[zeinharis]

Hypothetically, if you somehow already had a review pair (wink wink) How they stack up against the Bose QC buds, especially in the ANC arena?

Sorry to disappoint you, but I can’t say it right now about everything else aside from what I just said

 

[clerkpalmer]

I have bad news and good news.

The bad news is that I won’t able to get my hands on the new Nuarl N10 Plus, because the Nuarl’s authorized dealer here in my country won’t be stocking it for some reasons .

The good news is that the WF1000XM4 is definitely worth the upgrade if you coming from XM3/Jabra 85t/MTW2/Buds Pro, and definitely beats out the B&W Pi7 in terms of sound quality, all I can say right now is “Resolutions” .

Okay it’s more than a week since I bought the Aviot TE-D01g and I got to say it’s growing in me, the sound quality and its technicalities is pretty good for a TWS, I’ve been using it with the Final Type E for TWS. The lack of ANC or an ambient mode is not really bothering me (the passive isolation is excellent), the battery is pretty good, I can get roughly 6 hours and 37 minutes with the EQ on.

Definitely beating out the PI7? That’s some high praise.

 

[zeinharis]

Definitely beating out the PI7? That’s some high praise.

Yup, sound quality wise (can’t say more about anything else), it would a different story though if B&W can implemented LDAC on the Pi7.

 

[Thesonofkrypton]

The hype is strong with this one lol

But I have a feeling Sony will deliver.

 

[jant71]

Yup, sound quality wise (can’t say more about anything else), it would a different story though if B&W can implemented LDAC on the Pi7.

That is what I was gonna ask about the conditions. That is LDAC vs. aptX on the PI7? Any way to compare on the same codec even if only SBC?

 

[zeinharis]

The hype is strong with this one lol

But I have a feeling Sony will deliver.

That is what I was gonna ask about the conditions. That is LDAC vs. aptX on the PI7? Any way to compare on the same codec even if only SBC?

All I can say is that the Pi7 have better amps to drive the buds, but it bottlenecks by the codec, if Pi7 have LDAC then it’s a matter of preference, which sound signature would you prefer.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Yup, sound quality wise (can’t say more about anything else), it would a different story though if B&W can implemented LDAC on the Pi7.

Well they have delivered AptxHD. If you are attributing the increased resolution to LDAC I’m surprised a bit that the differences between AptxHD and LDAC are noticeable. In any event this is welcome news.

 

[Luke Skywalker]

For those listening on Apple stuff, go to Accessibility and go to the Audio/Visual and change the settings for Headphone Accommodations. I set it to Balanced Tone and put it to Strong. Everything sounds really nice. I only need to turn up the headphones to 1/3 of the volume (with no headphones safety, of course) before it gets really loud. Also, I set Deezer EQ and Apple Music to Acoustic.

That’s really interesting but I can’t detect a difference in sound when using my Bose NC buds…

 

[clerkpalmer]

Well they have delivered AptxHD. If you are attributing the increased resolution to LDAC I’m surprised a bit that the differences between AptxHD and LDAC are noticeable. In any event this is welcome news.

AptxHD and LDAC deliver similar performance so that should not be a deciding factor in my view. Must have to do with drivers/tuning/frequency response.

 

[Luke Skywalker]

Ok here goes...I will don my flame suit and prepare for the ire that this statement is probably going to garner: I'm going to be de-throning the Melomania Touch and replacing it with the ADV M5-TWS (2nd Gen) for my "midrange" recommendation for the SQ-focused consumers out there.

The Melomania Touch is still timing out after an hour of listening with apps like Neutron and UAPP; this happens regardless of the selected BT stack. I thought this was something they removed after the latest firmware update, but I am still encountering it. Such a shame, too, as they're tuned such that you could listen to them for hours if that weren't the case. The ADV will play right up until the battery dies or you happen to walk far enough away for signal to cut out. As soon as you're back in range, they seem to reconnect, but you will have to manually restart whatever track you're listening to.

They're both supremely comfortable, just in different ways. It's practically a coin toss in terms of which I prefer more. If anything, the ADV do protrude a bit more from the ears, but I don't have nearly the same amount of microphone issues as I do with the MT (constantly being asked to repeat things, for example). I can also maintain a more consistent seal with the M5, regardless of tips used.

