the Gemini.

But, as I have stated, this is a fast paced slice of the market, soon to change a lot (BTLEAudio/LC3). So, being on a tight budget, I’m not keen on spending too much here. Very happy with the MT, for now.

I've been in the same situation as you. However, I've never had a TWS earbud before, apart from a few days with Apple Airpods Pro, which I returned due to poor call quality with my XS Max phone. I've now changed phones and have spent around a week reading countless online reviews and watching YouTube videos of various TWS earbuds.

It seems like every TWS earbud is the best and the worst depending on which review you read!

After an aborted attempt at buying Sennheiser MTW2 (seller sent used rather than new), I've settled upon Jabra Elite 85t, which I've just received through an excellent Amazon Prime Day deal. Given my use cases (call quality and good for listening to music on my long evening walks) I thought the 85t earbuds ticked the most boxes whilst not being being outstanding in any one category. It was a bit of a left-field choice as the 85t didn't even make my original shortlist!

I'll know in a few days if I've made the right decision.

This is also an option I considered. The 85t have most of the specs I want but they slightly fall short on the most important one for me, so I couldn’t go there. But a great all-rounder for sure.

 

[Taz777]

Jabra Elite 85t - First Impressions! - UPDATED

I've had several hours of use with my new Jabra Elite 85t wireless IEMs and and here are some first impressions in case these are on anyone else's TWS shortlist.

Packaging
Very good, fuss-free packaging. Mostly recyclable cardboard too, if you're a 'greenie' (which I am). It's typical IEM packaging and just contains the minimum that you need.

Initial Setup
Charged the case using a USB-C cable (which is also included). I could have used wireless charging too as the case supports Qi charging. The charge status LED on the front of the case is simple to understand. They were supplied almost fully charged so charging to full charge for both the case and the earbuds took just a few minutes. Whilst I was charging them I installed the Jabra Sound+ iOS app on my iPhone 12 Mini. Once charged, I took out the earbuds and put them into my ears using the stock Medium tips which were preinstalled - you get one pair of Small and one pair of Large eartips in the box. Initial feel was they weren't quite pushed into my ear properly, but actually were!

As this was a first-time use, the voice prompts from the earbuds guided me to run the app and begin the setup. The Jabra Sound+ app is pretty decent. It's been designed quite well and is fairly intuitive to use. It takes you through the steps you need to get up and running quickly. The app updated the firmware in the 85t earbuds as part of the initial setup process. Updating the firmware did take quite a while: something like 13 minutes. You have to put the earbuds back into the case to get the firmware updated and the case LED flashes purple during the update process.

One of the tasks included in the app is the MyFit test - this tests if your earbuds are fitted properly in your ears. My right one wasn't so I adjusted it and re-ran the test. The advice the test provides is to adjust the earbud or use another sized eartip. I changed the tip to the Large size and re-ran the test and this worked. So I have Medium in the left ear and Large in the right ear - this does freak my OCD out where everything must be perfectly symmetrical!

There's also a MySound test in the app. This generates different frequencies at different volumes and you tap an area on the app if you can hear the sound. It does this both for the left and right earbuds and then analyses the results to create a profile for your ears. You can then apply this profile to music if you want to. I will do an A/B test for MySound on/off to see if it makes a difference another time.

There's a lot more in the app which I'll go through in the coming days. But, overall, getting the 85t earbuds personalised for my ears didn't take too long and the process was fairly straightforward thanks to a good app and the ergonomics of the 85t earbuds.

The Fit and Comfort
With the different sized eartips, the fit is very good. I generally don't like wearing IEMs, yet here I am a few hours into wearing them at home and enjoying them. The tips are quite shallow. This is mostly good as it doesn't feel like I'm wearing earbuds. On the downside, the centre of gravity is further out from your ears so it sometimes feels like they aren't inserted properly so you may end up trying to twist and push them further in until you get used to the sensation.

