[subguy812]

Hello all! I am considering getting the AZ80 for travel/portability, currently considering the XM5/AZ80/BEOPLAY EX/Pi7 S2/Between 3ANC. I've been buying sony products since 1998, most recently the sony signature collection, I did like the XM2 & XM3's but ditched those for the Sennheiser's Momentum 2. Really diggin the features of the AZ80 and the high praises of the Between 3ANC.

I have had all of the list except the Pi7 S2. Are there specific questions? Keep in mind some of my thoughts would come from memory as I don't have them all anymore.

 

[davidmthekidd]

I have had all of the list except the Pi7 S2. Are there specific questions? Keep in mind some of my thoughts would come from memory as I don't have them all anymore.

The question would be which is your favorite?

 

[subguy812]

The question would be which is your favorite?

I do wish it was that easy. If there is a feature that is important to you or sound quality it would help to know.

Out of your list the B&O EX was my favorite for a long time. I reluctantly sold it to move on and try different offerings. I wish I still had it to actually A/B against some of the more recent flavors of the day. It was excellent in fit, and sound quality, app lacked some features and ANC is marginal to poor. Can be had for a great price used on Amazon

XM5- I preferred the sq of the XM5 versus the XM4, it is a little more airy and balanced. The ANC is top tier, but I think ANC was a touch better on XM4, but I didn't have them at the same time and I no longer have them at all. I love their app it is #1

AZ80 - On your list this is the best all around package I would say. To me it excels at nothing, but is a complete package. The sound grew on me the longer I had them and I definitely had to use EQ to maximize my appreciation, can't remember my preferred setting. Look nice, decent build quality, good Codec stability.

3ANC - The sound quality is super. The price for a new one is great. The comfort is great, but aesthetically I am meh(very borgish) Three drivers, one dynamic as opposed to one dynamic driver in most other TWS. App is thin in features. ANC surprised me yesterday. I was watching football in a very noisy bar and was using Tunity to listen to the game I was watching, When I had both buds in my ear and the volume up on the commentary it was almost silent.

I hope this helps. I cannot give a 1,2 and 3 rating because I can't A/B. EX or 3ANC would be my sq picks.

 

[erockg]

Just got an email from Devialet this morning about a 9/13 announcement. Might be the Devialet Gemini II. Looks like the FCC submission for the US happened end of July.

https://fccid.io/2AN9V-CL928

 

[dweaver]

On LRT using DPP and the ANC is not quite God tier but is very solid. I would put it close to the AZ80.

So ANC and ambient modes are both pretty solid.

If you can get these to fit and l8ve with the large round design, they are definitely a good all round TWS. Pricy, coming in at the same price as the XM5. But they offer a pretty competitive set of features with arguably better sound quality.

 

[smith]

Just got an email from Devialet this morning about a 9/13 announcement. Might be the Devialet Gemini II. Looks like the FCC submission for the US happened end of July.

https://fccid.io/2AN9V-CL928

Same here …I hope so.

 

[subguy812]

I think I am going back to the XM5 one more time, not sure why. I gave them a very short time.

 

[erockg]

I think I am going back to the XM5 one more time, not sure why. I gave them a very short time.

I did yesterday. Messing with them now because of the tip noise while walking a mile a few mins ago. Annoying. That said, no dropouts or interference so far on this pair while watching movies with some Rokid Max glasses connected to an Apple TV. Whew.

 

[subguy812]

I did yesterday. Messing with them now because of the tip noise while walking a mile a few mins ago. Annoying. That said, no dropouts or interference so far on this pair while watching movies with some Rokid Max glasses connected to an Apple TV. Whew.

What tips? I tried the Spinfit CP360 and they worked okay. I will tip roll when these come today. Geesh we have to quit buying and re-buying the same thing at the same time folks might begin to talk.

 

[erockg]

What tips? I tried the Spinfit CP360 and they worked okay. I will tip roll when these come today. Geesh we have to quit buying and re-buying the same thing at the same time folks might begin to talk.

You can me both. We just have too many and get GAS. I was just using the Azla SednaEarfit MAX for TWS. Final TWS tips work better but the noise movement is still there. Just tried the CP360, same issue. Ugh. Rollin rollin rollin...

​

 

[clerkpalmer]

Same here …I hope so.

Yup yup. Hope it's a real upgrade.

 

[tiagopinto]

Trying to catch up with the thread as I was out sick for a bit, and its great to see a lot going on within it.

It's interesting to see the commentary on the threads about the Svanar and the codes or SQ,etc. Some comments seemed to be very harsh and we should remember we are just talking about a piece of hardware , HiFi audio and our lives are not going to change , if they are around or not.

Do think that all of us in this forum spend our hard earned cash on these gadgets and we should have high expectations and not be complacent with manufacturers.

A bit of random thoughts:

Most established IEM brands are now jumping into the TWS markets and bringing in some cases just their name to charge exhorbitant amounts versus previous TWS manufacturers.

Have been buying TWS devices for quite sometime and have experienced the up's and down's of the hobby. But at the same time have a kept a good record of the "maturity" cycle of the different manufacturers and these devices.

