[Canabuc]

I’ll try to consolidate my thoughts and experience around the following TWS/Neckband IEMs that I currently have and was able to test side-by-side: Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch, Oppo Enco X, Huawei Freebuds Pro, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, Sony WI-1000XM2.

As already mentioned in one of my previous posts I am using Sony IER-Z1R with Shanling MW200 as my reference, but I find them not mobile enough to fully compete with the rest of the headphones I have. And due to huge price difference, it’s not fair to really compare them. But they still give that nice reference point. I also must admit that I am a fanboy of Sony Z1R sound signature.

My wife also uses Airpods Pro but I will also not include them into the comparison as they work best with Apple phones only, so again it’s unfair to compare different platforms/sources. Out of my experience they were not a good match to my Android phones.

I am using Samsung Fold2 with Tidal as my main source. Maybe I will extend the test to use Sony Xperia 1ii too which is my second/backup phone. Good thing about Sony is that you have more visibility and control what wireless protocol is used in the Bluetooth settings…

I did not test or compare battery life and connectivity.

I will structure as following: SQ, Fit, Design/case, App, summary of personal/subjective Pros/Cons.



Oppo Enco X

SQ: very punchy and dynamic bass, crisp highs, slightly recessed mids – so typical fun V-shaped signature. Dual-driver design (11mm DD + BA) really shines here and really creates high resolution sound with a lot of details. Sometimes the highs are too prominent and can be tiring for some listeners. Medium sound stage.

ANC: OK, but nothing special.

Fit: good fit but I am still often having a feeling that they are falling out. I have to say my ears are quite wide, so the usual old earplugs never stayed in place. I used L sized tips.

Design/Case: Solid case, really like it with the metal accent and ability to open the case with one hand. Wireless charging is supported.

App: limited settings in the app, no EQ, no multiple ANC settings. Firmware update possible.

General Pros: Nice design, fun sound, high resolution, good price-quality ratio.

General Cons: Limited settings in the app, highs are sometimes too prominent. Some microphonics without music playing due to ANC and looser fit.



Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch

SQ: Quite balanced, slightly dark/warm with a little bit more focus on mids compared to Oppo and Huawei. Compared to the rest of the bunch a little bit boring, I would even call them Sennheiser Momentum TWS2 light, like Sennheiser in general but not as good. 7mm DD.

ANC: No ANC.

Fit: very good fit due to similarity with the usual universal IEM design. I had to use L sized tips and fin.

Design/Case: The case has very cheap feeling but looks ok due to the structured surface. Worst thing that for me it’s impossible to open it with 1 hand. Nice charge level

App: limited settings in the app, no EQ, no multiple ANC settings. Firmware update possible.

General Pros: Nice design, fun sound, high resolution.

General Cons: Strange connectivity approach with both headphones connecting separately (active-active), maybe this could be positive, but I am reading about some connectivity issues from other users. No ANC. Bad case. Price-quality ratio rather bad due to missing ANC.



Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

SQ: I have used them in hifi mode. Very balanced, slightly warm. Good sound stage. Medium level of details. Single DD design (7mm).

ANC: OK, but nothing special.

Fit: Very good fit in general but they are big with slightly deeper fit which I generally like better than loose fit.

Design/Case: Solid case, really like the fabric like material. Putting the headphones in can be tricky sometimes. No wireless charging.

App: Solid and mature app.

General Pros: Good sound, mature product.

General Cons: Still expensive. ANC could be better.



Huawei Freebuds Pro

SQ: V-Shaped signature but more balanced then Oppo Enco X but still fun sounding. Medium stage with good level of details for single DD design (11mm).

ANC: Best or on par with Sony.

Fit: good fit but I am still often having a feeling that they are falling out. I have to say my ears are quite wide, so the usual old earplugs never stayed in place. I used M sized tips, somehow L size is making things worth.

Design/Case: Solid case, can be opened with one hand. Wireless charging is supported.

App: Good app with balanced features but not only focused on headphones. Firmware update possible and these are coming quite often.

General Pros: Nice design, fun sound, very good price-quality ratio (got mine as new for 110 Euro).

General Cons: Actually, not many, maybe slightly loose fit for me personally.



Sony WI-1000XM2

SQ: Best compared to the rest of the tested headphones, dual-driver design (9mm DD and BA), punchy bass and nice highs but still well balanced. 360 Audio support, DSEE HX™ and LDAC support. Broad soundstage. Btw, I also owned WF-1000XM3 and I like the SQ of WI-1000XM2 better.

