[jant71]

Noble Fokus Pro for the best sounding TWS in my house. Love them. Then we amp it up to the IEMs, Thieaudio Monarch MK2 and Legacy 4s on adapters. I have a few other TWS but small ones not geared for best sound. Here's my current lineup. No wild hairs this week for anything new... YET!

You know you want a pair of IE600 for those FiiO. Do they even work with the FiiO ?? Think you need these:

 

[howdy]

Will the UTWS5 work with CIEMs I seen a 0.75mm version but not a 0.78mm version. Also will it fit in the case with CIEMs?

 

[erockg]

You know you want a pair of IE600 for those FiiO. Do they even work with the FiiO ?? Think you need these:

Not enough drivers LOL. I think a guy a few weeks back posted a L shaped adapter for his Sennies with the FiiO. Looked sick.

 

[dweaver]

Well I finally recieved my little MMCX helper for removing the IEM from the cable so decided to try my Brainwavz B400 and Fender FX2 on the UTWS5 and found out just how good the FH5 sound. The B400 is all BA and I have to admit I prefer a dynamic driver for bass, but the mids and treble also outperform the B400. The FX2 lack bass and treble in comparison. They both sound good, just not great.

The FH5 has brought back a new found love for the music versus the gear for me...

 

[seanjoe]

beoplay EQ are the best TWS for me. I'm planning to try fokus pro. is there a reviewer who do the comparison between EQ vs Fokus pro ?

 

[dweaver]

I own 2 Hybrid Driver TWS {In Between Pro, Anker Soundcore L2P) and neither come close to the sound of the FH5 so it's not just how many drivers are in the IEM.

I almost use the UTWS5/FH5 for all my listening now. Even on the train and down town, and in bed. I also find myself listening for hours on end getting lost in the music, something I haven't done in the past few years.

 

[dmphile]

I own 2 Hybrid Driver TWS {In Between Pro, Anker Soundcore L2P) and neither come close to the sound of the FH5 so it's not just how many drivers are in the IEM.

I almost use the UTWS5/FH5 for all my listening now. Even on the train and down town, and in bed. I also find myself listening for hours on end getting lost in the music, something I haven't done in the past few years.

This is how I feel about my combo with the Dorado 2020. I just got the M11 Plus ESS today also. This thing is a brick but it feels super premium and sounds phenomenal. Clarity, resolution and clean bass. A step up from my outdated M7.

 

[Juturna]

The new update for the Technics AZ60 is probably really good, but the change in sound signature probably bummed me out a little bit, but only because I had like the absolute perfect sound signature (ish) dialled in with Wavelet, and now I'm having trouble getting back to exactly that. Still sounds great, but I feel like it's just a liiittle worse right now. That's definitely a minor criticism though, I could've just not updated too, but I wanted to see what the fuss was about.

 

[tiagopinto]

Are there no sound boutiques in your area that you might be able to audition?

Sadly, no. None that I know of at least. Maybe @Asoares99 knows more on this.

Are you looking for something in the middle of those two, same bass as MT, or neutral bass like Rai Solo?

Right in the middle would be nice. I’ve been eyeing the Variations which, although having that sub-bass boost, have a dip in the upper bass/lower mids which might balance them up. They reportedly have loads (for the price) of separation and clear imaging, which is appealing to me. The pinna-gain on these seem to be there but not overtly emphasized and the ESTs seem to give them treble definition but smoothness, which I also like. Most if not all refer to a better B2D which, although not having tried them, all the reviews sound really good.
iBasso are also tempting me. Could the IT-01x be up to par with the Variations? IT-07 must be above them but (still) out of my range as, I’m trying at least, to remain under 500€.

but you can get them from Aliexpress still.

Nowadays taxes are imposed on anything out of the EU, so I have to stick to brands who have a distributor, sell on amazon, sell directly through an EU warehouse... iBasso do the latter. Thieaudio I cannot find. Fiio have a distributor. Moondrop are on Amazon.fr, Linsoul I cannot find... all I cannot try beforehand.

Thanks for your inputs. From you and all of you who’ve chimed in and hope will continue to do so. Very helpful.

 

[tiagopinto]

Hahahaha, but I am still looking for a dac/amp. I just can't believe the portable ones are better than standalone. Zen dac v2 has its own problems with the inbalance at low vols and hallway delay/reverb thing going on. Plus it's 190 instead of 150 now. Mojo is so old and more like 300-350 used instead of 250. High pitched whining problems with some, and batt dies fast. Would have to mod it for pc only. The go blu everyone likes, but it's the same thing where I can't imagine that the zen dac isn't better. The official ifi account on here also said the nano idsd was a step above the zen dac, but that reviewers didn't say anything about a diff in sound.

Trying to find more direct comparisons amongst mojo, go blu, zen dac, and schiit stuff. I want to cry.

I have no experience with the devices you mention. A friend owns the ifi go blu and loves it (as much as @Ceeluh7). Mojo, although old, is very good, but 500 bucks here at least. I do own the THX Onyx and LOVE it to pieces. I got it from Razer for 200 bucks. I’ve heard of occasional discounts. Check ASR’s review of it. I can’t praise it enough.

 

[tiagopinto]

@tiagopinto If you can only get the FH5 at full retail and have a choice to go to buy the FH5S, I have heard it a bit more balanced with a bigger sound stage since it is slightly open, so depending on whether you want a more balanced signature and bigger sound stage at the cost of a bit of isolation, it might be the better option if basically the same price. DSnuts said he thought the FH5S had the best synergy with the UTWS5 out of all the Fiio IEMs he could try which included the FH9, several FA and FD models.

