[Deviltooth]

Was the driver count/type mentioned?
 
This is theoretically an interesting product but I don't believe bluetooth can deliver audiophile levels of sound quality yet.  Even the reviews of the new Parrot Zik (2) mention poor treble response.

 

[tusing]

  Was the driver count/type mentioned?
 
This is theoretically an interesting product but I don't believe bluetooth can deliver audiophile levels of sound quality yet.  Even the reviews of the new Parrot Zik (2) mention poor treble response.

 
The Freedoms will use the Rocket's driver. The Rockets' driver is known to produce amazing sound quality.
 
Bluetooth sound is indistinguishable from wired, especially in a mobile environment. The treble response of the Parrot are indicative of issues with the headphones rather than Bluetooth. All Bluetooth is, is a data transfer method.
 
 
I'll post some of the most interesting points made about the Freedom in the Rockets thread here.

 

[tusing]

You can start reading about Freedom discussion in the Rockets thread here.
 
Some of the more interesting points jrkong makes:
 

  So apparently Aurisonics will be making wireless earphones now. DO WANT, if they sound anything like the Rockets!
 

Well rejoice because they use the same drivers as the ROCKETS!

 
 

Quote:

WHAT.

This is cool. They'll need batteries yes? I wonder what kind of run time they'll get... Might have to back these.

Did I not mention that before? They've got other gimmicks in them too. If all they did was play music they wouldn't be half as interesting. IIRC they got their own batteries and a battery expansion pack in the form of earhooks. Have I got you hyped yet?

 
 

Can I get a driver count?

Same as ROCKETS, so 1. I'd assume they're coming soon now that ROCKETS aren't in the way anymore.

 

[Deviltooth]

   
The Freedoms will use the Rocket's driver. The Rockets' driver is known to produce amazing sound quality.
 
Bluetooth sound is indistinguishable from wired, especially in a mobile environment. The treble response of the Parrot are indicative of issues with the headphones rather than Bluetooth. All Bluetooth is, is a data transfer method.
 
 
I'll post some of the most interesting points made about the Freedom in the Rockets thread here.

It's not about the driver, it's the fact that Bluetooth uses heavy compression.  Here's a link that explains Bluetooth has improved but isn't at the same level as wired audio: http://lifehacker.com/does-bluetooth-audio-still-suck-1505063323

 

[tusing]

 
It's not about the driver, it's the fact that Bluetooth uses heavy compression.  Here's a link that explains Bluetooth has improved but isn't at the same level as wired audio: http://lifehacker.com/does-bluetooth-audio-still-suck-1505063323

If aptX is being used (it probably will be) it shouldn't be much of an issue at all.

 

[Deviltooth]

  If aptX is being used (it probably will be) it shouldn't be much of an issue at all.

If getting rid of the cord is more important to you than sound quality, then no, it won't be an issue.

 

[Dinerenblanc]

 
If getting rid of the cord is more important to you than sound quality, then no, it won't be an issue.

I already have plenty of wired headphones. If I just want superb sound, I'll just use my SE846, but I don't need the best all the time. It's super convenient to be able to just pluck the IEMs out of your ear and pocket them without having to roll up the wire, which is probably one of the most annoying parts about using IEMs in public; having to fumble with the wire while getting off the train or in the middle of the street. A small trade-off in sound quality is fair. Besides, I doubt Aurisonics is going to release a sub-par sounding product, bluetooth or no bluetooth.

 

[getclikinagas]

  It's not about the driver, it's the fact that Bluetooth uses heavy compression.  Here's a link that explains Bluetooth has improved but isn't at the same level as wired audio: http://lifehacker.com/does-bluetooth-audio-still-suck-1505063323

Nowadays, with aptX providing ~352kbps 16-bit, 44.1kHz (CD-Quality) audio we are beyond what is considered acceptable in terms of data transfer for good audio quality (unless hires audio becomes the baseline for acceptable). High-end audio reproduction maybe isn't there yet, but at that point it is a case of improving something that is already quite good.
 
Therefore it comes down to how well the receiver/headphone can decode and deliver. And we currently do not see many bluetooth devices that 'focus' on the quality of music(because that wasn't the primary purpose of the device and due to the 'earlier' limitations in codec and bluetooth tech). 
But with products like earin and the auris I hope this focus will change.
 
TL;DR: Currently, Bluetooth technology is not the limiting factor. The dearth of gear/devices that focus on high-quality audio while taking advantage of the available bluetooth techology is the limiting factor.
 
ljokerl has written a good article on '"Wireless fidelity: making sense of Bluetooth headphone technology"

Just to quote the wrap-up

As it turns out, Bluetooth version is mostly inconsequential from an audio quality point of view – any headphone specified as v2.1 or higher should be fine. Likewise, supported Bluetooth profiles are not something to worry about as all stereo Bluetooth headphones support A2DP.  All A2DP devices support the standard SBC audio codec, though implementation quality varies. If your device supports aptX, an aptX headphone will take the guesswork out of audio codecs, providing consistently good audio quality over Bluetooth. AAC will do the same for the few devices that support it.
 
NFC and multipoint technologies provide additional functionality and may be a deal breaker for some, but don’t have a bearing on audio quality. The audio components of the headphone itself do, however. At this point, a good headphone can sound quite good over Bluetooth, but a bad headphone will always remain just that.

