[Eli1232]

My initial thoughts on the Melomania Touch: (Disclaimer: I'm new to the audiophile/Hifi community, so take my judgments on sound with a grain of salt. I also have not tried other TWS sets before, just consumer headphones and some wired IEMs).

The good:
- Sound and instrument separation are pretty good. Like others have said, the bass is quite present, and I would say very overpowering. I had to turn the sub-bass all the way down and the mid/high bass partially down. The bass is not muddy or unclear, there was just too much of it for my tastes. Comparing them to my wired IEMs (Moondrop Starfields), I would have liked slightly more mids and crisper highs.
- The fit is pretty good. I used large buds and large fins, and the fins helped keep it in place. Not the most breathable though, as I do not think there are vents, and the plastic can heat up over time. I need to wear it more to really determine the comfort, but it started getting a bit uncomfortable after 1-2 hours of use.
- Battery life is good. I didn't do a full test but with a few hours of listening and charging in the case, I was at 90% on my buds and 4-5 white LEDs on the case lit up.
- The case is small, light, and pocketable.

The annoying:
- Initial pairing is very jank/unreliable. When I took them out I just tried pairing them with my phone (iPhone 11). They showed up in the Bluetooth devices, so I paired them, but only one bud was making noise when I played something. I tried to pair the other bud multiple times, and at one point in the app it said that both were paired but one was in high performance mode while the other was in low power mode (I didn't know this was possible), so I reset the buds as per the sheet in the box, and they started working.
- Tried switching from high performance to low power, but it failed multiple times before working. I wouldn't recommend low power anyway since the white noise/hiss is a lot louder.
- Slight white noise/hiss when they are turned on and connected, but nothing too bad. You usually can't hear it while listening to music, but after going from wired IEMs to these on a quiet song, I heard it.
- Touch controls are intuitive and worked most of the time, but sometimes felt inconsistent. Sometimes they felt super sensitive, like adjusting the bud slightly at the edge triggered a pause. Other times I had to more deliberately/forcefully tap to pause.
- When pausing, there is a slight delay between the buds. My left bud starts playing/pausing about half a second before the right bud. Also, pausing is pretty fast but playing has a 0.5 to 3-second delay depending on how recently you paused your music. Not a huge deal, and I got used to it, but the play button delay was pretty jarring coming from my Sony WH-1000XM3 (my main Bluetooth audio device).
- I tried doing a call on these. When I received the call and selected the Melomanias for my audio, the person on the other end could barely hear me compared to using my phone's built-in microphones, although I could hear him fine. More troubleshooting may be necessary, but I don't care about calling with these. So to answer the person who asked if these are good for calling: probably not, but my model might be a defect and it might be possible to troubleshoot.

Dealbreakers:
- My transparency mode isn't working. I think I have a defect since I have heard other people and reviews say it's OK, but when I turn it on I just hear extra white noise and no change in outside noise blockage.

Verdict: Apart from the sound, the Melomania Touch did not feel like a very polished product. The difficulty of pairing as well as slight inconsistencies and while operating are annoying, but if you're willing to look past that and you mainly care about sound, I would recommend these (given that your transparency mode works; I will be returning and getting a new pair for that reason). I have not tried the Sony WF-1000XM3s, but based on my experiences with the WH-1000XM3 headphones, I think Sony and other more big-name brands may provide a better user experience overall. I think the sound on the Melomanias is great, but not good enough for me to completely overlook their annoyances.

EDIT: I've heard reviewers say the passive noise isolation is good enough that you don't really need ANC. I somewhat disagree with this. It's alright, and it blocked out most of the words of people talking in the same room as me, but it's definitely a step below the ANC on my Sony WH headphones and the passive noise isolation of deep-insertion IEMs like Etymotic ER2SE's.

 

[bladefd]

The CA Melomania Touch arrived this morning. A few observations. Having owned the Jabra/Sony/Senn triumvirate of BT royalty (and a few more relatively expensive pair as well), I ended up keeping the Melomania 1 as my on the go BT phones. To me, the simplicity of the controls (click not touch) and the un-EQ'd sound quality just were on par with any of the higher priced phones I owned. In fact, I preferred the M1 sound to any of the others I tried, price to performance/usability.

