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

[erockg]

I also wear glasses and the TW2 work fine. Since I leave them at the office, SE535s are on them now. Didn't want to leave my SE846 there since I have a tendency to leave things lying around.

Edit: forgot to add that it is a little annoying with the mask though. As long as you are careful when taking off a mask it is fine.

Yeah, agreed. Masks do get tangled. Also depends on the thickness of your glasses. My regular glasses are find but some of my sunglasses make the fit unruly. All doable though.

 

[Tommy C]

Dude... It is a joke in my house... I hide my addiction as best I can man. I hide my 50 or so iems under my bed in Walmart toolboxes, hide my 15 or so tws in my closet and every dac/amp/dongle & DAP is tucked away under my freaking nightstand.... Lol.... If ever I break them out I shut the door in my bedroom like some crazy person and get what I want as quickly as I can... This is bad man... Lol. My kids make fun of me, wife makes fun of me but at least there is people here who completely understand. My wife wonders why in thee hell I need more than one set of earbuds. I'm thinking... Woman you have no idea

For the same reason they need 10 different purses, 5 different handbags and 20+ sandals.

 

[erockg]

I just point out in my defense that there are worse things I could waste money on (e.g., I don't gamble or frequent strip clubs...) Some men collect cigars or whiskey or My Little Ponies. I like headphones.

Men who collect My Little Ponies eventually go to prison.

 

[xSDMx]

One fix for masks + earhook adapters or glasses, etc. is to get a mask extender. Velcro has a hook and loop one that works super well. Better fit, too.

 

[Tommy C]

I also wear glasses and the TW2 work fine. Since I leave them at the office, SE535s are on them now. Didn't want to leave my SE846 there since I have a tendency to leave things lying around.

Edit: forgot to add that it is a little annoying with the mask though. As long as you are careful when taking off a mask it is fine.

How's the SE535 Vs. the SE846? I know the latter is much more expensive but is it worth getting the SE535 to pair with the TW2?

 

[erockg]

How's the SE535 Vs. the SE846? I know the latter is much more expensive but is it worth getting the SE535 to pair with the TW2?

I had the 535 but wound up returning them for the 846 because I couldn't help myself. You can definitely hear a difference IMO. But for a huge price.

 

[xSDMx]

I like my SE846 a whole lot. I can't compare to the SE535, but the SE846 have similar tonality to the SE215 but with just so much "more" of everything. Way more detail, precision, wider soundstage.

 

[TK33]

How's the SE535 Vs. the SE846? I know the latter is much more expensive but is it worth getting the SE535 to pair with the TW2?

I have probably had SE535s for 10+ years (fixed once a few years ago due to wear on the shells at the MMCX connector) and found them to be more comfortable than the SE846 due to their smaller size and form factor. I did EQ them using my Qudelix 5K for a bit last year using the Orratory1990 settings with a little less treble and mostly used them to sleep since they sit more flush than the SE846. Now they are in the office and used with a little bass boost on the TW2 where I use them to drown out background noise (I sit on a trading desk and music helps me focus).

I don't find the SE846 needs any EQ and they are a clear step up in SQ, especially when it comes to the clarity in the bass, separation and soundstage. For example, I sometimes get tricked into thinking someone is talking to me when listening to live recordings and look around to find nobody there or my wife looking at me like I'm crazy, which I never really got with the SE535s. Although I do feel they share similarities in tuning, I do recall that the SE535s started sounding a bit muffled to me after I got the SE846. As noted above, I did find EQ helped. Keep in mind though that the SE846 are very sensitive and need a good source (look for low output impedance). Works fine with the TW2.

If I were buying today and we're willing to spend $500 on a pair of Shure IEMs, I would watch for sales on the SE846 instead since I do think they are a clear step up over the SE535 and Amazon does have them on sale once in a while (but do understand everyone has different budgets). If I were not so hopeful that Shure would release a new version soon, I probably would have bought another one

Disclaimer, I am a big fan of Shure and have the SE425 (hidden in a box somewhere with my unused TWS), SE535, SE846, and Aonic 50. Have also had the SE530 and SRH 840, both of which broke after years of abuse so take what I said with a grain of salt.

 

[xSDMx]

Why the heck isn't this the standard behavior? Once you're fully paired with specific devices, switching devices really is just as easy as selecting the TW2 from the previously connected menu on whatever your next device is. It's so easy. It's so obvious. It just works. Please, all other TWS and earhook manufacturers: buy the TW2, take notes on how it handles ambient mode, pairing, the app functionality, etc. and just copy ALL OF THAT and focus on your unique product selling point.

 

[Tommy C]

I had the 535 but wound up returning them for the 846 because I couldn't help myself. You can definitely hear a difference IMO. But for a huge price.