ANC: Probably best in class.

Fit: Very good fit due to deep insertion.

Design/Case: Can not be compared with TWS but it also comes with dedicated travel-case. Due to neckband design you just leave them on your neck when not in use

App: Solid and mature app with a lot of settings.

General Pros: Best sound, can be called Z1R-light due to similar signature. Clearly a hidden gem in wireless headphones space. A lot of connectivity options including cable!

General Cons: Expensive, some microphonics due to neckband design with cables to the headphones. Shorter battery life then I would expect of neckband.



As a result, I will probably keep Sennheiser and Huawei as my TWS options because they have so different signatures and definitely I am keeping my Sony WI-1000XM2 for future travel (if we come back to normality at some point in time), still very happy that I did not sell them. I am also happy that I have re-purchased Huawei Freebuds Pro because only in side-by-side comparison I understood that they are a better option compared to Oppo Enco X. I am planning to pre-order the new Samsung S21 Ultra which will probably come with Buds Pro as pre-order bonus. After that I will decide what TWS out of 3 I will keep.

Just got the freebuds pro. Am using Samsung phone. With wavelet installed I adjusted treble and mids. Found it added detail and improved the soundstage.

Would love to hear more about your experiences with these buds. Have only had mine for 1 day.

Features are excellent. Wish they had their own EQ as wavelet really improved sound.
Also found volume wise not as loud as Sony or Cambridge but a bit louder than the Sennheiser. Is this your experience?
I was amazed at how secure they were as I usually associated stem style with loose fit.

 

[Canabuc]

Thanks I will look into them!

I found this one a site but its not the canal which hurts, just the outside cartilidge on my actual ear.
"For people with small ears, it can often be quite difficult to find a pair of earbuds that fit comfortably, if at all. Many in-ears have fairly large earbuds that push pressure and push on different parts of the ear, causing fatigue and pain over time"

For my budget isn't an issue, just want a dam decent sounding pair of TW earbuds which aren't bright (my ears pain if 4k frequency is high) and have good battery life!

What didn't you like about the pro vs the 3?

 

[Caipirina]

I hope one day we get a very tiny ANC TWS that's on the level of full-sized XM3 level of ANC with at least 10 hrs of continuous battery life. I'm starting to see how useful it would be for sleep. I'm a very light sleeper, so this would be very practical.

This is all I ask for these days. lol

Sized like this. One day....

The size is IMHO not the issue ... there are already some Chinese cheapos that small .. BUT, connectivity is the issue, the deeper those mini pills burrow into the ear canal, the worse the reception gets ... until they make strides in that area ...
Hence the Bose sleep buds are not 'live' BT buds ...

But yeah, one can dream!

 

[WhiteFox01]

I think its a bit too soon still, but within a few years its definitely possible.

 

[CocaCola15]

Does make me wonder if.all those good soundcore reviews though did have some paid advertising but in.
I literally bought the liberty or 2 pro and returned an hour later.
They felt like crap in my ears despite trying all the tip sizes. Controls are very limited and the sound was nothing special. Yes one can EQ them which I like but I hated the form factor and lack of controls.
The stems were so long they run against my cheeks causing microphones especially if mics are active.

My freebuds pro I just got have a shorter stem and much better fit and comfort. They only lack an equalizer making me have to use wavelet. But even stock EQ is nice. Wavelet just adds that treble detail I want.

I had the Liberty 2 Pro and sold them; could not EQ them to meet my sound preference, even with all the celebrity EQs, an EQ in the app, etc. With the Oluv version, I just figured that I could use a pair of BT in-ears at relatively low cost that track more along the neutral sound of, say, an Ety, and he did that fine-tuning for me. He's certainly set up for it! Haha.

I use BT phones almost strictly outside the home with onboard tracks so if I need to EQ the Oluv model, so be it. I am not stuck on having a native app for my BT phones. For over a year, I really enjoyed the Melomania 1, which had no app (the new M1+, which I bought and love, does have one) and never a problem. I guess paying $10 more for a pre-tuned, specific version of the Earfun phones seem sort of silly, but not a deal breaker for me.

 

[Canabuc]

I had the Liberty 2 Pro and sold them; could not EQ them to meet my sound preference, even with all the celebrity EQs, an EQ in the app, etc. With the Oluv version, I just figured that I could use a pair of BT in-ears at relatively low cost that track more along the neutral sound of, say, an Ety, and he did that fine-tuning for me. He's certainly set up for it! Haha.

