[gwompki]

Thanks for that info. If a measure of headphones' quality is how well they help you resist buying other headphones then the Devialet scores very highly with me.

The Geminis are far and away the best sounding TWS I have heard so far. If it weren't for the feature issues I was having I would have kept them. Also the battery life at 3.5 hours with anc on was a little disappointing.

Got the Moondrop Sparks yesterday. A very nice sounding TWS for the price! A little shouty in the mids for my taste, but still quite good. They seem to have an audiophile tuning to them. The bass is very present but not overwhelming. Details are pretty good as is the sound stage.

I enjoyed how simplistic and functional these are. Range is great, touch controls work, etc. There is no app support to speak of so no eq which is disappointing. The fit is definitely weird but they are surprisingly comfortable for long sessions.

I went ahead and ordered a set of Melomania Touch as well. Should be here by end of this week.

 

[kolbo]

How much better and in what way? I have noble falcon pro and xm4. Falcon pro more treble detail definitely, but xm4 sounds more cohesive and blended. Warm, soothing. Enjoy the music with xm4, where falcon pro simply hear more of what is there. Hybrid vs what I believe is a single dynamic in the xm4, right? Details on signature of Gemini would be appreciated

I’m not great at describing but I’ll try.
The Gemini has better treble- more extended and clearer. The XM4 is very detailed in the mids. Hard to say which one is better there - I think the Gemini but not sure. The bass might go for the XM4- they are very different though.

 

[gwompki]

I’m not great at describing but I’ll try.
The Gemini has better treble- more extended and clearer. The XM4 is very detailed in the mids. Hard to say which one is better there - I think the Gemini but not sure. The bass might go for the XM4- they are very different though.

Wow! I personally thought the bass on the Gemini was infinitely better than the XM4. Super tight, fast, well extended. Actually I'm getting a little sad that I don't own them anymore lol. I found the XM4 (and Sony house sound in general) to be boomy and slightly muddy. I agree with you on the treble of the Geminis though.

 

[kolbo]

Wow! I personally thought the bass on the Gemini was infinitely better than the XM4. Super tight, fast, well extended. Actually I'm getting a little sad that I don't own them anymore lol. I found the XM4 (and Sony house sound in general) to be boomy and slightly muddy. I agree with you on the treble of the Geminis though.

I think the bass is clearer on the Gemini but somehow less impactful and engaging.

 

[kolbo]

Wow! I personally thought the bass on the Gemini was infinitely better than the XM4. Super tight, fast, well extended. Actually I'm getting a little sad that I don't own them anymore lol. I found the XM4 (and Sony house sound in general) to be boomy and slightly muddy. I agree with you on the treble of the Geminis though.

Also, it is possible I’m trying to give the XM4 a better grade as I really can’t use the Gemini…

 

[cresny]

How much better and in what way? I have noble falcon pro and xm4. Falcon pro more treble detail definitely, but xm4 sounds more cohesive and blended. Warm, soothing. Enjoy the music with xm4, where falcon pro simply hear more of what is there. Hybrid vs what I believe is a single dynamic in the xm4, right? Details on signature of Gemini would be appreciated

I don't have the XM4, but I do have the XM3 and I think that comparison might also apply with the Geminis. There are some tracks that might work better with the XM3s but nevertheless I do always reach for the Geminis mostly because of how much more they reveal, especially on more dynamic or complex music and I also do not find them fatiguing at all. I think it's also worth mentioning that the Geminis should probably not be considered a "neutral" sound since what most people describe will be their augmented representation, that is, with ANC or transparency on. It's somehow done really well and enhances the sound across the spectrum without sounding boosted or artificial. You can disable this, but I think most people won't want to.

 

[gwompki]

Also, it is possible I’m trying to give the XM4 a better grade as I really can’t use the Gemini…

I completely understand. The XM4 are a fantastic piece of tech. Much more sophisticated than the Devialet, but from a sound sig perspective I just prefer the Geminis.

 

[gwompki]

I gotta say the Moondrop Sparks truly excel at metal/indie/punk/prog/guitar driven rock. Of all 6 TWS I have tested so far (XM3, XM4, Bose QC buds, Devialet Gemini, Jabra 65t, Moondrop Sparks), the Sparks do those genres best to my ears.

Currently using Spinfit CP-360 tips with good results. I have read that tip rolling with these yields drastic differences, but that has not been my experience so far.

I didn't think I would keep these but It's looking like they might have a permanent place in the arsenal.

 

[GuyDebord]

I actually find the Gemini to be more comfortable than the XM4s, finding IEMs that fit is part of the struggle... the other part is sound. I would agree that the XM4 sound good with pop genres, they are tuned to appease the masses, their purpose is to reproduce hyper-mastered and compressed tunes, I can see how someone that listens to pop would prefer the XM4s, its punchier, boomier and loud. However, the dynamics, resolution and overall spatial presentation that complex acoustic, classical and jazz presents, it is without doubt more suited for the Gemini. Listening to complex music on the XM4 is dull and lackluster in comparison. Saying this, I still prefer how pop sounds on the Gemini. Go figure...

 

[kolbo]

I actually find the Gemini to be more comfortable than the XM4s, finding IEMs that fit is part of the struggle... the other part is sound. I would agree that the XM4 sound good with pop genres, they are tuned to appease the masses, their purpose is to reproduce hyper-mastered and compressed tunes, I can see how someone that listens to pop would prefer the XM4s, its punchier, boomier and loud. However, the dynamics, resolution and overall spatial presentation that complex acoustic, classical and jazz presents, it is without doubt more suited for the Gemini. Listening to complex music on the XM4 is dull and lackluster in comparison. Saying this, I still prefer how pop sounds on the Gemini. Go figure...

