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

[Ceeluh7]

Ha ha! Right now we're watching some dumb YouTube channel where someone recorded dinosaurs from I think a Jurassic Park game. I have to read what they are for him. He's 3.5. This was supposed to be my 17 days off in a row for the holidays until Omicron effed daycare out here. Now it's Daddy Daycare. But hey, glad I'm not wearing Barbie gear, even if it is a boy! Soooo... enter stupid headphones and music in between shouting out dino names. I'm a bad father?

Hahhhaa... Lol... No man, that's me dude. So funny. At least you don't have to watch freaking YouTube videos of little girls playing with their Frozen Dolls.... All Day! Kids are hilarious and my kids demand so much attention. I have to sneak in moments to check out Amazon and every other website for tws/iems/dac amps /dongle...... It's a constant. BTW that FH9 looks amazing... I love the Fiio sound. I haven't tried anything in that price range from them yet but I can't imagine you won't love them. Honestly this morning I put on the budget set Fd1 on the utws5 and it sounded absolutely awesome. It just has great synergy for some reason. Maybe the quick beryllium driver... Idk... Really nice.

 

[erockg]

Hahhhaa... Lol... No man, that's me dude. So funny. At least you don't have to watch freaking YouTube videos of little girls playing with their Frozen Dolls.... All Day! Kids are hilarious and my kids demand so much attention. I have to sneak in moments to check out Amazon and every other website for tws/iems/dac amps /dongle...... It's a constant. BTW that FH9 looks amazing... I love the Fiio sound. I haven't tried anything in that price range from them yet but I can't imagine you won't love them. Honestly this morning I put on the budget set Fd1 on the utws5 and it sounded absolutely awesome. It just has great synergy for some reason. Maybe the quick beryllium driver... Idk... Really nice.

Friggin Youtube.. where old men open toys and play with them. Prob a pedo off the beaten path (no pun intended) trying to get kids to go to his channel. Crazy how at times they'd rather watch others play with toys instead of playing with the piles of toys they just got for Xmas or Hanukkah. Whew. But I'm with you on all accounts. My wife usually says, you on that forum again?

I had the FA9 last week and just didn't like them. I really hope the FA9 crush them. Oh, and the Moondrop Variations I have arriving. I truly loved the Blessing 2 and if the bass boost on the Variations is what I love, I know they'll be my go-to.

 

[jant71]

You're the one who turned me onto the Autumn. So I read all the rave reviews. This is all your fault!

 

[Ceeluh7]

Friggin Youtube.. where old men open toys and play with them. Prob a pedo off the beaten path (no pun intended) trying to get kids to go to his channel. Crazy how at times they'd rather watch others play with toys instead of playing with the piles of toys they just got for Xmas or Hanukkah. Whew. But I'm with you on all accounts. My wife usually says, you on that forum again?

I had the FA9 last week and just didn't like them. I really hope the FA9 crush them. Oh, and the Moondrop Variations I have arriving. I truly loved the Blessing 2 and if the bass boost on the Variations is what I love, I know they'll be my go-to.

The Blessing 2 are very nice, I liked them alot as well. Variations has been hyped as well, for good reason. You should like those alot. I am looking for something in the $150-350 price range at the moment... I was also advised to check out the Yanyin Aladdin, I was told it is in another league of the others I've mentioned. Problem is, that I would have to wait for overseas shipment annnnnd... I just can't do it, to many issues in the past, things get lost all the time, delays... Sucks. So, I like the TRI I3 Pro, Autumn, maybe the KBEAR Aurora, also the Moondrop Kato looks tempting... I'm thinking the Autumn is on top at the moment. Oh and BTW, my wife and I say that everytime we watch the "older dude who plays with toys channel"..... Fricken Pedo... Wth is he doing with his life... Lol. Actually he is prob making BANK off of YouTube... Wth am I doing with my life... Lol

 

[dweaver]

I use my TW2 second gen with the SE846s and they blow away the AZ60s. I did have the AZ60 and 70s for a short time and let them go. The 60s, for me, had a lot of sibilance that I did try to EQ out, but to no avail. I do think there are better options out there for a straight TWS set. Really depends on what is most important to you. Sound, ANC, or mic for calls.

