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

[dweaver]

The WI-1000X is one of those Sony products that only let's you use LDAC in it default signature. Fortunately is sounds pretty good in stock sound and I use Neutron which has a 10 band EQ that is extremely adjustable with great detail. So tweaked the mid bass down a hair and the upper mids and treble up a bit and these sound damn good. Might have to use these more often. Not as convenient as TWS but also very good sounding with decent basic ANC and the hybrid configuration was back when Sony was not quite so dark sounding.

 

[scubaphish]

Received my N400 yesterday. First impressions, keeping in mind my daily driver is Gemini and secondary is APP; maybe some unfair comparisons, not sure.

Sound, first of all, is great. Out of box eq wasn’t immediately palatable my ears, too mid-forward for my tastes. Created a modified “U” eq and really enjoying them now. Been trying a few different eq, as well as flat, but so far liking adding in some bass and treble.
Speaking of the eq, I don’t know if I’ve seen a graphical eq with floating frequency points (as opposed to fixed frequency bands); very cool. I wonder how many points you could add.

I do find myself using higher volume than my Gemini. Sound not as detailed as the Gemini either; cymbals and snare are my usual gauge. But there is very nice instrument separation and tonality. I think as clean as APP, but with stronger and adjustable bass.

ANC seems ok. Seems to drown out fan/air purifier noise pretty well. Stopping other sounds like snapping, which tends to be my test these days, is less effective. Interested how that will play out on the subways.

Fit it good but not great (so far). I’m new to the world of fins and having trouble finding right size without having fins feel like they’re stretching my earlobes out. Not falling out without fins, but not as secure as they could be either.

I’m having hit and miss luck with controls but not deal breaker. Especially since I’m still figuring them out, like where exactly the touch pad is. Not as sensitive as Gemini and not sure that’s a bad thing, eg I can adjust buds without pausing music. But I have been able to use the slide feature to get talk through enabled. Maybe not always on first try but still seems to work.

I’m happy to spend my Sunday morning playing with fit and eq. I think I’m digging these; can definitely see myself using them every day. And for $50, pretty sweet.

 

[erockg]

Personally, I think the TW2 is a very nice product but the whole system is pretty unique and may not be as a main TWS set.
With the SE 215 Special Edition I like what I hear. It may not be a super audiophile sound but it's better than most of the stuff that I currently own or heard and at $165 the price was right too.

I've read online that others were disappointed by the newer Aonic 5. Either way, I agree with you whole-heartedly here. They are in a different class. But hey, I guess different strokes for different folks. I hear things with my TW2/SE846 setup that I can't hear in most TWS. Love them.

 

[erockg]

Received my N400 yesterday. First impressions, keeping in mind my daily driver is Gemini and secondary is APP; maybe some unfair comparisons, not sure.

Sound, first of all, is great. Out of box eq wasn’t immediately palatable my ears, too mid-forward for my tastes. Created a modified “U” eq and really enjoying them now. Been trying a few different eq, as well as flat, but so far liking adding in some bass and treble.
Speaking of the eq, I don’t know if I’ve seen a graphical eq with floating frequency points (as opposed to fixed frequency bands); very cool. I wonder how many points you could add.

I do find myself using higher volume than my Gemini. Sound not as detailed as the Gemini either; cymbals and snare are my usual gauge. But there is very nice instrument separation and tonality. I think as clean as APP, but with stronger and adjustable bass.

ANC seems ok. Seems to drown out fan/air purifier noise pretty well. Stopping other sounds like snapping, which tends to be my test these days, is less effective. Interested how that will play out on the subways.

Fit it good but not great (so far). I’m new to the world of fins and having trouble finding right size without having fins feel like they’re stretching my earlobes out. Not falling out without fins, but not as secure as they could be either.

I’m having hit and miss luck with controls but not deal breaker. Especially since I’m still figuring them out, like where exactly the touch pad is. Not as sensitive as Gemini and not sure that’s a bad thing, eg I can adjust buds without pausing music. But I have been able to use the slide feature to get talk through enabled. Maybe not always on first try but still seems to work.

I’m happy to spend my Sunday morning playing with fit and eq. I think I’m digging these; can definitely see myself using them every day. And for $50, pretty sweet.

Yeah, I had them at $150 and returned them because of the controls, but then at $50, they become more forgivable. I wound up taking the finds off and putting on different tips. The new pair I have didn't have any control issues, oddly. Or maybe like you say, I just learned the scheme a bit better. I bought a bunch as holiday gifts and mailed them out. They're going to folks who know nothing other than old Airpods. Should shock their system a bit -- I HOPE!

