[BobJS]

I need a pair of sleep buds that can drown out a snoring partner. Ear plugs are not proving to be good enough. Would also like 8+ hours of battery life. I'm a side sleeper, so small size and comfort are a must. Bose has discontinued their sleep buds and I've seen no indication of a new model coming. All the options seem to have serious limitations. Had anyone found something effective?

Clothespin?


I have a similar issue but I get by with a small IEM, say, Penon Orb, and a DAP. As a side-sleeper, I never found a TWS that worked for me.

 

[tiagopinto]

Only thing I don't like about my 2.0 system for watching TV is the missing centre channel can make conversations sound quiet and I end up compensating by turning it up too loud.

I have a 5.1 system in the living room and my TVs speakers are disconnected. I ALWAYS listen to EVERYTHING through the speakers. Usually 5 channel stereo for “normal” TV, stereo plus sub for vinyl, auto Dolby Digital for content which has it, and seldom simulated 5.1 for TV movies. I rarely listen to streaming music in the living room (because the apps are cut in sound through a Sony android TV and I don’t own a proper streamer), so for music it’s mostly vinyl and CD. In my office, I stream during the day, while working, on headphones or a “badly in need of upgrade” small 5.1 pc speakers.

I have yet to listen for a sound bar (I even cringe writing its name) which has acceptable sound. I don’t include sound bars above 1.000€ because it would even be more ridiculous to compare those with a pair of stereo speakers above that price.

 

[tiagopinto]

Ok, ok, I haven’t scratched them. I just don’t have anyway to test them.

From the ones below 300 bucks, which would be your choice? AAP2, MTW3, TWX9...

(I could be leaning towards the APP2 due to being happily engulfed in the i ecosystem. But I don’t want to get them if there’s something substantially better, or just better, in SQ)
TIA.

Hey @PixelSquish what's your take? Thx.

 

[newworld666]

after two maximum three hours I have to free my ears, 8 hours are impossible continuously, even if I have custom JH audio for my ears, after a few hours I still have to remove them and let my ears breathe

I would say, with the proper bed pillow, softest and right size tips and the right IEM size and shape, there is absolutely no issue keeping an IEM 8 hours or more for many people (travelling or sleeping with them every day) .. Basically for me, comfort of an IEM can be as important as Sound Quality for my every day pleasure.
I loved the IER-Z1R SQ (my preferred one) => but as the comfort in my ears was not really nice for hours, I stopped using them while the Xelento is the most transparent IEM in the ears, that it can be almost forgotten when I am using them for 8 hours or more.

 

[tiagopinto]

Well been playing with the Mystique for the last couple of hours, including an hour dog walk.

Sound wise these are my favorite TWS for sure. As per the last video review posted, I love bass but very glad I didn't get the new B&W because the Mystique bass is great and present, any more it would be too much, and they say the B&W is up there. This is good stuff. I have one hybrid IEM left, the Dunu 3001 and those are amazing to me. I've tried 4BA and a DD, and 5BA IEM's and I still think the Duno which have three BA and 1 DD are my favorite hybrid. Anyway, the Mystique is a great hybrid. I love the sound of good hybrid IEM's.

Fit is great for me, the stock tips are actually pretty good off the bat. The issues I have are quality of life with the controls. Not enough customization, no auto pause, and no option to turn on auto-pause when you enable transparency. Also to enable transparency the only option is a long long press on the left bud, and then the announcement that tells you it's on or off is just wordy and slow. After being used to super fast turning into and out of ambient mode while pausing music, it's annoying. A first world problem for sure but it's just not nearly as smooth as it should be considering where other IEM's are in that regard. Also the case is a bit too big compared to stuff like the Sony's and AZ60. The case does not open as smoothly as all my others, and the buds are not as easy to pop out. Not hard but nowhere as easy as my senns, technics and sony's. Passive isolation is quite good. ANC would be a nice to have for sure but you know going in they don't have any.

Oh these get loud, so plenty of headroom.

Will be selling my Sony XM4 for sure and possibly another of my other TWS.

I'm looking forward to more good true wireless hybrid IEM's coming out.

I still have my eyes on the DK-3001.

