[40760]

In the absence of a tool to accurately measure with, you can always use some new coins to measure things.

So for example “exactly 1 brand new US penny plus 1 brand new US nickel stacked together”. That’s able to be easily replicated by others.

Even if the currency isn’t the same in your country, the thickness of new coins is published on the Internet.

So from my theoretical example, the nozzle would be (3.0mm).

It's 4.8mm at the widest point of the nozzle. I measured them myself with a pair of digital callipers.

 

[Morbeas]

Outlier Air review: https://the-gadgeteer.com/2019/05/02/creative-outlier-air-true-wireless-sweatproof-earbuds-review/

 

[AtariPrime]

All points out that you don’t have a proper seal. I use mine with Spinfit CP-100Z-L and with large fin and get plenty of bass with detailed and full overall sound and huge, by closed back IEM standards, soundstage. Of course your mileage may vary due to different ear size and geometry. Believe me, when you’ll achieve proper fit your concerns about non-upgradeable firmware will totally fade away. I don’t even feel the need to EQ my MW07 because they sound so good on flat. And, yes, I used them with S8 and now with S9+.

I read in a review recently that due to different codecs, many wireless earbuds don't sound as good in an iPhone as an Android. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this is true?

 

[AtariPrime]

Outlier Air review: https://the-gadgeteer.com/2019/05/02/creative-outlier-air-true-wireless-sweatproof-earbuds-review/

Very tempted by the Outlier Airs, they are getting a lot of positive reviews. My only concern is that they are apparently on the larger side.

 

[cityle]

I tend to feel that a fit has to be tight to the ear in order to get good isolation and wonder if it my perception of what is a good fit that is mistaken.

No I would say you're right in your perception. Having tried the Sony WF1000x, WFSP700N, the B&O E8 and now the Audio-Technica ATH-CKR7TW, I find that I have issues in getting a good seal with them. I think due to the nature of truly wireless earbuds, the shape of our ears become more important. Like right now with the ATH-CKR7TW, they are highly dependent on having a good seal to sound good, which requires me to use the 3D loops which creates a tight fit. But then with the shape of my ears, any wings begin to hurt me after 30 min, hence why I'm trying to sell them now.

 

[Slater]

I read in a review recently that due to different codecs, many wireless earbuds don't sound as good in an iPhone as an Android. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this is true?

That sounds like some fanboy theory.

The TW buds I have use AAC for Apple and SBC for Android. So in that case, it will sound noticeably worse on Android.

Without reading the article, I speculate that the person was referring to an earphone that had aptX for Android devices, and nothing specific for Apple. Which in that case, would mean SBC for Apple, which would sound noticeably worse vs aptX for that particular earphone.

It all depends on what specific device and what specific earphone you’re talking about.

I mean, even “Android” is general. There’s plenty of Android phones that handle audio well, and plenty more that are pieces of junk. The physical hardware underneath, Android version, codecs, code, antenna design, etc all play a role. The same with specific earphones.

Bottom line is that’s too generic of a statement. It would be like me saying “Toyota is better than Honda”. What specific Toyota? What specific Honda? Better at what? What year model?

 

[AtariPrime]

That sounds like some fanboy theory.

The TW buds I have use AAC for Apple and SBC for Android. So in that case, it will sound noticeably worse on Android.

Without reading the article, I speculate that the person was referring to an earphone that had aptX for Android devices, and nothing specific for Apple. Which in that case, would mean SBC for Apple, which would sound noticeably worse vs aptX for that particular earphone.

It all depends on what specific device and what specific earphone you’re talking about.

I mean, even “Android” is general. There’s plenty of Android phones that handle audio well, and plenty more that are pieces of junk. The physical hardware underneath, Android version, codecs, code, antenna design, etc all play a role. The same with specific earphones.

Bottom line is that’s too generic of a statement. It would be like me saying “Toyota is better than Honda”. What specific Toyota? What specific Honda? Better at what? What year model?

The review did focus on AptX as part of the problem. As best I recall, they argued that AptX is the best way to listen to music at present and is not available on iPhone therefore the sound quality would always been inferior to what it could be.

 

[albau]

I read in a review recently that due to different codecs, many wireless earbuds don't sound as good in an iPhone as an Android. Does anyone have an opinion on whether this is true?

Guys, don't get hooked on codecs, unless it’s SBC only. Difference between AAC (Apple) and AptX (Qualcomm) is debatable and is barely audible. All recent versions of Android implement AAC. That’s why majority of modern TWS support AAC, even cheap Chi-Fi ones. Quality of source recording and, even more, acoustic design of the buds and the driver they use, is much more important than AAC vs AptX.

 

[albau]

I think due to the nature of truly wireless earbuds, the shape of our ears become more important.

Fit and seal has and had exactly same high importance as with wired IEMs. Don’t see why lack of wires that tug down on earbuds and suffer from phonics demands more from our ears.

