[Peddler]

I have to agree about the comments regarding the iBasso CF01 bluetooth adaptors - when used in combination with the iBasso IT00's or my Magiosa K3 Pro's, they sound fantastic - definitely the best bluetooth performance I have experienced yet. No ANC or passthrough, very limited controls and, in my case with the use of Triple Flange Tips, a very deep and potentially uncomfortable fit, they sound utterly superb - besting many wired IEM's I have tried.

I have to say though that I do like the sound character of the Sony WF1000XM3's and I don't have a problem getting a good fit. I love these headphones and, although intrigued by the new Sony's, I won't be in a hurry to buy them.

 

[howdy]

I have to agree about the comments regarding the iBasso CF01 bluetooth adaptors - when used in combination with the iBasso IT00's or my Magiosa K3 Pro's, they sound fantastic - definitely the best bluetooth performance I have experienced yet. No ANC or passthrough, very limited controls and, in my case with the use of Triple Flange Tips, a very deep and potentially uncomfortable fit, they sound utterly superb - besting many wired IEM's I have tried.

I have to say though that I do like the sound character of the Sony WF1000XM3's and I don't have a problem getting a good fit. I love these headphones and, although intrigued by the new Sony's, I won't be in a hurry to buy them.

I have no issues with fit and they are very comfortable with the xlastic eartips, still love the sound. My three favorites I have are the Galaxy pro, Sony XM3 and Jabra 85t. Cant wait for the XM4s!

 

[Canabuc]

Have started out of this thread recently as more discussion than product.
Truth is my freebuds pro sound great. Nice soundstage very good bass and mids and enough treble to satisfy me. Great single bud use can quality and ANC. Not sure if it's the firmware updates and or equalization but their sound is as good for me as any tws I've had.

That and owning the Aria from moondrop and the fun bass heavy v shaped Kbear ks1 I have all the sound I want.

The only earbuds that might interest me are the sunny if the LDAC codec truly can give a wired sound to tws

 

[Caipirina]

A new Sabbat ? Great, still love my X12
Hadn't see the hints about the WF-XM4s, it looks like they're dropping next week...

Maybe there will be X16 in the future with magnetostat magic and possibly cram ANC in there somehow

 

[Devodonaldson]

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.

I'm using NFP and enjoying, but wondering about xm4 and hiby wh2 and how they will compare on LDAC. I've had no issues with the NFP. I use them at work for music with my zx507. Use buds pro for video with my Samsung phone.

 

[coscurtdad]

Incase anyone missed it there's new firmware with EQ options for the Enco X. If you hated the Enco X's default v shape with recessed mids like I did, the new EQ options improve it massively, both tunings are way more neutral. Now using these over my kef mu3's and track air + due to the form factor and just overall features/convenience/size. Hopefully can also try LHDC on my next phone and see if they improve anymore. Reasonably happy with these now. Got half an eye on the b&w pi7 - doubt ill get £250-300 worth of improvement for the premium but I like being surprised and I gotta try them all.

Latest Hey Melody app isnt on google play yet, which is where the Eq options are.

How did you get the latest apk of heymelody app if its not on google play, can you advise

 

[chinmie]

I've just received my Apollo Air unit from Tronsmart, and have been testing it for this past couple of days. overall, i really like it, sound-wise similar to my wife's Airpods Pro but with added bass and warmth in the bass and mid section. The Airpods Pro is still better in the ANC/Ambient mode though (not too surprising), but other aspects like button configs, sound signature, it's a competitive product. I also prefer this one in sound signature compared to the older Apollo Bold.

I have written a more in-depth review in the Head Gear page:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/tr...o-plus-hybrid-anc-earbuds.25174/review/26017/

 

[webvan]

" - Different sound profile (boosted bass) in ANC and Ambient mode "
Same problem as on the Bold then, how on earth has this not been fixed ?! As for the rest, well, average at best, a hard pass.

"Maybe there will be X16 in the future with magnetostat magic and possibly cram ANC in there somehow"
Sounds interesting but TBH there isn't a lot to improve for the X12, I'll look into the E16 though !