So trying the Touch was a natural, hoping for even better sound and an app this time. Don't care about transparency or ANC. I use them primarily for walks with the dog, honestly. That's it. For air travel or home listening I favor the Sony WH1000XM3.

Have not given them a lot of time listening-wise, but there are some hiccups. One, I retrieved the app at the Apple store (using iPhone 8 Plus) and no matter what I do, the app does not show up on any of my 4 app screens. It is, however, on the list of apps on my phone. So to use it, I need to go back to the app store, search for it, and hit open. What? Maybe it's user error, but I have never run into this issue in the past grabbing an app, any app.

Also, the connectivity seems stable, but I am going to give it a go later outside. I did have the Amazon HD Music streaming service stop suddenly, no reason, with the Touch still connected via BT. I could not get it started again hitting play. Use the Apple Music app, with onboard tracks, no problems. Weird.

So I am far from declaring the Touch as keepers, If they don't perform as expected, I will send them back and buy a backup pair of the M1s for $79 on Amazon (to me, an amazing deal). I am only using the higher quality sound setting (7 hours is way more than I need per charge) and not interested in transparency as noted. Oh, I did not put on the wings for stability but immediately decided I needed the largest tips for a good seal. I only wish I could use the M1 foamies I have here, but not an option since the sound stem is much slimmer on the Touch. Finally, the app shows the left bud at 30% lower than the right bud, which is weird. I am going to stick them in the case for a couple of hours and see if that changes.

So far, that's it. The sound is impressive to me, which is my #1 keeper factor. But if there are consistent sound dropouts plaguing my usage, back they go. At this point, connectivity should not be an issue. I hope they get stable over time, but that may be wishful thinking. Sound alone, love them.

Update: Did a 30-minute dog walk with the M Touch and if they continue to perform the way they did, they won't be going anywhere. Among the other fantastic sound attributes, the soundstage is impressive. I am still having that issue with the app, but honestly I don't even need the app, I can use the EQ on the Kaiser Audio app I use on my iPhone.

Only EQ I did was tip the base a bit, ran through my HP tryout playlist, heard Lupe Fiasco, Jimmy Buffet, Madeleine Peyroux, Lucinda Williams, Joe Jackson and The Vulgar Boatmen before I got back. I know the songs very well, and impressed as hell with what I heard. And again, soundstage was the most surprising success factor. Was set to the higher-quality (7 hour battery) setting, large OEM tips and no wings (not sure I need them, not a runner). Not a single dropout, so that was great.

Do you get connection drops without opening up the app? Perhaps the issue is primarily with a buggy app??

 

[CocaCola15]

My initial thoughts on the Melomania Touch: (Disclaimer: I'm new to the audiophile/Hifi community, so take my judgments on sound with a grain of salt. I also have not tried other TWS sets before, just consumer headphones and some wired IEMs).

The good:
- Sound and instrument separation are pretty good. Like others have said, the bass is quite present, and I would say very overpowering. I had to turn the sub-bass all the way down and the mid/high bass partially down. The bass is not muddy or unclear, there was just too much of it for my tastes. Comparing them to my wired IEMs (Moondrop Starfields), I would have liked slightly more mids and crisper highs.
- The fit is pretty good. I used large buds and large fins, and the fins helped keep it in place. Not the most breathable though, as I do not think there are vents, and the plastic can heat up over time. I need to wear it more to really determine the comfort, but it started getting a bit uncomfortable after 1-2 hours of use.
- Battery life is good. I didn't do a full test but with a few hours of listening and charging in the case, I was at 90% on my buds and 4-5 white LEDs on the case lit up.
- The case is small, light, and pocketable.

