[AtariPrime]

Wow, there's seems to be a lot of new and interesting TWSs coming our way. I'm quite sure I will buy the Creative Outlier Air, hopefully they will be available in Norway soon.

I read a review of the Creative Outlier Air the other day, they commented that function and sound quality were great. The only negatives were that they were a bit large, larger than they look in pictures.

 

[AtariPrime]

I am usually using the Bose Soundsport Free as well as my main running buds, but I am always looking for cheap alternatives (I do have a version of the X12, but how anyone can keep them in their ears while running eludes me love the earbud style and the sound stage that comes with it!)

I had not even heard about the Anbes 359 until like 1h ago (When looking for info on the Whizzer TWS) and now they are already in my shopping cart Thanks for the runner specific encouragement!

There are two major problems with the Bose Soundsport Free. 1) It is not a true IEM, it is actually on ear. As a result, way to much noise from the outside world enters your ears. 2) They are huge, they stick out of your ears much further than other earbuds on the market.

 

[bubsdaddy]

There are two major problems with the Bose Soundsport Free. 1) It is not a true IEM, it is actual on ear. As a result, way to much noise from the outside world enters your ears. 2) They are huge, they stick out of your ears much further than other earbuds on the market.

Agreed - but most runners prefer to be able to hear what's going on around them. And, I personally like the Frankenstein look.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Agreed - but most runners prefer to be able to hear what's going on around them. And, I personally like the Frankenstein look.

I repurchased the SS Free after giving up on them a while back. I bought them because I wanted something to let some sound in while bike riding. I agree that the SS Free is not ideal if you are looking for any type of isolation but I have found that even though SQ deteriorates as ambient sound increases, they still sound decent outdoors. Biggest issue is you have to jack up the volume to compensate and it's probably not great long term versus an isolating IEM. Kind of like airpods, I see enough SS Frees at the gym that I think people just accept the "look". I get more strange looks with the MTW in my ears. Wish they had skipped the silver and gone with all black.

 

[AtariPrime]

The specs sheet says it doesn't have volume control.

There are

I repurchased the SS Free after giving up on them a while back. I bought them because I wanted something to let some sound in while bike riding. I agree that the SS Free is not ideal if you are looking for any type of isolation but I have found that even though SQ deteriorates as ambient sound increases, they still sound decent outdoors. Biggest issue is you have to jack up the volume to compensate and it's probably not great long term versus an isolating IEM. Kind of like airpods, I see enough SS Frees at the gym that I think people just accept the "look". I get more strange looks with the MTW in my ears. Wish they had skipped the silver and gone with all black.

I use my earbuds mostly at the gym. And at the gym, no one ever enforces the rules, so you end up with lots of people talking on their phones. Sound isolation is the only thing keeping me from throwing barbells at their head.

 

[AtariPrime]

What I'm waiting for is an earbud that is at least as small as the Galaxy Buds with 8-10 hours battery life. Uses the fancy new chips that eliminate dropouts, and bass...I would like a TWS IEM with lots of bass.

 

[Caipirina]

There are two major problems with the Bose Soundsport Free. 1) It is not a true IEM, it is actually on ear.

Just curious if you would rate the AirPods or the X12 also as 'on ear', since they are rather earbud style than fully penetrating in-ear (on earbud forums I am being told the SS Free does NOT count as an earbud, but rather IEM)

I think the fact that they are not fully jammed in gives them a nicer soundstage.

Of course I wished that they came with Bose's fantastic ANC, one can only hope they figure that out soon. I own both Sony models that claim to have ANC, and it is rather laughable ...

 

[Caipirina]

I use my earbuds mostly at the gym. And at the gym, no one ever enforces the rules, so you end up with lots of people talking on their phones. Sound isolation is the only thing keeping me from throwing barbells at their head.

That's exactly what I need ANC for! They won't shut up and then there is that nasty gym music!

I tried (a long while ago) some over-ear headphones with ANC on treadmill ... my sweat killed it pretty quickly .. ( i think those were Beats )

 

[AtariPrime]

Just curious if you would rate the AirPods or the X12 also as 'on ear', since they are rather earbud style than fully penetrating in-ear (on earbud forums I am being told the SS Free does NOT count as an earbud, but rather IEM)

I think the fact that they are not fully jammed in gives them a nicer soundstage.

Of course I wished that they came with Bose's fantastic ANC, one can only hope they figure that out soon. I own both Sony models that claim to have ANC, and it is rather laughable ...

Air Pods are definitely 'on ear'. I haven't used the X12 so not sure on that one. To be a true IEM, the earbud needs to extend into the ear canal and create a seal between the ear and the outside world. To have the best soundstage, regardless of style a seal is required. Think of it like your car, do you get better sound with the windows up or down. The answer is up. With all the windows closed you are helping the sound reverberate throughout the car. This creates stronger bass and prevents other soundwaves from interfering with the music. If you think of it like a water hose, having the windows up keeps all the water in the car. If the windows are down, a lot of the sound leaks out, decibals are lost, and sounds from outside enter the vehicle essentially 'tainting' the music signature. Earbuds/IEMs/Headphones are the same. The best sound will always be obtained through isolation, but this may not be the best when walking down a street and you need to hear cars or trains passing by.

 

[Arthur Li]

Have any MW07 user experience driver flex when inserting the buds? Left side of mine starts to develop this issue after few days of use. Kinda worrying......

 

[korefuji]

@DigDub Any chance you could please measure the diameter of your earphone nozzle and let me know what size it is. I need it to send to INAIRS to see if they have matching ear tips

 

[hifi80sman]

Have any MW07 user experience driver flex when inserting the buds? Left side of mine starts to develop this issue after few days of use. Kinda worrying......

No, when I had the MW07, I never had any driver flex issues. You may want to exchange.

 

[clerkpalmer]

No, when I had the MW07, I never had any driver flex issues. You may want to exchange.

Me neither. Exchange if you can. If you can't, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you read up on driver flex, while annoying, can't say I've ever found anyone say it causes actual damage.

 

[chinmie]

The best sound will always be obtained through isolation

not really. the only reason for seal is to block outside noise from disturbing the original/intended sound like you pointed out, but about soundstage, in a dead/near silent environment, openback is better, because gathering information about space accurately not only using the inner eardrums, but also the overall ears (auricles and all). not to mention the vibrations you picked up from the head and body..

so if no noise present, i prefer open headphones/earphones all the way

 

[Caipirina]

To have the best soundstage, regardless of style a seal is required. Think of it like your car, do you get better sound with the windows up or down. The answer is up. With all the windows closed you are helping the sound reverberate throughout the car.

This is kinda exactly how I feel about IEM vs Earbud (on ear) and closed back vs open back. I really like your car allegory for that: When on highway, sure, I want max noise isolation, which I would get from well fitting IEMs ... but what if the car was parked in the middle of a concert hall? I would not only open the windows, but also take the roof off! This way the sound has more air to reverberate and creates (IMHO and I am no expert, very subjective perception) a bigger soundstage.

And this is why it is nice to have many different earthingies that deliver music. 1) Adapt to whatever situation and 2) having an excuse why we have to order yet another pair of something