Also, his review on the Sony SBH80, which is a good example of what is possible when audio quality is the main focus of a bluetooth device. And this is just the start. 

 

 

[AxelCloris]

For those saying that bluetooth headphones can't sound incredible I used to be in the same camp. Then I auditioned the Pendulumic Stance S1. It's astonishing how good those headphones sound considering that they're wireless. Yes you lose a little fidelity but the implementation of aptX combined with their in-house DSP they did an incredible job of retaining as much quality as possible. I have to say that the Stance S1 is currently the king of wireless in my book, and I'm hoping that the new Aurisonics can take them on. Full disclosure: I own the S1 and I do hold a slight bias. The reason I own them is only because I heard claims that they were excellent bluetooth headphones and I wanted to prove to myself that bluetooth still cannot compete in the headphone world. After demoing the S1 I now think that it can and I purchased one immediately.
 
So yes, you do still lose a little but at this point the conveniences of BT can make those loses moot if properly executed, but only then.
 
Also, my understanding is that Dale is targeting an amazing price point for the new wireless Aurisonics. I won't comment on any actual numbers but the retail price he's trying to achieve is impressive by itself, let alone the possible prices he mentioned for the Kickstarter. So even if you want to wait for some reviews to come out that's perfectly fine, you'll still get a good price. But I'm going to jump as soon as I can because I'm 100% on-board and will be locking in any early bird pricing, if available.

 

[Dinerenblanc]

  For those saying that bluetooth headphones can't sound incredible I used to be in the same camp. Then I auditioned the Pendulumic Stance S1. It's astonishing how good those headphones sound considering that they're wireless. Yes you lose a little fidelity but the implementation of aptX combined with their in-house DSP they did an incredible job of retaining as much quality as possible. I have to say that the Stance S1 is currently the king of wireless in my book, and I'm hoping that the new Aurisonics can take them on. Full disclosure: I own the S1 and I do hold a slight bias. The reason I own them is only because I heard claims that they were excellent bluetooth headphones and I wanted to prove to myself that bluetooth still cannot compete in the headphone world. After demoing the S1 I now think that it can and I purchased one immediately.
 
So yes, you do still lose a little but at this point the conveniences of BT can make those loses moot if properly executed, but only then.
 
Also, my understanding is that Dale is targeting an amazing price point for the new wireless Aurisonics. I won't comment on any actual numbers but the retail price he's trying to achieve is impressive by itself, let alone the possible prices he mentioned for the Kickstarter. So even if you want to wait for some reviews to come out that's perfectly fine, you'll still get a good price. But I'm going to jump as soon as I can because I'm 100% on-board and will be locking in any early bird pricing, if available.

Ditto, now do you have any insider information on when the KS will start? 

 

[AxelCloris]

  Ditto, now do you have any insider information on when the KS will start? 

 
Well, I DID, but Dale pushed it back to make sure that the Rockets were taken care of first. And I respect that since it means that the company can focus better on the Auris when it launches. At RMAF he was planning on the 17th for the launch. I'll shoot him an email and see if he has any new information about the campaign for this thread. I know he likes to talk about his work.

 

[Dinerenblanc]

   
Well, I DID, but Dale pushed it back to make sure that the Rockets were taken care of first. And I respect that since it means that the company can focus better on the Auris when it launches. At RMAF he was planning on the 17th for the launch. I'll shoot him an email and see if he has any new information about the campaign for this thread. I know he likes to talk about his work.

Sorting out the Rockets situation should definitely be his priority, but I honestly cannot wait to hear more information about the Auris. 

 

[tusing]

Also, it would be great if the KS started at a known time with a known price. It would suck to have the cheaper and more customizable limited editions all get sold out before I get back from class at uni.

 

[kamcok]

  For those saying that bluetooth headphones can't sound incredible I used to be in the same camp. Then I auditioned the Pendulumic Stance S1. It's astonishing how good those headphones sound considering that they're wireless. Yes you lose a little fidelity but the implementation of aptX combined with their in-house DSP they did an incredible job of retaining as much quality as possible. I have to say that the Stance S1 is currently the king of wireless in my book, and I'm hoping that the new Aurisonics can take them on. Full disclosure: I own the S1 and I do hold a slight bias. The reason I own them is only because I heard claims that they were excellent bluetooth headphones and I wanted to prove to myself that bluetooth still cannot compete in the headphone world. After demoing the S1 I now think that it can and I purchased one immediately.
 
So yes, you do still lose a little but at this point the conveniences of BT can make those loses moot if properly executed, but only then.
 
Also, my understanding is that Dale is targeting an amazing price point for the new wireless Aurisonics. I won't comment on any actual numbers but the retail price he's trying to achieve is impressive by itself, let alone the possible prices he mentioned for the Kickstarter. So even if you want to wait for some reviews to come out that's perfectly fine, you'll still get a good price. But I'm going to jump as soon as I can because I'm 100% on-board and will be locking in any early bird pricing, if available.

Idk if there was something wrong with the one i tried but I couldn't stand the sound of the S1's sound on wireless mode....... it was horrible
When it was wired though, it sounded fantastic... :s

 

[Deviltooth]

Here's another thought:  People claim bluetooth is more convenient but I don't see it that way.  I already have a phone, tablets and music players that regularly need recharging.  I don't want to add my earphones to that pile.  Especially considering the battery life of bluetooth IEMs is unlikely to be good.