The annoying:
- Initial pairing is very jank/unreliable. When I took them out I just tried pairing them with my phone (iPhone 11). They showed up in the Bluetooth devices, so I paired them, but only one bud was making noise when I played something. I tried to pair the other bud multiple times, and at one point in the app it said that both were paired but one was in high performance mode while the other was in low power mode (I didn't know this was possible), so I reset the buds as per the sheet in the box, and they started working.
- Tried switching from high performance to low power, but it failed multiple times before working. I wouldn't recommend low power anyway since the white noise/hiss is a lot louder.
- Slight white noise/hiss when they are turned on and connected, but nothing too bad. You usually can't hear it while listening to music, but after going from wired IEMs to these on a quiet song, I heard it.
- Touch controls are intuitive and worked most of the time, but sometimes felt inconsistent. Sometimes they felt super sensitive, like adjusting the bud slightly at the edge triggered a pause. Other times I had to more deliberately/forcefully tap to pause.
- When pausing, there is a slight delay between the buds. My left bud starts playing/pausing about half a second before the right bud. Also, pausing is pretty fast but playing has a 0.5 to 3-second delay depending on how recently you paused your music. Not a huge deal, and I got used to it, but the play button delay was pretty jarring coming from my Sony WH-1000XM3 (my main Bluetooth audio device).
- I tried doing a call on these. When I received the call and selected the Melomanias for my audio, the person on the other end could barely hear me compared to using my phone's built-in microphones, although I could hear him fine. More troubleshooting may be necessary, but I don't care about calling with these. So to answer the person who asked if these are good for calling: probably not, but my model might be a defect and it might be possible to troubleshoot.

Dealbreakers:
- My transparency mode isn't working. I think I have a defect since I have heard other people and reviews say it's OK, but when I turn it on I just hear extra white noise and no change in outside noise blockage.

Verdict: Apart from the sound, the Melomania Touch did not feel like a very polished product. The difficulty of pairing as well as slight inconsistencies and while operating are annoying, but if you're willing to look past that and you mainly care about sound, I would recommend these (given that your transparency mode works; I will be returning and getting a new pair for that reason). I have not tried the Sony WF-1000XM3s, but based on my experiences with the WH-1000XM3 headphones, I think Sony and other more big-name brands may provide a better user experience overall. I think the sound on the Melomanias is great, but not good enough for me to completely overlook their annoyances.

Interesting. If I had the same experience I’d be unhappy. I did have a small bit of initial pairing issue, but after updating FW it seemed fine. But between the tip size selection and getting the app up and running they really worked well OOB and did not disconnect on that inaugural 30-minute walk outdoors.

About the bass, I did not feel it overpowering and in fact boosted it a very tiny amount. Using iPhone 8+. I have an LG V20 on hand, my primary at home DAP, so going to connect the Touch later and see how that sounds/works, using aptx.

Different strokes. I tried the Moondrop Starfields out but felt they were a bit too neutral. Also, my lone pair of at home wired in-ears are the Blon 03.

I also have the Sony NC headphones and owned the NC in-ears, but did not care for the form factor or their volume limitations.

Anyway, hope your replacement pair work as advertised.

Edit: More listening and messing with the EQ and I shut down the added bass, using the preset balanced option. Sounds fantastic, no need for any EQ.

 

[soullinker20]

just got my UE Fits. as expected sound is very nice and easily prefer it over my az70. isolation is top notch. touch panel isn't that much sensitive.
did anyone here bought the devialet gemini. was planning to get them but would like to see more impressions.

 

[Tommy C]

just got my UE Fits. as expected sound is very nice and easily prefer it over my az70. isolation is top notch. touch panel isn't that much sensitive.
did anyone here bought the devialet gemini. was planning to get them but would like to see more impressions.

The Fits are definitely interesting.
Flossy tested devialet gemini and it seems like the software is glitchy and super annoying.

 

[soullinker20]

The Fits are definitely interesting.
Flossy tested devialet gemini and it seems like the software is glitchy and super annoying.

thanks. i'll check it out

 

[tinyman392]

just got my UE Fits. as expected sound is very nice and easily prefer it over my az70. isolation is top notch. touch panel isn't that much sensitive.
did anyone here bought the devialet gemini. was planning to get them but would like to see more impressions.