As the earbuds are vented, there's far less of the feeling of ears being plugged. It's still there, just to a lesser extent. Shaking my head with some vigour doesn't dislodge the 85t earbuds, which is a positive.

Each earbud has a single push button for call and music functions, and is programmable via the Jabra Sound+ app.

[Edit] Very acceptable fit and comfort during a 1.5 hour evening walk. The 85t earbuds were not fatiguing to listen to or wear during the walk. They were very comfortable and I didn't feel the need to adjust them in any way. I only noticed the right earpiece every now and then which, I think, is due to a less than perfect fit due to the shape of my right ear canal. For the most part, the 85t earbuds just provided the music and didn't get in the way of listening to the music. The ergonomics worked reasonably well.

Call Quality
This was an important requirement for me. I called my home phone's answering machine and made a 30-second voice test. When I listened to it on my home phone's answering machine I was a little disappointed. The call quality wasn't as good as I had hoped for. It was very 'fuzzy' and loaded with noise. Given it's the Jabra brand, this made it even more disappointing. I'll try some WhatsApp calls to test this out more.

[Edit] Just had my first long phone call using the 85t earbuds via Facetime Audio, and the incoming audio was crystal clear and when I asked the caller how my audio was he said it was very clear. That's a big relief to me! I've reduced the Sidetone to around 25% - this is the feature that let's you hear your own voice during a call.

Music Sound Quality
My music source is the Neutron Music App and the TIDAL app, all playing music in lossless CD-quality or better. I have not made any EQ adjustments in my music source app or the Jabra Sound+ app, so these impressions are for a 'flat' sound EQ.

First impressions are of a lovely, mellow sound signature. There's certainly no harshness to it, which means it's very listenable for extended listening sessions. It's a great sound signature for bedtime listening, which is a positive for me.

There is a good amount of airiness and detail in the sound. The mid-bass is slightly pronounced. It doesn't feel like I'm listening to heavily processed music through AAC. The Jabra Elite 85t manage to do a good of keeping my music sounding musical, which is extremely important to me, The is plenty of volume available - I'm listening at 50% and it's just at the point of being a little too loud in my current quiet environment. I'll need to bump up the volume when walking outdoors but there's plenty available.

My reference for music sound quality is my Beyerdynamic Xelento IEMs and those are clearly superior for music quality in terms of clarity and depth. However, for casual listening, the 85t earbuds are 'good' - if I was marking them out of 10 where the Xelentos were a 10, I'd give the 85t a 7 out of 10. When I'm walking outside there's a ton of noise around me so that equalises things a bit more, with the added convenience of not having a wire in the way.

[Edit] I went for a long evening walk of around 1.5 hours. The weather was sunny but quite breezy so an ideal opportunity to test out the 'Advanced ANC' features of the 85t. Firstly, music quality was good. I was enjoying my music during the walk. I also didn't experience the 'sounds of my own body' - like foot fall - during my walk. Those are sounds I hear with my other IEMs which plug the ear fully. This is a big positive for me as I could focus on the music a lot more. The wind was picking up quite a bit so I tried out ANC (pressing the left earpiece button, which cycles through HearThrough, ANC and Off - more on HearThrough shortly). The ANC was very acceptable. The wind noise was dramatically reduced. During my walk I stopped to talk with my local barber who was closing his shop for the day - an ideal opportunity to try out HearThrough which lets you listen to external sounds. This worked pretty well. Not perfect at all, but it worked well enough. There is a HearThrough adjustment level in the Sound+ app to see if I can improve this feature. I've found no reason to use any EQ at the moment. I probably will make slight adjustments in the future. The sound is perfectly acceptable for listening to my genre of music (Smooth Jazz and Soul) without applying any EQ. What I have done is configure Neutron Music Player to deliver the best sound quality that it can to iOS before it all gets sent via AAC to the 85t earbuds (e.g. 64-bit processing, dither, etc, etc).

