[SilverEars]

Let’s face it we’re very much at the infancy of the future of all headphones, it’s a learning curve and it really is about finding the least weaknesses as we can at this point, I’ve have 4 pairs of totally wireless now and so far I’ve not been happy with any enough to keep but depending on usage and expectations there’s some good choices out there. I think the next two years we’ll see at least a couple of very solid products that will compete on SQ with any wired earphones, but for now enjoy the journey as it’s a bit like we’re all starting the head fi journey from the start again.

You know it's at an infancy when there is no big R&D dropped with large number of very capable researchers dedicating themselves to the best material and electronics from best audio quality possible. Perhaps it's also due to being a niche market, and not a market that will reach wide range of people. When it comes to imaging (cameras), there are companies doing much research. I like to see that for audio as well. Something that is more systemized than just some jo blo from Headfi that used to mod headphones, starting up a company (not that there is anything wrong with that). That's the stage it's at right now. I want more people to appreciate quality audio, and therefore more companies getting in the game doing big research so that we go at an accelerated pace to best audio quality for any applications. So there would be more competition with high quality audio that would bring the general prices down, and not become expensive niche.

 

[SilverEars]

I got the Jabra Active Elite, and must say it's the smoothest sounding wireless so far. In a way slightly on the too smooth side, but it does seem to sound better than IconX or Jaybird Run perhaps (not so conclusive yet, but it's more similar to IconX than Jaybird in terms of sound). I'd have to compare them in more detail, but definitely the treble on the Jabra is the smoothest.

I really like Jabra's presentation, and in terms of controls, they have the best. I like the volume control, pairing, and personally I like it better than touch (I find it's necessary to have the pair or power button or control on the earpiece itself, and IconX I don't know how to turn it off, it's annoying when it automatically connects). Touch can get annoying, prone to accidents. I have a bit of an issue with fit though. One of the earpiece is slight shallow for the best fit, and I wish that it was shaped more like IconX which I no issue with fit (but, I wish they came with better tips, not the best tips). The tips that come with Jabra works well, and it's similar to Jaybird Run's. I'm starting to like trapezoidal-cylindrical shaped tips.

It seems lots of thoughtfulness went into Jabra, but the fit can be better (for me personally).

I also got the iMore iBFree as well, and at $30 not terrible, but it sounds a bit treble emphasized and mids recessed (I notice that on majority of cheap in-ears it's the mids that fall apart, tune it with too much treble or bass, but generally mids sounding much worse than the acceptable ones). I'd have to compare closely with the Anker Soundbuds Curve to realize which in general sounds better, but I find both don't have acceptable mids, both are more different than similar. Anker has a bit too much bass, and the 1More has a bit low bass comparatively to the treble (which sounds a bit peaked in comparison due to the dipped mids and not so much bass). So, out of the two, if you like lots of treble, 1More would work, but if you like lots of bass (not really quality, a bit bloated that interferes with the mids), it would be the Anker. 1More has it's typical shallow fit, and I dislike it. Anker is better for fit, and another disadvantage of 1More is the cable hangs down (doesn't go over the ear, which is no no, prone to microphonics). Both are AptX, so latency is no issue. On the other hand, the Jabra has slightly more latency than the IconX

In terms of non-aptX latency for the top 3 sounding wireless I've tried is follows (lowest to greatest):

1. IconX (very acceptable, and very slight noticeable)
2. Jabra Elite Active
3. Jaybird Run

Jabra and IconX has the most consistency in sounds in terms of any connection. And strangely Jaybird Run sounds best with file playback (I used Foobar on my desktop with bluetooth module) than streaming.

Jabra is a bit more expensive than IconX, and if the fit was better on the one side of my ear, I would be fully satisfied with it. Fit does effect the sound, so I'm mixed.

 

[bronco1015]

I had E8 and replaced them by 65t Elite which I currently enjoy for what they are, not more, but no less. Like with you it's my first foray in pure wireless (or just wireless for the matter). Among wired IEMs I have now Westone 4 and W2, had few others before. Among full size wired mostly listen to AKG 501 and HD580 via headlamp. So I'm sensitive to SQ. But as others have said I'm enjoying Jabras for convinience, mostly at the gym, while jogging and commuting on a subway, all straight out of my Galaxy S8 (with BT source doesn't matter, except for codec). Man, not having tangled and hanging cords that limit movement and threaten to yank out the stuff is trully liberating! Not caring about the source device is also quite an advantage Yes, there's a loss of sound quality, especially compared to Westone 4, but I'll maintain that Jabras sound like a decent $80 wired buds with a single dynamic driver. They EQ nicely via native app. With BT5 I have no connectivity or sync problems to speak of. Haven't noticed volume disbalance you're talking about. E8 sound better but I hated their touch controls and constant connectivity drops via BT 4.1. With pure wireless its all about managing one's expectations I discovered. Hope this helps in your quest .

