[Ceeluh7]

To make matters worse for you, Amazon dropped the price further today: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LGGDQB...olid=1SBM040WIZBXS&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

SOB! DUDE! Okay... I may just go with these.... Ergh! I am ready to be disappointed but.... For the good of the group...Lol... As I may be the only buyer in the Western World... Wth. $297....Here I was debating getting a few iems or a nice dac/amp but.... They just look nice. I'm seriously hoping that JVC didn't screw this up with another damn tws that has low volume! There are too many out there. I almost just want to get the Grado GT220 again and be happy as the volume was out of this world and the sound was full and wonderful... It did have flaws though, hence I don't have it. Anyways thanks for pointing that out man, choices.

 

[erockg]

SOB! DUDE! Okay... I may just go with these.... Ergh! I am ready to be disappointed but.... For the good of the group...Lol... As I may be the only buyer in the Western World... Wth. $297....Here I was debating getting a few iems or a nice dac/amp but.... They just look nice. I'm seriously hoping that JVC didn't screw this up with another damn tws that has low volume! There are too many out there. I almost just want to get the Grado GT220 again and be happy as the volume was out of this world and the sound was full and wonderful... It did have flaws though, hence I don't have it. Anyways thanks for pointing that out man, choices.

I hear you dude. I'm waiting it out for reviews. Maybe you'll sway me. I've streamlined my TWS collection down to only 3. Noble Fokus, ATH- CKS50TW and the Marshall Motif ANC. I liked the sound on the Grado too. They had a weird deep fit for me. Maybe I should revisit them. Been really immersed in my IEMs right now with BT adapters.

 

[cytoSiN]

Look what you guys made me do...

 

[erockg]

Look what you guys made me do...

https://tenor.com/pbsQ.gif

 

[TK33]

It's been almost two years, and I've been happy with my Elite 75t ever since. But since this is a hobby and they're really starting to show their age I finally bought several fully wireless IEMs to find my buds for the next couple of years.

Turns out... I might go back to my trusted Jabras.

The first pair I ordered were Sony WF-1000XM4. Amazing buds. Great sound quality, impressive ANC, wonderful ambiance mode. I love the female voice telling me the settings, feels a bit sci-fi. The app is expansive, which is great for customization. However, the WF-1000XM4 are huge and sort of bulky. My wife said they looked like I put a ball of white Play-Doh in my ears.

Then came the Beoplay EQ, and I must say, I didn't even understand the concept. I found them to be unremarkable at best. Uncomfortable fit, bulky presentation, a charging case that requires fiddling to insert the earbuds, and, surprisingly, disappointing ANC. Wind noise is almost ridiculous. All in all, they sound and feel like they should cost much less.

Bowers and Wilkins PI7, however, were almost great! Good sound quality, snappy case, nice fit. Design-wise my favorite IEMs ever, they protrude from your ears and yet they're discreet. They look expensive, they feel premium, and that gimmick - to have a case that's connected to any 3.5mm source - is really awesome. I just plugged the case into my 7.1 receiver and bang, watched a movie using the PI7.

So what went wrong? The app. That godforsaken app.

Let me explain: to activate ambiance mode - which is something I often have to do when in public since, you know, I don't want to be hit by a car, or miss my train station, or have a quick conversation at the counter - you have to use the app. No button control. So you fiddle with your phone, start the app, realize it's not connected to the PI7, wait for a connection, look for the right tab, and ...

... you get the idea. Ambiance mode should be something you activate and deactivate with a tap. The fact that you have to use an app, "booting up" a connection to the earbuds first is so, so annoying. B&W didn't really put a lot of thought into this. They didn't even add an equalizer, not even a stylized one like B&O does. It pains me to say that I would have loved the build quality, the sound and that quirky 3.5mm gimmick, but the app killed it.

So for now, I kept my WF-100XM4 to give them another go. And my Elite 75ts are still not retired. If Bowers and Wilkins revamped their app, I'd totally go for them, but right now I just can't. Such a shame.

