[james444]

James444 if you were faced with 300 to spend, would you go tm2 with included iems or bt20s plus the best iems money can buy for 250? One comment would be I assume the tm2 iem is water resistant whereas most iems may not be so that would be a factor. Thanks!

I don't have the BT20S yet, so this particular comparison will have to wait.

The included TM2 IEMs compete very well with the best I've heard. I have a selection of 35 test tracks to detect flaws in IEMs. The TM2 score a 32/35 right out of the box and a 35/35 with a minor damping mod, which is excellent.

Whether to go for the TM2 is imho less a question of sound quality than of intended use. For instance, they don't fit as tight and securely around my ears as the BT20, so I'm not sure I'd pick these for intense outdoor activity. For walking and hiking, I find them ok though.

Another aspect is nighttime / in-bed listening. I can comfortably do this with the BT20 and small IEMs, no problem. The TM2 would be low profile enough to be comfy in bed too. However, if you lie on the side with it, the touchpad may press against your ear and engage cue-play, which can be very annoying.

So, what I'm trying to say is, while I don't think you could do much better in terms of sound quality with the BT20S + $250 IEMs, you may probably be able to cover a wider range of use cases than with the TM2.

 

[WesennTony]

Received Sony WF-1000xm3 this Wednesday, so I was able to bring them for a business trip together with Nuarl NT01AX. For SQ, while both are neutral and balanced, xm3 have a slight but discernible Sony veil, and Nuarl is very natural. xm3 have a slightly more clarity, probably due to a lower noise floor. But Nuarl have a wider sound stage. I'd also like to add Mavin Air-x into comparison. To my ears, Air-X sound is more clinical, xm3 more veiled, and Nuarl more music and fluid. An Eq of a slight drop in high on xm3 pushes them more toward Nuarl, and after that I'll rate the SQ to be Nuarl > xm3~Air-X for my taste. Probably not a good analogy, Nuarl are like pure water, air-X like sparkling one, and xm3 with added flavor. I like the sound to be natural and faithful.

Appearance xm3 win. They look premium and professional, a lower profile comparing Nuarl. The charging case look premium as well, though more than double the size as that of Nuarl and air-X. The magnet attachment works very well. I don't know why the case has to be designed to lie down, but not a big deal.

The noise cancelling works well, but during the flight, the overall isolation does not make much difference between xm3 and Nuarl. Surprisingly I only got 3.5 hours when "low battery" warning kicked in. I guess probably because I used ambient mode couple of times at the airport terminal, and also re-connect the BT after turning on the airplane mode. But it's still quite below my expectation of 6hrs.

The connection to my phone (LG V30) is slow but very stable after that, while Nuarl occasionally lose sound on one side with unknown reasons.

With Nuarl and air-X already in hand, I'm not sure if I want to keep xm3. They are definitely not the must, and no IPx rating means that I may always have to bring another set with me. But they look more professional on the street. I'll give them more time.

 

[crezo]

Well I took first dive into wireless the other day and was pretty disappointed. I've got a ton of 3,4 & 5 driver hybrids so was expecting a drop in sound quality with single driver Bluetooth phones as these would be for occasional use only as my new phone doesn't have a 3.5 (seriously WHY all companies do this JUST because apple did it astounds me).

However I at least expected them to actually work

I bought some iTeknics which had prety decent reviews for about £50 and the. Build and fit were great, and the tiny charging case was brilliant as it fits in your jeans jonny pocket, but sadly only the right side worked, and it refused to connect to the left even after trying to reset them. They were otherwise great, but I've just sent them back.

So after a load more research I'm going for some Sabbat e12s which have also had some great reviews, and we'll see how these turn out in the next few days. Sound and connection quality is supposed to be great, and they're one of the few that have USBC and wireless QI for the case which is a huge bonus.

Will add a review if they actually both work and connect

 

[Firevortex]

The noise cancelling works well, but during the flight, the overall isolation does not make much difference between xm3 and Nuarl.

can you elaborate on the ANC performance for flights? such as how loud do you need to push the music for you to not hear plane noise? i find that ambient mode to drain the battery faster than any other modes.

ps. what ear tips you using?

 

[chinmie]

I think I don't need anything else for true wireless. This is amazing... slight hiss, but otherwise drive my U12 well enough. I don't miss much from Bluetooth receiver like BTR3 or ATH-PHA55BT, even with just aptX, it sounds as good. Apart from the large case that without battery, it's been amazingly convenient.

I'm set for a few years ahead, until true wireless matured enough and maybe finally get higher bitrate codec.

The included IEM is also surprisingly good! I want to utilize it one way or another, but I don't want to take my U12 off from this.

does the hiss still appears when you max out the volume on the phone and adjust the volume on the TM2 down?

 

[AnakChan]

I think I don't need anything else for true wireless. This is amazing... slight hiss, but otherwise drive my U12 well enough. I don't miss much from Bluetooth receiver like BTR3 or ATH-PHA55BT, even with just aptX, it sounds as good. Apart from the large case that without battery, it's been amazingly convenient.

I'm set for a few years ahead, until true wireless matured enough and maybe finally get higher bitrate codec.

The included IEM is also surprisingly good! I want to utilize it one way or another, but I don't want to take my U12 off from this.

Did you hear hiss with the default TM2 drivers? I’m insensitive to hiss and did not detect it. My wife has more sensitive hearing than me but she didn’t hear it either.