 

[ElKabong]

Giving the JBL Live Free 2 a spin this week. Wanted small buds for sleeping. First impression, wow, JBL has really improved their ANC tech. JBL has come a long way from their awful offerings a few years ago. These sound good. $99 from Best Buy. ANC, Transparency, wireless charging, EQ, Find My Buds and Multi-Point.

Have a pair of these myself, and rather like them, surprised by the sound they produced.

 

[PixelSquish]

Hey @PixelSquish what's your take? Thx.

I am an Android guy so never listened to anything Apple. The MTW3 vs the Mystique is a close one.

I love the sound of both but they are definitely different. I have not done A/B'ing but I will. I think the Mystique are technically superior. They just have a better separation between instruments and feel more layered. The MTW3 are a fun sound but not messy either. I'll have to A/B to give more info. I think the Mystique sub-bass could be improved. The bass is very punchy and a nice punchy, but the sub-bass is missing a smidge of oomph. I think the decay is too fast maybe? Have to really A-B my IEM to verify. But overall both have a great sound signature that I enjoy very much. The Mystique are technically superior as I mentioned.

As far as quality of life issues - the MTW3 just have more features that I like - mainly fully customizable controls, ANC, a fast access to ambient mode while pausing the music automatically if you'd like. That's what I miss the most, those three things. I knew I wasn't getting ANC, so missing the other two things is tough. I use ambient mode all the time (urban environment, stopping to talk to people or pop into stores happens often enough)

I find the Mystiques, even though a bigger bud, to be a bit more comfortable to my ears actually.

You can't go wrong with either.

I still have my eyes on the DK-3001.

I almost sold those but so glad they didn't sell while I had them listed. I had the good ole well I gotta upgrade itch and get newer and better, but that was all just uprade-itis and consumerism talking in me. They have such a great sound.

I remember reading a post by a guy who was active then about his IEM journey and at the time he was buying more and more expensive IEM that were well reviewed, but yet he would mention that the Dunu 3001 sound was always one that was in his top sound signatures no matter how many higher end IEM's he started getting.

 

[tiagopinto]

I'd love to see a Sennheiser TWS with the driver of the IE600, the form factor of the MTW3 with just a slightly better ANC and a slightly smaller case, and slightly better battery life. With all the Apt X codecs support. I'd pay good money for that.

Or a hybrid wireless by Dunu that mimics the 3001 sound.

Have you tried the Vulkan. Sadly, I haven’t.

 

[tiagopinto]

I am an Android guy so never listened to anything Apple. The MTW3 vs the Mystique is a close one.

I love the sound of both but they are definitely different. I have not done A/B'ing but I will. I think the Mystique are technically superior. They just have a better separation between instruments and feel more layered. The MTW3 are a fun sound but not messy either. I'll have to A/B to give more info. I think the Mystique sub-bass could be improved. The bass is very punchy and a nice punchy, but the sub-bass is missing a smidge of oomph. I think the decay is too fast maybe? Have to really A-B my IEM to verify. But overall both have a great sound signature that I enjoy very much. The Mystique are technically superior as I mentioned.

As far as quality of life issues - the MTW3 just have more features that I like - mainly fully customizable controls, ANC, a fast access to ambient mode while pausing the music automatically if you'd like. That's what I miss the most, those three things. I knew I wasn't getting ANC, so missing the other two things is tough. I use ambient mode all the time (urban environment, stopping to talk to people or pop into stores happens often enough)

I find the Mystiques, even though a bigger bud, to be a bit more comfortable to my ears actually.

You can't go wrong with either.



I almost sold those but so glad they didn't sell while I had them listed. I had the good ole well I gotta upgrade itch and get newer and better, but that was all just uprade-itis and consumerism talking in me. They have such a great sound.

I remember reading a post by a guy who was active then about his IEM journey and at the time he was buying more and more expensive IEM that were well reviewed, but yet he would mention that the Dunu 3001 sound was always one that was in his top sound signatures no matter how many higher end IEM's he started getting.

If it’s a close one I’ll keep trying to audition them. I honestly cannot live without ANC and transparency whenever I reinvest in TWS. Qi I’ll relinquish but that’s about it.

