Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?
Feb 14, 2021 at 11:30 AM Post #29,206 of 61,383
I think the closest to 'cheap and impressive' for me would be the Tronsmart Spunky Beats. Also not to forget, the Haylou GT1 ...
But those Anbes will always hold a very special place in my rotation / heart. Those were my first budget chi-fi TWS I ordered all the way back in 2019 .. before the hoarding .. errr... collecting started :D
i'll 2nd a vote for spunky Beats. I gave mine to a friend's kid because he lost the ones i got him for Christmas. But those Spunky beats had an even better fit for me and amazing sound. I'd put them above the Anbes actually when push comes to shove.
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 11:40 AM Post #29,208 of 61,383
Just got an email from Audeze about the Euclid. At first I was really hyped upon seeing that they were closed-back TWS, but then I saw the price tag ($1299) LOL. Considering the price tag, and the fact that they can be used wired (detachable MMCX cable), they seem more like high-end IEMs, not really competitors in the TWS space. But I guess it's nice to see more products from Audeze, even though I was really hoping for sub $400 TWSs from them1612549846700.png
wow dude those look amazing. thanks for sharing. Looks like my JH Lola's are going to have some company
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 11:56 AM Post #29,209 of 61,383
I'd love some Audeze TWS. I go on their site on a regular basis to see if they come out with them. Listening to a 5.6 Mbps Pink Floyd "The Wall" DSD on my LCD-2's right now and the sound is unbelievable

It is possible to turn their new Euclid into a TWS using either the Fiio or Shure MMCX TWS adapters.
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 11:59 AM Post #29,210 of 61,383
They fit in the case with acoustune tips?
The 85t are a great all around bud. Right now they are on sale for about 150$ too.
My issues with them were the fit was a bit insecure even with largest tips for to how shallow they fit. I couldn't find after market tips that fit right. Also the wax guards are not in the buds but the tips so no protection with most aftermarket tips.

They are also very tunable but at end of day, for me, I preferred the sound of other buds more.
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 12:23 PM Post #29,211 of 61,383
My 6 biggest wants out of my buds:

1) Comfort/fit. Face it if they hurt you won't wear them long and it will ruin enjoyment. That killed galaxy buds pro for me. My right ear begged me to stop! Ruled out the XM3 as insecure and had to push the tips too close to my brain.

Favorites for fit are the Fiil T1PRO and buds+. Sennheiser MTW2 too early to tell but fit so far is very good too. Worst are Sony and buds pro.
JBL and AZ70W just were too insecure for exercise but were comfortable. 75t were good but had most feeling of in ear pressure. L2P after finding right tips and wings were very good too.

2) Sound. I want my sound very god for my taste. If they are comfortable but sound like garbage they won't make me want to listen. Jabra 75t fit great but Trevor was thin and harsh and bass was over powering.

My favorite sounding TWS so far:
1. MTW2
2. XM3 /JBL club pro plus tie
3. Fiil T1pro /Buds pro tie
4. L2P
5. 85t
6. AZ70W
7. Buds plus
8. 75t

3) Controls. I want to be able to control every aspect of my buds without pulling my phone out.
XM3 & JBL make you choose between controlling volume track ANC but not all 3. So easy to fix but means I have to give up a useful function.

Best for full controls are MTW2 and 85T as they both are full control with customizability. MTW2 are best touchpads out of any. Jabra are button press which I prefer in many instances in our winters with gloves and hats. Buds plus and AZ70W also allow for full control of track volume etc. But not as customizable.

4) Features/quality. For me these include ANC, ambient mode, Qi charging, fit and finish, battery life up rating....

This is where the 85t shine. They have it all great size case, Qi charging good battery top notch ANC/ambient...

Sony is very good except the case.
Fiil T1PRO is among best with only build quality a shortcoming but has great battery Qi charging Etc.. the ANC and ambient are only ok though.

Buds pro also among the best for all of these and if I could get the right ear comfort better would likely be my top overall choice bud.

All the other buds fall in the middle.
MTW2 have great ambient good ANC top build quality case is nice but too big and no Qi.

