[ElKabong]

Has anyone tried the ATH-CKS50TW? I know they have good battery life but how are they in the sound department and over all functionality?

They seem reasonably priced.

I bought a pair of these myself at a good price, paired with Fiio M11 & Shanling M3X primarily. The app is pretty useful, all functions are done by the left and right buttons on the buds. As far as the sound, it's all subjective to the individual user. Depending on the app you use for playback, you can eq til you find what suits you.
I use poweramp mainly. I am no audiophile by any stretch, i do like the sound i get from these buds, good separation, good clarity.
Bottom line for me is that i like them.

 

[erockg]

Or you could just get the B&O EX. The EX solves the poor call quality of the A&K, has a larger driver, and has IPX 57. The ANC is an afterthought but it doesn’t suffer a SQ hit like the XM4 does. I take these TWS everywhere.

A&K the SQ is great, and passive noise isolation works extremely well. With the right tips they’re just as effective as some earplugs in reducing background noise. In comparison the PNI of the EX is trash, even after rolling some spinfits (I used the shallower CP360)


The biggest demerit of the EX is price. But they do a lot of things right. The A&K is a 1.5 trick pony, and if you buy direct from A&K you only get a 14 day return window.

Odd because I used my AKs on calls and Zooms yesterday with zero issues. Everyone said my voice sounded clear and great. I do think they both sound exceptionally good. One is a Knowles BA and I'm guessing the EX is just a dynamic driver. The AK are more powerful for sure, but the EX are no slouch. Both incredible buds and great to see how far these companies have come. AK did a great job even if it's their first try. I haven't had one bug using them with my iPhone and computer. Famous last words!

 

[Sam L]

GAC - Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

Got it. Thx. Memory was slipping for a minute there.

 

[Sam L]

What's in my little "man bag" today, walking outside on a gorgeous California day.

If I'm being completely honest, these $21 iems sound every bit as good as the eq'd Sony and the stock az60.

 

[jant71]

I bought a pair of these myself at a good price, paired with Fiio M11 & Shanling M3X primarily. The app is pretty useful, all functions are done by the left and right buttons on the buds. As far as the sound, it's all subjective to the individual user. Depending on the app you use for playback, you can eq til you find what suits you.
I use poweramp mainly. I am no audiophile by any stretch, i do like the sound i get from these buds, good separation, good clarity.
Bottom line for me is that i like them.

Hmmm, they don't sound half bad!

Odd because I used my AKs on calls and Zooms yesterday with zero issues. Everyone said my voice sounded clear and great. I do think they both sound exceptionally good. One is a Knowles BA and I'm guessing the EX is just a dynamic driver. The AK are more powerful for sure, but the EX are no slouch. Both incredible buds and great to see how far these companies have come. AK did a great job even if it's their first try. I haven't had one bug using them with my iPhone and computer. Famous last words!

That call quality impression started with Digital Trends review. Seems like they were using a Pixel 5 phone so that may contribute...

"Unfortunately, A&K has some work left to do to bring the UW100 up to par with its competitors when it comes to phone calls and other voice applications. Ambient mode is incompatible with voice calling, so you can’t hear an unmuffled version of your own voice. But the bigger problem is the quality of the voice pickup. During an outdoor recording session, I found a lot of compression and distortion crept in, and at times my voice sounded distant — like I was a few feet from the mics, not mere inches. I’ve gotten much better results from much cheaper wireless earbuds like the $80 Jabra Elite 3.

With two mics per earbud — the same as most products at this price — I suspect the problem stems from the background noise cancellation settings that A&K has used. When these algorithms are overly aggressive, they can adversely affect voice quality as they attempt to neutralize other sounds."

 

[jant71]

Free Byrd review...
https://www.qucox.com/beyerdynamic-free-byrd-review/

Fly little byrd fly!

 

[erockg]

Hmmm, they don't sound half bad!



That call quality impression started with Digital Trends review. Seems like they were using a Pixel 5 phone so that may contribute...

"Unfortunately, A&K has some work left to do to bring the UW100 up to par with its competitors when it comes to phone calls and other voice applications. Ambient mode is incompatible with voice calling, so you can’t hear an unmuffled version of your own voice. But the bigger problem is the quality of the voice pickup. During an outdoor recording session, I found a lot of compression and distortion crept in, and at times my voice sounded distant — like I was a few feet from the mics, not mere inches. I’ve gotten much better results from much cheaper wireless earbuds like the $80 Jabra Elite 3.

With two mics per earbud — the same as most products at this price — I suspect the problem stems from the background noise cancellation settings that A&K has used. When these algorithms are overly aggressive, they can adversely affect voice quality as they attempt to neutralize other sounds."