The tuning...Oh my word, the tuning. Listening to the MT on its own is a completely enjoyable experience, but there are very apparent improvements in the M5's midbass/midrange management and treble extension when compared against the MT. I think the stigma of being "tuned by Harmon" really did a disservice to ADV as people expected something that, well, was tuned exactly to the Harman target. In all honesty, I wish the JBL were tuned more like the M5 rather than the other way around. They honestly make up for the JBL's shortcomings, especially on the lower end, and especially in terms of volume output. You shouldn't have any headroom concerns with the M5, but most of us did with the JBL until we added that gain boost in the in-app EQ. The sort of attack you get with the M5 is palpable. It's infectious. It's sorely missing from the MT's more warm, polite representation, and I can't get enough of it.

Even listening to Genesis' stereo mix of "Get 'Em Out By Friday" displays a clear and identifiable stage. Each drum hit is properly captured and defined, right down to the last muted snare roll or cymbal ride. Never does the basswork fall behind in the mix. Everybody gets a chance to shine and It's honestly an impressive listen. Super grateful to @samandhi for making the recommendation and it became the perfect album to use when unwinding for the night. Not even the UE FITS rendered that song as completely as the M5 did; you really do benefit from that improved low end.

So, for all those folks who followed my suggestion to hold off until the initial impressions were done, perhaps it's time to reconsider and just be aware of the M5's limitations. Based on the lack of developer support for firmware, it's probably still a little too soon to invest more in the customs, but good news is the universal feels great as is.

This is Head-Fi after all, so sorry about your wallet

So what’s our favorite TWS right now, Misery? Cost no object… I’d have to pick my KEFs, followed by Bose, and then NUARL N6P

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

So what’s our favorite TWS right now, Misery? Cost no object… I’d have to pick my KEFs, followed by Bose, and then NUARL N6P

I mean I could flip the script and judge them absent a price tag. That tends to make people pretty frustrated hahahaha.

As far as what I've been reaching for more lately:

1. ADV M5 (with Azla Crystals)
2. UE FITS (comfort + midrange detail)
3. HiBy WH3 (with Azla Crystals)

All 3 of 'em just work and sound great doing it. Wish I could give the nod to the NFP, but the UX crushes them for me; never thought dealing with aptX Adaptive would have become such a pain. MTs shut off after about an hour.

But it's a totally unfair game once you start bringing in the TWS adapters and using conventional IEMs. Have really been enjoying the CF01 with either the Blessing 2 or Noble X. Both sound absolutely fantastic with those adapters.

 

[zeinharis]

AptxHD and LDAC deliver similar performance so that should not be a deciding factor in my view. Must have to do with drivers/tuning/frequency response.

Try the Pi7 with Xiaomi mi 11 and I can’t get the AptxHD, it always reverts to Aptx Adaptive, so I tested the Pi7 with Aptx Adaptive and for me I can clearly hear the difference between it vs LDAC especially on the lower and upper frequencies.

 

[clerkpalmer]

Try the Pi7 with Xiaomi mi 11 and I can’t get the AptxHD, it always reverts to Aptx Adaptive, so I tested the Pi7 with Aptx Adaptive and for me I can clearly hear the difference between it vs LDAC especially on the lower and upper frequencies.

Gotcha. My phone defaults to AptxHD. So I’m looking forward to testing them versus the pI7.

 

[webvan]

your description keeps reminding me of how I feel about the Samsung G Beans ... I love their ANC / ANR because I get a great fit ... also a big ear guy ...
Glad I stumbled across that UK 60GBP deal .. this local shop is still trying to sell them for 200USD

Now if I could finally make I my mind what ELSE I should get Still torn between the MTW2 (best sound? 350$ here) or the Jabra Elite active 75t because now also ANC and better bass than the 85t, 'only' 200$ here, available only in this weird Sienna color ... or maybe the Anker Liberty Air Pro 2 (did I get the name right?) 130$ .. and stem based .. grrr ... i don't NEED another .. but i WANT ... .. and way too long until I have a chance to get the Sony XM4 .. .or something exotic like the KEF Mu3 here

So did you ever receive the Echo Buds v1 ?

Rtings.com have their review of the Echo Buds v2 up and it's pretty much a bust https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/amazon/echo-buds-gen-2-truly-wireless - sound isolation is nowhere as good as the v1, which is not that surprising since they're the best game in town IMHO. So instead of maybe improving that design subtly (like a smaller USB-C case, more controls) they followed the trend of "smaller is better" (senseless when they were small enough in the first place) and messed it up. That review doesn't even mention the fit that would likely be worse for people with larger ears like me that actually NEED larger buds that don't pop out of our ears at random or need to be rammed in to hold. Besides a larger surface allows for a thinner design too for the same internal volume.

 

[Slowhand]

Hope the XM4's deliver decently on AAC as well.