I got mine last week. I had some connection issues initially, but reset them and connected to the right (instead of left) and haven’t had any connection issues since. They actually sound really good, rival the AirPods Pro in terms of sound quality (larger bass body and bass presence with some refined treble). Really happy with the way they sound. The control they have kind of leaves me wanting more. The Pro I can play, pause, skip, go back, and call Siri. These I get to choose two (tops).

Edit: the fit isn’t as good as customs (to be honest, wouldn’t exit it to), but they are super comfortable. Isolation isn’t great since they sit quite shallow in the ear.

 

[soullinker20]

I got mine last week. I had some connection issues initially, but reset them and connected to the right (instead of left) and haven’t had any connection issues since. They actually sound really good, rival the AirPods Pro in terms of sound quality (larger bass body and bass presence with some refined treble). Really happy with the way they sound. The control they have kind of leaves me wanting more. The Pro I can play, pause, skip, go back, and call Siri. These I get to choose two (tops).

Edit: the fit isn’t as good as customs (to be honest, wouldn’t exit it to), but they are super comfortable. Isolation isn’t great since they sit quite shallow in the ear.

haven't heard the airpods pro. The fit doesn't go as deep like a custom do but the fit is very good. the sound has a very nice presentation layering is very good and soundstage is wide. I bought this because i do have UE customs and like their house sound.

 

[tinyman392]

haven't heard the airpods pro. The fit doesn't go as deep like a custom do but the fit is very good. the sound has a very nice presentation layering is very good and soundstage is wide. I bought this because i do have UE customs and like their house sound.

The last pair of UE I got were the UE900 from way back when as a review sample. The fit is good, I definitely agree. Sound stage is average for me. I do like the sound signature they have though.

 

[soullinker20]

@Tommy C just finished watching the vid. although sound is good but the controls are very limited. I might just stay with UE Fits and az70 i guess.

 

[dweaver]

My initial thoughts on the Melomania Touch: (Disclaimer: I'm new to the audiophile/Hifi community, so take my judgments on sound with a grain of salt. I also have not tried other TWS sets before, just consumer headphones and some wired IEMs).

The good:
- Sound and instrument separation are pretty good. Like others have said, the bass is quite present, and I would say very overpowering. I had to turn the sub-bass all the way down and the mid/high bass partially down. The bass is not muddy or unclear, there was just too much of it for my tastes. Comparing them to my wired IEMs (Moondrop Starfields), I would have liked slightly more mids and crisper highs.
- The fit is pretty good. I used large buds and large fins, and the fins helped keep it in place. Not the most breathable though, as I do not think there are vents, and the plastic can heat up over time. I need to wear it more to really determine the comfort, but it started getting a bit uncomfortable after 1-2 hours of use.
- Battery life is good. I didn't do a full test but with a few hours of listening and charging in the case, I was at 90% on my buds and 4-5 white LEDs on the case lit up.
- The case is small, light, and pocketable.

The annoying:
- Initial pairing is very jank/unreliable. When I took them out I just tried pairing them with my phone (iPhone 11). They showed up in the Bluetooth devices, so I paired them, but only one bud was making noise when I played something. I tried to pair the other bud multiple times, and at one point in the app it said that both were paired but one was in high performance mode while the other was in low power mode (I didn't know this was possible), so I reset the buds as per the sheet in the box, and they started working.
- Tried switching from high performance to low power, but it failed multiple times before working. I wouldn't recommend low power anyway since the white noise/hiss is a lot louder.
- Slight white noise/hiss when they are turned on and connected, but nothing too bad. You usually can't hear it while listening to music, but after going from wired IEMs to these on a quiet song, I heard it.
- Touch controls are intuitive and worked most of the time, but sometimes felt inconsistent. Sometimes they felt super sensitive, like adjusting the bud slightly at the edge triggered a pause. Other times I had to more deliberately/forcefully tap to pause.
- When pausing, there is a slight delay between the buds. My left bud starts playing/pausing about half a second before the right bud. Also, pausing is pretty fast but playing has a 0.5 to 3-second delay depending on how recently you paused your music. Not a huge deal, and I got used to it, but the play button delay was pretty jarring coming from my Sony WH-1000XM3 (my main Bluetooth audio device).
- I tried doing a call on these. When I received the call and selected the Melomanias for my audio, the person on the other end could barely hear me compared to using my phone's built-in microphones, although I could hear him fine. More troubleshooting may be necessary, but I don't care about calling with these. So to answer the person who asked if these are good for calling: probably not, but my model might be a defect and it might be possible to troubleshoot.

