Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?

[miserybeforethemusic]

Well this is interesting...



Getting fit right takes a little finesse, but this is a pretty impressive showing, especially for a sub-$70 set of earbuds (Smabat M2s Pro). I know it might be cheating a little, but man if this isn't world-class staging. First set of earbuds I've managed to get my hands on with just a little sub-bass. Listening to AI's Paradigmension is a real treat right now, especially now that the cable is out of the way.

Obviously no passive isolation to speak of whatsoever, but also means there's zero need to rely on HearThrough microphones. Definitely recommend.

 

[jasonb]

Unfortunately I think my XM4 may be going back to Best Buy. I can't really stand to wear them. I guess my ears are too small for them because the overall bulbous shape of them feels like they are trying to stretch my ears apart. I only got them Tuesday night so I have another week and a couple days to truly decide, but I don't want to end up stuck with a $300 pair of earbuds that I can't stand to actually use. It's a shame because they do sound really good and I like the features.

This part circled in red is what seems to be causing the issue for me. No matter how I twist them or how far or not far I insert them this seems to be causing discomfort.

 

[Caipirina]

Can anyone tell me what’s going on with KZ? I was checking if there is anything new worth checking out and their offerings confuse me.
am I seeing this correctly that the SKS, the SK10 & the Z3 all have one 10mm DD with a 30019 BA per ear and all use the qc3040 bt5.2 chip? What’s the difference? The ad material does not mention any special different tuning. All the same in different colors and boxes? Which is the one to get these days?
and how does that 8ba model (sa08) fare in comparison?

 

[assassin10000]

Unfortunately I think my XM4 may be going back to Best Buy. I can't really stand to wear them. I guess my ears are too small for them because the overall bulbous shape of them feels like they are trying to stretch my ears apart. I only got them Tuesday night so I have another week and a couple days to truly decide, but I don't want to end up stuck with a $300 pair of earbuds that I can't stand to actually use. It's a shame because they do sound really good and I like the features.

This part circled in red is what seems to be causing the issue for me. No matter how I twist them or how far or not far I insert them this seems to be causing discomfort.

See my message below (from the XM4 thread).

If you pull the earpieces forward a mm or so does that relieve the pressure?

I had a similar issue til I found my shorter APP foam were way shallower and brought them both in and forward in my ears.

 

[carlosonunez]

Hello!

I purchased the M&D MW08 through Amazon. I returned them the next day, sadly.

I was comparing them to my current daily driver, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro (which I absolutely love). I also had the MW07s, which I really liked but had to return due to them not supporting AAC.

These IEMs are absolutely beautiful. The case is awesome as well! Best looking case of any IEM, 100% hands down.

The fit was comfortable at first, but degraded very quickly. The silicone tips were extremely uncomfortable while working out. I had to take them out after 10 minutes or so.

The sound was dark and boomy. These would be awesome for EDM and house, but since I normally listen to crappy emo and pop punk, I heard "bass in the wrong places" if that makes sense. I prefer the flatter sound profile of the Galaxy Buds (though I currently them on the "Dynamic" sound setting, which is more V-shaped).

Its ANC was a joke. Barely present, even with "Max ANC" on (which definitely added insult to injury). It's ambient mode sounds very natural, however.

The app is nice and simple. It even allows you to rename the headphones, which is cool.

Call quality was pretty good. However, it minimizes ANC while its enable, which makes bone conduction more prominent. This was very uncomfortable.

I really wanted to like these. I was even considering purchasing the MW08 Sport (though I didn't because if it ain't on Amazon, it ain't getting bought). Unfortunate how this played out.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Hello!

I purchased the M&D MW08 through Amazon. I returned them the next day, sadly.

I was comparing them to my current daily driver, the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro (which I absolutely love). I also had the MW07s, which I really liked but had to return due to them not supporting AAC.

These IEMs are absolutely beautiful. The case is awesome as well! Best looking case of any IEM, 100% hands down.

The fit was comfortable at first, but degraded very quickly. The silicone tips were extremely uncomfortable while working out. I had to take them out after 10 minutes or so.

The sound was dark and boomy. These would be awesome for EDM and house, but since I normally listen to crappy emo and pop punk, I heard "bass in the wrong places" if that makes sense. I prefer the flatter sound profile of the Galaxy Buds (though I currently them on the "Dynamic" sound setting, which is more V-shaped).

Its ANC was a joke. Barely present, even with "Max ANC" on (which definitely added insult to injury). It's ambient mode sounds very natural, however.

Call quality was pretty good. However, it minimizes ANC while its enable, which makes bone conduction more prominent. This was very uncomfortable.

