Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?
Aug 1, 2019 at 4:25 PM Post #10,036 of 61,371
Well, we all know this hobby is highly subjective so I'd hate to have you buy something you might not like. I think a lot of people would find the Air-X boring if they really love a bombastic, forward signature, but I find them involving and highly musical. However, I've never once found them bright or brittle, and I can't stand a bright sound signature. I think if you really like the MTW you might find the Mavins a bit laid-back, but they have more presence than the Sony XM3. I personally really liked the MTW but have to admit I found them to be a bit cold and steely. If you've heard the Bose SoundSport Free the Air-X sound sort of like a better version of that.
Definitely like the Bose SSF. 130 is a tough price though. A little too much to take a flyer on. Hmmmm.
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 4:28 PM Post #10,037 of 61,371
I tried switching DSEE HX on and off, and the only difference I could hear (streaming from a Pixel 3 XL with Tidal redbook quality) was that with DSEE on, the sound got a tad sharper, but not in a good way. It was like turning up sharpness picture setting on a TV... it didn't actually improve the sound so much as just make it slightly more defined in an artificial manner. I ended up doing 90% of my listening with it off.
That's exactly what I found with their DSEE processing; it sounds "processed". I always turn it off. On the over-ear XM3, the difference is noticeable. You go from a natural (amplified) sound, to a slightly "computerized" characteristic. It's subtle with some tracks, but more noticeable with others. More marketing behind DSEE than actual "upscaling".
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 4:29 PM Post #10,038 of 61,371
Definitely like the Bose SSF. 130 is a tough price though. A little too much to take a flyer on. Hmmmm.

Oof yeah I see they raised the price back up by $20 since they were on sale a couple weeks ago. Looks like you can get them off Amazon with Prime shipping, so at least you have a great return policy if you decide to return em. Let me know if you ever get a chance to give them a listen. I'd love your feedback as these mixed reactions are really surprising to me considering how damn picky I am, but I guess everyone likes something different.
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 4:35 PM Post #10,041 of 61,371
In seeing this resurgence of Mavin Air-X comments - I thought I'd chime in;

I may not have had the best Mavin Air-X (maybe I got a bad version) but I was not pleased with the audio quality - the air-x was lacking in bass and had a slight resonance/rattle for me. The call quality was also below that of the Anbes 359, in my case, and my gf refused to talk to me when I had them in (she could 'hear' the difference) .

The Air-X only lasted a few days for me before I sent them back - I can't quite remember what I was comparing them to at the time, but I was not very excited about the Mavin's - and I figured I'd wait to see their QCC 5xxx update. I would definitely not say they were better, sound wise, than the MTW.

Ahhh yeah that sounds really unfortunate and differs from my own experience, especially the rattle/resonance you report. I hate to chalk this up to variance in build quality (they're not the most premium-feeling TW model by any means) but it sounds like something might be wrong with the pair you got? I get plenty of bass thump and I definitely like bass north of neutral. I can't argue with you about the call quality though... they're probably middling in that regard although functional enough for work conference calls in my experience.
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 4:37 PM Post #10,042 of 61,371
I live in fear of being banned by amazon and Best Buy for life. If amazon ever banned me, my wife would chop my n@ts off.
I got a 90 day ban from Best Buy once, but then I just started paying cash and returning at different Best Buy locations, as to not be "made". They never once asked for ID.

I buy so much stuff on Amazon that a few returns here and there never affect me. I did receive a "we're concerned" email once, but that was early on in this hobby and I literally returned like 12 pairs of headphones, in like, 12 days.
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 4:51 PM Post #10,044 of 61,371
I got a 90 day ban from Best Buy once, but then I just started paying cash and returning at different Best Buy locations, as to not be "made". They never once asked for ID.

I buy so much stuff on Amazon that a few returns here and there never affect me. I did receive a "we're concerned" email once, but that was early on in this hobby and I literally returned like 12 pairs of headphones, in like, 12 days.

Enabler.
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 4:57 PM Post #10,045 of 61,371
In 3 months all these TWS will all be on sale in time for Black Friday. I can't wait to try and return if sh%t. Going UFO crazy if those new designs ever get a release. Give me give me give me. Rahaha
 
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Aug 1, 2019 at 4:58 PM Post #10,046 of 61,371
I got a 90 day ban from Best Buy once, but then I just started paying cash and returning at different Best Buy locations, as to not be "made". They never once asked for ID.

I buy so much stuff on Amazon that a few returns here and there never affect me. I did receive a "we're concerned" email once, but that was early on in this hobby and I literally returned like 12 pairs of headphones, in like, 12 days.

Hahahaha oh man. I try to keep my returns infrequent enough to not get flagged. Luckily there aren't enough TW IEMs I'm legitimately interested in for that to be a problem, and mostly staying away from Chifi has helped in that regard with the plethora of rebranded OEM units out there.
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 5:40 PM Post #10,047 of 61,371
Having owned the MTW and currently have the Nuarl NT01-AX and Mavin Air-x the Mavin's do not sound better than the MTW or the Nuarl's. I can't speak for the call quality. The only reason I grab the Mavin's over the Nuarl's is because of form factor (Nuarl's are huge) and battery life. But for pure listening enjoyment the Nuarl's are better. In my opinion they are comparable to the Samsung Galaxy buds which I wish I would have kept and returned the Mavin's.

I haven't heard the Nuarl, but could you expand on what you like about them versus the Air-X? I might have to give them a shot.

FWIW, I don't think one is objectively better than another as we all know it's a matter of personal preference, and I preferred the Mavin to the MTW, although the bugs and build quality/design issues I had with the latter probably strongly colored my experience.
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 5:59 PM Post #10,048 of 61,371
I haven't heard the Nuarl, but could you expand on what you like about them versus the Air-X? I might have to give them a shot.

FWIW, I don't think one is objectively better than another as we all know it's a matter of personal preference, and I preferred the Mavin to the MTW, although the bugs and build quality/design issues I had with the latter probably strongly colored my experience.

I love the Nuarl's high's. I feel they are more resolving, articulate, and textured than the Mavin's. They also dare I say make the Mavin's seem a bit muddy and dark. The Nuarl's also have more of a low end presence as well. It is possible from your previous comments that the high's maybe a bit too much for your liking. Someone also posted a while back about the high's of the Nuarl as well and how they loved them (it may have been actorlife).
 
Aug 1, 2019 at 6:07 PM Post #10,049 of 61,371
Just an update I've gotten several compliments on the call quality on the Back Bay Duet 50. used it in my car on the freeway, outside and in noisy environments around lots of kids. Very impressed with these overall.

Same here. I rank them better then Mpaw T5's. The sound is more balanced. Vocals sound better. The battery life is longer.

Been Using the the Duet 50 with my AGPtek player and MP3 players do carry their sigs into BT. Really like how these two match with enough bass and detail but the vocals are more the star of the show. Quite impressed yesterday at the focus and clarity and intelligibility of words on some songs. Even if I sound like that Amazon review that was impressive regardless of wired or wireless. Just very good.

I too have gotten more attached to the BB since the first day or two. They are almost as good as the glowing Amazon reviews :) now up to around 25 now from the 11 when I first pulled the trigger.
 
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Aug 1, 2019 at 6:47 PM Post #10,050 of 61,371
I live in fear of being banned by amazon and Best Buy for life. If amazon ever banned me, my wife would chop my n@ts off.
I just returned 7 sets of TWS' this week to Amazon. :L3000: No ban, but like @hifi80sman, I too buy so much stuff from amazon, they'd probably be losing a small chunk of change if they banned me. :yum:
 

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