Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?

[Tommy C]

OK I must be bored today. I looked down and realized I have 6 models of TWS sitting here. So took each headphone and set the volume to exact same spot on my phone (50%) and then played the exact same song Hans Zimmer Inception - We Built Our Own World. So lets see how they did. Starting with best to worst...

Before I get started on the ranking let me explain this song a bit. It starts with a sub-bassy heart beat and then has the orchestra play slowly come into play with an immersive encompassing sound they adds layers of complexity and intensity. When done right you get pulled into a 3D field of sound that is detailed and intense building to a crescendo over the minute fifty six seconds of the track.

Galaxy Buds Pro - the heartbeat has excellent feel and intensity, there is a wispy spacy back ground noise that is clear and easy with excellent presence. A guitar plucks a few lonely notes and then orchestra starts enveloping me in the music. Near the end of the track the main orchestra gives way to a strings section that slowly winds down the song with eery sounds appearing until the song ends. The bass never over whelms the song and the sense of immersion is complete from beginning to end with immense amounts of detail throughout the song.

Technics AZ70 - Sub-bass slightly less intense, spacy sounds are slightly less present but clear. Guitars is clear and articulate, orchestra comes in clearly with a bit wider feel. Strings at the end are slightly less intensity loading some of the eery feel.

Audiofly AFT2 - Heartbeat is slightly more nuanced and intense than even the GBuds Pro, spacy sounds are slightly warmer sounding, guitar kicks in with a warmer note that borders on being to rich. The orchestra kicks in and is also richer in tone. The strings similarly have a richer tone. The over experience is a bit to relaxed. For the song but very pleasant.

Status Between Pro - the heart beat is a bit to intense and not quite as nuanced as the first 3 buds. Spacy sounds are present but a lot further back due to the bass presence. The guitar has a nice tonality to it. When the orchestra kicks in it has almost a shouty edge to it. The strings sound right tonally but have a bit to much intensity. The overall sense throughout the whole song is that it's to in my face and intense.

Sony WF-1000XM3 - the heartbeat is a bit heavy and lack the detail of the other TWS above, spacy sounds are present but subdued and further back and lack detail. The guitar sounds nice in the mix and tonally correct. The orchestra is slightly to intense at moments and lacks a bit of detail. The strings at the end have good intesity. The over effect is decent but over whelming at points while simultaneously lacking detail and immersion.

Sennheiser CX400BT - Heartbeat lacks sub-bass intesity, spacy sounds are very distant and lack clarity and detail, guitar is present and tonally correct but slightly subdued. Orchestra lacks intensity and detail. The strings section at the end lacks vitality. The over all effect is one of listening almost from another room, losing the sense of immersion required for the song.

What you are describing re the CX 400BT is exactly how I felt for the first two days of listening here and there. I later found out the stock tips didn’t work for me despite getting a proper seal, or so I thought.
Try some tip rolling. I believe you’re not getting a proper seal with them yet.

 

[Ceeluh7]

Actually funny thing happened to me. I did the HearID thing and it make the sound super bright like piercing and tizzy treble. I even made fun of it here on my earlier post. Then someone mentioned here to try to listen using the HearID for several hours. I did that last night and funny thing was the piercing treble like 90% gone. I listen to it for 2-3 hours last night, trying several different songs that are prone to sibilance, but I couldn't hear any sibilance.
I could eliminate the piercing treble using the custom EQ, but I couldn't fattened up the mid using the EQ. If they have 32 bands EQ, it is possible to fine tuned it, but I haven't seen any 32 bands EQ on a smartphone ever.
With the HearID setting, the mid is fuller, treble is airy and not piercing than my custom EQ.

So one thing that helped me to fine tune it... I obviously did everything within the Soundcore app itself to get the sound as close as possible to where it sounds good to me and then.. Since I use poweramp and can set Induvidual eq settings for any set, and you can set the amount of bands up to 32 I think... Pretty sure that's what I go with, can't remember but it's alot, anyways I fine tune it there and I found that the LP3 responds pretty well to eq. I have gotten something I hated in the morning to sounding pretty damn good. I do believe prolonged use will help the very subtle tizziness that still exists. Problem for me though is I also just got (today) the Grado Gt220....umm... Ya they are substantially better in almost every regard sound wise. Back to the Soundcore... I hope they update these considering their sound in the future

 

[dj24]

Trying to switch things up from the LP3 Pro's, I recently ventured to Bart's site to checkout some of his latest reviews and saw these. As someone who spends 9+ hours on Cisco Jabber work calls every day- I'm very intrigued by them. Additional online and youtube reviews I checked out concur with Bart that these have the best noise cancellation for calls and now have the best call quality of any TWS sets out there.

The caveat is that they are currently only on Indiegogo and I remember people here mentioning that they've been burned ordering new products on that platform before. I've decided to take one for the team and just placed an order so I'll let you all know once I get them.

 

[Caipirina]

Went out for a run with the L3Ps and for the first time I wasn't too annoyed by the inevitable "thump" that comes with "IEMs"...but that requires the ANC to be on for some reason, without the thump is unbearable as usual. I also found that unlike with my fan test the "wind reduction" setting actually works when running. That's an unexpected bonus. The downside is that you can't hear your environment as you can with the X12s so it has to be in a non-dangerous area !