Keep or Return?
I haven't bothered with the EQ, ANC or any of the other fancy features of the Jabra 85t earbuds yet, those are still on my To-Do list. For the price I paid, the ease of use, ergonomics and 'good enough' music sound quality, these do tick a sufficient number of boxes for me, although I don't have any other TWS earbuds to compare them directly to. The phone call quality, or lack of it, is something I need to explore over time as there may be options to improve it. Soooooooooo...

[Edit] I'm sure other TWS earbuds excel in some areas but, as a package, the 85t earbuds provide acceptable or good standards in the areas that are important to me. Now that I've tried more of the features out and they've all worked well enough...

Answer: Keep!

All of the above are my personal opinions. YMMV.

 

[revand]

They're going to wind up in hot water for that "first LDAC" claim, then, as the XM4 are already on the market.

For some reason, I can't just impulse-buy these. $125ish for the 2-BA model is more than fair, but I'm not excited about these. Must be because I already have the WH3, so please don't let me sway your decisions.

I backed the single dynamic version of WH2 on Kickstarter. Anyone was able to compare (I mean among the reviewers) the new SONY WF-1000XM4 and the Hiby WH2? It would be interesting to hear about this....

 

[Luchyres]

I'm enjoying the Devialet Gemini sound - but an annoying issue has cropped up. It seems that every few seconds to minutes the touch-panel on one of the buds is being triggered pausing or unpausing music at random intervals. At first I thought it was my hair or something affecting source app but after removing those variables it seems the TWS itself may be somehow triggering the touch zone internally (perhaps moisture, it is humid here right now). It seems to be the right bud which also is 20% lower battery than the L....

I've tried an initial go at re-setting, but thus far no success - the issue is still happening. If anyone else has experienced this or has a good tip please let me know!

I did turn off the "auto-pause when an earbud is removed" option just in case.

Thanks!

 

[Juturna]

If you didn't care for the sound of the XM3, I would stay away from the XM4. VERY similar sound signature to my ears. I never tested the call quality because I could never get past the sound. I currently am testing the Bose QC buds which have a very pleasing sound, but the form factor and other features are not nearly as nice as the Sonys. I have a set of Devialet Geminis scheduled to arrive tomorrow that I'm hoping will be the last stop on this journey. I can let you know my impressions of those once I receive them. Fingers crossed they will be the last stop on this journey.

Ah, it's so annoying! The XM4's are pretty much, in my opinion at least, the perfect set of true wireless earbuds if you don't count the actual sound. Which is obviously the single most important aspect of a set of earbuds, at least to us music enthusiasts. I thought the XM3's were the definition of "good enough" when it came to the sound. I was never impressed, I was never amazed at how good something sounded, but I rarely thought anything sounded like junk. But as they died I realized that I just didn't like the sound signature. So not what I would call BAD sound, just mediocre.

But yes, let me know what you think about them! I discounted them right away when I saw Flossy Carters video on them, but it seems like they've done a proper overhaul of them so I'm kinda starting to take them a bit more seriously right now!

 

[Juturna]

Aren’t we all on the same boat...

The wanted specs you describe are on my list as well. My first priority is sound quality, the rest are bonuses. For my budget, I went for the CA MT. At 130€ they’re absolutely unbeatable. Great sound (for bluetooth earbuds at this price and well above), great comfort, very good battery, very good app, nice but sensitive controls, scaled transparency mode, no ANC, no Qi.

@miserybeforethemusic will probably recommend the ADV M5, in this category. I trust his judgment. Like you, I’m not able to try out many options but I’d risk these.

I wouldn’t go for the Sony or Bose, because I don’t like their “house sound” (more so on the Sony), although their ANC is top notch and Sony have some other interesting specs. I wouldn’t go for the B&W because of price and horrid battery life.
For a mid-priced one, I’d jump at the KEF MU3 or the NFP, mainly for their sound characteristics. Or even the MTW2, although they have some battery issues.
For a higher priced option, probably the Gemini.

