[clerkpalmer]

Haha, oh wow! Ok then, the search continues.

Of course apple has probably sold 10 million pair so I may be in the minority. Seriously, even if sq isn’t a top priority you can do better than the airpods for 160.

 

[Edward Ng]

As a follow up, if SQ isn't of paramount importance and you have an iPhone, does it make sense to just get a pair of AirPods?

Apple’s buds, including the AirPods, also don’t fit certain people’s ears well. I’m a good example of this, and AirPods won’t stay in for more than 5 minutes because of the shape of my ears, and basically are impossible to get anything even remotely resembling some form of a shadow of a ghost of a seal of some sorts, so sound like complete sh¡t.

-Ed

 

[Morbeas]

Seriously, even if sq isn’t a top priority you can do better than the airpods for 160.

Ok, what would be your #1 recommendation?

 

[Rickyearl]

Ok, what would be your #1 recommendation?

If you can wait, the M2 are the best overall deal in my opinion when on sale for $175 as they were just after Christmas. At current price ($250) they're not your best bet. Under Airpod price there are a lot of fans of the Mavin AirX which is available on Amazon for $130 or so.

If you read back a few pages, you can see that if you must have SQ above all else, and you can tolerate/swing it, at around $300 you have either the M&D MW07 or Sennheiser MTW. Opinions differ on which is best, but most believe those to be the two best SQ-wise. The MW07 are cooler in almost every way (design and case design, comfort, style), and the MTW has issues that Sennheiser says they are fixing in firmware (case draining by itself, call quality, can't remember but there's another), but a minority here (myself included) think the MTW sounds the better than the MW07. I'd buy both from some place like Best Buy and return the one I didn't like.

 

[Morbeas]

I've been reading about the Mavins and would be very interested, considering their price-point. I really would like to stay below $150.

So what's the consensus regarding the Mavin Air-X when paired with an iPhone?

 

[hifi80sman]

I can really only keep one for financial reasons ATM (just moved, adopted a dog that needs a lot of help), but I really can't pick which just yet. I think it's gonna come down to if I run into any of the charge/case issues others have had.

For sure. Priorities, my friend.

Looking forward to your updated feedback!

 

[hifi80sman]

I've been reading about the Mavins and would be very interested, considering their price-point. I really would like to stay below $150.

So what's the consensus regarding the Mavin Air-X when paired with an iPhone?

What about the Sabbat E12? Pretty well received here.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LCQ6ZRP/

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/goi...re-we-there-yet.861024/page-302#post-14738511
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/goi...re-we-there-yet.861024/page-246#post-14696991

 

[clerkpalmer]

Ok, what would be your #1 recommendation?

I agree that the M2 is a solid choice but they are overpriced at $250. For $150ish, based on what I have tested, I would look at the RHA True Connect and the Bose Soundsport Free. If you need isolation, RHA is the better choice. RHA also supports AAC over iPhone despite what their marketing materials state. The Sonly SPN 700N is another very good option at that price. If you put a gun to my head at that price point, I'm picking the RHA.

 

[turbobb]

So... I was going to reply re: the features near and dear to some and yada, yada, yada, but we can surely debate that ad nauseam. Bottom line, don't worry about what others want, after all it's not your money they're spending... As long as you enjoy what you like that's all that matters. The moment you see "It's gotta have this or that..." skip, move on.

Anyways, back on topic: ATH-SPORT7TW - was about to chuck these out the window as the touch control on left side was acting up. A single touch is supposed to be volume up and double-tap volume down but every single tap would invoke hear-through (which is only supposed to activate by touching for at least 2 seconds). Quite aggravating to say the least especially as I was trying to get a good fit on my left ear (CP350 med FTW...) but after leaving it alone for about 5 min or so and now it's behaving properly... Go figure

As for my zero burn-in impressions, so... I feel AT's "house" sound is all over the place. M50/X definitely has a V-shaped profile (more so the former). Their ATH-ANC40BT is very neutral as is their ATH-MSR7 (based on recollection). This has a different profile with a good emphasis on bass that is slightly flabby (including for the subs), treble is there but with a mild roll off. The mid's are also slightly forward and the sound stage isn't bad, but overall sound is not quite as dynamic as the MW07 which is in a different league sound-wise. Again, the bass features prominently but in consideration that these are billed as being for sports and considering the intended use, I think it makes sense. Range is pretty good but falls behind the Aermoo B3's. Still very early and who knows, maybe it'll change with burn-in but I'll update impressions later.
Strange thing I encountered is that my nephew stopped by and while I was talking to him I had paused the music, about 20-30 seconds into the convo, the hear-through activated on its own. Not sure if it's a bug or a feature... EDIT: NVM, it's a bug, I shut it off and it turned back on again... grrrrr these touch controls are so flaky

 

[WesennTony]

Keep testing Mavin Air-X.... The silicone stabilizers close my ear chamber a bit more, which makes a slightly smaller sound stage but add a bit more bass impact I was looking for. Good! Then ordered Spinfit CP155 tips. They fit Air-X like a glove. The sound has noticeable changes, but not profound. It becomes more crisp, better instrument separation, and more bass texture. Surprisingly they add a sparkling treble as well, but not so that causes any harshness. So the sound signature slightly shifts from Ath-E70 towards Sennheiser IE800.

Bad call quality, even in quiet environment. Earin M2 and MW07 win handily for this. Also I was not able to pair Air-X with a BT transmitter to watch TV, probably due to the new chipset and stereo plus thing. M2 (AptX) and Sabbat X12 pro (AAC) pair easily and sound great. X12 pro keep amazing me. Their open design gives a good sound stage when watching TV, and with their long battery life I'm ready for Super Bowl!

 

[Morbeas]

I agree that the M2 is a solid choice but they are overpriced at $250. For $150ish, based on what I have tested, I would look at the RHA True Connect and the Bose Soundsport Free. If you need isolation, RHA is the better choice. RHA also supports AAC over iPhone despite what their marketing materials state. The Sonly SPN 700N is another very good option at that price. If you put a gun to my head at that price point, I'm picking the RHA.

There are quite a few reviews on Amazon stating the RHA connection isn't very stable. Especially one reviewer who said to stay away if you're a commuter (I am). Also it doesn't look like Amazon even sells them anymore?

 

[Morbeas]

Bad call quality, even in quiet environment. Earin M2 and MW07 win handily for this. Also I was not able to pair Air-X with a BT transmitter to watch TV, probably due to the new chipset and stereo plus thing. M2 (AptX) and Sabbat X12 pro (AAC) pair easily and sound great. X12 pro keep amazing me. Their open design gives a good sound stage when watching TV, and with their long battery life I'm ready for Super Bowl!

This is very unfortunate indeed. I was seriously thinking about pulling the trigger on the Mavins. Are you using them with an Android or iOS device?

 

[clerkpalmer]

There are quite a few reviews on Amazon stating the RHA connection isn't very stable. Especially one reviewer who said to stay away if you're a commuter (I am). Also it doesn't look like Amazon even sells them anymore?

Early units had issues. Mine were perfect.

 

[Morbeas]

Early units had issues. Mine were perfect.

So where do you buy them?

 

[clerkpalmer]

So where do you buy them?

Audio46. 10 percent off with code welcome10