I went trying TWEs this afternoon for a short hour. I had a chance to try the SP700Ns, the SP900Ns, the WF1000Xs, the EaRIN M2s, the Mavin Air-Xs, and the Kong-Xs. I wanted to try more but ran short on time. Here is a rundown of my thoughts on each.
I loved the SP700Ns very much again, and found them really well extended and comfortable. The separation was there, the bass detail was nice and impactful, and the mids were still quite clear. This is still one of my favorite TWEs out there. The different modes are useful, but the buttons are annoying to get to, and the audio lag is pretty severe, which is the reason I am hesitant about them. I really wish they were more responsive.
I tried the SP900Ns next, and found the mids nice, but the rest really seemed rolled off. One thing is that they didn't get very loud, but the bass extension and treble extension was definitely lacking. I cycled through the different modes, and it didn't seem to offer ANC on the settings of the demo unit. You could only activate and deactivate transparency, not that it made much of a difference having ANC on other true wireless units. The button placement was amazing though, and the buttons were really good. I also thought the case was great, and even though they were the same style as the other Sony TWEs, they felt much better. They were also the only ones that didn't have a huge amount of sound delay. Too bad the SQ just didn't feel that good.
Next, I tried their father, the WF1000X. They were very comfortable, and had a very nice and balanced sound, with nice separation. I still preferred the SP700Ns sound-sig, but these were nice. The ANC and transparency mode both seemed ever so slightly better than the SP700Ns, so I think they probably have better mics. They were also smaller, so they fit more comfortably, and had the same nice buttons as the SP900Ns. They also had quite a bit of lag, which was unfortunate, The same kind as the SP700Ns.
After, I tried the EARINs. I didn't like them very much. They sounded veiled and muddy. The sound profile even seemed to change between pauses. This was a demo unit, so I am not sure that update they had, if any, but I wasn't a fan of the sound, or the fit.
I then tried the Mavins, and I was not expecting much, but was very pleasantly surprised. They had the easiest pairing method of the bunch, the best case, a nice fit, and sounded very nice. The bass felt just right, and the highs were decent too. Best of all, the mids sounded super clear and detailed. Well, they didn't have all the detail I am used to on my ER4s, but they were very detailed just the same. They had no audio lag as well. I feel like I would have snatched them up here and there had they offered transparency mode. Sure, I can just take off an earbud when someone is talking, but sometimes I need to be aware if someone wants to talk to me.
Finally, I tried the Kong-Xs. They are a hybrid BA-DD TWE, and they sounded the best in the bunch. They were really loud at 10% volume, so I kept it below 7. The bass was like the SP700Ns, but with really clear mids and nice highs. They sounded very nice. The plastic used to make them though wasn't great, and they did end up being huge, which I didn't like...The case is also way too big to be practical.
So, in the end, my two favorite were the SP700Ns and the Mavin Air-Xs. I am not sure I am ready to pull the trigger, as they just don't have everything I need yet. I need less lag on the SP700Ns or transparency mode on the Mavins.
I think though that at this point, technology will render a lot of TOTL models useless in a few generations, so I am not sure I want to spend too much on a pair. I was surprised that the Mavin's could compete with some pairs worth twice its price, thanks in part to it's new chip, and I think it is just a matter of time before the chips get better and leave this current generation of TWEs in the dust.
