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

[SynaestheticA]

@erockg
Eating my words.

Thanks for the image.

Now if car manufacturers would give me an app...

 

[productred]

I have auditioned the Aviot TE-Z1PNK when I was in Japan a few weeks ago (together with the ATH-TWX9) and finally I seem to find a new set (or 2 new sets actually, I like the TWX9 alot as well) with enough SQ to match or even potentially dethrone my Victor FW1000t. Sadly the PNK was out of stock everywhere in Japan when I was there, second hand sets were sold at the MSRP on auction sites................Finally I have to order a few days ago when it came back into stock but at a (sort of) premium due to currency differences.

About volume............I don't use LDAC (I'm an iphone person) and the volume on these things CAN be deafeningly loud, enough to be a health hazard..........so there is no issue of volume at all. I do read on review sites that there were early issues with its compatibility with the app though, but any such issues should have been resolved through the latest firmware update. That said I don't really use apps with any of my TWS anyway.

For those who have no idea what this set is about, it is a Planar+DD coaxial dual driver arrangement which actually works, and works GREAT. I had previous renditions of the PNK collaboration which are BA+DD hybrids which are not bad but not spectacular either, and they have stubbornly left out ANC through the generations due to (so they claimed) SQ considerations until this latest generation, where the artist himself claimed to be satisfied with the ANC that comes with the latest generation of chip.

And PNK stands for Pierre Nakano, a well-known drummer of a Japanese rock band, who did a few collaboration models with Aviot. It sounds gimmicky but at least the end result is truly outstanding, with or without the name attached.

After about 5 hours of initial burn in...........can positively affirm that the Aviot TE-Z1PNK is the very best TWS I had ever heard up to date, and bar the Mystique I have tried on all of the flagship TWS rolled out in the past 2 years or so, always getting disappointed with my perhaps unrealistic expectation of sound from a wireless set......my well used and beloved FW1000t can take a well earned rest now for the moment.

Bass: Solid, firm, very deep bass reaching the lowest octave with ease. Great impact, moderately paced with the right amount of decay. Not interfering with any other frequency ranges at all.

Mids: Very natural mids, extremely natural and life-like vocals with the best resolving power I had ever experienced in a TWS. That is, without the incoherence I have fairly sensitive to in hybrid TWSs (that's the reason why while I believe the NFP is a great set for most out there, it never warms to me).

Highs: This is the highlight of this set if I have to pick one. Very natural cymbal crash with just the right amount of metallic shimmer, a quality that only exist in the best wired iems. Bearing in mind that I am doing AAC on an iphone, this is extremely impressive. Natural and airy high extension without sibliance. In comparison the ZE8000, which I demoed in the same store I first demoed the PNK, was way too dark and bass-oriented.

ANC/Talkthru mode: the ANC is just about right - pretty strong in strength but not as intrusive as the Sony XM4. The talkthru or hear through mode is a surprise - it sounds plasticky when I first turned it on, but then after walking on the street for a while and having a few conversations, this is the most usable hear through mode amongst the TWS I have tried/owned (frankly though I haven't tried this feature on every set I demoed so YMMV) - while it doesn't sound good, it sounds RIGHT and CLEAR as I can pick up words (diction) perfectly. On my FW1000t or even my AKG N400 speech sounds quite muffled on hear through mode. The ANC/ANC off/ambience modes can be handily switched with a touch on the right earpiece and switching between the modes with music playing on there is only minimal effect on the overall SQ. Well done on that one.

Call quality: I had a couple of calls on them just fine but I haven't seriously tested this yet.

The SQ is truly a joy to behold - transition between the DD and the planar driver is just perfectly smooth that there is zero incoherence and the sound maintain a consistent colour and timbre throughout the whole frequency range. I feel perfectly comfy listening to classical or complex prog rock / j-pop arrangements with it due to the timbre accuracy and high resolving power.

 

[Canabuc]

Well since my refund came in am going to try AliExpress one more time and reordered the Enco X2 again. Hope I get them this time. I have not heard anything but praise for the sound quality. They got my desire for ANC being good, multi point, LDAC, QI charging
Dual driver system.
And at a price that I won't feel some for getting the next big thing when it comes out.
Wish me luck that they come this time.

 

[scubaphish]

Bloom Audio Mystique review
Bloom Mystique Review

 

[clerkpalmer]

Bloom Audio Mystique review
Bloom Mystique Review

Just wish they fit better. Too bad (for me).

 

[scubaphish]

Just wish they fit better. Too bad (for me).

I find the fit of the mystique a little easier than the focus.

 

[clerkpalmer]

I find the fit of the mystique a little easier than the focus.