Agree on ambient and the app. I rarely use the app (don't even have it installed on all my phones) and so don't use ambient. Also found the volume to be too low when using the 3.5 mm connection to the case on some Delta flights I took last year so I never really use that either. I find you need to keep ANC on to cancel out foot thumping noises but otherwise ANC is mediocre at best when on a plane or train (not much of an ANC person so I am fine with that). I can still hear all announcements when on the train, which works for me. Note, I also listen at pretty low volume generally and they are too loud for me above 20-30%.

I pre-ordered at launch and I am still really enjoying the fit,comfort, call quality, and the sound of the PI7s. If B&W improved the app and ambient toggle, I would buy that newer version, although I would probably not rush to buy the next time around since I am on my third set. I had to RMA twice before I got one that could get through a song without skipping. While I would love an equalizer, I get the sense that will never happen with a B&W headphone or TWS.

 

[Ceeluh7]

I hear you dude. I'm waiting it out for reviews. Maybe you'll sway me. I've streamlined my TWS collection down to only 3. Noble Fokus, ATH- CKS50TW and the Marshall Motif ANC. I liked the sound on the Grado too. They had a weird deep fit for me. Maybe I should revisit them. Been really immersed in my IEMs right now with BT adapters.

You already know I'm in the same boat as you with iems... Rightfully so. I just want one top teir tws. I have 12 sets of them and none I consider top teir. Maybe the Lypertek Z7... They sound pretty damn good but have their own oddities. I truly loved the sound of the grados....so full and just covered the whole spectrum from deep sub bass to pretty nice highs for a tws.

 

[Ceeluh7]

Agree on ambient and the app. I rarely use the app (don't even have it installed on all my phones) and so don't use ambient. Also found the volume to be too low when using the 3.5 mm connection to the case on some Delta flights I took last year so I never really use that either. I find you need to keep ANC on to cancel out foot thumping noises but otherwise ANC is mediocre at best when on a plane or train (not much of an ANC person so I am fine with that). I can still hear all announcements when on the train, which works for me. Note, I also listen at pretty low volume generally and they are too loud for me above 20-30%.

I pre-ordered at launch and I am still really enjoying the fit,comfort, call quality, and the sound of the PI7s. If B&W improved the app and ambient toggle, I would buy that newer version, although I would probably not rush to buy the next time around since I am on my third set. I had to RMA twice before I got one that could get through a song without skipping. While I would love an equalizer, I get the sense that will never happen with a B&W headphone or TWS.

OK so you have the pi7.... You prob have already stated it but are you using android or ios? Just wondering because I read in a forum somewhere of volume differences between devices and even between music players (poweramp, uapp etc.). Is there any truth to that, is it another low volume set?

 

[BooleanBones]

Agree on ambient and the app. I rarely use the app (don't even have it installed on all my phones) and so don't use ambient. Also found the volume to be too low when using the 3.5 mm connection to the case on some Delta flights I took last year so I never really use that either. I find you need to keep ANC on to cancel out foot thumping noises but otherwise ANC is mediocre at best when on a plane or train (not much of an ANC person so I am fine with that). I can still hear all announcements when on the train, which works for me. Note, I also listen at pretty low volume generally and they are too loud for me above 20-30%.

I pre-ordered at launch and I am still really enjoying the fit,comfort, call quality, and the sound of the PI7s. If B&W improved the app and ambient toggle, I would buy that newer version, although I would probably not rush to buy the next time around since I am on my third set. I had to RMA twice before I got one that could get through a song without skipping. While I would love an equalizer, I get the sense that will never happen with a B&W headphone or TWS.

Yeah, B&W is quite upfront about not providing an EQ. I don't think they will ever give one either.

 

[TK33]

OK so you have the pi7.... You prob have already stated it but are you using android or ios? Just wondering because I read in a forum somewhere of volume differences between devices and even between music players (poweramp, uapp etc.). Is there any truth to that, is it another low volume set?

Android (aptX adaptive on OnePlus 8T and LG V60 and aptX HD on Pixel 6). I also use a Windows laptop PC for Zoom calls once in a while, although the Galaxy Buds Live are still my go to for Zoom and phone calls.