The TW2 SE846 combo is a $1000 combo of the Shure flagship IEM so should sound awesome.

I personally have had zero issues with sibilance on my AZ60 @erockg did you modify the tips removing the foam when you had your pair?

But for @guitarizt the real question is how do the AZ60 sound compared to the SRH840.

From memory my SRH940 had a nice open sound for closed back headphone. From my research and testing in local shops back in the day the 840 was a bit less open sounding. I think it may have had a darker signature as well. Both models were midcentric in signature.

The AZ60 may have to much bass out of the box but it can be tamed with the EQ. The mids are nice and full with great detail and presence with a hint of warmth. The treble it nicely detailed with good shimmer on cymbals without coming across as harsh or strident. For a TWS I think the AZ60 has a decently large sound stage that bests most of the TWS I owned or have owned including the WF-1000XM3, Sennheiser MTW1, CX400BT, Anker Soundcore L2P. The AZ70 also has a large sound stage but is a more mid/treble centric sound signature which may also be an option for you.

The last option I can recommend is the Samsung Buds Pro. They have only average ANC and isolation but their transparent mode is great and they almost no ear pressure by design. Signature wise they are definitely influenced by AKG engineering with solid but controlled bass, excellent mids, and details treble. The sound stage is slightly smaller than both Technics but not enough worry about. They are very comfortable to wear to the point I can more or less side sleep wearing them. But if you use larger tip sizes be prepared to have some 3rd party tips handy as they have on 3 sizes and the large is on the small side. I use large Sony hybrids on my pair.

 

[dweaver]

I have a set of UE900 almost new sitting in the drawer. Was planning to pair them with the TW2 but been so busy nowadays so it will have to wait a bit but I can give it a try soon and let you know.

I loved the UE900 my only issue was the MMCX connectors. If yours are brand new they should be fine. But be careful switching them around to much.

 

[erockg]

The TW2 SE846 combo is a $1000 combo of the Shure flagship IEM so should sound awesome.

I personally have had zero issues with sibilance on my AZ60 @erockg did you modify the tips removing the foam when you had your pair?

But for @guitarizt the real question is how do the AZ60 sound compared to the SRH840.

From memory my SRH940 had a nice open sound for closed back headphone. From my research and testing in local shops back in the day the 840 was a bit less open sounding. I think it may have had a darker signature as well. Both models were midcentric in signature.

The AZ60 may have to much bass out of the box but it can be tamed with the EQ. The mids are nice and full with great detail and presence with a hint of warmth. The treble it nicely detailed with good shimmer on cymbals without coming across as harsh or strident. For a TWS I think the AZ60 has a decently large sound stage that bests most of the TWS I owned or have owned including the WF-1000XM3, Sennheiser MTW1, CX400BT, Anker Soundcore L2P. The AZ70 also has a large sound stage but is a more mid/treble centric sound signature which may also be an option for you.

The last option I can recommend is the Samsung Buds Pro. They have only average ANC and isolation but their transparent mode is great and they almost no ear pressure by design. Signature wise they are definitely influenced by AKG engineering with solid but controlled bass, excellent mids, and details treble. The sound stage is slightly smaller than both Technics but not enough worry about. They are very comfortable to wear to the point I can more or less side sleep wearing them. But if you use larger tip sizes be prepared to have some 3rd party tips handy as they have on 3 sizes and the large is on the small side. I use large Sony hybrids on my pair.

Yup, tried a bunch of tips. Truly wanted to love them but at the end of the day I had better options in my world.

 

[chinmie]

Ha ha! Right now we're watching some dumb YouTube channel where someone recorded dinosaurs from I think a Jurassic Park game. I have to read what they are for him. He's 3.5. This was supposed to be my 17 days off in a row for the holidays until Omicron effed daycare out here. Now it's Daddy Daycare. But hey, glad I'm not wearing Barbie gear, even if it is a boy! Soooo... enter stupid headphones and music in between shouting out dino names. I'm a bad father?

ahh.. the good ol' days...my boy is in high school now, and our favorite son and dad time is bashing each other in a street fighter game

 

[jant71]

Yup, tried a bunch of tips. Truly wanted to love them but at the end of the day I had better options in my world.

