Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?

[helmutcheese]

Depends if it can load a driver for it as it is basically an Ext Soundcard.

 

[HardstyleLoco96]

Hifiman Svanar JR Vs Alpha & Delta KS100 hybrid impressions a page back. . Strictly sound quality. Features and mic test not done.

 

[subguy812]

The Triumph have been sold out and on back order for months. It seems Noble is having production issues on its releases.

The Svanar are amazing. Particularly on sale.

I concur about the Svanar. It is one of the closest to an audiophile tuning I have heard.

 

[HardstyleLoco96]

I concur about the Svanar. It is one of the closest to an audiophile tuning I have heard.

The Svanar wiresless is a great TWS iem. While I feel for full retail price it's not worth it. At the current sale price, it's a good deal. Though there has been some issues with LDAC and connective issues. It's high up there for sound quality but similar quality can be found for cheaper though less features. I have a feeling soon TWS companies will try to push the boundaries of performance and price. Many iems now days can cost $500USD but really sound good even compared to iems costing double. Eventually TWS will get that going. It's close like the Hifiman Svanar, Noble Fokus Prestige but they're expensive... The Alpha & Delta KS100 Hybrid gets very close in sound quality for much less. Im talking 90% - 95% there. But all other features may suck. I haven't tested them yet. If any. I don't think it has ANC and all that. So it's straight forward, connect and listen. I'm ok with that. My dream would be a TWS with 1dd + 4ba. 4 crossovers. R2R dac. LDAC. Latest BT. Amazing build. And amazing tuning. Good mic. Costing less than 350 USD. If anyone could do that. It would be Alpha & Delta.

 

[newworld666]

The Svanar wiresless is a great TWS iem. While I feel for full retail price it's not worth it. At the current sale price, it's a good deal. Though there has been some issues with LDAC and connective issues. It's high up there for sound quality but similar quality can be found for cheaper though less features. I have a feeling soon TWS companies will try to push the boundaries of performance and price. Many iems now days can cost $500USD but really sound good even compared to iems costing double. Eventually TWS will get that going. It's close like the Hifiman Svanar, Noble Fokus Prestige but they're expensive... The Alpha & Delta KS100 Hybrid gets very close in sound quality for much less. Im talking 90% - 95% there. But all other features may suck. I haven't tested them yet. If any. I don't think it has ANC and all that. So it's straight forward, connect and listen. I'm ok with that. My dream would be a TWS with 1dd + 4ba. 4 crossovers. R2R dac. LDAC. Latest BT. Amazing build. And amazing tuning. Good mic. Costing less than 350 USD. If anyone could do that. It would be Alpha & Delta.

Tribrid & 5 drivers & LDAC => tuned by musicians ..
The best TWS for me on the market, though still not at the level of a IER-Z1R/M9 with NW-WM1A (absolute portable combo for SQ) ... but they are far more convenient for commute in planes/trains/street..

 

[helmutcheese]

AKG N5 Hybrids will be here in in 2-3 hours.

 

[highlightshadow]

AKG N5 Hybrids will be here in in 2-3 hours.

Where'd you pick them up from and how much if you don't mind ?

 

[HardstyleLoco96]

Tribrid & 5 drivers & LDAC => tuned by musicians ..
The best TWS for me on the market, though still not at the level of a IER-Z1R/M9 with NW-WM1A (absolute portable combo for SQ) ... but they are far more convenient for commute in planes/trains/street..

Price?

 

[MonochromeFashionLawyer]

I concur about the Svanar. It is one of the closest to an audiophile tuning I have heard.

I can’t tell by the product page but does Svanar do aptX?

 

[subguy812]

I can’t tell by the product page but does Svanar do aptX?

Great question.. honestly I don't think so. It is not easy to find info.

 

[subguy812]

The Earfun Air Pro 4 arrived...once I get home from work I will fire them up.

 

[helmutcheese]

Where'd you pick them up from and how much if you don't mind ?

eBay, UK seller that has some high end items for sale

£249.00 inc postage.