@samandhi has the DK-2001 and he swears by them. I had my eyes on the DK-3001 but changed my focus to the Vulkan when they released. Not having easy access to Dunu in Europe, I kept trying to be included on the review tour but to no avail. Glad you didn’t sell yours. Still wish for the 3001.

I then had the opportunity to get the Advar at an unbeatable rate through a friend’s bulk deal. I jumped at this opportunity and I’m ecstatic. They’re wonderful.

Now I need to up my TWS game. I have the problematic CAMT and I’m clinging just to their nice sound. But I want much more. Just can’t fathom spending too much on considerably “perishable” tech.

 

[PixelSquish]

If it’s a close one I’ll keep trying to audition them. I honestly cannot live without ANC and transparency whenever I reinvest in TWS. Qi I’ll relinquish but that’s about it.

@samandhi has the DK-2001 and he swears by them. I had my eyes on the DK-3001 but changed my focus to the Vulkan when they released. Not having easy access to Dunu in Europe, I kept trying to be included on the review tour but to no avail. Glad you didn’t sell yours. Still wish for the 3001.

I then had the opportunity to get the Advar at an unbeatable rate through a friend’s bulk deal. I jumped at this opportunity and I’m ecstatic. They’re wonderful.

Now I need to up my TWS game. I have the problematic CAMT and I’m clinging just to their nice sound. But I want much more. Just can’t fathom spending too much on considerably “perishable” tech.

The mystique have transparency mode. It's just there is only one slow way to toggle it, and no auto pausing the music option.

 

[tonyfiore75]

Noble Fokus Mystique Acquired

As an owner of the Noble Kaiser 10 IEM (and always loving them) I was pretty keen on giving their TWS earbuds a try. I didn't splurge on any of the earlier iterations but I figured I'd give the Mystiques a try. They just arrived in the mail. I've charged them, pared them and updated the firmware. So this is just going to be a very brief first impressions note.

So far, they fit better than any other TWS I've tried. I may not be as experienced as some others here but I have owned the Sony WF-1000XM3, Master & Dynamic MW08, Technics AZ60, Bang & Olufsen EX, Google Pixel Buds. The Mystiques were just so easy to insert and then twist in to fit / seal. I haven't even thought about changing the tips yet which is something I always do pretty immediately. I still may but the stock tips fit me quite well. I haven't had to fidget with them in my ears at all, which is shocking. I could easily see myself leaving these in for hours. We'll see if that brings forth any fatigue but I feel no amount of pressure or discomfort. All good!

The sound is amazing. I never thought TWS could sound this good. The B&O EX were the best I had heard up to this point in time. I can already tell that they have been dethroned by the Mystique. I won't get all analytical or use 'Head-Fi' speak here. All I can say (so far) is that these are extremely clear. I feel like I'm hearing everything I should and how I should. Right now I'm listening to Gary Numan's "The Pleasure Principle" and it just sounds phenomenal. The instruments are separated nicely and the sound is, for lack of a better word, "exciting". I'm happy with the bass, treble and mids. I'm sure I'll do some EQ experimentation later on but so far this is pretty blissful. I just switched to "In the Evening" by Led Zeppelin. Sounds friggin' fantastic. I'm also happy with the volume on tap. Okay, now I'm realizing that I've had to twist to tighten them in my ears because I felt like I was losing some bass. Interesting. Maybe other tips will be required. The stock tips may be just a tad slick.

The build design on the monitors themselves is great. Nothing cheap about these. My only complaint is the hinge on the case. I don't love the way it opens and closes. Whatever - that's such a minor thing. These feel a lot more 'expensive' than the B&O EXs to me. The case doesn't but the monitors do. The EX feels a lot more plasticky to me. Maybe it's just me. Plus, it makes me realize how much I don't really love the stems on the EX. I never really minded them but this is better for my ears. It's easier to adjust them if I need to do that. The stems do make it easier to take out, I suppose, but now I'm just nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking.

Anyway, I think that's all for now. Loving these. The EXs are now up for sale in the classifieds, haha. If you're interested, let me know. We'll work something out.

Thanks for listening to me ramble.

-- just switched the sleeves out for the Azla Sedna Crystals. Huuuuge improvement!