Az70 worst case of all. No Qi. Flimsy and buds never go in properly so won't charge. Also seems to suffer battery drain issue. Noone talks about these things in reviews because you need time with them to learn these things.

JBL very good but their Qi charging didn't work well and ANC was weak.

L2P Qi charging but case is awkward to put in buds no ANC or transparency modes.

1 quick word about IP rating.
All are ipx4 except Sony with none. Buds pro with ipx7. Fiil ipx5. Buds + ipx2. 75t ip55 or 57 for active. So if you workout or use in wet conditions consider this too

5) Price
While this changes all the time, if patient and find sales only the MTW2 would cost more than 200

Fiil t1pro if you don't mind Chinese are the best value ever. Small great battery and sound fully featured and cost me 60$usd all in. If they ever get an English app/firmware these would be my top recommendation.

Jabra 85t now in sale great value at 150$

Sony now on sale great value at 150$

Technics and JBL were on sale when I bought but presently are over priced here in Canada. Technics range from USD amount of 180 to 280. JBL are going for 230. Buds pro are 200 but there is a trade in deal for about 50$off.

MTW2 currently on sale 50$off at 250.


6. Connectivity/Volume. Most buds have been fine. Some outliers however.

75t and 85t and MTW2 are master slave which I don't care about though some do. I never have a reason to use just one ear bud. My primary use case is music and I can't be immersed with just 1 earbud.

85t and 75t are multipoint which I thought would be great but was horrible for me. First off, when connected to my galaxy note 20 ultra and my iPad at same time, when listening to audio through my ipadi would get dropouts of signal/sound every 30_60 second on the iPad. Never on the phone though. Also for multipoint audio to work you have to stop your music first before then starting in the next device. More often than not I would get audio from the iPad 1st even though I wanted audio from my phone.... In the end was more of a nuisance. Prefer the way MTW2 does it. You can quick swap via the app. Or just connect blue tooth on desired device and it will automatically disconnect from the previous device. Very easy and seamless. They also have feature to auto answer a call if you pull right bud out of the case of you want to speak on your buds and you aren't wearing them.

Problems I had were with the Sony. Frequent dropouts and poor connection. Technics also had some. Rest all seemed good.

Volume wise loudest were the L2P 85T and XM3 for me. JBL were quietest at struck settings but when equalizer became among the loudest. Very strange but they can be boosted by 10db.

AZ70W and MTW2 were about 1.5 full volume press lower than the top and 1 less than the average. Fiil and Samsung were in the middle. For example L2P and 85t comfortable listening at 65%. Most at 70to75% MTW2 at 80%

I know this post is long but figure if there are any prospective buyers,I could help them decide what matters most to them to help them down the road.

For me based on my trials and tribulations and ranking sound quality and comfort/secure fit first while still giving me the controls I need without using my phone are:

1. Fiil T1PRO
2. MTW2
3. Jabra 85t
4. Galaxy buds plus
5. JBL club pro plus
6. L2P
7. XM3
8. AZ70W
9. 75t
10. Buds pro

Caveat is that if I can find the magic tips to make the right buds pro comfortable they jump to 1or 2 spot.

Well reiterate that the 85t are best all arounders but are not best in any one category except controls.

Feel free to ask me more detailed questions about any one of these or comment on other buds I haven't tried and how they compare.
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 12:27 PM Post #29,212 of 61,383
Hey I was thinking of getting the Grado's actually. Pretty good? What kind of music do you listen to?
Haven't tried the Grados myself but reading reviews i hear the sound is very good. However they have no features at that price point. No real up rating no transparency or ANC. No EQ app and bulky case.
If I was buying buds purely for sound and nothing else, the cx400bt Sennheiser apparently sound every bit as good as the MTW2, but are in same for 100$now. Heck you could but those and still have 150$left over towards a pair of ANC buds like Jabras or Sony!
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 1:36 PM Post #29,213 of 61,383
Hey I was thinking of getting the Grado's actually. Pretty good? What kind of music do you listen to?
I was using my Grado's last night while the family was asleep. Cranked two bands considered Stoner Rock... which is basically hard rock. One called All Them Witches and another, King Buffalo. Both HIGHLY recommended. Anyway, it was euphoric. Been comparing the Grado's to the Melomania Touch and I think the Grado's are just phenomenal for a set of buds that have zero features and/or EQ. Everything is clean, tight and loud. Soundstage is wide. Zero issues so far. They have a Qi charging case but no frills outside of that.
 