 

[scubaphish]

Yeah, I had them at $150 and returned them because of the controls, but then at $50, they become more forgivable. I wound up taking the finds off and putting on different tips. The new pair I have didn't have any control issues, oddly. Or maybe like you say, I just learned the scheme a bit better. I bought a bunch as holiday gifts and mailed them out. They're going to folks who know nothing other than old Airpods. Should shock their system a bit -- I HOPE!

The buds did update to v4.1 as soon as I got them, so maybe they fixed some bugs. I forgot to mention that I’m finding the app works well, too. More times than not after leaving app, it’s still connected when I go back to it. When it’s not, it takes about 4 seconds to reconnect. Any longer and I know I have to kill the app, but don’t think that’s happened much. I’m using an iPhone 13 pro so maybe extra ram is helping.

I’m at lowest/no fins now. Going to give flat eq more time, too.

 

[erockg]

The buds did update to v4.1 as soon as I got them, so maybe they fixed some bugs. I forgot to mention that I’m finding the app works well, too. More times than not after leaving app, it’s still connected when I go back to it. When it’s not, it takes about 4 seconds to reconnect. Any longer and I know I have to kill the app, but don’t think that’s happened much. I’m using an iPhone 13 pro so maybe extra ram is helping.

I’m at lowest/no fins now. Going to give flat eq more time, too.

Oh interesting. Mine were already on 4.1. I actually thought they'd need an update but they didn't. Must be a newer batch or something. Same here, the app is doing well. Calls are doing well too.

 

[erockg]

I don't know if anyone still had a pair of M&D MW08 Sport? I really love their sound and revisited them on a Black Friday deal. I had gotten rid of them because of a mic issue that kept presenting itself on the latest firmware update and low and behold... it's just happened again. Awful. Literally did a before an after. The latest firmware update really messes up the mic for calls. I contacted support and they're just sloooooooow. Running it up the food chain. Build quality and sound is top notch, even better with a BF deal, but if I can't use them for calls or Zooms... they're useless to me. Hasta la vista, buds.

 

[jibberish]

I recently bought a JBL Club Pro set, as it was on sale for under $80 USD, and I thought I'd share the experience. I am not very impressed for many reasons, but on top of that the left earbud is defective and will not charge. so it's going back regardless.

For the good - the fit is comfortable and secure (with SpinFit CP360 tips, more on that in a bit), the ANC and ambient modes are decent, and the EQ does allow you to make pretty notable changes to the sound signature.

Otherwise though, the sound is mediocre, the controls scheme is poor, the stock tips were useless for me, and the charging case is terrible. It's one of those cases where no aftermarket tips will fit into the case while still mounted on the IEM, very narrow channel for the earpiece nozzle. Additionally, it's rounded on the top and bottom, which prevents you from sitting it upright with the lid open when needed, it just falls over. The controls just make beep noises and don't have any voice indication of what settings you've modified, nor does it tell you the battery charge level (it's a nice touch that I appreciate in some other sets).

In terms of sound, it starts from a very thin sounding Harman curve, which isn't offensive, but it sounds sterile and dull. I used the EQ to add some mid bass, drop the upper midrange and then add some additional treble at 8k and 16k, which made it a bit more engaging sounding. It doesn't really matter much though, because the driver is pretty unremarkable in terms of detail retrieval, imaging/stage, etc.

By comparison I find it vastly inferior to the Technics AZ70 in every way except for fit and passive isolation. I wouldn't recommend the Club Pro at $80, let alone near the msrp of $200.

 

[BobJS]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2652301769...customid=4636abfc607811ec9b6bb2d9063b0fb60INT

Ha. You need to attend an Enablers Anonymous meeting.

But seriously, that's a great (and tempting) find.

 

[dweaver]

So using the WI-1000X last night was a bit enlightening. Since it has LDAC and a very competent Dynamic / BA driver hybrid configuration it is a very competitive IEM sound wise. It is also very much Sony in regards to that signature. Big bass, lush mids, and due to the BA crisp highs. I think it is leaps ahead of the WF-1000XM3 mainly because of LDAC and better stability (zero skip issues) as well as the added treble detail.

In comparison to the AZ60 it's more evenly matched though. The AZ60 is every bit as detailed but they offer vastly different yet compelling soundscapes.

I am not a sound engineer so this next part is just conjecture on my part.