If anyone in UK want a great deal these are going cheap (Amazon also dropped the price since I checked against these a few days ago but still higher

NEW & SEALED - Bose QuietComfort Ultra Over-Ear Headphones (Black)
£299.00

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186567872240?epid=

 

[Not so fat head]

From my experience. No TWS has come close to sounding like a true wired iem. A Noble Fokus Prestige or Hifiman Svanar while amazing for a TWS does not come close to something like a Thieaudio Hype 4 or Hisenior Mega 5Est that are around the same price. You sacrifice a fair amount of sound quality but gain in convenience. I see at as this. If you want sound quality, go for a proper iem. You don't need an expensive dongle dac/amp, the iem does most of the work while a good dac/amp can help scale the iem.

A TWS should be treated as something for more portable use. But have in mind, SQ is going to take a major hit. Now, TWS against other TWS and what's good sounding or great sounding especially for the price, how good are the functions. Build, battery, etc. That's what matters most. I don't see any reason in spending hundreds on a TWS iem. Knowing that if I want serious listening, I'll get that sound quality from a iem costing more. If someone wants to spend more money and try to get a TWS that offers the best SQ possible, by all means go for it. But a TWS product should be viewed as something that will be upgraded sooner or later, maybe lost, or die eventually.

Best bang for the buck should be the main priority. There is no wires, no amps/dacs that need to be worried about. It's simple, connect to your device, do what you need to do. For most people, they'll be on the move and wires can seriously get in the way to the point of being a hazard. A TWS eliminates that hazard of a wire getting snagged or caught on machinery. (my experience) You have a little more freedom. Calls can become easier, as all you need is a little press of a button.

But as you mentioned, price, charging, battery life and run time, connection issues, etc. They are all common issues a TWS will bring sooner or later. The biggest reason why TWS iems become expensive is tech. Trying to cram all extra stuff in a little shell. BT reciever, amp/dac, drivers, battery etc. The focus isn't sound quality but functionality. If everyone can have that mindset and remember that they may upgrade soon, a right earpiece may be dropped and lost, the battery could die any moment. Price to performance is extremely important. I've had a Technics AZ80 and while they were good, I accidently lost the right earpiece. My fault, but it happens.

So my goal now is, what offers sound quality similar for far less, similar functions and what I'd use them for. Jogging, work, out and about. Luckily, great TWS iems are coming out that cost far less and offer far more. But I always have in mind, for serious listening, my Thieaudio Prestige LTD is my go to.

Sorry for the extremely long paragraph... Just thoughts and feelings of TWS , does anyone else do that? You could just talk about a subject for hours and hours hahahaha

And should have my Alpha & Delta KS100 soon. I needed a TWS that has no fancy features. Just can be reliable, sound good, comfortabe, easy to use. And no worry that I spent hundreds and if I accidently break one, or get it dirty at work, while still a lil pricey, it's not too bad. I'll post impressions of how it sounds, use eq and post impressions of that. Comfort, and try to compare to some wired iems.

To me, having the electronics onboard to allow NC, Is the single most desirable thing in these devices…. When you can receive the same loudness with half the output volume, that is a huge plus for your long term hearing health . The catch is for these vendors to improve NC, while maintaining HQ sound. Very tricky and needs serious DSP skills..

 

[Not so fat head]

Let me give an example. I take a walk at a local Carl’s Jr every morning. When through with the walk, I pick up a coffee and listen to music.. They have a commercial bought sound track they play all day, very annoying. I had to stop using my AirPods 3 because no NC, and I had to turn them up too loud. Now using Bose and Sennheiser and looking into Sony xm5 or Linkbuds S…. These make a huge difference in hearing comfort when I leave.
I know this is just common sense, but what a contrast

 

[Tommy C]

Let me give an example. I take a walk at a local Carl’s Jr every morning. When through with the walk, I pick up a coffee and listen to music.. They have a commercial bought sound track they play all day, very annoying. I had to stop using my AirPods 3 because no NC, and I had to turn them up too loud. Now using Bose and Sennheiser and looking into Sony xm5 or Linkbuds S…. These make a huge difference in hearing comfort when I leave.
I know this is just common sense, but what a contrast

To me the biggest advantage using ANC in those situations is that I don’t need to blast my ears with music to muffle the background noise. I like the Sony XM5 for that. Hybrid foam tips and solid ANC and they get very loud. I can listen at 40-50% volume level and be fully satisfied.