I have the Mavins, the MTWs and the Sabbat E12 and they are all fantastic. This new batch of true wireless earphones represents a signficant leap forward from last year’s offerings (the Jabra, the Bose, the E8).
The MTWs are probably my favorites, sound wise — but not by much (and not by 2-3x, which is the cost differential). Their sound is engaging and full, the dual microphones seem very good for outgoing sound on calls, and I haven’t had the microphone issue others have noted (which will apparently be fixed in an upcoming firmware update anyway). They also have a transparency feature, which is useful. I also like the touch controls, which makes it relatively easy to switch paired devices. The four hour battery life is a bummer, however. I haven’t yet suffered from the battery drain issue that others have complained about — but I tend to plug in the case when not in use.
The Sabbat’s have an amazingly full sound and a really terrific lower end. It’s a really fun sound. Their literature says that Sabbat tried to replicate the Sennheiser sound curve, and I think they did a very good job of that. They’re not quite as detailed as the MTWs, but their ridiculously good bass makes them more fun to listen to at times (particularly in loud environments like the NYC subway). They also have four microphones (like the Jabra) for great outgoing call clarity. The only downside I’ve experienced with the Sabbats is an occasional right or left dropout while walking around NYC streets. That’s a bummer, because if the connection was more reliable the Sabbat’s might be my favorite of the three models. They also purport to have a six to eight hour battery life, which is terrific. My understanding is that these are using a new Realtek chipset that gets battery life almost comparable to the QCC3026. I haven’t had time to confirm the battery life, but based on partial usage it seems about right. (For those who haven’t noticed the Sabbat E12’s, they look almost exactly like the X12’s, but with a silicone tip rather than a hard Air Pod like tip that the X12’s have.). The Sabbats are also the most comfortable of the bunch — I have honestly forgotten they were in my ears.
The Mavin’s also have terrific sound, albeit a very different sound signature than the Sabbats — more detail, less (but good) bass — generally, a more neutral and accurate sound than the Sabbats, but perhaps not as fun. Their microphones seems fine, but I haven’t had an opportunity to use these much for calls. My understanding is that the Mavins have another dual mic setup with the advanced noise cancelling provided by the QCC3026 chip. The connectivity and range are both terrific. (Both the MTW and the Mavin are Class 1 Bluetooth devices, so they get up to 3x the range of most Bluetooth headphones, which are Class 2.). I don’t think I’ve had a single drop-out with these. The purported battery life is, of course, crazy, stupid — 10 hours, with another 40 hours in the case. It’s a paradigm changer, and I’d be comfortable bringing them along on a several day trip without worrying about a charging cable. (For some reason, the Mavin’s still use micro USB, while the others are USB-C — but I’m not sure I care too much about that.)
Oh, I also bought the Mpow T5’s, another new earphone that uses the QCC3026 SOC. They have a purported seven hour battery life, and they sound pretty darn good for a $60 earphone — but they don’t quite compete, sound wise, with the three other models above. I’ve also had some connection dropouts with the T5’s — not many, but enough to annoy. They’re also IPX7, so I’ve actually worn them in the shower, which is fun. (The others are all IPX4 or IPX5, I think.)
One general frustration with all these earphones is the loss of multipoint connectivity — so, several steps forward and at least one step back in that regard. Only the MTW’s make it relatively easy to switch input devices (from my iPhone to a Mac, for example) while using them. I wish all Bluetooth earphones used an app like Bose’s that makes switching input devices easy. I also had to do a lot of tip-rolling with each of these ‘phones to get the right fit, because I apparently have freakishly large ears. Only the T5’s had a case that didn’t permit larger tips — which is a design choice that really annoys me.
In summary, it feels to me like truly wireless earphones have turned a corner this year, with better sound, better battery life, better mics — and there are several decent options (and probably more to come). There are still a few rough edges, but maybe those edges will be smoothed over by CES 2020.