That's promising. Is there any phyiscal difference between the two?

 

[scubaphish]

That's promising. Is there any phyiscal difference between the two?

I may be crazy but Mystique feel a little smaller

Edit: I feel like the area where your index or middle finger would go when holding the bud is flatter.

Edit 2: I could just unpack my for sale NFP and try to show you differences

 

[Canabuc]

 

[Canabuc]

 

[Canabuc]

www.youtube.com/live/ZDiSeTI0e1M?feature=share

 

[Gilroypro]

After about 5 hours of initial burn in...........can positively affirm that the Aviot TE-Z1PNK is the very best TWS I had ever heard up to date, and bar the Mystique I have tried on all of the flagship TWS rolled out in the past 2 years or so, always getting disappointed with my perhaps unrealistic expectation of sound from a wireless set......my well used and beloved FW1000t can take a well earned rest now for the moment.

Bass: Solid, firm, very deep bass reaching the lowest octave with ease. Great impact, moderately paced with the right amount of decay. Not interfering with any other frequency ranges at all.

Mids: Very natural mids, extremely natural and life-like vocals with the best resolving power I had ever experienced in a TWS. That is, without the incoherence I have fairly sensitive to in hybrid TWSs (that's the reason why while I believe the NFP is a great set for most out there, it never warms to me).

Highs: This is the highlight of this set if I have to pick one. Very natural cymbal crash with just the right amount of metallic shimmer, a quality that only exist in the best wired iems. Bearing in mind that I am doing AAC on an iphone, this is extremely impressive. Natural and airy high extension without sibliance. In comparison the ZE8000, which I demoed in the same store I first demoed the PNK, was way too dark and bass-oriented.

ANC/Talkthru mode: the ANC is just about right - pretty strong in strength but not as intrusive as the Sony XM4. The talkthru or hear through mode is a surprise - it sounds plasticky when I first turned it on, but then after walking on the street for a while and having a few conversations, this is the most usable hear through mode amongst the TWS I have tried/owned (frankly though I haven't tried this feature on every set I demoed so YMMV) - while it doesn't sound good, it sounds RIGHT and CLEAR as I can pick up words (diction) perfectly. On my FW1000t or even my AKG N400 speech sounds quite muffled on hear through mode. The ANC/ANC off/ambience modes can be handily switched with a touch on the right earpiece and switching between the modes with music playing on there is only minimal effect on the overall SQ. Well done on that one.

Call quality: I had a couple of calls on them just fine but I haven't seriously tested this yet.

The SQ is truly a joy to behold - transition between the DD and the planar driver is just perfectly smooth that there is zero incoherence and the sound maintain a consistent colour and timbre throughout the whole frequency range. I feel perfectly comfy listening to classical or complex prog rock / j-pop arrangements with it due to the timbre accuracy and high resolving power.

I own the TE-Z1PNK. It sounds very clean and the tuning is very good to my ears. The Nuratrue Pro is my #1 in my books

 

[Gilroypro]

www.youtube.com/live/ZDiSeTI0e1M?feature=share

I just ordered these a few days ago on ebay, can't wait

 

[Canabuc]

I just ordered these a few days ago on ebay, can't wait

How much were they? I ordered from AliExpress and they got shipped to wrong part of the country. Got refunded and am trying again.
I think I til the next generation of phones all support aptx lossless and go multi driver for as close to iem sound as possible, this is the best compromise without breaking the bank while still providing all the techy stuff ( ANC, Qi, LDAC, multipoint....)

Right now aptx lossless sounds amazing and will truly remove the codec as a limited for sound quality but there are only 2 phones in the current market that support it. Both by Asus which is not the direction I want to go for my phone.

 

[Gilroypro]

How much were they? I ordered from AliExpress and they got shipped to wrong part of the country. Got refunded and am trying again.
I think I til the next generation of phones all support aptx lossless and go multi driver for as close to iem sound as possible, this is the best compromise without breaking the bank while still providing all the techy stuff ( ANC, Qi, LDAC, multipoint....)

Right now aptx lossless sounds amazing and will truly remove the codec as a limited for sound quality but there are only 2 phones in the current market that support it. Both by Asus which is not the direction I want to go for my phone.

I got mine from $180 on ebay coming from India to the US. Paid the extra since it can take longer from China. I have the ROG Phone 6 Pro. Aptx Lossless is a big deal for me now that I have experienced it. Even though I have a few multidriver TWS like the Fokus Pro, Two Aviot PNKs, Huawei freebuds pro 2, etc, which all sound fantastic in their own way. Aptx Lossless makes such a difference in hearing more detail than before.