[Not so fat head]

After checking lots of reviews, and searching here. I decided to pick up some Sony Linkbuds S.. looks like they’re close to the XM5’s in performance and on sale for $129 at Best Buy…. I bought the original linkbuds (donut) drivers earlier this year..

 

[aweBit]

Reading over the last few pages I couldn't help but have a giggle over the humorous hostility.

Amidst the jumbled mess of all the exciting conversations, did one thing appear to summarise the entire topic in a nutshell:

The whole lot of you, myself included, are drug addicts.

And that drug, both a blessing and a curse, The sacred tree that we all worship being technology, and the fruit it bears, dripping with dopamine.

We eventually consume enough of the fruit that you begin to lose interest in it, and the tree passes it's fruiting stage for the year, but as time progresses you begin to redevelop an eagerness for the fruit as the tree begins to flower.

Sorry in advance that this was so out of context, but I couldn't help but feel as though such dopaminergic effects inspire us to be projective of the perspectives of our own sensations.

We're all feeling the same buzz but it doesn't always make sense to one another when we try to describe or elaborate the experience!

More on related topic: we may not all find relevance on it as much as one another, but all in all the disposability of consumer electronics isn't sustainable just yet, for now anyway, but we are getting there and intentions are being set in motion. There's so much waste embroiled in the process of advancement - incremental subpar innovation is too prominent, yet we still find ourselves itching to experience even the smallest of changes, probably so much so that it may be leaving its own mark on us in the way we find longing satisfaction in something exclusive, because it will inevitably be replaced anyway. This of course is independent of each individual and their attitude!

 

[SoundChoice]

You’re both right, and in some way you’re both saying the same thing. When we buy TWS, we are buying them knowing we will have them for limited time. This is not disputed. One is saying the limited duration is because of battery degradation, the other due to tech advancement and obsolescence which precedes deterioration. But the point is the same: we’re all buying (renting?) knowing the use is finite.

And because of that, depending on our values, wallet, and priorities, dollars spent for the unknown number of limited uses can be a factor in the purchase decision. So we buy the best sound quality and feature set to enjoy the music the most based on how we all make the individual decision and calculate this trade-off. Having said all this, maybe we can move on to the gear now.

 

[zomeone]

Mines on 1.5.2

Thanks. Support told the newest version is 1.0.9. I think they told the JLAB app version, not the earbuds I was asking.

App updated now 1.0.9 -> 1.1.0
Earbuds 1.5.2 -> 1.5.3
Update OK, MacOS still shows 1.0.0 as firmware version and the microphone is not working.

 

[AiBL]

ANC gives me awful motion sickness so...

Can anyone attest to the sound quality of Denon Perl Pros or Technics AZ80 with ANC off? Or other TWS earbuds with ANC off that would work well for fast & slow (incl. ambient) electronic music and also classical & jazz? I know ANC on vs off have diff sound curves and ANC on has a lot of DSP applied to it which can make things sound rly different, so it's hard to trust reviews sometimes.

Reading this thread, it seems the Perl Pros (previously Nuratrue yeah?) are really well loved so thinking of picking that up as long as the ANC issue is OK.

(Posted about this in a thread but no responses so I thought I'd post here)

 

[sgtbilko]

I need to try with a decent USB-C dongle. Anyone recommend one?

If you are asking about a (non-wireless) usb-c dongle, there are quite a few good ones out there. I can recommend the Fiio KA13, which has tons of power for even the hardest to drive headphones/iems. ...and it's pretty small too.

 

[ekjellgren]

I just got my NuraTrue Pro refunded due to the ANC acting up in the left bud. I guess they disabled the unit on the server, is there any way to use them "offline"?

 

[clerkpalmer]

If you are asking about a (non-wireless) usb-c dongle, there are quite a few good ones out there. I can recommend the Fiio KA13, which has tons of power for even the hardest to drive headphones/iems. ...and it's pretty small too.

Thanks

 

[Gilroypro]

I just got my NuraTrue Pro refunded due to the ANC acting up in the left bud. I guess they disabled the unit on the server, is there any way to use them "offline"?

The Nuratrue Pro doesn't have an offline mode,l. There revised Denon Perl Pro does.

 

[clerkpalmer]

But the point is the same: we’re all buying (renting?) knowing the use is finite.

Good post.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Which AKGs are you trying @clerkpalmer ?

It sad that such a big name in the Audio industry has become so nerfed under Samsung.

N005. I hooked them up to my desktop setup. They sound MUCH better than over Bluetooth. The detail improves and the soundstage is much wider. I'd say they are better than Svanar in this set up but not so much that I would go through the hassle of using wires and a dongle. Unfortunately, the MMCX connectors seem to be really loose on these so they have to go back. They just disconnect on their own. I think I'll wait for the Falcon Max to release. Interesting experiment but wired IEMs don't serve a use case for me. TWS for portable. Full size for the desk. No room for a wired IEM.

 

[cresny]

I received my Aurvana Ace 2s yesterday and I think I agree with everything I've read about them, both pro and con. The xmems do deliver sublime tonality and timbre without treble fatigue. But in the two driver crossover, Creative does not stick the landing. Quite flabby mid-bass to my ears. But for music that does not delve much in mid-bass -- something with dynamics like Radiohead's "Jigsaw Falling into Place" -- they do sound fantastic. Other miss is fiddly controls and the the need to disable LE if you want them to pair anyway but manually. I will be eying reviews for Noble's offering. If they get it right it could be great.

 

[clerkpalmer]

I received my Aurvana Ace 2s yesterday and I think I agree with everything I've read about them, both pro and con. The xmems do deliver sublime tonality and timbre without treble fatigue. But in the two driver crossover, Creative does not stick the landing. Quite flabby mid-bass to my ears. But for music that does not delve much in mid-bass -- something with dynamics like Radiohead's "Jigsaw Falling into Place" -- they do sound fantastic. Other miss is fiddly controls and the the need to disable LE if you want them to pair anyway but manually. I will be eying reviews for Noble's offering. If they get it right it could be great.

I think we know Noble will hit a home run.

 

[Not so fat head]

N005. I hooked them up to my desktop setup. They sound MUCH better than over Bluetooth. The detail improves and the soundstage is much wider. I'd say they are better than Svanar in this set up but not so much that I would go through the hassle of using wires and a dongle. Unfortunately, the MMCX connectors seem to be really loose on these so they have to go back. They just disconnect on their own. I think I'll wait for the Falcon Max to release. Interesting experiment but wired IEMs don't serve a use case for me. TWS for portable. Full size for the desk. No room for a wired IEM.

If the Svnara's come close to the N5005's over wired connect, then that's a big plus for HIFIMan..

 

[james444]

Just got the huawei freebuds 5 in -- great option for semi-open earbuds. The mic for calls is class leading, the app allows eq adjustments and the anc cancels out a surprising amount of low end noise. I always thought anc on these types of buds are useless, but I'm re-thinking my position now. Obviously anc in semi-open buds will never cancel out enough noise for solitude, but they do a great job of block car road noise, which makes calls much more pleasant.

Highly recommended for the niche user looking for call quality and continual ambient awareness with out turning on transparency mode. lol probably all of 5 of us. haha

I have them too and agree that they're great semi in-ears.

If you're interested in how anc has made progress in handlung leaky earbud fit, read this article:

https://www.eetimes.com/how-adaptiv...istening-experience-in-real-world-situations/