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

[Thesonofkrypton]

Updated the XM5 to newest firmware too. Everything seems to be working fine, honestly I haven't noticed any difference to the sound and I can't seem to find any notes on the update regarding any changes to it.

Got the Nothing Ear Open today and for open ear earphones they sound pretty decent, but can't get a good seal on the right ear so they're going back, will stick with nothing ear 2024 for gym for now. Might be tempted to try the new Sony link buds open

 

[AndreRitter]

Audio-Technica's CKS50TW2. New second version with some tweaks and upgrades. Now they lock together and turn on and off without the case if you want to leave it home. 25 hours ANC off and 15 ANC on. 65 hours with the case, 40 with ANC on.

Looking good, any release dates?

 

[dweaver]

@dweaver the Sony Headphones Connect app is now Sound connect. Took a long time to download and update, as you mentioned.
The app is running fine but I still find the UI not intuitive enough and confusing at times.
Sound signature seems like there is a bit of change. To my ears the treble is a bit more tame, has a less crunch overall, soundstage remains average but has a bit more of a 3D and depth to it now.
The bad:
1. Ambient mode took a hit. When Voice Passthrough was on it used to be awesome where the max settings will amplify voices around you, almost like a hearing aid effect - it doesn’t do it anymore and the difference between Voice Passthrough ON/OFF is minor. Just sad and annoying.
2. The volume level also took a hit. I used to listen at 60% and now it’s more like 75%-80%.
3. I’m experiencing a battery drain in the right bud, by a huge margin.
Up until the update it was never an issue.

I’m monitoring it but so far I’m definitely not a happy camper.

Luckily the equalizer remained very good so I can tweak and fiddle around.

Anyone else is having the same experience after the update?

I have not tried as much as you since the update. Will give those areas a try and report back.

I couldn't find app for the longest time because of the name change . Forgot to mention that!

 

[C_Lindbergh]

Have these been mentioned yet? As far as I can tell, they continue to be the world’s only aptX Lossless earhooks. They’ve finally appeared on Aliexpress. Previously only available on Taobao.

They’ve got a choice of QCC3081 or QCC3091 with a price difference of about £16. They have MMCX or 0.78 2-pin.

It’s currently £100 (inc tax) at checkout today for QCC3091 which does 16/44.1, 24/44.1, 24/48 lossless - Technically, they are £65 ex tax in China.

It’s currently £84.19 (inc tax) at checkout today for QCC3081 which does 16/44.1 lossless

As usual, you need the relevant Qualcomm transmitter to enjoy lossless. For 24/44.1/48 lossless, that’s a smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the aptX Lossless licensed by the vendor.

I have no complaints about my QCC3081 model when it comes to listening to music. I use with the FlooGoo FM120 aptX Lossless transmitter and confirm they operate at the anticipated 1Mb+ transmission rate thanks to the FlooCast app. I can’t tell the difference between wired and wireless 16/44.1 with these.

I’ve just ordered the QCC3091 model.


https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007806613835.html


On Taobao, these are currently being sold with a 3D-printed charging cradle. I don’t know if this will be supplied via Aliexpress.

They also support LDAC. My QCC3081 ones do connect with LE Audio but do not appear to include LC3.

The problem is that these cheap alternatives usually don't sport any dedicated amp...:/ Alas Fiio is releasing a successor.

 

[Tommy C]

Updated the XM5 to newest firmware too. Everything seems to be working fine, honestly I haven't noticed any difference to the sound and I can't seem to find any notes on the update regarding any changes to it.

Got the Nothing Ear Open today and for open ear earphones they sound pretty decent, but can't get a good seal on the right ear so they're going back, will stick with nothing ear 2024 for gym for now. Might be tempted to try the new Sony link buds open

My main issues are:
1. Ambient Mode is feels different; it has less white noise but also doesn’t amplify voices as well.
2. Volume was reduced by approx. 10%-15% it seems. I tested it against my well known playlists.
3. Battery drain in the right bud; to be tested again later after a full app and TWS reset. See photo below.

 

[jant71]

Looking good, any release dates?

In Japan 10/11.

 

[voicemaster]

Okay because there is a lack of love for the Noble Audio H ANC, I thought it worth doing a bigger weite up. I don't care if someone prefers them or not. I do care about the truth. I have bought a ton of new shiny things based on recs on here only to have them be a pile of crap. DX240- crap. Sennheiser ie900-crap. Fibae 7- crap. Campfire audio cascade - crap, and on and on. I get the need to justify our expenditures, but we should be honest about these things, even if it means we set our money on fire, so that we can apare others from doing the same. Companies should not be rewarded for putting out garbage. So here we go.

