[Blueshound24]

Sabbat X12 Ultra.

Do they sit outside the ear canal like an earbud, or in the canal like an IEM? In the pictures it looks like an IEM.

 

[Not so fat head]

Posting here to makes sure people know to not buy this: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/sennheiser-cx-true-wireless-earphones/

I bought these for $80 and think they’re not bad at all.. I pair mine with an iPhone 6SE, use the Sennheiser app, and can EQ the sound to whatever I like.
I think that’s great for the price.. I have mine sounding 90% as good as my $300.00 TWS M2’s..
I probably have 20 cheap (under. $50) TWS I’ve picked up at TJ Max and Marshals, they ALL have one thing in common, they’re garbage..

 

[DigDub]

Got the beats studio buds. Was intrigued by it after volume control was implemented in a firmware update.

Surprisingly good sound from beats which used to be known for their boomy muddy bass sound signature of old. The beats studio has punchy bass which doesn't muddy the overall sound. Mids are prominent which brings vocals to the fore. There's a small spike in mid-highs which makes higher pitched vocals and cymbals sound a tad dry and over sparkly, turning down the 4khz band on my Samsung phone fixes this and makes the mid-highs sound more natural.

Noise cancelling is not very strong. Voices such as announcements can still be heard. Low constant humming like engine sounds are muted effectively. Ambient mode sounds natural. There's no option to adjust the level of noise cancelling or ambient mode.

The buds are very comfortable and do not cause any sore spots when wearing them. They have physical buttons instead of touch for controls. So adjusting the buds do not result in accidental operations. A downside to this is it is not good for sleeping sideways as the buttons will be pressed. The buds can be used independently, but unlike most other implementations, the music stops playing whenever one of the buds is put into the case, so I have to press the button on the bud that I'm still using to resume playback.

Firmware update implementation is Apple's way. Like on iOS, there is no option to manually force an update on Android devices using the beats app. You have to wait for the beats app to notify you that there's an update available, which can be quite random. The update transfer to the buds took a few minutes. The buds will then update on it's own, which may take up to an hour and there is no indication of the update progress. I feel beats can do better on it's firmware update process to keep users informed of the progress.

Overall, I feel the beats studio buds are well worth the money. They are not super expensive and competes with the Samsung galaxy buds 2 in terms of feature and price. I prefer the beats studio over the galaxy buds 2, mainly because the beats studio has a better sound quality over the buds 2.

 

[assassin10000]

Do they sit outside the ear canal like an earbud, or in the canal like an IEM? In the pictures it looks like an IEM.

Shaped like an iem, driver like an earbud/airpod.

If you found pics of the Sabbat E12, that's an iem. The X12 is the earbud.

 

[JoshG1217]

So far the best sounding (out of the box) tws sets are
1. Beoplay eq (just not loud enough on some tracks) Note: They are not worth $400. $250-300 is about right.
2. akg n400 (tonally almost perfect but technically needs more resolution)
3. Status Between pro (no transparent or anc though but the loudest and passive nc is close to good anc).
4. galaxy buds pro (tonally perfect but need a little more sub bass and resolution).
.
.
.
>8. liberty 3 pro (not very good out of the box

After eq (getting them to match a target)
1. status between pro (easily on par with the best $200 iem sets) but needs a hell of lot of work to get them to match a target (need a 3rd party app)
2. beoplay eq (very close to top $200 iem sets)
3. akg n400
4. liberty 3 pro (biggest improvement out of all of them once performing hearing ID and then adjusting from there)
5. galaxy buds pro (tonally almost perfect only a slight sub bass shelf is added)


Yes I tried others (Sony = so so, Bose = ok, jabra = ok, Neobuds pro=so so, PI7 = horrible, beats = ok, etc.)


If you can live without anc and transparency mode then the best option is a top of the line $200 iem (timeless, yume midnight, kato, oh10, hana 2021, etc.) connected to a qudelix or a go blu. No eq is necessary and will have a much louder volume. Personally, this is my 1. option for music listening and 2. is probably the liberty 3 pro because it can connect to 2 phones that I have lol.

In side by side, the xm4 definitely beat the EQ. Both the EQ and PI7 are way overhyped. I wanted them to be better than the Sony xm4. They just aren't. I went as far as to buy the ier z1r and an ifi go blu and it was only a mild improvement over the xm4, which is nuts (z1r onviouslt scales qith a better source). I just ordered the devialet Gemeni and MW08 to compare. At this point I've owned dozens and nothing has beat the xm4. Azla sedna and crystal tips recommended for best sound. Running Tidal and power amp with stereo turned up to 25% its just tough to beat

 

[7Lions]

I had the FH9 for about a month. Loved their tuning and bass impact. Mids were slightly brought back but not with any less detail. It's an overall warm tonality with slight edginess to the treble in certain genres and songs. Great soundstage and very dynamic. I would have kept them if I had not discovered CFA's Dorado 2020.

Do you mind expanding upon that and what made you choose the Dorado 2020 over the FH9? Also which set has the bigger/better soundstage? I'm a soundstage junky and loved the wide holographic tuning of the FH9, but unfortunately, they had to go back cause the right side driver seemed to be defective. So I'm wondering if I should order another one or potentially look at something else.