 

[chinmie]

" - Different sound profile (boosted bass) in ANC and Ambient mode "
Same problem as on the Bold then, how on earth has this not been fixed ?! As for the rest, well, average at best, a hard pass.

"Maybe there will be X16 in the future with magnetostat magic and possibly cram ANC in there somehow"
Sounds interesting but TBH there isn't a lot to improve for the X12, I'll look into the E16 though !

either they consider that as a feature (two in one sound signature at a press of a button ) or they can't really fix it. i personally prefer consistency between the sound modes... even my other cheaper ANC TWSs like the Mobvoi, Airsun, and Dyplay don't have that problem, only the Bold and Air.. ooh.. i almost forgot: the Galaxy buds live also have this problem, but the ANC on that one doesn't really do anything, so i guess for the Gbuds Live it's an extra EQ bass boost after all

yup, based on your current collection, i don't think you need to purchase it.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

I'm using NFP and enjoying, but wondering about xm4 and hiby wh2 and how they will compare on LDAC. I've had no issues with the NFP. I use them at work for music with my zx507. Use buds pro for video with my Samsung phone.

Some of it may have to do with my phone just being a pain, but it seems I have to go through the pairing process every other time I remove the buds from the case. From there, it's a 50/50 shot as to whether the phone will connect to them, then whether the app will afterwards.

 

[jant71]

Since the black(would have preferred the blue) had the 1-day shipping I took a flyer on the Sabbat flagship...
The quick pics and I'll get the first quick impression/experience in before anyone else here

The presentation is indeed nice and they include a decent amount of tips though small bore is probably not the best I'm thinking so pretty sure some other type from the ole' kit will be the better choice. Case is solid and handsome and Qi compatible though you have to leave it open to see the LED. Should fit most normal length tips and all the shorter wireless ones. Even Sedna Earfits M work in the case. ML have to wedge in a bit but still work to start charging but the case doesn't close that last tiny bit. Most tips should be okay till really long or wide and firm.

They pair and connect as fast as you'd want. Connection seems rock solid. The ergo shape is easy to fit gives a good amount of isolation(will vary with tip) and is good to press the button and not bother the seal. Buttons are nice so you'll never have any accidental presses and you can grab them any way you want.

The sound is very nice for $99. So, far I would like to wait on the dynamic part to burn in some in case of any change. Good reach and some feel but a little bloom on it and the detail and texture is a bit smoothed over so hoping the burn in and tip choice will round them into the best shape. The 7mm magneto part, which is very planar but more electret-like on how it uses charge and can't produce much bass hence the magnetostat always being a combo with it's dynamic helper, does it's job well and has extension, clarity, and liveliness. The good extension and detail are good for TWS to offset what is lost over BT. No bad cable choices here or alloy housing so no Tape style problems with being detail freaks at the cost of the F.R. and needing some kind of fix. Not polite but not strident or sibilant. Energetic but not too aggressive on the highs. They will bring the treble to the party in a evident way. My previous Victor was darker and compared to the MTW2 in signature and my Audio-Technica is in the same way so these will be more hybrid sounding in adding the treble driver. More Falcon Pro than Falcon if you will. Still want the bass to tighten up a bit with the best seal to show more of what is underneath as far as texture and layering a bit. It will happen with run in and/or tips or will need to be done via EQ.

I think with JVC Spiral Dot SF they come together for my ears. Coherent, a big sound with a clean W signature. Male vocals pop, bass has some punch low and a nice lighter snap a bit higher, and the treble is up with good extension and shimmer and the roll on either end is minimal and pretty satisfying for a TWS. They can certainly sound excellent and dialed in right few will complain for $99 for the sound they are capable of. They have clarity, detail, extension, some room in the presentation, and take to EQ well to tweak.

The pros so far:
- Good build and shape and looks
- Good connection and stability
- Good fit
- Good volume with more headroom than many other TWS
- No accidental pressing and still button mashing is not an issue
- Good value

The cons so far:
- Buttons could be a bit bigger esp. for bigger fingers
- The W sig is not the most coherent out of the box (more tip related?)
- Narrow bore tips cut the stage height some
- TWS style short tips have no issues for sound but they only give one size
- No ambient or talk-through mode
- L/R indicators are stamped in so won't rub off but are not easy to see with no color difference(not symmetrical in shape so not a big deal)

Sabbat did a nice job with these!