I think the big difference between these headphones lies in the Accoustic Control Chamber on the AZ60. I think this chamber softens the bass while enhancing the spaciousness of the AZ60. The Sony in the other hand is much more direct giving it more punch and bass control but at the expense sound stage and bass texture.

I started with the WI-1000X and immediately noticed the bass tightness and an over all sense of detail seperation.

I then switched to the AZ60 and my first impression was that were more open and dynamic sounding. But I also noticed the bloom in the bass and mix of sounds compared to the 1000X.

When I switched back to the 1000X I immediately missed the spaciousness but very quickly found myself enjoying the tighter bass and the cleaner sound scape. I also found the midrange a bit more detailed giving female vocals in particular a bit of added emotional clarity.

To me this makes these a wash in regard to which is better. It's more about which sound scape works best for someone. If you really like tighter bass and detail seperation Sony has a definite edge with the 1000X. If you prefer an arguably more cohesive holistic sound stage then the AZ60 offers that.

In my case I actually like both signatures. But if I was limited to only one choice I would lean toward the AZ60.

So how does this fit with the more modern Sony TWS. I can only speak about what I have owned. the WF-1000XM3 offered similar bass and mids as the 1000X but lacked the same treble detail and bite. For me the WF was just never exciting and compelling.

From what I read the addition of LDAC plus the use of the EQ the WF-1000XM4 allow it to have greater detail up into the treble range. If this allows it to be as detailed as the WI-1000X it would be a tempting option. If it Manages to open the sound stage up it would then be a small step up from the AZ60 especially if a person wants that added bass control.

I will wait until I can afford to buy a pair to compare or maybe get lucky and find a friend who happens to own a pair so I can try them out.

 

[Samplingentropy]

Expecting a delivery of 2 pairs of klipsch t5ii sport around x-mas - new year as replacement for r6 neckband ones with issues.
Anyone listend to them and have an opinion?
As I really prefer neckband style I am considering selling/trading them for that style,but having a hard time finding reviews.
Is there a neckband Bluetooth thread here?

 

[dweaver]

I have not seen a neckband thread. They have lost their mojo in regards to popularity. Having said that, their are some really good neckband models out their, search for WI-1000 to see the various Sony models, 1More has 1 or 2 models, Sennheiser also has a model or 2.

The other option is the ones not using a horseshoe design, just a cable between the two IEMs . Status Audio has a decent and very affordable model in that vein.

 

[Samplingentropy]

I have not seen a neckband thread. They have lost their mojo in regards to popularity. Having said that, their are some really good neckband models out their, search for WI-1000 to see the various Sony models, 1More has 1 or 2 models, Sennheiser also has a model or 2.

The other option is the ones not using a horseshoe design, just a cable between the two IEMs . Status Audio has a decent and very affordable model in that vein.

Thanks.
I had Bose's ones, so comfy,but sort of mhee sound.
The klipsch r6 was nice sounding but uncomfortable/stiff neckband.

The ones with just a cable would be ok to, I just want/need to be able to drop 1 or both buds out on the go, like on the bike,in the store, meeting a friend for just a sec.
And I have an uncanny ability to lose 1 bud or the chargebox when I tried tws's before.

Needs/wants are ability to hang in some way,long battery life,min 10h and comfort.
Good Sound is appreciated but not the most important.
I got some full-size cans for that

I'll look up reviews on your suggestions

 

[BooleanBones]

I have not seen a neckband thread. They have lost their mojo in regards to popularity. Having said that, their are some really good neckband models out their, search for WI-1000 to see the various Sony models, 1More has 1 or 2 models, Sennheiser also has a model or 2.

The other option is the ones not using a horseshoe design, just a cable between the two IEMs . Status Audio has a decent and very affordable model in that vein.

B&W have the Pi3 and Pi4s neckbands. I have some of the early Pi3s and they sound great for what they are. The Pi4s have more features, but seems like hit and miss on quality.

 

[TooPoorForHiFi]

I have not seen a neckband thread. They have lost their mojo in regards to popularity. Having said that, their are some really good neckband models out their, search for WI-1000 to see the various Sony models, 1More has 1 or 2 models, Sennheiser also has a model or 2.

The other option is the ones not using a horseshoe design, just a cable between the two IEMs . Status Audio has a decent and very affordable model in that vein.

I see that you own both the Buds Pro and AZ60. Have you written a comparison between the two? any Idea what Post # it is? or a quick run down? I'm assuming you prefer the AZ60 over the Buds Pro yeah?