Granted, I did not try them outdoors. I don't usually walk outside on the phone. I saw that review, but usually have to try them out myself. DT is like Flossy to me

 

[erockg]

Got it. Thx. Memory was slipping for a minute there.

Typo in there. He does mean GAS. I have a lot all the time.

 

[jant71]

Typo in there. He does mean GAS. I have a lot all the time.

Fixed. Wasn't paying attention. Must have got confused while I was watching TV.

 

[subguy812]

A little collective brainwashing in here now? MTW3 was soo good at first, but now everyone's hating them, and returning en mass

I can't return them, but will sell them secondhand if the Spinfit CP1025 doesn't help me with the fit and SQ. Flexifit is comfortable and secure, but "ruins" the sound and ANC.
I need short tips. Normal ones gives me trouble as earlier stated. Any other suggestions than CP1025?

No collective brainwashing here, but nice try. I have no skin in anyone's game nor do I give a crap what you buy. I highlighted my fit issues on the MTW3 thread the day I received them. I experimented and would have kept my TW2 but I had already sold them to my brother.

There were two or three others I wanted to try but the B&O EX were the first and they are clearly keepers.

Enjoy whatever works for you. The TW3 didn't work for me but the OG and TW2 did.

 

[erockg]

No collective brainwashing here, but nice try. I higlighted my fit issues on the MTW3 thread the day I received them. I experimented and would have kept my TW2 but I had already sold them to my brother.

There were two or three others I wanted to try but the B&O EX were the first and they are clearly keepers.

See, I thought the MTW3 fit excellent. My only issue was sound. EX are not far, but definitely superior. Love them! If I didn't have the EX and the AK already, I'd probably be very happy with the Sennies. Sadly, this game of TWS chess never ends. Linkbuds S incoming! UGH. @jant71, should I print my return label ahead of time?

 

[subguy812]

See, I thought the MTW3 fit excellent. My only issue was sound. EX are not far, but definitely superior. Love them! If I didn't have the EX and the AK already, I'd probably be very happy with the Sennies. Sadly, this game of TWS chess never ends. Linkbuds S incoming! UGH. @jant71, should I print my return label ahead of time?

Yes fit and sound are subjective. All of this hobby is. If someone likes their purchase it shouldn't matter what someone else thinks. Again, all of this is subjective. The fit would have been great, but I couldn't achieve a seal, which is critical.

But this game is only 400 max as opposed to my usual game which is now over 6K. Ridiculous.

 

[jant71]

See, I thought the MTW3 fit excellent. My only issue was sound. EX are not far, but definitely superior. Love them! If I didn't have the EX and the AK already, I'd probably be very happy with the Sennies. Sadly, this game of TWS chess never ends. Linkbuds S incoming! UGH. @jant71, should I print my return label ahead of time?

Supposedly a notch below the XM4 for SQ and ANC. More balanced though on the signature is what I read. Early and few impressions but how good is the ANC and how important is that? Might be worth the price so you get what you pay for. Of course they will drop the price like $30 pretty soon. My impression is a you'll like the size and fit more than the Senn but not the sound. if the ANC and auto adjusting ANC/ambient works for you I see a possible return and repurchase after a price drop or two and perhaps a good firmware update.

 

[stacey]

Odd because I used my AKs on calls and Zooms yesterday with zero issues. Everyone said my voice sounded clear and great. I do think they both sound exceptionally good. One is a Knowles BA and I'm guessing the EX is just a dynamic driver. The AK are more powerful for sure, but the EX are no slouch. Both incredible buds and great to see how far these companies have come. AK did a great job even if it's their first try. I haven't had one bug using them with my iPhone and computer. Famous last words!

The A&K sound great on an iPhone. And the bigger problem is not that they have terrible mics, but I ran into issues in a setting that isn’t necessarily quiet.I had no issues in an office setting, but in a park with a lot of crowd noise , a train , or in a truck they struggle.

That’s said, I can’t be bother to part with them, they’re that good.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

I'm still loving my MTW3, personally I think its a joke that you can't customize touch controls or having the music pause when enabling ambient mode on the EX. Especially since they cost much more than the MTW3.

I will be prob getting the IE600 + UTWS5 in the near future for when I want maximum portable sound quality anyways. As of now I mostly use the MTW3 when I actually want a great pair of TWS, which means stuff like fit, software features and ANC is very important.

Sennheiser will also prob give plenty of software updates to the MTW3 for future refinements/features, whilst I doubt the EX will see much attention to new software features.