 

[Peddler]

" - Different sound profile (boosted bass) in ANC and Ambient mode "
Same problem as on the Bold then, how on earth has this not been fixed ?! As for the rest, well, average at best, a hard pass.

"Maybe there will be X16 in the future with magnetostat magic and possibly cram ANC in there somehow"
Sounds interesting but TBH there isn't a lot to improve for the X12, I'll look into the E16 though !

I must admit I was somewhat overwhelmed with the bass output of the Apollo Bold and Air models but when listening at low volumes they sound great. A compromise I know but one of the main advantages in active noise cancellation is that you can listen at much lower volumes than normal. I find myself using the Apollo Bold's a lot at night thanks to their comfort, boosted bass and customisable touch controls (no accidental touches when lying on your side).

 

[chinmie]

Since the black(would have preferred the blue) had the 1-day shipping I took a flyer on the Sabbat flagship...
The quick pics and I'll get the first quick impression/experience in before anyone else here

The presentation is indeed nice and they include a decent amount of tips though small bore is probably not the best I'm thinking so pretty sure some other type from the ole' kit will be the better choice. Case is solid and handsome and Qi compatible though you have to leave it open to see the LED. Should fit most normal length tips and all the shorter wireless ones. Even Sedna Earfits M work in the case. ML have to wedge in a bit but still work to start charging but the case doesn't close that last tiny bit. Most tips should be okay till really long or wide and firm.

They pair and connect as fast as you'd want. Connection seems rock solid. The ergo shape is easy to fit gives a good amount of isolation(will vary with tip) and is good to press the button and not bother the seal. Buttons are nice so you'll never have any accidental presses and you can grab them any way you want.

The sound is very nice for $99. So, far I would like to wait on the dynamic part to burn in some in case of any change. Good reach and some feel but a little bloom on it and the detail and texture is a bit smoothed over so hoping the burn in and tip choice will round them into the best shape. The 7mm magneto part, which is very planar but more electret-like on how it uses charge and can't produce much bass hence the magnetostat always being a combo with it's dynamic helper, does it's job well and has extension, clarity, and liveliness. The good extension and detail are good for TWS to offset what is lost over BT. No bad cable choices here or alloy housing so no Tape style problems with being detail freaks at the cost of the F.R. and needing some kind of fix. Not polite but not strident or sibilant. Energetic but not too aggressive on the highs. They will bring the treble to the party in a evident way. My previous Victor was darker and compared to the MTW2 in signature and my Audio-Technica is in the same way so these will be more hybrid sounding in adding the treble driver. More Falcon Pro than Falcon if you will. Still want the bass to tighten up a bit with the best seal to show more of what is underneath as far as texture and layering a bit. It will happen with run in and/or tips or will need to be done via EQ.

I think with JVC Spiral Dot SF they come together for my ears. Coherent, a big sound with a clean W signature. Male vocals pop, bass has some punch low and a nice lighter snap a bit higher, and the treble is up with good extension and shimmer and the roll on either end is minimal and pretty satisfying for a TWS. They can certainly sound excellent and dialed in right few will complain for $99 for the sound they are capable of. They have clarity, detail, extension, some room in the presentation, and take to EQ well to tweak.

The pros so far:
- Good build and shape and looks
- Good connection and stability
- Good fit
- Good volume with more headroom than many other TWS
- No accidental pressing and still button mashing is not an issue
- Good value

The cons so far:
- Buttons could be a bit bigger esp. for bigger fingers
- The W sig is not the most coherent out of the box (more tip related?)
- Narrow bore tips cut the stage height some
- TWS style short tips have no issues for sound but they only give one size
- No ambient or talk-through mode
- L/R indicators are stamped in so won't rub off but are not easy to see with no color difference(not symmetrical in shape so not a big deal)

Sabbat did a nice job with these!

how's the sound in your opinion comoared to the Tape or Tape Pro? also which one has better resolution?