Has anyone had luck using multipoint with a Win10 computer ? I've found that when the W10 computer is connected the Android is not able to "reclaim" the connection even if the audio has been paused on the W10 device. Switching audio outputs, to say the speakers, will free the connection. Still it's rather inconvenient. That's a limitation of multipoint implementation by Soundcore as the Q30s have the same problem, unlike the Aftershockz or Jabra devices. Or am I missing something ?

Now, that suddenly makes them interesting for me. But then again. I really don’t need another pair. Perfectly happy alternating x12 / Bose QC and those cheapo Baseus W11 when it’s raining

 

[xSDMx]

Exactly. The H1 are very well tuned and imo stack up sonically against most of the big boys and in some cases exceeds them. They have no bells and whistles... At all. Other than wireless charging and touch controls but what they lack in features they make up for in audio quality and for 75 bucks that's saying alot in this hobby. They look great, good passive noise isolation, and good audio throughout the entire spectrum. Of course I can find faults with anything sonically and the H1 have slight issues but... I love music and those things can play music really well

Out of curiosity, what tips are you rolling on your Soundpeats H1s?

The comply foam tips are too isolating for me (almost like active ANC!) And the stock silicone tips don't stay in and particularly well when active.

I've been using Spinfit CP360s which strike a good balance between isolation and fit. That said, they seem to notch the treble down slightly and boost the already booming bass. I suspect this is due to the bore size on the CP360 being slightly more narrow than the stock tips, so I'm looking for alternatives to try.

 

[CocaCola15]

I'm going to do the same... I'm going to keep tweaking... I really like the build quality, & the other features. I have tried and tried to add more depth to the sound though and I am not losing the thinness. I have corrected the treble by bringing down the highs drastically and adding dbs to the mids. Still there is almost a lack of driving power in note weight... It's odd. The bass is pretty good, on the tighter side and can give a good rumble, slightly rounded and weighty response... But man, I love my mids and the more I tweak them it seems to make it more artificial. I don't want to push anyone away from buying these and everyone is different but I honestly cannot understand the tuning here... They've been doing the tws thing as long as anyone and this.... This is what their flagship sounds like.... Wth. Apparently they needed more Grammy awrd winning producers... Lol. Let's put it this way... I listened to these and then I thought, OK I'll a/b these with say.... Soundpeats h1. So I listen to these and get to a point where they are good and then I go to the H1 and I'm like.... These don't hold a damn candle to H1... Both hybrid. I check the Camb MT's... Not even close. I a/b with the Camb 1+....dude cambridge wipes the floor with them... Which I should expect so that's not too crazy. But I also go as low as the Z3's and truly the Z3's at least at this point are just much better tuned and even more capable... I tried them against my galaxy pro plus and galaxy is just more mature throughout the spectrum. Anyways I'm sorry for harping on these because it may just be my preferences and I don't want to just crap on them when many of you may really enjoy them, I don't want to do that..I also should state that they don't sound bad... Not saying that... You can get these to respectable and even to a point where you can look past certain things with the feature set and all that comes with them, I'm almost there and hopefully with hear Id and maybe try a few more tips and some burn-in & brain burn these will shape up... Just want a solution to a set I paid 160 bucks for and should exceed my expectations. Oh well... At least I bought them thru Amazon

I hear you! I am a major CA M1+ fanboy, sold my MTs. Also like my “cheap” Between Pros ($75 on Indiegogo) very much. But as much as I have managed to tame the fizzy highs, the L3P is not a better listen than either of those TW phones. I will give it a fair shake, but we’ll see. I like the idea that the M1+ is just great OOB, no futzing with ComplexEQ etc.

 

[Ceeluh7]

Out of curiosity, what tips are you rolling on your Soundpeats H1s?

The comply foam tips are too isolating for me (almost like active ANC!) And the stock silicone tips don't stay in and particularly well when active.

I've been using Spinfit CP360s which strike a good balance between isolation and fit. That said, they seem to notch the treble down slightly and boost the already booming bass. I suspect this is due to the bore size on the CP360 being slightly more narrow than the stock tips, so I'm looking for alternatives to try.

I've been using some tips from a pair of Fiio iems. I think the Fiio Fd3. I went thru many tips trying to find a pair that sealed really well in my ears and they helped alot with overall clarity as the stem inside is very firm and the bore is slightly wider, the bass tightened up as well.

 

[CocaCola15]

Actually funny thing happened to me. I did the HearID thing and it make the sound super bright like piercing and tizzy treble. I even made fun of it here on my earlier post. Then someone mentioned here to try to listen using the HearID for several hours. I did that last night and funny thing was the piercing treble like 90% gone. I listen to it for 2-3 hours last night, trying several different songs that are prone to sibilance, but I couldn't hear any sibilance.

I could eliminate the piercing treble using the custom EQ, but I couldn't fattened up the mid using the EQ. If they have 32 bands EQ, it is possible to fine tuned it, but I haven't seen any 32 bands EQ on a smartphone ever.
With the HearID setting, the mid is fuller, treble is airy and not piercing than my custom EQ.