I really wanted to like these. I was even considering purchasing the MW08 Sport (though I didn't because if it ain't on Amazon, it ain't getting bought). Unfortunate how this played out.

Yep. Reminds me of my experience. Thanks for talking me off the ledge. Was gonna repurchase them. But this is exactly what will happen to me.

 

[carlosonunez]

Yep. Reminds me of my experience. Thanks for talking me off the ledge. Was gonna repurchase them. But this is exactly what will happen to me.

No problem! I hate that I don't like these. They are beautiful.

 

[rhsauer]

No problem! I hate that I don't like these. They are beautiful.

Sorry about your bad experience with the MW08s. I know it's been stated on here before (in at least one instance, by me), but tip rolling is extremely important with these. I also found the included tips to be uncomfortable after a short amount of time, but have found that the SpinFit CP-100 (Large) are comfortable and brighten up the sound. Right now I'm loving these earphones -- although I agree that the ANC could be better. YMMV.

 

[logiatype]

Been a while since I've been here. Any new pairs with multipoint or multi-pair ability?

 

[dweaver]

Tried running using the Status Between Pro using the original large tips. Lasted less than 2 minutes, returned home and put back on AZ70 tips. The original tips are comfy when sitting but when running they allow the IEM to move to much which is to distracting and annoying.

Which meant I needed new tips for the Galaxy Buds Pro since that was tips used successfully on that TWS. So grabbed the brand new Sony hybrids tips I had been using on the 1000XM3 and washed them with rubbing alcohol followed by hydrogen peroxide, followed by hot water to remove all oil and have put them on the Galaxy Bud Pros, my hope is that if they have no oil on them they won't slip off like they wanted to do the first time I tried them. I like how they reign in the treble just a smidge.

So I am just going to say it. For me, the Status Between Pro has the best 3D imaging of any TWS I have tried. Better than the 1000XM3, AZ70, Galaxy Buds Pro, Sennheiser original MTW. They are about 80% of the XBA-Z5 with none of its tonal short comings.

I was cooking away this morning and a song from Conan the Barbarian, Orphans of Doom / The Awakening started playing and the Between Pro was simply amazing. These really do handle classical music well.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

So I am just going to say it. For me, the Status Between Pro has the best 3D imaging of any TWS I have tried. Better than the 1000XM3, AZ70, Galaxy Buds Pro, Sennheiser original MTW. They are about 80% of the XBA-Z5 with none of its tonal short comings.

You might be a good candidate for the FITS, then. I think its ability to image is a nice step up from the Status and the lack of extra bass opens everything up a ton. Have a feeling they'll end up being market competitors with the Between Pro if UE could ever figure out what pricing they want to keep. Looks like it's down to $200 this weekend.

 

[dweaver]

The Fit is a very interesting IEM that might be awesome. Unfortunately they are not available easily in Canada. But I love the idea of a custom fit IEM so might consider them at some point. I have owned a couple UE products in the past and always enjoyed their tonality. My issues were always fit or cable woes. Both issues that should not be an issue in the Fit.

 

[Caipirina]

Been enjoying the XM4's that arrived today.

They fixed the 3 things that most bothered me about the XM3:
Fit is now good with the much smaller earpieces.
Case is now small enough to pocket carry (fits 5th pocket of my jeans).
Qi/wireless charging.


I did have to swap tips, as I have small shallow ears, for a better fit (and possibly sound?).


Left: de-cored aftermarket APP foam tips.
Right: Sony XM4 foam tips.

They have oval nozzles? I actually have some of those APP foam tips (did not like 'em on the APP), and my Xm4 are supposed to arrive in a few days, fingers crossed

 

[xSDMx]

Wow. Demoing the Soundpeats H1s today. What an absolute steal at their price point. No ANC ofc., but really fantastic sound signature and usability.

 

[FYLegend]

Unfortunately there are some issues with Win11 AAC with older Bluetooth devices. It seems to work fine with BT5.0 products like Buds+ and SoundPeats T2, but when I tested it on my BT4.2 Astrotec S60, the left and right channels would change volume differently, with the left bud sounding much lower than the right bud as I decrease the volume. They only sound even at 100% where the sound starts to clip a bit.

It does feel great to finally use the Buds+ with listenable music quality on a Windows PC. Now I am curious if I should upgrade to the Buds Pro or something else. I still prefer the detail retrieval/treble detail Buds+ to the warmer sound of the SoundPeats T2 or Earfun Free Pro, for example. Is there any other ANC + ambient no-stem TWS that has a Harman-type sound? (though i would like more bass than Harman)