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Feb 14, 2021 at 1:44 PM Post #29,214 of 61,383
I was using my Grado's last night while the family was asleep. Cranked two bands considered Stoner Rock... with is basically hard rock. One called All Them Witches and another, King Buffalo. Both HIGHLY recommended. Anyway, it was euphoric. Been comparing the Grado's to the Melomania Touch and I think the Grado's are just phenomenal for a set of buds that have zero features and/or EQ. Everything is clean, tight and loud. Soundstage is wide. Zero issues so far. They have a Qi charging case but no frills outside of that.
Have you tried the MTW2 or cx400bt? How does sound compare
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 1:46 PM Post #29,215 of 61,383
My 6 biggest wants out of my buds:

1) Comfort/fit. Face it if they hurt you won't wear them long and it will ruin enjoyment. That killed galaxy buds pro for me. My right ear begged me to stop! Ruled out the XM3 as insecure and had to push the tips too close to my brain.

Favorites for fit are the Fiil T1PRO and buds+. Sennheiser MTW2 too early to tell but fit so far is very good too. Worst are Sony and buds pro.
JBL and AZ70W just were too insecure for exercise but were comfortable. 75t were good but had most feeling of in ear pressure. L2P after finding right tips and wings were very good too.

2) Sound. I want my sound very god for my taste. If they are comfortable but sound like garbage they won't make me want to listen. Jabra 75t fit great but Trevor was thin and harsh and bass was over powering.

My favorite sounding TWS so far:
1. MTW2
2. XM3 /JBL club pro plus tie
3. Fiil T1pro /Buds pro tie
4. L2P
5. 85t
6. AZ70W
7. Buds plus
8. 75t

3) Controls. I want to be able to control every aspect of my buds without pulling my phone out.
XM3 & JBL make you choose between controlling volume track ANC but not all 3. So easy to fix but means I have to give up a useful function.

Best for full controls are MTW2 and 85T as they both are full control with customizability. MTW2 are best touchpads out of any. Jabra are button press which I prefer in many instances in our winters with gloves and hats. Buds plus and AZ70W also allow for full control of track volume etc. But not as customizable.

4) Features/quality. For me these include ANC, ambient mode, Qi charging, fit and finish, battery life up rating....

This is where the 85t shine. They have it all great size case, Qi charging good battery top notch ANC/ambient...

Sony is very good except the case.
Fiil T1PRO is among best with only build quality a shortcoming but has great battery Qi charging Etc.. the ANC and ambient are only ok though.

Buds pro also among the best for all of these and if I could get the right ear comfort better would likely be my top overall choice bud.

All the other buds fall in the middle.
MTW2 have great ambient good ANC top build quality case is nice but too big and no Qi.

Az70 worst case of all. No Qi. Flimsy and buds never go in properly so won't charge. Also seems to suffer battery drain issue. Noone talks about these things in reviews because you need time with them to learn these things.

JBL very good but their Qi charging didn't work well and ANC was weak.

L2P Qi charging but case is awkward to put in buds no ANC or transparency modes.

1 quick word about IP rating.
All are ipx4 except Sony with none. Buds pro with ipx7. Fiil ipx5. Buds + ipx2. 75t ip55 or 57 for active. So if you workout or use in wet conditions consider this too

5) Price
While this changes all the time, if patient and find sales only the MTW2 would cost more than 200

Fiil t1pro if you don't mind Chinese are the best value ever. Small great battery and sound fully featured and cost me 60$usd all in. If they ever get an English app/firmware these would be my top recommendation.

Jabra 85t now in sale great value at 150$

Sony now on sale great value at 150$

Technics and JBL were on sale when I bought but presently are over priced here in Canada. Technics range from USD amount of 180 to 280. JBL are going for 230. Buds pro are 200 but there is a trade in deal for about 50$off.

