Well, I received my replacement Fokus Mystique and am having an odd issue with the left bud again - this time it feels as though 90% of the time when I put the earbud in there is a vacuum or pressure with the seal that prevents the DD from functioning - resulting in the feeling of much lower volume on that side. It has not happened once with the R bud and did not ever happen with my previous pair (which had a different issue).
I'm on the latest firmware, have re-paired and reset the buds 3x times - occasionally I can get lucky with the seal and they sound pretty good, but even then I feel like the audio changes if I move my head (e.g. if I tilt my head to the right the audio clears up, but then becomes muted if I stand straight up). Also, putting slight pressure/torsion on the bud seems to let it play normally (though this is not a workable solution).
A few questions for you all:
1) Do you think this may change with burn-in?
2) Is this due to a vent in the bud not functioning (that would equalize the pressure)?
3) Could this be related to my left ear just being off due to flying recently? (Tried my other earbuds and no issue)
Finally, for those of you with both the NFM and the Nuratrue Pro - which one delivers more bass/subbass (ideally listening to a bassy rap song with a good deal of sub bass)?
I'm deliberating between exchanging the NFM one more time, or getting the NTP to give them a spin. If you have any advice on the best route to go to get the NTP, please let me know. I tried the original Nura True and didn't love the buds shape or sound, but am tempted to give the NTP a go.
Thank you!
I'll chime in because I think my experience is relevant to your situation and could be helpful. I had a very similar issue with imbalance, particularly in the left ear. They were also having some other issues (one day, incredibly distorted even with neutral EQ), so I sent them back. To me, they also sounded "clear." So, I was a bit worried that they just sounded like this and something was wrong with my perception of what "good" should sound like.
Bloom Audio indicated that they would listen to them to confirm the defect. I was worried that they would not find a defect and would send them back. However, they did confirm the defect and sent a new set. They also mentioned in one of the email exchanges that a very small percentage have this imbalance issue-so I think it is a known issue.
While the replacements were in transport, I set my expectations about how they were not going to sounds nearly as good as the NuraTrue Pro (again, because they sounded "clear," so I thought I had an idea of how capable they were).
It turns out, I was way off, they sounds absolutely amazing! I am 100% confident that yours are defective and you should get a new set.
As for the NuraTrue Pro vs the Mystique for bass/subbass, my personal experience is that the NuraTrue Pro have more bass. I will say that I ran the hearing test several times to get to this one that has more bass than other profiles that were developed. So I encourage anyone else to do the same if you want to get them closer to something that fits your preferences. I have not EQ'd them, so this would also be an option I assume to dial them in per your preferences. Also, I will mention that the bass/subbass on the Mystiques is substantial. My person experience is that I need to A/B the NuraTrue Pro and the Mystique to tell the difference. Also notable when A/B-ing is that I agree that the Mystique are better at fidelity. More specifically, I think the bass is less muddy. But I also don't think the bass on the NuraTrue Pro is muddy. Just muddier. Also, since mentioned, I will echo that the soundstage on the NuraTrue Pro is amazing.
I also think comfort is worth mentioning. I'll echo what others have said that the Mystique are the most comfortable TWS I've ever owned. And the NuraTrue Pro do hurt my ears for longer listening. I have Azla SednaEarfit XELASTIC tips on them and they are grippy enough that I'm trying them now without the tips and they won't fall out. I think that without the tips they won't hurt after long sessions. Will update in a few hours.
Hope this helps!