Thanks a lot for your inputs. Very valuable and much appreciated. Keep chiming in. Unfortunately I cannot try the FH5 out but I will try the FH3 a friend just got. Probably a toned down FH5. I am going to contact the local distributor and see if they have any FH open box (or any Fiio for that matter). I have the sense I’m going to love the bass resolution but they’re maybe gonna be too bright for me. Frequency response is one thing and how the crossover works the tuning out is another. Idk, gotta check. Cheers.

 

[Ceeluh7]

Well I finally recieved my little MMCX helper for removing the IEM from the cable so decided to try my Brainwavz B400 and Fender FX2 on the UTWS5 and found out just how good the FH5 sound. The B400 is all BA and I have to admit I prefer a dynamic driver for bass, but the mids and treble also outperform the B400. The FX2 lack bass and treble in comparison. They both sound good, just not great.

The FH5 has brought back a new found love for the music versus the gear for me...

Dude.... Fh5 is a beast. You start to appreciate a well balanced sound like the Fh5 has. Clean, good bass replay, airy enough, just a good all rounder. BTW those tools will save your mmcx connections. Before using them I used to just grip and pull all my mmcx and maaay have ruined a couple pairs of iems that way, those tools are a must.

 

[samandhi]

Sadly, no. None that I know of at least. Maybe @Asoares99 knows more on this.



Right in the middle would be nice. I’ve been eyeing the Variations which, although having that sub-bass boost, have a dip in the upper bass/lower mids which might balance them up. They reportedly have loads (for the price) of separation and clear imaging, which is appealing to me. The pinna-gain on these seem to be there but not overtly emphasized and the ESTs seem to give them treble definition but smoothness, which I also like. Most if not all refer to a better B2D which, although not having tried them, all the reviews sound really good.
iBasso are also tempting me. Could the IT-01x be up to par with the Variations? IT-07 must be above them but (still) out of my range as, I’m trying at least, to remain under 500€.



Nowadays taxes are imposed on anything out of the EU, so I have to stick to brands who have a distributor, sell on amazon, sell directly through an EU warehouse... iBasso do the latter. Thieaudio I cannot find. Fiio have a distributor. Moondrop are on Amazon.fr, Linsoul I cannot find... all I cannot try beforehand.

Thanks for your inputs. From you and all of you who’ve chimed in and hope will continue to do so. Very helpful.

I don't know about the Variations, but keep in mind that a good bass boost can be a good thing in some cases (as long as it is tasteful and not overly done). If a set of IEMs is analytical by nature, a good bass boost will also help to make them more musical (and not boring sounding), and yet retain their analytical nature also.

One of the reasons I love the IT series from iBasso is that the bass, while boosted a bit, is more linear (except the IT01 which is almost a bass cannon). This means that in tracks that call for heavy bass, you hear it all, but in ones that do not, it is not over emphasized. There is also not a huge mid-bass hump that creates the mids bass bleed. I can't compare the IT01x with the Variations as I have not heard them, but I would submit that the IT01x is the little brother of the IT07 with less refinement that you would get from the IT07 (which IS a kilobuck IEM in sonic quality, just not in price). I personally kept the IT01s and sent the IT01x back because the sonic differences to my ears was not enough to justify the price difference that I was able to obtain for the IT01s (IT01s WAS $200, but I got them for $120).

The other thing I have always like about iBasso products is that they are very competitive in their pricing. They create devices/items that compete with other TOTL stuff but not at an exorbitant price range like most other manufacturers do. (not to start a flame war here but) Take the A&K SP2000 for instance. It is somewhere around $2400. I would submit that the DX300 ($1100) is better in every way; power output, screen, speed of OS, features, sound, for much less money (IMHO).

But at the end of the day, I think that it will come down to how your ears hear things. The Variations could be the one, or the Fiio FH5, or the iBasso series. And, you won't really know until you put them into your ears really. BUT... I would probably put any of them up as being very good for your money IMO. For what you are looking for I don't think you can go wrong unless one of those sets just happens to not synergize well with the chain you currently have. Keep in mind that (while I am not a fanboy it might appear so) I use iBasso DAPs (DX300 and DX160) for all my music needs, and the iBasso IEMs synergize very well with them. I find no reviews that say any of those DON'T synergize well with most DAC/amps, but it IS possible. This holds true for any IEM that you have to rely on others to tell you how they sound.

 

[Ceeluh7]

This is how I feel about my combo with the Dorado 2020. I just got the M11 Plus ESS today also. This thing is a brick but it feels super premium and sounds phenomenal. Clarity, resolution and clean bass. A step up from my outdated M7.

I was looking at the m11 plus. I own the m11 original and it is still so good man. However I was thinking of upgrading to either the m11 plus or the Hiby R6 2020. Enjoy it man

 

[samandhi]

Dude.... Fh5 is a beast. You start to appreciate a well balanced sound like the Fh5 has. Clean, good bass replay, airy enough, just a good all rounder. BTW those tools will save your mmcx connections. Before using them I used to just grip and pull all my mmcx and maaay have ruined a couple pairs of iems that way, those tools are a must.

Or never clipping your thumb nail... LOL

Yeah, I was sent one of those tools free with my 7Hz Timeless, which is ironic because the shape of those won't allow you to get the tool in there to use it properly.