MTW2 currently on sale 50$off at 250.


6. Connectivity/Volume. Most buds have been fine. Some outliers however.

75t and 85t and MTW2 are master slave which I don't care about though some do. I never have a reason to use just one ear bud. My primary use case is music and I can't be immersed with just 1 earbud.

85t and 75t are multipoint which I thought would be great but was horrible for me. First off, when connected to my galaxy note 20 ultra and my iPad at same time, when listening to audio through my ipadi would get dropouts of signal/sound every 30_60 second on the iPad. Never on the phone though. Also for multipoint audio to work you have to stop your music first before then starting in the next device. More often than not I would get audio from the iPad 1st even though I wanted audio from my phone.... In the end was more of a nuisance. Prefer the way MTW2 does it. You can quick swap via the app. Or just connect blue tooth on desired device and it will automatically disconnect from the previous device. Very easy and seamless. They also have feature to auto answer a call if you pull right bud out of the case of you want to speak on your buds and you aren't wearing them.

Problems I had were with the Sony. Frequent dropouts and poor connection. Technics also had some. Rest all seemed good.

Volume wise loudest were the L2P 85T and XM3 for me. JBL were quietest at struck settings but when equalizer became among the loudest. Very strange but they can be boosted by 10db.

AZ70W and MTW2 were about 1.5 full volume press lower than the top and 1 less than the average. Fiil and Samsung were in the middle. For example L2P and 85t comfortable listening at 65%. Most at 70to75% MTW2 at 80%

I know this post is long but figure if there are any prospective buyers,I could help them decide what matters most to them to help them down the road.

For me based on my trials and tribulations and ranking sound quality and comfort/secure fit first while still giving me the controls I need without using my phone are:

1. Fiil T1PRO
2. MTW2
3. Jabra 85t
4. Galaxy buds plus
5. JBL club pro plus
6. L2P
7. XM3
8. AZ70W
9. 75t
10. Buds pro

Caveat is that if I can find the magic tips to make the right buds pro comfortable they jump to 1or 2 spot.

Well reiterate that the 85t are best all arounders but are not best in any one category except controls.

Feel free to ask me more detailed questions about any one of these or comment on other buds I haven't tried and how they compare.
Very nice write-up. Sounds like you have been working pretty hard trying to find your "end" result?! What type of sound do you prefer?
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 1:56 PM Post #29,216 of 61,383
Have you tried the MTW2 or cx400bt? How does sound compare
MTW2. Which has the same sound as the cheaper CX400BT. Grado's are way nicer sound-wise. I've had all the Momentums and I alway felt the bass drum hit was lacking and at times muddy, even with EQ. The Grado's are super clean. If you can try them from a place with a good return policy, I would. I've been pleasantly surprised.
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 3:40 PM Post #29,217 of 61,383
I was using my Grado's last night while the family was asleep. Cranked two bands considered Stoner Rock... which is basically hard rock. One called All Them Witches and another, King Buffalo. Both HIGHLY recommended. Anyway, it was euphoric. Been comparing the Grado's to the Melomania Touch and I think the Grado's are just phenomenal for a set of buds that have zero features and/or EQ. Everything is clean, tight and loud. Soundstage is wide. Zero issues so far. They have a Qi charging case but no frills outside of that.

Grado is phenomenal and the Touch is ??? :)
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 3:44 PM Post #29,218 of 61,383
I was using my Grado's last night while the family was asleep. Cranked two bands considered Stoner Rock... which is basically hard rock. One called All Them Witches and another, King Buffalo. Both HIGHLY recommended. Anyway, it was euphoric. Been comparing the Grado's to the Melomania Touch and I think the Grado's are just phenomenal for a set of buds that have zero features and/or EQ. Everything is clean, tight and loud. Soundstage is wide. Zero issues so far. They have a Qi charging case but no frills outside of that.