But, as I have stated, this is a fast paced slice of the market, soon to change a lot (BTLEAudio/LC3). So, being on a tight budget, I’m not keen on spending too much here. Very happy with the MT, for now.



This is also an option I considered. The 85t have most of the specs I want but they slightly fall short on the most important one for me, so I couldn’t go there. But a great all-rounder for sure.

Ah, thanks for the detailed response! I was originally gonna order the CA MT's too, but I feel like they lack a few of the features that I want right now, because I'm trying to just get myself a pair of earbuds that will be my go-to earbuds for at least a year or so. So I really do want the ANC, Qi, comfortable fit, reasonably sized charging case and all that jazz. I could see myself ordering the CA MT's more like a complement if anything because of that price, but yeah.


I've heard some really bad things about the sound on the KEF MU3 and the NFP's are way too expensive for me to order them overseas as well not being able to demo them. I live in Europe and I definitely prefer ordering at least from within the EU if possible, to avoid unnecessary import taxes and stuff, I think the NFP's would end up costing me as much as the PI7's if I ordered them honestly. I can find the KEF MU3 but from what i've heard they're not worth the money.

I'm thinking the MTW2's or the Gemini's right now, but i'm worried about the Gemini still after all the issues people seem to be having with them. The MTW2's sound pretty good and where i'm at they cost like... $70 less than the Gemini's, it's not enough to warrant going for the MTW2 if they sound worse than the Gemini's in my opinion.

 

[Luchyres]

Ah, thanks for the detailed response! I was originally gonna order the CA MT's too, but I feel like they lack a few of the features that I want right now, because I'm trying to just get myself a pair of earbuds that will be my go-to earbuds for at least a year or so. So I really do want the ANC, Qi, comfortable fit, reasonably sized charging case and all that jazz. I could see myself ordering the CA MT's more like a complement if anything because of that price, but yeah.


I've heard some really bad things about the sound on the KEF MU3 and the NFP's are way too expensive for me to order them overseas as well not being able to demo them. I live in Europe and I definitely prefer ordering at least from within the EU if possible, to avoid unnecessary import taxes and stuff, I think the NFP's would end up costing me as much as the PI7's if I ordered them honestly. I can find the KEF MU3 but from what i've heard they're not worth the money.

I'm thinking the MTW2's or the Gemini's right now, but i'm worried about the Gemini still after all the issues people seem to be having with them. The MTW2's sound pretty good and where i'm at they cost like... $70 less than the Gemini's, it's not enough to warrant going for the MTW2 if they sound worse than the Gemini's in my opinion.

I'm pretty excited to check out the JBL Tour Pro+ - they don't have stellar ANC, but they should be EQ able to your liking and have other stuff like wireless charging.

They may be what I keep and send the Devialet back if this pausing issue doesn't stop. (See a few posts back)

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

I backed the single dynamic version of WH2 on Kickstarter. Anyone was able to compare (I mean among the reviewers) the new SONY WF-1000XM4 and the Hiby WH2? It would be interesting to hear about this....

I'd ask @twister6 or some of the folks who got review samples. Going off the WH3, thought, they're totally different tonalities. Don't think I'd consider the WH2 and XM4 to be a very apples-to-apples comparison outside of their support for LDAC.

 

[Juturna]

I'm pretty excited to check out the JBL Tour Pro+ - they don't have stellar ANC, but they should be EQ able to your liking and have other stuff like wireless charging.

They may be what I keep and send the Devialet back if this pausing issue doesn't stop. (See a few posts back)

Oh, okay! I haven't really had a firm grip on what JBL has been doing in the earbud department at all, I feel like they did some decent stuff back in the mid 00's but then I feel like they just started to do even more super consumer-oriented stuff with boomy bass and cheap feeling to it. I don't know if this has changed but i'm curious to hear your take on them.