I use BT phones almost strictly outside the home with onboard tracks so if I need to EQ the Oluv model, so be it. I am not stuck on having a native app for my BT phones. For over a year, I really enjoyed the Melomania 1, which had no app (the new M1+, which I bought and love, does have one) and never a problem. I guess paying $10 more for a pre-tuned, specific version of the Earfun phones seem sort of silly, but not a deal breaker for me.

Again price is a value even at 10$ more for those buds. As they say, they punch above their weight class.

 

[SilverEars]

I got it, I don’t need it. They block my wife and toddler at 6am or the middle of the night perfectly. Then, wake me with and

It's not ANC though. I don't hear anything with my xm3 full sized. That's what I want, not some noise masking solution.

The size is IMHO not the issue ... there are already some Chinese cheapos that small .. BUT, connectivity is the issue, the deeper those mini pills burrow into the ear canal, the worse the reception gets ... until they make strides in that area ...
Hence the Bose sleep buds are not 'live' BT buds ...

But yeah, one can dream!

If I only need it for sleep, no need for connectivity

 

[WhiteFox01]

I hope wireless iems going forward have better codecs too.

 

[Canabuc]

It's not ANC though. I don't hear anything with my xm3 full sized. That's what I want, not some noise masking solution.

If I only need it for sleep, no need for connectivity

Earbud ANC on sleep not good option as the mics will contact surfaces and cause noise rather than suppress.

 

[erockg]

It's not ANC though. I don't hear anything with my xm3 full sized. That's what I want, not some noise masking solution.

If I only need it for sleep, no need for connectivity

I completely understood what you were saying. I've done a ton of research for this type of bud. Way too many sleep issues here. I thought no ANC would be a problem for me, but those Bose Sleepbuds actually work very very well in my case. You must be an even lighter sleeper than me!

Quiet On is the only company that makes what you're looking for, sleep buds with ANC. That said, I've fallen asleep with my AirPods pro in before... no issues, but after a while they do hurt my ears because I'm a side sleeper.

 

[Windmolinos]

Guys, I bought the MelomaniaTouch... The sound is amazing, 10/10, but like I was expecting, I can't wear them more than 15 minutes without pain in my ears ( is not a problem of the MT, it happens to me with all this type of earphones)
So I was thinking of buying better something like oppo enco or airpods, but I don't find good reviews here in this post.
Could you please recommend me some?
Thanks!

 

[erockg]

The size is IMHO not the issue ... there are already some Chinese cheapos that small .. BUT, connectivity is the issue, the deeper those mini pills burrow into the ear canal, the worse the reception gets ... until they make strides in that area ...
Hence the Bose sleep buds are not 'live' BT buds ...

But yeah, one can dream!

I used to sleep with the Earin M-2's all the time. Worked really well with Comply foam tips to block noise. I'd play some Rain sounds and the battery would die around 4 hours in. But they did hurt after a few nights from sleeping on my side. Like you've said, battery size. One day...

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Found another premium tip, if anybody wants to take a look at these. Should be familiar to some here, but the thermo-forming aspect of them is pretty nifty:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TWFM2K3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_33A2HBQKTQ645HQ9J4FA




Edit: FINALLY found the "TWS" variant of the Complys. Not my bag (way too much work for insertion/removal imo), but might be yours:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PY4PSBT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_B7KDZVM7GJZBNENG3EW3

 

[Canabuc]

Guys, I bought the MelomaniaTouch... The sound is amazing, 10/10, but like I was expecting, I can't wear them more than 15 minutes without pain in my ears ( is not a problem of the MT, it happens to me with all this type of earphones)
So I was thinking of buying better something like oppo enco or airpods, but I don't find good reviews here in this post.
Could you please recommend me some?
Thanks!

I had issues with the MT as well but using different tips and going to smallest wings got rid of it.

I can't get the Oppo in Canada but in that style if ndroid the Huawei is a nice choice with fantastic ANC.

 

[pk4425]

i personally not interested in the Oluv tuning, simply because of what El Jeffe said. it doesn't need a youtuber's insight to see that apparently.. even me as a regular viewer (and i doubt I'm the only one) can come to a conclusion that he's a bit one sided in opinions and trashes others that's not aligned with his.

Cut Oluv some slack. He's Austrian -- they may be among the most blunt people on Earth. Totally unafraid to tell it like it is or how they see it is. I'm serious.