Have you tried the MTW2 or cx400bt? How does sound compare

I have both and I like both for different reasons.
20210214_150430.jpg

Which TWS is better depends on which aspect(s) of sound you value more. In terms of pure technicality, I believe GT220 has the edge. But MTW2 is more tonally balanced. For me, tonal balance and timbre is more important than things like resolution/clarity, imaging/separation, soundstage, etc., as long as those qualities do not suffer tremendously. Never understood people looking for soundstage in BT earphones as no matter which way you dice them, they will always sound congested, especially when compared to headphones. And when products try to 'simulate' wider soundstage, they will typically accompany sucked out FR which destroys the tonal balance.

Like @erockg pointed out, Grado is clean, tight w/ good impact and can get "very loud." GT220 throughout the FR sound a lot more coherent than typically 'V-shaped' TWS. On the other hand, MTW2 has even more balanced sound and maintain dynamics well even on low volume, which is my typical setting/listening preference. Overall, MTW2 is less fatiguing too, which is another important factor. I would hands down gravitate towards the MTW2 for long sessions or for mindless casual listening, especially for vocal jazz, acoustic, etc. But if I want that wow factor or listening to occasional rock, I'll put on the Grados. In the end, it's all about tradeoffs.

If price is a factor, MTW2 is $10 cheaper than the Grados at the moment, and is better built with more complete features.

If I could only keep one set, it would have to be the MTW2s. Well, lucky me, I get to keep both.

*one thing to note, I wouldn't get too wrapped up in BT codecs w/ current TWS. Higher bitrate doesn't always mean better. AAC on apple platform will generally sound better than AptX in android IMO. Too bad LDAC isn't available on TWS. And implementation is important on both ends, not just on your earbuds. Finally, Spotify sounds mediocre at best on all the TWS i've tested. I think Tidal thru UAPP is the way to go, albeit the UI can be a little lackluster and cumbersome.
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 3:50 PM Post #29,219 of 61,383
Very nice write-up. Sounds like you have been working pretty hard trying to find your "end" result?! What type of sound do you prefer?
That is tough question to clarify.
I still find U W M and V shaped description thrown around all the time even by so called you tube experts and they don't agree on the sound profile of a given headphone....

I like strong bass that goes low. But not so strong that the mids or vocals are impacted. I enjoy detail clarity in the upper regions where you can feel the resolution of the instrument rather than just the tone.

I can sooner tell you what I like and don't like in the sound of a given earbud or headphone.

For instance my first overeat that I bought and returned a few years back were the Sennheiser momentum 2. Found the sound too warm and dull. Subsequently got the B&W P7W. Absolutely love them!
Are they natural flat sounding? No.
Treble is bright compared to flat but never harsh and gives a nice sparkle and bite when called for. Bass is powerful but never get in way of mid range tones.

I also have M&D mw50 on ears. They have a warmer sound signature more rolled off highs yet I still really like how they sound especially for acoustic indy and rock.

New buds pro have amazing clarity that I love with great Bass. Feel like the upper treble range needs to be dropped a bit to sound perfect but the stock EQ presets don't quote achieve that.

JBL,Sony,Fiil all have great equalizers and so I can get them to sound great for me.
Jabra 85t the bass is great but hurts mids a bit and the treble is a bit rolled off. As such some songs sound great and others sound a bit congested and not as resolved.

MTW2 have a really nice bass and overall sound without needing EQ. They need to get 1-2 notches louder though.

Does this make sense?
 
Feb 14, 2021 at 3:53 PM Post #29,220 of 61,383
MTW2. Which has the same sound as the cheaper CX400BT. Grado's are way nicer sound-wise. I've had all the Momentums and I alway felt the bass drum hit was lacking and at times muddy, even with EQ. The Grado's are super clean. If you can try them from a place with a good return policy, I would. I've been pleasantly surprised.
At this stage of I'm investing that much in an earbud I want more features. No ambient or ANC is a big fail in 2021 especially at that price point. Technology is evolving so fast that already the buds with 3040 chipset are getting better latency wat better battery life better codecs....and can be had at a fraction of the price. In 2 years every earbud will have top notch battery life of min 7 hours will have ANC ambient wireless charging multipoint connection and only difference will be the tuning.
 

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