 

[vladzakhar]

Any way to turn off then Mystique buds automatically shut off when not playing music?

 

[msooffutt]

Audio46 just got the noble mystiques in stock again. My preorder just got shipped today. Can’t wait to get them!

 

[cresny]

I need a pair of sleep buds that can drown out a snoring partner. Ear plugs are not proving to be good enough. Would also like 8+ hours of battery life. I'm a side sleeper, so small size and comfort are a must. Bose has discontinued their sleep buds and I've seen no indication of a new model coming. All the options seem to have serious limitations. Had anyone found something effective?

I don't know if they're still even made, but the wired Bose IEMs fully cut out snoring sounds, and can be continuously powered with a usb-b cable. Yes you have some wires but they are light and the earphones themselves are flush fit. These saved my sanity sleeping in a lodge with a bunch of snoring men on a scout camping trip. If they're no longer in production, it may be worth picking up a pair on eBay.

 

[PixelSquish]

Noble Fokus Mystique Acquired

As an owner of the Noble Kaiser 10 IEM (and always loving them) I was pretty keen on giving their TWS earbuds a try. I didn't splurge on any of the earlier iterations but I figured I'd give the Mystiques a try. They just arrived in the mail. I've charged them, pared them and updated the firmware. So this is just going to be a very brief first impressions note.

So far, they fit better than any other TWS I've tried. I may not be as experienced as some others here but I have owned the Sony WF-1000XM3, Master & Dynamic MW08, Technics AZ60, Bang & Olufsen EX, Google Pixel Buds. The Mystiques were just so easy to insert and then twist in to fit / seal. I haven't even thought about changing the tips yet which is something I always do pretty immediately. I still may but the stock tips fit me quite well. I haven't had to fidget with them in my ears at all, which is shocking. I could easily see myself leaving these in for hours. We'll see if that brings forth any fatigue but I feel no amount of pressure or discomfort. All good!

The sound is amazing. I never thought TWS could sound this good. The B&O EX were the best I had heard up to this point in time. I can already tell that they have been dethroned by the Mystique. I won't get all analytical or use 'Head-Fi' speak here. All I can say (so far) is that these are extremely clear. I feel like I'm hearing everything I should and how I should. Right now I'm listening to Gary Numan's "The Pleasure Principle" and it just sounds phenomenal. The instruments are separated nicely and the sound is, for lack of a better word, "exciting". I'm happy with the bass, treble and mids. I'm sure I'll do some EQ experimentation later on but so far this is pretty blissful. I just switched to "In the Evening" by Led Zeppelin. Sounds friggin' fantastic. I'm also happy with the volume on tap. Okay, now I'm realizing that I've had to twist to tighten them in my ears because I felt like I was losing some bass. Interesting. Maybe other tips will be required. The stock tips may be just a tad slick.

The build design on the monitors themselves is great. Nothing cheap about these. My only complaint is the hinge on the case. I don't love the way it opens and closes. Whatever - that's such a minor thing. These feel a lot more 'expensive' than the B&O EXs to me. The case doesn't but the monitors do. The EX feels a lot more plasticky to me. Maybe it's just me. Plus, it makes me realize how much I don't really love the stems on the EX. I never really minded them but this is better for my ears. It's easier to adjust them if I need to do that. The stems do make it easier to take out, I suppose, but now I'm just nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking.

Anyway, I think that's all for now. Loving these. The EXs are now up for sale in the classifieds, haha. If you're interested, let me know. We'll work something out.

Thanks for listening to me ramble.

-- just switched the sleeves out for the Azla Sedna Crystals. Huuuuge improvement!

Nice quite up.

I definitely agree these are the best I've heard so far. The separation and clarity is what really separates these from the other TWS I've heard.

I just noticed that this afternoon about the tips when I thought the sub base wasn't strong enough I realized what you just said the buds were sliding out slightly. I'll try to tip roll them tonight but it's funny I ordered the same tips as you mentioned, the AZLA sedna crystal, the other day and they just shipped so let's see how long they take to get here from China.

If these just had a couple more quality of life changes that I mentioned the controls and a a more efficient transparency mode these would be unbeatable for me.