 

[hifi80sman]

In the absence of a tool to accurately measure with, you can always use some new coins to measure things.

So for example “exactly 1 brand new US penny plus 1 brand new US nickel stacked together”. That’s able to be easily replicated by others.

Even if the currency isn’t the same in your country, the thickness of new coins is published on the Internet.

So from my theoretical example, the nozzle would be (3.0mm).

Sounds like Slater is a PE.

 

[cityle]

Fit and seal has and had exactly same high importance as with wired IEMs. Don’t see why lack of wires that tug down on earbuds and suffer from phonics demands more from our ears.

I loop every cable with wired IEMs over my ears, so there is not that tug versus truly wireless earbuds where there is often the need for wings to act the same way.

 

[hifi80sman]

The review did focus on AptX as part of the problem. As best I recall, they argued that AptX is the best way to listen to music at present and is not available on iPhone therefore the sound quality would always been inferior to what it could be.

It's hard to make as a general statement, since there are so many variables involved. There are a lot of cheap Chi-Fi wireless headphones with aptX that sound like someone stuck a pillow over the drivers. Acoustic design (I'm partial to metal housing) and driver quality are far more important than codec. Listing "stats" is certainly a marketing strategy, so as a consumer, it's important to compare apples to apples. Same HQ source and same HQ equipment, yes, you're going to bet better performance from aptX over SBC, which is going to be noticeably audible. aptX vs. AAC is more of a tossup and widely debated, as something encoded using AAC may sound better transmitted over AAC vs. aptX (all else being equal).

 

[AtariPrime]

I loop every cable with wired IEMs over my ears, so there is not that tug versus truly wireless earbuds where there is often the need for wings to act the same way.

Except that there is something touching your ears, and that's annoying. Just say no to earhooks.

 

[FYLegend]

Guys, don't get hooked on codecs, unless it’s SBC only. Difference between AAC (Apple) and AptX (Qualcomm) is debatable and is barely audible. All recent versions of Android implement AAC. That’s why majority of modern TWS support AAC, even cheap Chi-Fi ones. Quality of source recording and, even more, acoustic design of the buds and the driver they use, is much more important than AAC vs AptX.

The problem for me isn't so much the quality as much as the connection reliability which is related to which codec is used as well as Bluetooth version. Astrotec S60 is Bluetooth 4.2 uses AAC and stutters every 6 or so minutes on my Exynos Note 9 [I understand they released a 5.0 version recently]. I'm really left using only SBC with these if I want to listen longer sessions (it's pretty decent except some rattling that gets worse at higher volumes). I can hear the potential of their Knowles BA driver, but I feel like the codec and connection quality compromises it. Jabra Elite 65t (BT5.0 + AAC) has very reliable connection and far less latency, but will still stutter under very rare occasions. It's also downright bulky with poor isolation. Both of these exhibit imbalanced hissing and one driver being more distorted than the other, but the Jabra is worse in this regard. I'm not sure how common this issue is with all TWS.

Maybe it's just my phone, but I suspect Android (or just Samsung) is still not well-optimized for AAC. Samsung also doesn't support AptX HD/LL/Adaptive in their phones thus far.

There's also the fact that Windows laptops don't support AAC but support AptX. That said, my Jabra 65t doesn't sound much different through my BT5.0 laptop vs my phone.

I was hoping there would be a wider selection of good TWS when I visited Taiwan, but many of them seemed rather dated or otherwise knock-off (several brands use the same housing as the Astrotec S60). The Galaxy Buds were only launched towards the end of my trip and quite pricey (~161$ USD or 216$ CAD). For comparison the 65ts often go on sale for 180$ CAD and was 150$ on Boxing Day and Black Friday.

 

[CocaCola15]

Well, my experience with the Advance Model X is not quite the same as others. The packaged tips will not give me a seal, not even close. So the treble is ear shattering, without a seal. Went to the tip bin and due to the asymmetrical ear canals I happen to own, went with a spinfit in the left ear (medium) and a Sony hybrid in the right ear. Even with that, treble was a bit too hot so I EQ'd the treble down a very small amount and the lows up a similar tiny bit. Now, they sound fantastic. I own the MTW, which to me still rule the BT buds I own or have tried, but they should. I have the QCY T1s too, and they are great for $28, but a giveaway to a friend or relative. I owned the Sony true wireless buds (WF1000x) and the Nuheara IQ buds, returned or sold them. Too many dropouts for me at the time (maybe firmware has fixed the Sonys by now) and the IQbuds were not as good as the Senns to my ears, so I let them go.

Now, the hassle factor is I must remove/replace the tips every time I want store the Model X in the case. Not horrible, but not great for using them on the road. However, they are keepers as I do like the sound, albeit with EQ using the KaiserTone app.

So I'll keep the Senns and the Model X, and that's enough true wireless kit for me. For now.