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

[Andricop]

I've tried them all, except those Ozlo, which are always in my list. They look like the same form factor as the old Bose. I truly wanted this style to work for me. Started to have horrible ear pain. Some folks ears drain and night due to allergies, like mine, and whew, not good using these. Buyer beware! That said, they did work and blocked out noises in the night, except when my wife turns on the lights at 5am and starts opening doors, slamming cabinets. Yes, all the memes are true. Happens.

I had the Bose Sleepbuds OG and now still using the 2. 3 to 4 nights per week. Never lost them during sleep, no pain, no allergy, love them. Only thing missing is what the Ozlo offer: stream your own music.
Ozlo has been founded by 3 Bose guys from the Sleepbuds team, so yes, probably same form factor.

 

[Tommy C]

So, looking for new daily driver since my affair with the XM5s is coming to an end.
Considering the following but I need them to do good enough for phone calls/ Teams calls.
ANC is a must:

Bose QC Ultra (call quality isn't that good)
Bose QC V2 (case looks big)
Sennheiser Accentum TWS (their shape is meh)
JBL Tour Pro 3 ( I don't need a fancy case but whatever)
AirPods Pro 2 (my last resort if all fails)

Any other recommendations based on your experience?

 

[erockg]

I had the Bose Sleepbuds OG and now still using the 2. 3 to 4 nights per week. Never lost them during sleep, no pain, no allergy, love them. Only thing missing is what the Ozlo offer: stream your own music.
Ozlo has been founded by 3 Bose guys from the Sleepbuds team, so yes, probably same form factor.

You're very lucky.

 

[erockg]

So, looking for new daily driver since my affair with the XM5s is coming to an end.
Considering the following but I need them to do good enough for phone calls/ Teams calls.
ANC is a must:

Bose QC Ultra (call quality isn't that good)
Bose QC V2 (case looks big)
Sennheiser Accentum TWS (their shape is meh)
JBL Tour Pro 3 ( I don't need a fancy case but whatever)
AirPods Pro 2 (my last resort if all fails)

Any other recommendations based on your experience?

I still have my Colorware APP2 to this day and love them. If you can get those JBL on sale, they're very solid. Tried two pairs of the BQC2 and they had bugs. Random disconnects. YMMV. That said, great fit and ANC. Sennies are okay, but I'd go with the APP2 or JBL on your list. If calls, teams, ANC are are must and you have an iPhone, APP2 ftw. You can get a great deal on them on Amazon. I actually picked up the AP4 and carry them all the time as a run-and-gun open ear pair. I painted the buds black on my own. Crude, but I can't stand white!

 

[Tommy C]

I still have my Colorware APP2 to this day and love them. If you can get those JBL on sale, they're very solid. Tried two pairs of the BQC2 and they had bugs. Random disconnects. YMMV. That said, great fit and ANC. Sennies are okay, but I'd go with the APP2 or JBL on your list. If calls, teams, ANC are are must and you have an iPhone, APP2 ftw. You can get a great deal on them on Amazon. I actually picked up the AP4 and carry them all the time as a run-and-gun open ear pair. I painted the buds black on my own. Crude, but I can't stand white!

Thanks bud, much appreciated.
Going to demo the JBL Live Buds 3 just for the heck of it.

 

[erockg]

Thanks bud, much appreciated.
Going to demo the JBL Live Buds 3 just for the heck of it.

IMO, they're the best JBL have made so far. Loved them. They're overpriced and the case is huge. But everything worked great. Taps are similar to the Sony whereas you have to sacrifice somethings to get one thing. You know what I mean....

 

[dweaver]

The JBL Live Buds 3 should be going o sale at least in Canada on Boxing day. At the sale price I think there OK but ya the retail price is to high. Also agree they are the best JBL I have tried, especially for a bud style.

 

[dweaver]

@erockg did you ever try the Souncore A20 for sleep? They are one of the ones I have pondered a few times.

Unfortunately the memory pillow is use is a bit hard from the JBL but with the Sony tips they are now comfy sleeping on my back.

You warned me about the JBL and I bit anyway. Pretty much everything you said has been spot on the money. Definitely not worth their full MSRP. I do like their sound though, it's a big fun sound with LDAC adding just enough added detail they don't lose to much detail like the older model did.

 

[Tommy C]

IMO, they're the best JBL have made so far. Loved them. They're overpriced and the case is huge. But everything worked great. Taps are similar to the Sony whereas you have to sacrifice somethings to get one thing. You know what I mean....

From the top of your head, sound wise: JBL Tour Pro 3 or JBL Live Buds 3?

 

[erockg]

From the top of your head, sound wise: JBL Tour Pro 3 or JBL Live Buds 3?

Really enjoyed the Live Buds 3. Used to listen to audiobooks in bed with them. Great for me as a side sleeper, but I very much preferred the signature of the TP3. Better separation and clarity imo due to the dual drivers. I'm a sucker for BAs. ANC is pretty dang good too. It's the case that annoyed me. Nice, but large and I just don't need a screen on my cases.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

Are there any rumours regarding CES 2025?

 

[subguy812]

I needed a new pair of TWS for listening to Zoom/Team calls at work so decided to try out the Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro since they were 99 Euros.

I’m most impressed. The ANC on 4 plane trips was almost at AirPod Pro 2 level, meaning it was good enough. The sound after hours of fiddling is good (not Rex5… but for 99 Euros it is great). The buds charge really quickly initially so in the short time between calls, they recharge for another few hours, and the display on the case shows you exactly where you are. The microphones are pretty good too at suppressing background noise and having your voice sound natural, I’d say just behind the Huawei Freebuds Pro 3. They fit my ears too, though not as comfortably as say my Jabra Elite 10s, but well enough for a few hours listening. The app is reliable and nice too and the controls mostly work well.

Downsides are two big ones: The case is about the same size as the Bose QC2/Ultra so is too big and the battery life when using the microphone is 4 hours, which is about average today, but remains too short for me.

I agree...I really enjoyed the 4NC and the 4Pro. I will say, if you have the NC it is not really a major upgrade to the Pro and the 4NC are on sale for 59. on Amazon at the moment.

 

[Not so fat head]

Soundcore is one of the best easily accessible TWS. I’ve yet to be disappointed by them. Looks like Walmart won’t be carrying them in stores going forward, beats me why..

 

[Aevum]

if you want to spend less the 100 bucks, yep, soundcore gives you 90% of the expiriance at a good price.

 

[mainguy]

Left Gemini 2 bud died today...

Honestly after trying the $300+ TWS from B&W, Devialet, Master and Dynamic and B&O, I sadly think these are all irrelevant with APP2 on the market.

APP2 is seamless, so seamless, compared to any of these buds. The controls are so superior on the APP2. And the sound is more of a pros and cons, I would say the B&O EQ sound a bit better than APP2, but there isn't much in it.

But for the difference is usability...Yeah, no tws at the moment justifies the loss in convenience vs the very minor, if not at all sound upgrade.

These Gemini 2s have been meh to me. The touch controls have been OK, missfiring at least a few times a day. The pairing has been meh, messing up at least once a day. And now one bud is dead. So yeah, end of Devialet for me and I do think reviewers shamelessly overhyped these. I've realised Aaron is kind of the only reliable TWS reviewer, he doesn't use excessive superlatives when describing sound and his tests are solid. I saw a youtube reviewer say the Gemini 2 sound as good as $300 wired IEMs. Dude has lost his marbles.