 

[productred]

In side by side, the xm4 definitely beat the EQ. Both the EQ and PI7 are way overhyped. I wanted them to be better than the Sony xm4. They just aren't. I went as far as to buy the ier z1r and an ifi go blu and it was only a mild improvement over the xm4, which is nuts (z1r onviouslt scales qith a better source). I just ordered the devialet Gemeni and MW08 to compare. At this point I've owned dozens and nothing has beat the xm4. Azla sedna and crystal tips recommended for best sound. Running Tidal and power amp with stereo turned up to 25% its just tough to beat

IMHO the FW1000t sound a fair bit better than the XM4, YMMV but no harm trying that out I guess.

 

[Ceeluh7]

So today I just received my $47 AKG N400nc and these are a complete steal at this price. I don’t know how or why they are selling them this low but they are definitely well worth $47 plus tax. Anyone that likes the Harmon target needs to try these. These are definitely an improved Samsung Galaxy Buds. I’m terms of just the SQ these are the best true wireless buds I’ve used. Better sounding than the XM3/4, the 1st 3 Galaxy buds, the lypertek Tevi, Melomania Touch, and AirPods Pro.

For sure. They re a fantastic set with a great stage for a tws. Very nice and full sounding. I got that same deal and have had them for about a little over a month and have been very happy with them. Very premium build and look as well.

 

[regancipher]

LinkBuds owners - there is an updated firmware release today that improves adaptive volume control, pairing when speak-to-chat is enabled, and other minor bug fixes.

 

[JoshG1217]

IMHO the FW1000t sound a fair bit better than the XM4, YMMV but no harm trying that out I guess.

I've not heard those. Thanks for the rec

 

[dmphile]

Do you mind expanding upon that and what made you choose the Dorado 2020 over the FH9? Also which set has the bigger/better soundstage? I'm a soundstage junky and loved the wide holographic tuning of the FH9, but unfortunately, they had to go back cause the right side driver seemed to be defective. So I'm wondering if I should order another one or potentially look at something else.

Dorado 2020 basically takes everything that the FH9's do well and kick it up a few more notches. They have a more dynamic and fun sound with visceral bass and impact both in the mid and sub-bass. I would also say it has a wider and deeper soundstage and better imaging than the FH9. Vocals still come out clean, detailed and still in front while providing great air and space for the mid-range. Resolution, treble and bass extension is also better. CFA isn't using any weird crossovers for the hybrid setup and they just let the drivers (BA/DD) really shine. It's got a fun musicality that just brings my library to life. Even with poorly recorded songs, the Dorado's bring them back to life. It's the IEM that gets your head bobbing and brings a high degree of fun, emotion and excitement back to music.

Comfort wise, the Dorado's are one of the smallest and most comfortable IEMs I have ever worn. I can wear them for hours without any discomfort and I'm willing to bet that it would be the same experience for 99% of users given the small size and nice rounded edges. The ceramic build is gorgeous and gives the sound an amazing sonic quality that just reverberates within your ear canal.

Of course, if this is the sound signature and coloring that you want with your sound, especially in the bass area, you'll enjoy the Dorado's. They suit my preferences just right. That said, depending on what you're looking for. YMMV.

Ps. I'm using these with the UTWS5 and M11 Plus ESS.

 

[jant71]

I bought these for $80 and think they’re not bad at all.. I pair mine with an iPhone 6SE, use the Sennheiser app, and can EQ the sound to whatever I like.
I think that’s great for the price.. I have mine sounding 90% as good as my $300.00 TWS M2’s..
I probably have 20 cheap (under. $50) TWS I’ve picked up at TJ Max and Marshals, they ALL have one thing in common, they’re garbage..

Yep, plenty of fine reviews. They are good and fairly cheap. That "not" buy them thing is why you don't go by one review. The definite thing anyone here should do is find and read as many reviews and impressions as they can or need so they know enough to make a well informed decision.

 

[FSTOP]

Can anyone who has Noble FoKus Pro comment on fitment? Some reviews say it's more of a custom IEM fit, others say it's very large, so not sure if it would even fit my (smallish) ears. Any comparison of size, fit to popular IEMs might help? And any other sound reviews or comments on BT quality, transmission would be helpful. Some say it loses signal a lot they sent it back, so trying to see consensus or just isolated cases.
Thanks for any suggestions /help!

 

[Ceeluh7]

Can anyone who has Noble FoKus Pro comment on fitment? Some reviews say it's more of a custom IEM fit, others say it's very large, so not sure if it would even fit my (smallish) ears. Any comparison of size, fit to popular IEMs might help? And any other sound reviews or comments on BT quality, transmission would be helpful. Some say it loses signal a lot they sent it back, so trying to see consensus or just isolated cases.
Thanks for any suggestions /help!

These aren't too large and for me I've never had a better fitting iem. Wired or not. Just perfect. They re slightly smaller but similarly shaped to something like the Fiio FH9. I was going thru my iem collection thinking of an iem that takes this shape and there aren't many. It is a little bit larger than the Whizzer HE01 but I can assure you these wouldn't be even close to my largest that I have. I'd say actually that these are normal sized. I have over 50 iems and roughly 15 tws and these are prob in the 50th percentile for largeness. As far as connection, I haven't had an issue.... At all. Okay one time I had a skip for a second but that was momentary and I was in another room. Honestly I really enjoy this set and they do have a very full sound. I'm working on a review of these whenever I have time to actually sit long enough to compare them but at the moment these are awesome.

 

[Luke Skywalker]

That’s great to hear. Mine have shipped and are on the way! Canceled my Falcon ANC order