I have probably had SE535s for 10+ years (fixed once a few years ago due to wear on the shells at the MMCX connector) and found them to be more comfortable than the SE846 due to their smaller size and form factor. I did EQ them using my Qudelix 5K for a bit last year using the Orratory1990 settings with a little less treble and mostly used them to sleep since they sit more flush than the SE846. Now they are in the office and used with a little bass boost on the TW2 where I use them to drown out background noise (I sit on a trading desk and music helps me focus).

I don't find the SE846 needs any EQ and they are a clear step up in SQ, especially when it comes to the clarity in the bass, separation and soundstage. For example, I sometimes get tricked into thinking someone is talking to me when listening to live recordings and look around to find nobody there or my wife looking at me like I'm crazy, which I never really got with the SE535s. Although I do feel they share similarities in tuning, I do recall that the SE535s started sounding a bit muffled to me after I got the SE846. As noted above, I did find EQ helped. Keep in mind though that the SE846 are very sensitive and need a good source (look for low output impedance). Works fine with the TW2.

If I were buying today and we're willing to spend $500 on a pair of Shure IEMs, I would watch for sales on the SE846 instead since I do think they are a clear step up over the SE535 and Amazon does have them on sale once in a while (but do understand everyone has different budgets). If I were not so hopeful that Shure would release a new version soon, I probably would have bought another one

Disclaimer, I am a big fan of Shure and have the SE425 (hidden in a box somewhere with my unused TWS), SE535, SE846, and Aonic 50. Have also had the SE530 and SRH 840, both of which broke after years of abuse so take what I said with a grain of salt.

Very helpful. Thank you!

 

[Tommy C]

Why the heck isn't this the standard behavior? Once you're fully paired with specific devices, switching devices really is just as easy as selecting the TW2 from the previously connected menu on whatever your next device is. It's so easy. It's so obvious. It just works. Please, all other TWS and earhook manufacturers: buy the TW2, take notes on how it handles ambient mode, pairing, the app functionality, etc. and just copy ALL OF THAT and focus on your unique product selling point.

Shure did really well here. To me it's about the sound but also the user experience and Shure delivered on both fronts.
Life is too short to deal with bugs and glitches.

 

[FYLegend]

There's currently a 20$ coupon for the Liberty 3 Pro on Amazon.ca (180$). Not quite the launch price (170$) though. I guess they don't want to piss off the launch price folks and stay true to the launch price discount as something unique for now.

 

[FYLegend]

Is the Q30 ANC meh compared to other headphones, or compared to wireless IEMs too? (I'm assuming, correctly I think, that headphone ANC is generally better than wireless IEMs).

Wondering if you could compare the ANC performance to one of these:

SoundPeats T2
FIIL T2 Pro/Earfun equivalent
Galaxy Buds 2

Thanks.

I am rather underwhelmed by the Q30's ANC. It removes some mid-low freuncies but it lets in some croaky rumbling sounds like my space heater. It also doesn't properly remember the ANC setting from the Soundcore app and defaults to this mediocre setting (similar to outdoor mode but slightly better). I always have to go into the app to set it to "indoor" which is considerably better but still not outstanding for my setting.

Overall I think the Dyplay Urban Traveller 2 has more superior ANC to the Q30 though it does let in some hissing sounds like my laptop fan. It also has a very bright/lean sound with ANC turned on (think Audio-Technica MSR7), but becomes dark/warm with ANC off. I really like their styling and durability (but they do fit a tad loose), unfortunately it doesn't have ambient mode and the auto power-off even when connected is extremely annoying (it only stays on if audio is playing).

I don't have the T2 Pro/Earfun Free Pro 2 but had the original. ANC was horrible for outdoor commutting (it was amplifying certain train sounds!) but worked very well for my indoor space heater/fan setting. However, part of this is that it is a more hissy ANC that drowns out these sounds.

SoundPeats T2 does a great job with low to mid frequencies for its price. It still struggles for my commute (old skytrains) though that is asking for a lot. What is more irritating is how it doesn't remember your ANC settings and SoundPeats disabling a number of features like EQ which would be otherwise customizable with the AirReps156X app. Take it with a grain of salt, but Gamesky suggested that SoundPeats makes you cycle through transparency mode so you would be more impressed with turning ANC on.

The Galaxy Buds 2 has more superior ANC overall, but still doesn't do very well for commuting.

 

[Phaethon]

Why the heck isn't this the standard behavior? Once you're fully paired with specific devices, switching devices really is just as easy as selecting the TW2 from the previously connected menu on whatever your next device is. It's so easy. It's so obvious. It just works. Please, all other TWS and earhook manufacturers: buy the TW2, take notes on how it handles ambient mode, pairing, the app functionality, etc. and just copy ALL OF THAT and focus on your unique product selling point.

And please add 2 pin functionality as many of my favorite iems have 2 pin connectors!

 

[erockg]

And please add 2 pin functionality as many of my favorite iems have 2 pin connectors!

I don't think they'd ever do that and cannibalize their own IEM business. But I'll be trying that MMCX to 2 Pin adapter when it arrives today and report back!