After Thanks for sharing your thoughts. After using these for a couple days now I still like the sound I was able to EQ out of the app, I agree, it's pretty impressive. I ended up exchanging them for another pair, and this one still has the volume balance issue, but I think I've found a temporary work around until it is fixed. With this pair the right one is the only one that turns on often, so I hold the volume down button for a couple seconds then the sound shifts to both and most the time has been even. If I can get these to work consistently without the previous issues I've mentioned, i'll keep them. I also agree about not having wires to worry about, feels a little weird but I like it. They definitely do sound like a decent $80 Single Dynamic driver iem, and that's just a hair under what I payed for them. These do sound way better on calls than the first pair, and the BT range is much better. about 3 times the range, and nearly on par with my PSB M4u8s

 

[bronco1015]

Let’s face it we’re very much at the infancy of the future of all headphones, it’s a learning curve and it really is about finding the least weaknesses as we can at this point, I’ve have 4 pairs of totally wireless now and so far I’ve not been happy with any enough to keep but depending on usage and expectations there’s some good choices out there. I think the next two years we’ll see at least a couple of very solid products that will compete on SQ with any wired earphones, but for now enjoy the journey as it’s a bit like we’re all starting the head fi journey from the start again.

I totally agree. We've obviously got a ways to go, but all things considered, I think it's off to a good start. I may end up keeping these, but may not and if I don't, i'll just wear out what I have and then look for a new pair as my last one is on it's last leg.

 

[jant71]

Still no actual ETA as far as I know or have seen but there is a newer pic of the Mavin model with all the colors in it...

 

[mikp]

Still no actual ETA as far as I know or have seen but there is a newer pic of the Mavin model with all the colors in it...

Their mail does not bounce anymore, but they do not respond.
Also their Web page gets small updates now and then.

Look at erato, they used to work with them before. But the no answer on mail is not looking good

 

[jant71]

I think they are working it all out but if they are truly working with Qualcomm then they should come and not end up being vaporware. What I posted was a poster for Computex. Anybody know if they were there?

 

[Tommy C]

I personally would stay away from all the small companies attempting to jump into the wireless game.
There are some solid options out there and better spend your money on proven products with warranty and support should you need it.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

I have very little faith in unknown companies just springing up touting all the amazing tech in their products.

 

[mikp]

I think they are working it all out but if they are truly working with Qualcomm then they should come and not end up being vaporware. What I posted was a poster for Computex. Anybody know if they were there?

They have been pretty silent after the first press release the "tech blogs" jumped on, only that it should come with the cheaper new qualcomm chip with aptx.

But I doubt this would be released, or else they would have been more professional about it.

 

[SilverEars]

After trying out various earphones, I would say AptX doesn't mean better sound quality. Two cheap-end earphones with AptX didn't output balanced FR and also the mids were lousy.

Top 3 for SQ were non-AptX.

That chip doesn't magically produce good SQ. I'd look for AptX for guarantee of no latency, but not SQ. The ones with AptX I tried sounded less natural.

I have yet to try a cheap Aukey.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

After trying out various earphones, I would say AptX doesn't mean better sound quality. Two cheap-end earphones with AptX didn't output balanced FR and also the mids were lousy.

Top 3 for SQ were non-AptX.

That chip doesn't magically produce good SQ. I'd look for AptX for guarantee of no latency, but not SQ. The ones with AptX I tried sounded less natural.

I have yet to try a cheap Aukey.

Bingo. AptX isn't exactly expensive to implement and it requires absolutely zero actual work on the company's part. It's just a chip they slap on.

A wireless set with a good internal dac/amp and quality drivers running SBC will blow cheapass headphones with aptX out of the water every time.

I'm not impressed by companies rambling about Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX because all that does is tell us about the transmission method, it has zip zero to do with the quality of the output from the speakers themselves.

 

[Peddler]

I agree to a certain extent - I really enjoyed the sound character of the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless headphones which doesn't have aptx but generally speaking I have found that especially earbud type headphones definitely benefit from using aptx.

APTx tends to offer better treble resolution.

 

[SilverEars]

For me, The best(that I have tried) wireless is a toss-up between Samsung IconX and Jabra Elite Active (although, I would like to have the best of both worlds).

Things I like about IconX:

-IconX is only fully wireless (I'm not talking about the left and right earpiece connected ones) earphones that has fast forward and revers controls on the earpice, and I find this to be very convenient although touch is prone to unintended accidental touch.

-Being able to store music in the earpiece (Although only 4GB in storage and you must store same files in both earpieces). It's liberating to play music only from the earpieces without carrying the any other device to be paired with.

-Charge status outside on the case (Jabra unfortunately doesn't have this)

-Lower A/V sync lag, very minimal

-Lower market pricing

-The fit is the best


And the Jabra Elite Active:

-Physical buttons, so not prone to unintended touches like IconX

-Volume buttons on the earpiece.

-Can be paired from the earpiece

-on/off button on the earpiece

-Slightly smoother sound than the IconX (this maybe more of a preference thing between the two).



Personally, I'm leading toward the IconX as the best fit for my needs. I realized I want all the controls I can get on the earpiece. I want pairing, FF, Rev, Pause, Play, on/off controls on the earpiece.

 

[Glebuzzz]

Hi there, guys. Hope I'm right posting here.
What iem is better for sport (mostly in gym) use: Brainwavz BLU-100 or Edifier W280BT or Sony XB50BS? Just want ok sound (this is my priority) so my ears wouldn't bleed out. Aptx and other features (exept maybe sweatproof) are not important to me. Will be using my XDP-30R as source.
Thanks!