Yeah I saw that post, sounds really annoying! Also feels bad that they still have issues even after stopping the sales and everything for awhile.
Would love to hear a detailed comparison on the Devialet vs the PI7's because the PI7's are honestly the gold standard for me when it comes to sound in true wireless earbuds, detailed, decent soundstage, not afraid to push some extra bass in tracks where it's warranted, they fit me better than any other earbud has... but then we have everything else: No EQ in app (which for $400 ain't okay in my book), only being able to trigger transparency mode THROUGH the app, poor battery life (acceptable battery life to me at the start, but when the battery has degraded a bit... wowee that will be a mess), ANC that's only okay, etc.

Like, i'm fine with not having the best ANC, but if i'm paying that much I am expecting quite a bit.

I saw someone selling basically unused Bose QC Earbuds for $100, I almost wanted to go for it, but I think i'm going to hate the sound quality and that case is a freaking monstrous thing.

 

[Juturna]

I've been in the same situation as you. However, I've never had a TWS earbud before, apart from a few days with Apple Airpods Pro, which I returned due to poor call quality with my XS Max phone. I've now changed phones and have spent around a week reading countless online reviews and watching YouTube videos of various TWS earbuds.

It seems like every TWS earbud is the best and the worst depending on which review you read!

After an aborted attempt at buying Sennheiser MTW2 (seller sent used rather than new), I've settled upon Jabra Elite 85t, which I've just received through an excellent Amazon Prime Day deal. Given my use cases (call quality and good for listening to music on my long evening walks) I thought the 85t earbuds ticked the most boxes whilst not being being outstanding in any one category. It was a bit of a left-field choice as the 85t didn't even make my original shortlist!

I'll know in a few days if I've made the right decision.

I've actually tried the Jabra 85T at the local hifi store, and I don't know what it is, but I absolutely hate the sound from them. But I think it has to with the shape of my ear canals, I had some 65T's back in the day that was also pretty damn bad and the sound is just super weird and unnatural to me. But like I said, I don't feel like i'm getting a good fit, at all. So i've always been so confused because i've read reviews that state how good they are and i'm like "what earbuds are they listening to???" I enjoy earbuds that actually fit a bit deeper into the ear canals even if others can be more comfortable.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

I've actually tried the Jabra 85T at the local hifi store, and I don't know what it is, but I absolutely hate the sound from them. But I think it has to with the shape of my ear canals, I had some 65T's back in the day that was also pretty damn bad and the sound is just super weird and unnatural to me. But like I said, I don't feel like i'm getting a good fit, at all. So i've always been so confused because i've read reviews that state how good they are and i'm like "what earbuds are they listening to???" I enjoy earbuds that actually fit a bit deeper into the ear canals even if others can be more comfortable.

It's not your ears; it's the 85t's default tuning. Very boring. I gave it a little bit of a facelift with EQ, but they'll never be on the same SQ level as some of the other stuff out there.

Fit-wise, they're a bit bizarre since you don't have that feedback of pressure building up in your ear to tell you that it's been done right. They're nowhere near as deep as a set of IEMs, either, which is probably also throwing you off. Definitely not a pair for everybody (much like the Earin A-3, it seems), but they do the job well enough.

 

[cresny]

I'm enjoying the Devialet Gemini sound - but an annoying issue has cropped up. It seems that every few seconds to minutes the touch-panel on one of the buds is being triggered pausing or unpausing music at random intervals. At first I thought it was my hair or something affecting source app but after removing those variables it seems the TWS itself may be somehow triggering the touch zone internally (perhaps moisture, it is humid here right now). It seems to be the right bud which also is 20% lower battery than the L....

I've tried an initial go at re-setting, but thus far no success - the issue is still happening. If anyone else has experienced this or has a good tip please let me know!

I did turn off the "auto-pause when an earbud is removed" option just in case.

Thanks!

I've experienced this too, but very seldomly. I think all I did was put them back in the case for a moment and they were fixed but I can't remember, but it could have been humidity for me, too. All I can suggest is to see if it continues to happen in an air conditioned environment, but it does seem like there is a defect. Have you contacted support? They are pretty responsive.