Kaiser Audio app has 30-band EQ option.

 

[Ceeluh7]

I hear you! I am a major CA M1+ fanboy, sold my MTs. Also like my “cheap” Between Pros ($75 on Indiegogo) very much. But as much as I have managed to tame the fizzy highs, the L3P is not a better listen than either of those TW phones. I will give it a fair shake, but we’ll see. I like the idea that the M1+ is just great OOB, no futzing with Comlex EQ etc.

Totally man....you know what I'm talking about. Cambridge did an awesome job with their tuning and tonality. The M1+ should get way more praise. I recently changed up the tips on my 1+ (which is the hardest tips to roll because of the crazy wide tip), I used a slightly wider bore tip on these... I believe the 1more Quad driver tips, mediums so that they still fit in the case, anyways the seal was much better and just do a great job of opening these up. I now believe the 1+ is actually better than the Touch. I just can't part with these yet, you made a good choice

 

[Darkestred]

I hear you! I am a major CA M1+ fanboy, sold my MTs. Also like my “cheap” Between Pros ($75 on Indiegogo) very much. But as much as I have managed to tame the fizzy highs, the L3P is not a better listen than either of those TW phones. I will give it a fair shake, but we’ll see. I like the idea that the M1+ is just great OOB, no futzing with Comlex EQ etc.

What makes the 1+ better than the MT in your opinion? I liked the MTs a lot but their connectivity issues for me makes them bunk. Great before any firmware.

 

[voicemaster]

Actually funny thing happened to me. I did the HearID thing and it make the sound super bright like piercing and tizzy treble. I even made fun of it here on my earlier post. Then someone mentioned here to try to listen using the HearID for several hours. I did that last night and funny thing was the piercing treble like 90% gone. I listen to it for 2-3 hours last night, trying several different songs that are prone to sibilance, but I couldn't hear any sibilance.

Kaiser Audio app has 30-band EQ option.

Does the EQ setting works for other apps like wavelet?

 

[CocaCola15]

Actually funny thing happened to me. I did the HearID thing and it make the sound super bright like piercing and tizzy treble. I even made fun of it here on my earlier post. Then someone mentioned here to try to listen using the HearID for several hours. I did that last night and funny thing was the piercing treble like 90% gone. I listen to it for 2-3 hours last night, trying several different songs that are prone to sibilance, but I couldn't hear any sibilance.

I could eliminate the piercing treble using the custom EQ, but I couldn't fattened up the mid using the EQ. If they have 32 bands EQ, it is possible to fine tuned it, but I haven't seen any 32 bands EQ on a smartphone ever.
With the HearID setting, the mid is fuller, treble is airy and not piercing than my custom EQ.

Kaiser Audio app has 30-band EQ option

Totally man....you know what I'm talking about. Cambridge did an awesome job with their tuning and tonality. The M1+ should get way more praise. I recently changed up the tips on my 1+ (which is the hardest tips to roll because of the crazy wide tip), I used a slightly wider bore tip on these... I believe the 1more Quad driver tips, mediums so that they still fit in the case, anyways the seal was much better and just do a great job of opening these up. I now believe the 1+ is actually better than the Touch. I just can't part with these yet, you made a good choice

No doubt that the M1+ does not get enough props. I found the OEM foam tips work fir me. @$99 on Amazon a serious ROI!

 

[dweaver]

What you are describing re the CX 400BT is exactly how I felt for the first two days of listening here and there. I later found out the stock tips didn’t work for me despite getting a proper seal, or so I thought.
Try some tip rolling. I believe you’re not getting a proper seal with them yet.

I am using the stock tips, large, will swap around with my big bag of tips and see what happens. Maybe start with the Sony Hybrid tips and go from there .

 

[dweaver]

Ok put on the Sony tips and it helped the bass a bit but still not to the same level as the other TWS tested. But it did help make them sound more immersive.

But this is just one genre of music and one that relies on sub-bass so not sure I would put to much stock into this one comparison. I will do some more with other songs in other genres as time permits. I am sure the 400BT will fair better with genres like Jazz and older rock music.

But for those who listen to a lot of intense sound tracks from composers like Hans Zimmer, the 400BT might not be a good fit. But the new CX line with bigger bass might be just about perfect...

 

[Ceeluh7]

N6 Pro 2 has one of the best tunings and everything sounds quite right and natural. Maybe with the wrong tips it is a little warmer and smooth than perfect but not the Senn and Sony and even JVC/Victor and AT route of smoothed over too much. I and other agree it is their best SQ yet like they touted. It just isn't the biggest stage they have gotten but still big but the Overall tuning and extension and detail and timbre is the best. They are not getting the fanfare they should though they get all good reviews(outside of one current one on Amazon but they clearly got a lemon). So many has tuning misfires in one area or another or just don't have the resolution.

I was looking at these. I did see good reviews... Scarbir had a good review on them. Nuarl tunes their sets really well. The updated driver has to be good. I will pick up these soon I hope. Glad you like em man