Alright, so listening to Hollow Front's song "the fear of." Doing an A/B between Aviot Te Zx1 and Noble Audio Fokus H ANC. I decided to use the same EQ setting in power amp for both sets so that EQ doesn't provide an advantage to either set.

ZX1: Volume output is lower on the Zx1 when on the same settings on my phone. zx1 is wide for a tws and has good separation, though I don't love it's guitar tone. Something isn't quite right on it. Vocals are forward, treble is splashy, bass hits well with the right EQ, but these are a mid centric set out of the box. They sound really good for tws. Fit is okay. They do best with shorter tips, at least for me. I use the azla sedna shorts with them, as I find they stick out too far with typical tips.

Overall, these are a solid set. I would rank them above the az80 and xm5 for sound. App is decent, though I find I have to turn the anc back on basically every time I use them.

On to the noble audio H ANC. They get to the same level of loudness at a lower phone volume, as noted. Bass hits harder. Has more imoact and oomph. Treble is splashy and articulate. Mids are focused and clear. The Sound sounds "big" though the stage is narrower.l than zx1. They are more lively, which works out great for more aggressive music (which is the type I prefer).

And the ANC--it's top notch. It drowns out more sound than my xm5, zx1, or az80. I live tested this in the gym a couple of weeks ago. That was the biggest surprise.

These are a bargain, but... the call quality is mediocre, the app needs work, and the codec support sucks.

If noble came out with a gen 2 where they just added LDAC and improved the call mics, they would have a killer set for $250.

Since I prefer these to the ZX1, I'm going to buy another pair for my office and sell the Zx1.

@Noble Audio don't abandon these. They feel like an after thought, but they have strong potential.

I have 2 of them because they are really that good. I have used them exclusively earlier this year for my SEA trip. I have used them on my long haul flight from Taipei to San Francisco (around 11 hours) on a single charged (ANC and Ambiance mode OFF). Fit is very good and since the body is quite large, it provides a really good passive isolation.

 

[dweaver]

My main issues are:
1. Ambient Mode is feels different; it has less white noise but also doesn’t amplify voices as well.
2. Volume was reduced by approx. 10%-15% it seems. I tested it against my well known playlists.
3. Battery drain in the right bud; to be tested again later after a full app and TWS reset. See photo below.

I didn't use hear through a lot so am unsure if it's less loud but it does seem a bit less loud. But I really can't say for certain.

I have a similar challenge for volume levels. I never paid attention to the volume level I normally used. Right now I am using ambient mode listening to music at a bit higher than 25% but not quite 33%. The TV playing is audible enough if I focus I can tell what they are saying. If I stop the music it clear enough I could listen to the TV but it's not as loud as without the earbuds in.

Volume level where I feel engaged is just under 50%.

Will use for a few hours and report back on battery levels.

Battery life stable so far between left and right.

Now down to 49/46 which is acceptable since there is almost always a few % gap with almost every TWS I have owned.

 

[JoshG1217]

I have 2 of them because they are really that good. I have used them exclusively earlier this year for my SEA trip. I have used them on my long haul flight from Taipei to San Francisco (around 11 hours) on a single charged (ANC and Ambiance mode OFF). Fit is very good and since the body is quite large, it provides a really good passive isolation.

Thank you! Wheres the love here? It's a great set that is wildly overlooked.

 

[voicemaster]

Thank you! Wheres the love here? It's a great set that is wildly overlooked.

I don't know why but since it is the lowest level model, people seems to disregard it and go for a more expensive one.

 

[darveniza]

Looking good, any release dates?

October 12th, in Japan. Information in the e-earphone.com blog

 

[Saraugie]

$

 

[JoshG1217]

I don't know why but since it is the lowest level model, people seems to disregard it and go for a more expensive one.

It's the hype train, I think. People always jumping to the next thing because Z or whomever says it's good, when it reality, it's not. I just picked up the pi8 based on everyone saying how good they are. They sounded objectively worse than the H ANC and were triple the price. No thanks.

 

[subguy812]

It's the hype train, I think. People always jumping to the next thing because Z or whomever says it's good, when it reality, it's not. I just picked up the pi8 based on everyone saying how good they are. They sounded objectively worse than the H ANC and were triple the price. No thanks.

I didn't say that about the Pi8...

 

[Not so fat head]

Sure, it’s all about making money which allows the industry to move forward…
I’ve paid my share, received nothing for free; even the nothing buds….