I definitely prefer the Gemini sound. But I just can’t get a fit that does not cause me pain after a while.
In addition, their ambient mode is not as good as the XM4. Sadly, a lot of my music time is when I need to be able to hear kids so that matters a lot.
I decided to try the Gemini again - maybe I can find a good fit or get my ears used to them… They do sound very good.

 

[SynaestheticA]

Sorry if covered elsewhere, how would the N6 Pro2 compare to the N10 Pro and Plus from an SQ perspective?

I was talking to some guys who sell the Nuarls and even though they haven't tried the N6 Pro 2 yet they were telling me that everyone in the office prefers the soundstage of the N10's. I would think that they are probably better, here is a bit of an explanation that they sent me regarding the N10 Plus and the N10 pro but still relevant for the N6 Pro 2 I think.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"N6 pro is flatter and smaller but to build a more premium version with better sound you'll need to have room. Most of the premium TWE are around the same size or bigger (e.g Bose QC)

the N10 Plus has increased mids/bass (forward sound) at some cost of the soundstage and detail (only 1 EQ choice in APP).

The N10 Pro has (4 EQ choice in APP) wider sound stage and more detailed treble. N10 Pro has dual frequency active noise cancellation(mid/low) while the Plus only does 1 frequency (low) so the ANC on the Pro is stronger but due to this the higher frequencies will sound sharper while ANC is active. Also the N10 Pro volume is much louder.

N10 Plus uses newer cheaper QCC3040 chipset with apt-X Adaptive, while the N10 Pro uses older premium QCC5124 Chipset with just apt-X."
~~~~~~~~~~
So you get the idea, N10 Plus or Pro are both going to have wider soundstage and bigger sound than the N6 Pro and most likely the N6 Pro 2. I went ahead purchased the N6 Mini (Still getting the Pro 2 though). I am pretty happy with it for at home listening and stuff (Not great for exercise until i get new ear tips). I was tossing up between the N6 Pro 2 and the N10 Pro but decided i like the Aesthetic of the N6 Pro 2 better and am already happy with the sound of the lower model N6 Mini so will most likely be very happy with the Pro 2 sound stage.

 

[Caipirina]

I highly, HIGHLY suggest that you start with the Soundcore Q30 if you do this. In my opinion, those are the current gold standard for entry-level ANC over-ears. Anker/Soundcore got so many little things right when they designed these. If you could imagine this forum building that one pair that would bridge the gap between normal listeners and the enthusiasts, I think you'd end up somewhere close to what Soundcore released. Sure, they're not going to be the best-sounding pair you'll run across in your journey, but I really think you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't see how all-around good those Q30 are. Seeing them ask less than $100 for them is honestly shocking.

sorry if that's abit of topic, but I am currently looking for some ANC cans for my teenager and found the Q30 and started looking for second opinions and found your blurp here ... that was in February .. still Gold standard? I don't see much in the new Q35 that would make me spend 50$ extra (auto pause / LDAC .. anything else?)
Appreciate your feedback

 

[michaeljefford]

I'm pretty keen on the Azla Crystal for grip or, if you need a few mm extra distance to your ear, then potentially the E-Pro TW00 (both are available on Amazon). The Azlas certainly aren't cheap, so might be better to start with the E-Pro and see what you think of them first. Both are case-compatible.

Yeah, they have significantly more headroom than most. Never really figured out how that's possible, but I don't have issues with the MT being too quiet.

Thanks again . I've ordered a pair of the MT from CA direct (Not available on Amazon in the UK at the moment). Hopefully should get them within a couple of days (just found out they're arriving tomorrow!), looking forward to trying these out.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

sorry if that's abit of topic, but I am currently looking for some ANC cans for my teenager and found the Q30 and started looking for second opinions and found your blurp here ... that was in February .. still Gold standard? I don't see much in the new Q35 that would make me spend 50$ extra (auto pause / LDAC .. anything else?)
Appreciate your feedback

I ended up gifting them to a friend and haven't heard any complaints. Just don't have much use for over-ears at the house, but the Q30 had an amazing value proposition. Your teenager should love 'em.

 

[tiagopinto]

I'm pretty keen on the Azla Crystal for grip or, if you need a few mm extra distance to your ear, then potentially the E-Pro TW00 (both are available on Amazon). The Azlas certainly aren't cheap, so might be better to start with the E-Pro and see what you think of them first. Both are case-compatible.

Yeah, they have significantly more headroom than most. Never really figured out how that's possible, but I don't have issues with the MT being too quiet.

I guess the extra headroom is due to how amplification was implemented in the MT. It’s just awesome.

As a side note: I’m working from home today, from my parents beach vacation home. I knew a guy was supposed to come and do some repairs in the kitchen plumbing (next room to the office room I’m in) and it was bugging me the day before just thinking what I would have to put up to, while trying to focus. This morning, I didn’t realize he had started already, as I started working really early. I’ve been listening to new releases all morning with the MT. To my astonishment, when I was listening to the new J. Cole and one of the tracks ended, I heard this loud hammering and a very loud drill. The next track started and it was gone! “Have these just gained ANC overnight?!?!” No, they’re that good. I guess air travel, whenever possible, is gonna be sweet with these. I’m listening in Spotify, at 80% volume, on an iPhone XS. In the lower volume song intro’s I’m able to hear the drill in the background but that’s about it. Again, awesome.