Hey man, yeah I’ve been swamped with work so haven’t had the time to churn out a full review, but had a little time today so here goes:
I know a bunch of people on here don’t love the sq of the xm3s, and after about a week and a half of listening I agree they are not perfect, but to my ears they’re probably my second favorite sounding TWS outside of the N6 Pros right now. I’ll get into it in some detail, for me the timbre is pretty great, much better than expected. The overall usability is also excellent, and for some reason they fit my ears real nicely, though I know this is not the case for everyone so your mileage may vary. Anyway here’s my breakdown.
Sound quality: Just as a disclaimer, all my sound impressions were done with ANC turned on because I find the sound better with it on than off. Overall I’d describe the sound quality of the xm3s as forward and crisp, but smooth. It’s got an excellent tonal balance and is very versatile. Plays well with pretty much everything I listened to. It’s not audiophile grade but it definitely has above average detail retrieval for a TWS. I’m very happy with them particularly since the features work so well, and it has one of the best EQs that I’ve come across, period.
Bass: The bass lacks a little detail but it’s pretty damn clean and has good extension and weight, without being overpowering. There’s no distortion, and bloat is very minimal. It’s actually got a great level of punchiness and richness, but it’s not as enveloping as the MTW2s or the L2Ps. It’s definitely fast though and and gives music a great energy. In many ways it’s similar to the bass on the original MW07s. Compared with the N6Ps the xm3s bass has more power and depth, but the N6P have much more detail and air. Overall the bass is really nice, unoffensive, and clean.
Mids: The mids are nice and smooth, a little forward, and there’s some really nice instrument and vocal detail. The MTW2s have slightly more detailed vocals, but it’s pretty marginal, and the xm3s have better instrument representation and tonality for me. The timbre is pretty spot on, not as natural and realistic as the N6Ps but better than other mid forward TWS like the APPs or MTW2s. There’s also a nice sense of depth and detail, giving the presentation some fullness, however some of the more finite qualities of certain instruments, such as the attack of a violin string or the pressure build up in a trumpet blare, are a bit smoothed out, probably to orient to a more base-line consumer sound. In the end though, the mids are in many ways where these things shine, with excellent tonality and slightly forward presentation.
Highs: The highs are not perfect, but pretty solid. The mid highs are excellent. Some of my favorites on any TWS. They manage an almost perfect balance between being clean and crisp and up front, without ever becoming harsh. The very top end though is a little dropped off. It’s definitely there but you sometimes have to try to listen for it instead of it just effortlessly being presented to you. Cymbals are not quite where I want them to be, they’ve got good attack and decay, but still have a bit of mushiness sometimes. This is just a persistent problem on TWS in my opinion, but these are not nearly as offensive in this regard as the APPs. I still think the N6Ps are just way better than anything else out there for highs. While not quite as good as the N6Ps, the highs on the Tevis are also a bit cleaner and realistic than the xm3s, but the xm3s are more full, rich and warm sounding overall.
Soundstage and Imaging: When comparing the xm3s to the N6Ps, the N6Ps have a wider soundstage and are the clear winners for imaging - but really the N6Ps have better imaging than some wired iems that I’ve heard. The Tevis and L2Ps are also slightly wider. That being said, the stage on the xm3s is not terrible. It’s got a good width to it, but since the mid-bass, mids, and mid highs are a bit forward sometimes the music can feel a bit closed in on certain busy tracks. I do sometimes notice certain things out in the distance though and the instrument separation is good enough that it never really feels congested. Instrument separation was better on the MTW2s overall, but the actual stage of the MTW2s was much more in my head than on the xm3s.
The imaging on the xm3s is pretty good, and does provide distinct spaces for instruments, but it’s not as logical as the N6Ps. The imaging is better on the xm3s than the L2Ps though, which can get a bit disjointed. All in all I’d say the xm3s have enough technical ability in this department to prevent the sound from being clustered or sounding disorganized. I’d say average soundstage and above average imaging.