If on Apple, I would not recommend the PI7 based on the same user experience that you refer to, which I have read as well.

 

[erockg]

You already know I'm in the same boat as you with iems... Rightfully so. I just want one top teir tws. I have 12 sets of them and none I consider top teir. Maybe the Lypertek Z7... They sound pretty damn good but have their own oddities. I truly loved the sound of the grados....so full and just covered the whole spectrum from deep sub bass to pretty nice highs for a tws.

I had the Z7 but if I were you, go for the Fokus. Granted, mine are not getting enough love here for obvious reasons, but man, they are so good. Z7s are great and have the same exact internals of the Noble Falcon Pro, but are tuned differently. Personally, I prefer the Wizards tuning.

 

[cytoSiN]

So actual comments on Solaris + TW2:

Fit: The Solaris lines up well with the TW2's contours and fits my smallish ears pretty well, no complaints there, although I'll need a much longer listening session to speak to this one.

Ambient: I love this already. At high volume it's still not great for a conversation, but the fact that I can hear myself and others AT ALL is a major step in the right direction that I'm thrilled to add to Solaris SQ.

Sound: So far I'm not noticing much of a difference. Maybe slightly narrower soundstage and with ambient on everything feels little more pinched? So far worth it for the tradeoff in features.

Usability: Amazing. Ambient with 2 button presses right on the unit, no need for any app (although I'll play with that later).

BT: Not so great on my DX220 with flac audio, but that's likely on the DX220. BT great from my PC with any size/quality audio. Played the same flac I was using on my DX220 with zero BT issues.

Case: The case is great, fits the Solaris just fine, although I might add a thin piece of felt on top so the plastic isn't rubbing the metal cases on the Solaris. Love that it shows the number of charges remaining and has a light to show status of the TW2 without having to open the case. Wish it charged wirelessly but I'll survive.

I'll follow up later once I get into testing with my phone and some Zoom meetings on phone and PC.

 

[scubaphish]

So actual comments on Solaris + TW2:

Fit: The Solaris lines up well with the TW2's contours and fits my smallish ears pretty well, no complaints there, although I'll need a much longer listening session to speak to this one.

Ambient: I love this already. At high volume it's still not great for a conversation, but the fact that I can hear myself and others AT ALL is a major step in the right direction that I'm thrilled to add to Solaris SQ.

Sound: So far I'm not noticing much of a difference. Maybe slightly narrower soundstage and with ambient on everything feels little more pinched? So far worth it for the tradeoff in features.

Usability: Amazing. Ambient with 2 button presses right on the unit, no need for any app (although I'll play with that later).

BT: Not so great on my DX220 with flac audio, but that's likely on the DX220. BT great from my PC with any size/quality audio. Played the same flac I was using on my DX220 with zero BT issues.

Case: The case is great, fits the Solaris just fine, although I might add a thin piece of felt on top so the plastic isn't rubbing the metal cases on the Solaris. Love that it shows the number of charges remaining and has a light to show status of the TW2 without having to open the case. Wish it charged wirelessly but I'll survive.

I'll follow up later once I get into testing with my phone and some Zoom meetings on phone and PC.

I’m very excited to hear they line up nicely. Hopefully that design carries over to the Onyx I’m on backorder for

As for calls/zoom with TW2, I think you’ll be pleased. I’ve had very clear conversations with no complaints from anyone

 

[Ceeluh7]

I had the Z7 but if I were you, go for the Fokus. Granted, mine are not getting enough love here for obvious reasons, but man, they are so good. Z7s are great and have the same exact internals of the Noble Falcon Pro, but are tuned differently. Personally, I prefer the Wizards tuning.

I agree, however, again I am in the same predicament where all my funds are in Amazon Gift Cards and Amazon doesn't sell the set I want the most... Noble Audio Fokus Pro. So I have to settle, OH well... There is certainly worse problems to have.

 

[jant71]

Deal for the Earfun Free Mini - $12.99 before tax.
https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Ear...08194&pd_rd_wg=UtGsR&pd_rd_i=B09JGBXBC3&psc=1

 

[dmphile]

Guess what came early...