However I have heard from other TM2 owners that it’s noticeable with some 3rd party IEMs (e.g. FitEar MH335DW or TG!334, and now with your U12). I did not detect any hiss with my Titans however.

 

[WesennTony]

can you elaborate on the ANC performance for flights? such as how loud do you need to push the music for you to not hear plane noise? i find that ambient mode to drain the battery faster than any other modes.

ps. what ear tips you using?

I will say that ANC is quite effective. On/off will tell a significant difference of the noise level, and engine hum is so low and doesn't bother me. When playing music, I don't have to raise the volume and all the outside noise is gone. For padcast listening, though, the noise is more apparent, but still I could fall asleep. Overall I think it's quite close to that of good isolating IEMs like Westone W60, which rates at 25dB Passive Noise Attenuation. As I said in my previous post, the Nuarl can achieve this isolation level as well, so not really a killer.

Now for all my TWS and IEMs, I'm using Sony hybrid eartips (the silicone ones, not the triple comforts that come with xm3).

 

[nc8000]

Received Sony WF-1000xm3 this Wednesday, so I was able to bring them for a business trip together with Nuarl NT01AX. For SQ, while both are neutral and balanced, xm3 have a slight but discernible Sony veil, and Nuarl is very natural. xm3 have a slightly more clarity, probably due to a lower noise floor. But Nuarl have a wider sound stage. I'd also like to add Mavin Air-x into comparison. To my ears, Air-X sound is more clinical, xm3 more veiled, and Nuarl more music and fluid. An Eq of a slight drop in high on xm3 pushes them more toward Nuarl, and after that I'll rate the SQ to be Nuarl > xm3~Air-X for my taste. Probably not a good analogy, Nuarl are like pure water, air-X like sparkling one, and xm3 with added flavor. I like the sound to be natural and faithful.

Appearance xm3 win. They look premium and professional, a lower profile comparing Nuarl. The charging case look premium as well, though more than double the size as that of Nuarl and air-X. The magnet attachment works very well. I don't know why the case has to be designed to lie down, but not a big deal.

The noise cancelling works well, but during the flight, the overall isolation does not make much difference between xm3 and Nuarl. Surprisingly I only got 3.5 hours when "low battery" warning kicked in. I guess probably because I used ambient mode couple of times at the airport terminal, and also re-connect the BT after turning on the airplane mode. But it's still quite below my expectation of 6hrs.

The connection to my phone (LG V30) is slow but very stable after that, while Nuarl occasionally lose sound on one side with unknown reasons.

With Nuarl and air-X already in hand, I'm not sure if I want to keep xm3. They are definitely not the must, and no IPx rating means that I may always have to bring another set with me. But they look more professional on the street. I'll give them more time.

I used my XM3 for over 6 hours straight yesterday from my iPhone with aac with ANC constantly on and volume at about 60% and the battery ended up at 20% so could probably have continued another 1-2 hours. Sound in general is probably the best of any tws I’ve tried

 

[Caipirina]

I just noticed that there's no more KZ T1 ... well, not at the official store anymore, I saw one shop still selling them ... guess this means that V1 is nearly sold out and now we wait for V2 (rumor has it it comes with USB-C and different eartips? Taken from one of the reviews on AE) ... I am very curious to hopefully receive mine on Monday .. or a few days later .. we shall see

 

[Caipirina]

Oh, I ordered two new models:


The next Tronsmart installment with, again, an awkward name. The first Spunky Buds were quite good sports buds with some flaws. Hope they improved this time.



And look! It's UiiSii's entry to the wireless market. Let's hope the TWS60 is a hit between their many misses.

So, looks like you keep on hoarding But thanks for sharing all those new treasures you discover ... i'd be curious to try those UiiSii, having had some very good IEM experiences with them
I think though that after the KZ T1 and then the Nillkin Go (both in the mail), I'll be done for a while .. like until 11.11 I still have IEMs I received over my summer shopping spree that I have not really played with yet as my focus was all on TWE this time around...

 

[Soreniglio]

QCY T3 still restocking after a week and a half

 

[Caipirina]

Sharing storage suggestion for fellow hoarders
Works like a charme.
Can easily be hidden away in closet if need be

 

[hifi80sman]

Sharing storage suggestion for fellow hoarders
Works like a charme.
Can easily be hidden away in closet if need be

Somehow, that photo fits nicely with some weird horror movie.

 

[jeffri]

does the hiss still appears when you max out the volume on the phone and adjust the volume on the TM2 down?

I used the media volume sync, the hiss is constant when TM2 is active and not idle (only when playing something), the volume doesn't seem to correlate to the hiss. It wasn't bad, I think below the hiss of Bluewave GET and even XB10. Easy to forget when the music is playing, but you'll notice when you stop playback there is a slight moment before TM2 going idle that you'll hear the hiss.

 

[jeffri]

Did you hear hiss with the default TM2 drivers? I’m insensitive to hiss and did not detect it. My wife has more sensitive hearing than me but she didn’t hear it either.

However I have heard from other TM2 owners that it’s noticeable with some 3rd party IEMs (e.g. FitEar MH335DW or TG!334, and now with your U12). I did not detect any hiss with my Titans however.

Yes, I did notice the hiss with the included IEM. Not as noticeable as U12, but it's there. I can hear it each time playback is stopped, when there is a slight moment before it went idle. Or when a website decide to autoplay video with volume muted, I'll notice immediately that the TM2 is active.