All in all, the xm3s are a bit of a jack of all trades master of none for sound quality. But they do everything pretty well, and that’s actually kind of impressive in its own right. They work well for pretty much every genre of music and are ridiculously well balanced. I’d say the stand out feature is the timbre, it’s just a nice tonality that gives a good vibrancy to the music without being artificial. The mid highs are also fantastic, it’s hard to strike that balance between clarity and harshness and the xm3s do just that. I’m generally just impressed with how these sound. They’re not up to par with the N6Ps, but not much in the TWS space is at the moment in my opinion and these have some great extra features that are missing on the N6Ps, which I will discuss more below.
Look/Fit: This is a subjective category. I think they’re a bit bulky but look pretty decent and don’t stick out much which is nice. The fit is definitely an issue for some but not for me for the most part. They definitely sometimes need some readjustment after an hour of listening or so, but I find them pretty comfortable. Not ideal for working out as they bobble around a bit in the ear.
Extra Features: These are loaded with features and they all work great. The ANC is the best that I’ve tried so far. They do an excellent job cancelling out low rumbles and even do a good job on some higher frequencies. The one issue is that you need a good seal otherwise the ANC does not work as well. These also have a mode where you can use some of the internal ANC mics while also cancelling out wind noise and it works like a charm. The ANC is not quite as effective in this mode but there’s no wind noise which has been a real issue when using other ANC buds. Ambient mode is also great and you can customize how much to let in in the app. It works very well though there is a slight amplification effect. The app is a little glitchy sometimes but overall works well and the EQ is just fantastic. You can completely change how these things sound in the EQ settings but they never change to the point of sounding crappy. A good example is that even if you raise the bass level super high it never becomes distorted. Also can improve clarity in the highs with EQ without changing overall tonality. The only annoyance is that you can’t have volume controls on the buds while also controlling ANC and playback from the buds. You have to swap one of those sets of controls out if you want volume controls. I hope they can somehow fix this at some point but I doubt it. Another thing is the lack of water resistance, but I usually don’t expose my TWS to water. Overall though, one of the best feature sets I’ve seen on a TWS.
Battery: Battery is decent and lasts about 6 hours with ANC on, which is much better than the 4.5 hours I got with the MTW2s. With it off I got around 7.5 hours, but I like the sound better when it’s on. The only thing is if you want to use the DSEE HX function (have to use it without EQ), then the battery drains significantly and only lasts around 3.5 hours. I do think this function improves the highs and stage slightly but I’ve often turned it off bc of battery drain.
Case: The case is nice and premium though on the large side. Small thing but I love the hinge, it’s as close to the APPs case hinge as I’ve tried in terms of usability. Also the magnets are excellent and the buds are really easy to take in and out of the case.
Microphone/calls: Call quality has been surprisingly solid for me, particularly indoors where people can’t even tell I’m wearing a headset. I also took a call on a walk yesterday and it was super windy and the person on the other side could still hear me clearly without having to yell, though could also hear the wind in the background. Overall pretty usable to be honest, but haven’t had much of a chance to test this out too much given that nyc is on lockdown.
Connectivity: Connectivity has been fantastic with my phone, though not as great with my windows computer. They have gotten better over time with the computer though for some reason, but still stutters sometimes.
Conclusion: Overall, the xm3s are some of my favorite TWS that Ive used so far. The sound is really nice and balanced, and it’s probably the most versatile set of TWS I own. Plays every genre I throw at it at least reasonably well. Also the ANC is really great. Once you get a good seal, they’re just better than any other ANC bud I’ve tried - including the APP, MW07+, MTW2s, and Ausounds Hybrid. Really great features and very good sound make this a top choice for me, though I know some on this thread are not as high on them as I am. Sound is definitely subjective and these are my opinions, absolutely not saying that anyone else is wrong, just going off what my ears are telling me.
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In other news, while listening and doing comparisons for the xm3s, I concluded the N6Ps are still as close to a wired set of IEMs that I’ve heard to date. They just sound fantastic. I actually have the Thieaudio Legacy 3s coming tomorrow so I’m excited to see how the N6Ps stack up. Might do a quick comparison of the two.
Also, I’ve done a bunch of true wireless reviews at this point now so I might congregate them somewhere, like on a website, if people would be interested. Might also do a top ten list here soon.