I'm using my Tape Pro with the BT20S Pro, and as polarizing as it is, i like the Tape Pro because it's unique sound presentation

I must admit I was somewhat overwhelmed with the bass output of the Apollo Bold and Air models but when listening at low volumes they sound great. A compromise I know but one of the main advantages in active noise cancellation is that you can listen at much lower volumes than normal. I find myself using the Apollo Bold's a lot at night thanks to their comfort, boosted bass and customisable touch controls (no accidental touches when lying on your side).

what preset are you currently use on the Air and Bold? i found that the bass has lessen in volume and becomes a little tighter after my battery stress test, which is playing some full frequency range music non stop with slightly above my listening volume level (well, basically an incidental burn in). also the "Rock" preset brings the mids forward the most, making it the most balanced setting for the Air.

on the Bold that would be the "Pop" setting, but sadly it also cut the treble and making it less sparkling, so i settled with the slightly V-shaped "Jazz" instead

 

[jant71]

how's the sound in your opinion comoared to the Tape or Tape Pro? also which one has better resolution?

I'm using my Tape Pro with the BT20S Pro, and as polarizing as it is, i like the Tape Pro because it's unique sound presentation

Easy to hear we have the same driver or version of it. Haven't heard the Pro so I don't know what the real difference in sound is. Not exactly of course but to give the idea, you can take the Tape take away a bit of the resolution and high extension because of BT loss and add more low end and low end punch. Tape would win by a small percentage technically but as far as tuning and signature the Sabbat all day long. Still should be up there for detail and resolution in the TWS segment. Still pretty unique with the planar like mids and highs and sub like bass and well balanced spacey W sig. I like how they have the punch and feel down low the Tape won't have unless you amped them. Think they did a good job w/o seemingly any special amp chips or anything. They have satisfying bass, the feel, and can sound quite big and have richness and probably the lowest volume I have needed on a TWS. I can max out with some TWS and find I need 1/2 the volume or more. using 40 on the volume instead of 90 or 100. 60 instead of 130+ depending on device. The 6-8 hours of battery time wasn't seemingly impressive but the magnetostat is quite well powered esp. the dynamic driver which seemingly in the Tape and in the Zero would like some power to have a tighter punchier sound. They also gives the specs of 93 on the sensitivity and the tweeter running at 4Ohm while the dynamic 16. From having the Tape and the specs it doesn't seem so easy to drive esp. with plenty of headroom left so the 6-8 hours is a pretty good job glad it is like this instead of 10 hours and not powered as well.

 

[chinmie]

Easy to hear we have the same driver or version of it. Haven't heard the Pro so I don't know what the real difference in sound is. Not exactly of course but to give the idea, you can take the Tape take away a bit of the resolution and high extension because of BT loss and add more low end and low end punch. Tape would win by a small percentage technically but as far as tuning and signature the Sabbat all day long. Still should be up there for detail and resolution in the TWS segment. Still pretty unique with the planar like mids and highs and sub like bass and well balanced spacey W sig. I like how they have the punch and feel down low the Tape won't have unless you amped them. Think they did a good job w/o seemingly any special amp chips or anything. They have satisfying bass, the feel, and can sound quite big and have richness and probably the lowest volume I have needed on a TWS. I can max out with some TWS and find I need 1/2 the volume or more. using 40 on the volume instead of 90 or 100. 60 instead of 130+ depending on device. The 6-8 hours of battery time wasn't seemingly impressive but the magnetostat is quite well powered esp. the dynamic driver which seemingly in the Tape and in the Zero would like some power to have a tighter punchier sound. They also gives the specs of 93 on the sensitivity and the tweeter running at 4Ohm while the dynamic 16. From having the Tape and the specs it doesn't seem so easy to drive esp. with plenty of headroom left so the 6-8 hours is a pretty good job glad it is like this instead of 10 hours and not powered as well.

nice. yes indeed the Tape/Tape Pro achilles' hell is their tuning despite having a good resolution.

above 6 hours of playtime is good enough for me, i might try this E16 someday.

ooh, i almost forgot, do you happen to have the E12 too by any chance? how do they compare to each other?