In order to keep some control of this hobby and structured my expectations of TWS devices for now:

• The whole conversation of LDAC,etc. Have placed this as a low priority as the software/hardware on the TWS devices and phones ( IOS or Android) are not really "fully baked", as such you have a lot of hit & miss, ( battery, connection approach, settinsg,etc) which I think is a bit of what is going with the Svanar.
• TWS family categories have evolved and are falling in certain categories
  • Sound only
  • Sound + Passive Isolation
  • Sound + Passive Isolation + App
  • Sound + ANC
  • Sound + ANC + App
  • Sound + Passive Isolation+ ANC + App
  • APP range from simple just for general FW updates to fully fledge
• As such when I am looking at TWS also placed their pricing within similar buckets to see if its overpriceed or not. In particular if its a 1st Gen device. Usually I wait until gen 3 before spending more than $300, hence why I waited for a while for the Final Audio Z8000 but made my own mistake with the UM Free and also the Svanar, basically I did not follow my own matrix and spent money unnecessarily
• The core reason I use a TWS is that I don't want to be tethered to a desk or worriying about moving around with phone + cable + Iem as n example. Want to have mobility and as such a key item for me is the passive isolation or ANC ( incuding transparency), want to be able to listen with minimum distractions in the office, home , garden, plane, subway,etc.
• Connection type ( SBC, LDAC,etc) I stick to the basic due to bullet #1. But also as I found that if I use Spotify, Amazon HD and Qbuz, the differences are not as a big as I find when using hardwired and the TWS drivers and associated signal processing circuits are not as matured, it will get there just not yet. Did find that for example Final Audio Z8000 did move the needle a bit on this, but would it make my default TWS all the time, not really.
• Have found that brands like Samsung and Huawei do a great job as to balancing a lot of elements without sacrificing the sound quality
• TWS has an issue of fit and weight balance that will be very different for each person and it gets magnified as you may want to use these all day ( commute+ work).
• Battery capability is key but still brands like Samsung do very good on that department vs some other brands as they have propietary design and components developed overtime to allows for battery to become a non issue.
• APP is a "depends" , don't like TWS with an app that onky allows for FW updates or TWS that don't even have one. That signals to me is that they are fully vested on this audio category and as such I hold my money until I see them bring a capable app
• One item to note in 2023 I still find TWS with issues with radio intereference filtering , some TWS manufacturers still do a very poor job with managing interfererence from old home wireless sets functioning at 2.4GHZ and even certain microwaves.

Have kept my TWS number to less than 30 and moving to just keep myself to 10 as to have a bit of a rotation. My hardwired IEM's have seen less and less of use which is something interetsing for me as I thought they would balance out

Oh well another day and another tune.

Good to see you back and healthy.

I’m also catching up...

Great post. My stable is tiny, only two (CAMT, APP2), and I keep my promise: will not splurge on finite longevity ; will prioritize sound over others, but, in this form factor (TWS), I want the whole package (SQ, ANC, transparency and app).

They’ll get “there”. But the somewhat recent price hike trend of full size bluetooth going from 300/400$ to 900/1000$ and TWS from 200/300$ to 500/600$ is not good. At least I, will not follow.

As you very well say, these items are for our enjoyment and, for me, this forum is for sharing, assessing and learning. I can’t understand arguments or insults almost anywhere, let alone when this is all about our collective aural pleasure.

Cheers!

 

[Not so fat head]

If memory serves, the PI7 were 399 at launch and before global inflation skyrocketed. I also believe they suffered from some software glitches. It's not a terrible comparison but I'm not sure what point you are trying to make. The Svanar are the entire package. No one said they were ground breaking. They are just made from high quality components and it appears to make a difference.

Yes, and I picked them up for $275 direct from B&W, so I’ll get the Svanar’s for under $300. Lots of elasticity in these prices. Not picking on the HIFIMAN’s, let’s keep (all) their feet to the fire on these prices.
Huge complaints on water cooler on high end IEM’s skyrocketing prices…. Many say they should have nipped this off at the start..

 

[davidmthekidd]

I do wish it was that easy. If there is a feature that is important to you or sound quality it would help to know.

Out of your list the B&O EX was my favorite for a long time. I reluctantly sold it to move on and try different offerings. I wish I still had it to actually A/B against some of the more recent flavors of the day. It was excellent in fit, and sound quality, app lacked some features and ANC is marginal to poor. Can be had for a great price used on Amazon

XM5- I preferred the sq of the XM5 versus the XM4, it is a little more airy and balanced. The ANC is top tier, but I think ANC was a touch better on XM4, but I didn't have them at the same time and I no longer have them at all. I love their app it is #1

AZ80 - On your list this is the best all around package I would say. To me it excels at nothing, but is a complete package. The sound grew on me the longer I had them and I definitely had to use EQ to maximize my appreciation, can't remember my preferred setting. Look nice, decent build quality, good Codec stability.

3ANC - The sound quality is super. The price for a new one is great. The comfort is great, but aesthetically I am meh(very borgish) Three drivers, one dynamic as opposed to one dynamic driver in most other TWS. App is thin in features. ANC surprised me yesterday. I was watching football in a very noisy bar and was using Tunity to listen to the game I was watching, When I had both buds in my ear and the volume up on the commentary it was almost silent.

I hope this helps. I cannot give a 1,2 and 3 rating because I can't A/B. EX or 3ANC would be my sq picks.

This helped a ton, the only downside of the 3ANC at the moment is the lack of higher quality Codecs, almost a deal breaker to me honestly.

 

[subguy812]

This helped a ton, the only downside of the 3ANC at the moment is the lack of higher quality Codecs, almost a deal breaker to me honestly.

I would venture to guess, you may not really even notice. @erockg can chime in on the 3ANC as well