Dealbreakers:
- My transparency mode isn't working. I think I have a defect since I have heard other people and reviews say it's OK, but when I turn it on I just hear extra white noise and no change in outside noise blockage.

Verdict: Apart from the sound, the Melomania Touch did not feel like a very polished product. The difficulty of pairing as well as slight inconsistencies and while operating are annoying, but if you're willing to look past that and you mainly care about sound, I would recommend these (given that your transparency mode works; I will be returning and getting a new pair for that reason). I have not tried the Sony WF-1000XM3s, but based on my experiences with the WH-1000XM3 headphones, I think Sony and other more big-name brands may provide a better user experience overall. I think the sound on the Melomanias is great, but not good enough for me to completely overlook their annoyances.

EDIT: I've heard reviewers say the passive noise isolation is good enough that you don't really need ANC. I somewhat disagree with this. It's alright, and it blocked out most of the words of people talking in the same room as me, but it's definitely a step below the ANC on my Sony WH headphones and the passive noise isolation of deep-insertion IEMs like Etymotic ER2SE's.

You might prefer the AZ70 as it is a bit to bass light for some of the members here so it might be more in line with your sonic preferences.

 

[dweaver]

just got my UE Fits. as expected sound is very nice and easily prefer it over my az70. isolation is top notch. touch panel isn't that much sensitive.
did anyone here bought the devialet gemini. was planning to get them but would like to see more impressions.

In which sense are you finding the the Fit better than the AZ70 sonically speaking? Curious in how the 2 IEMs differ.

 

[tinyman392]

@Tommy C just finished watching the vid. although sound is good but the controls are very limited. I might just stay with UE Fits and az70 i guess.

Controls are limited? Like more limited than the UE Fits? Sorry haven’t watched the video.

 

[Vannak]

Hello
I am new to this tws
And I would like hear your suggestions?
I prefer hybrid drivers design and sound quality and fit
ANC is not important

 

[tiagopinto]

Whathifi released their review on Melomania Touch. Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch review | What Hi-Fi?

Not very flattering. Seems to be some issues with pairing. App seems to have some bugs causing app to crash. Latter can be patched. Former I don't think it's actual problem with pairing, but you have to pair them one earbud after the other - more about following directions than some inherent problem with it.

Too many things nitpicked in the review, such as battery life. Cambridge audio refers to 9hrs battery life, but that's while in low power mode; high performance audio mode is about 7hrs. I agree that is false marketing, but still 7hrs is more battery life than like 90% of TWS on the market. They complain about lack of aptx HD, but I have not seen more than a couple TWS with aptx hd. They complain about overly sensitive touch panel - my cx400bt and Sony xm3 are also very sensitive, but they didn't take away a star with the Sony xm3. They complain about it only being ipx4 rather than ipx7. Okay, Sony has no iptx rating at all, yet they didn't mention it even once in their Sony review ( Sony WF-1000XM3 review | What Hi-Fi? ).

I do agree it should be simple to pair so okay a star off. The other stuff is just nitpicking. I just ordered my set of Touch today because I don't see any major issue, otherwise it would be everywhere in these early reviews. Most likely the Sennheiser cx400bt is going back because sound isn't everything - it has the best sound between Sony xm3 and Teckniks AZ70. Comfort certainly is very important and you have to consider what you get (or don't get for the money).

I ordered mine... waiting...