Now who is enabling. Poor Dweaver, as I can see in the posts, trying for AZ60 validation to stick with it and be satisfied. That they are good enough. But it seems a losing battle and the upgrade bug is buzzing around his head. A comment like that - will it push him over the edge??

 

[erockg]

ahh.. the good ol' days...my boy is in high school now, and our favorite son and dad time is bashing each other in a street fighter game

I truly look forward to those days. It'll probably be in some Metaverse world. Ugh.

 

[dweaver]

Yup, tried a bunch of tips. Truly wanted to love them but at the end of the day I had better options in my world.

I found the foam in the original tips was there by design and have just used my AZ60 using them without modification. When I switched to other tips the sound was changed to much for my liking. Strangely the worst tip was my usual go to tip, the Sony Hybrid. That tip definitely had sibilance issues for me.

Just switching back and forth between the AZ60 and GBuds Pro and I really like both models. I would say the AZ60 is a bass/mid centric sound and the GBuds Pro is a mid/treble centric sound. With both models having good bass or treble just not quite as prominent.

The GBuds Pro are definitely more comfortable to wear and the AZ60 is definitely more isolating.

 

[Canabuc]

Now who is enabling. Poor Dweaver, as I can see in the posts, trying for AZ60 validation to stick with it and be satisfied. That they are good enough. But it seems a losing battle and the upgrade bug is buzzing around his head. A comment like that - will it push him over the edge??

Now now. I don't hear sibilance either.
These sound fantastic.
I have tried it owned every main stream yes besides the xm4 and these are the best sounding. They have a great fit and the controls and ANC are great.
I just found see the point of spending nearly double for the Sony to get workers charging but losing multipoint and passing nearly double knowing the technology about too evolve in the next year or so given Android 13 supporting new Bluetooth low energy which will make for better battery life connection quality and likely higher res transmission speeds.

 

[Canabuc]

I found the foam in the original tips was there by design and have just used my AZ60 using them without modification. When I switched to other tips the sound was changed to much for my liking. Strangely the worst tip was my usual go to tip, the Sony Hybrid. That tip definitely had sibilance issues for me.

Just switching back and forth between the AZ60 and GBuds Pro and I really like both models. I would say the AZ60 is a bass/mid centric sound and the GBuds Pro is a mid/treble centric sound. With both models having good bass or treble just not quite as prominent.

The GBuds Pro are definitely more comfortable to wear and the AZ60 is definitely more isolating.

Agree on the sound signature. Disagree on the fit. I do wanted the gbuds pro to work for me but I had literal pain in one ear when wearing them for more than 15 minutes. Tried about 12 different types of tips to no avail. First ever tws I returned for comfort reasons.
The Technics are a bit of a deeper fit very secure. You feel they are the but no discomfort.

 

[dweaver]

Now who is enabling. Poor Dweaver, as I can see in the posts, trying for AZ60 validation to stick with it and be satisfied. That they are good enough. But it seems a losing battle and the upgrade bug is buzzing around his head. A comment like that - will it push him over the edge??

LOL, I need to win the lottery just so I can listen to other gear to satisfy the curiosity and desire to try something new. Someone needs to design testing website where we pay a fee to test different products LOL.

But I actually do enjoy the AZ60 alot and the GBuds Pro as well. They are both in my wheel house sound wise. I want to try the WF-1000XM4 and MTW2 just to see if reviews are correct about those models being technically better sound wise, or if the reviewers are just showing a bias toward their prefered signature choice.

 

[erockg]

You guys haven't tried something like the Noble Fokus Pro yet. Once you do, you're heads will explode. They're not the best, but I'm enjoying the ATH-CKS50TW over the Technics. Fit, ANC, bass and battery life are better. I don't use Galaxy buds as I'm in the Apple ecosystem and they just don't play very well IMO. All this said, I'm all in with the IEM/adapter world. I think the Fokus are one of the closest TWS to an IEM out there. Incredibly impressive and powerful.