Just bought and tried them out today(approx. 6 hrs+). As a new Head-fi reviewer, this review may be a little overkill. All my listening was with the ANC mode on. One should know that this artificial process typically alters the response of a driver considerably, giving it a more "digital" sound(Good & Bad IMO). I personally reference them with my KH120 Neumann studio monitors with an almost perfectly flat response(non-an-echoic but calibrated). I hope my review of this product is accurate:
First and foremost it has an overall bright response, not V-shaped response but rather a modified U-shaped curve---> Bass is surprisingly pretty accurate for the most part, definitely stronger at the extended sub-bass region. Treble is definitely BRIGHT, like the response of a V-shape's treble response. With these in mind, one can gauge the extent of mids that will sound recessed, at least from a technical standpoint. To me the midrange are OK for my day to day commute. I do not own a huge range of IEMs and earpieces, but for what I can tell the overall sound signature is refreshing and definitely lets me appreciate music of different genres in a positively different perspective. Do note that there are many nuances and details in the music that are presented in a different way, such as wide stereo effects having an extended treble. They are quite colored, definitely give them a listen first.
On to sound quality, they are quite average at its price point. But personally the highlights are its soundstage and imaging. The soundstage is quite wide, compared to my IE80 it sounds about 10-20% deeper, but separation is average IMO. Imaging is pretty accurate, but earpieces are earpieces, they don't have that natural crosstalk we hear on speakers, nonetheless based on a binaural point of view it does have quite an accurate presentation compared to many earpieces I've tried at its pricepoint.
Resolution is SO SO, to me it sounds quite grainy in the highs(not sure if its due to wireless transmission quality).
Build quality & design aspects:
The earpieces feel very plastic, hence its lightness. Not sure on the material of the touch-sensitive feature(glossy to the touch, either plastic or glass) Anyone knows? The casing/charger lidappears to have a sanded-metallic finish but it is completely plastic, same plasticy matte finish for the base. It "features" a completely curved base, making it only possible to stand upside down. This is CRITICAL for many and IMHO a design flaw(sounds like empty space in that curved base upon flicking it). Then again for me I will be slipping them in my pocket/bag so it wouldn't affect me that much.
ANC:
Probably the most interesting feature. I've used the WH-1000XM2 & 3 headphones, and the ANC on these does measure up almost as well up to the upper mid-range. From there I don't think it cancels as well as its headphone counterparts.
The earpiece comes with a really weird hybrid spare earbud. It feels like the silicone version of the comply foam tips. Feels pretty high quality. One should note that the treble response changes when using them. It will tame the extended treble range very slightly, but most would likely get used to that slight change after a while. I believe its intended use is to provide better passive isolation. Typically comply foam tips increase bass response and reduce treble response, so they might take away some overall audio clarity.
I think that's it so far. ALWAYS try them first before committing to purchases at this price range.
For me, since I'll be using it for daily commuting, I feel this, as a earpiece, is quite close to what I need for the next 2 years the least.
NOTE: Although this earpiece does not use the latest wireless technology, unless if you're into gaming or into other fast response audio applications should you consider a better signal. Its indicated sampling rate of 44.1khz is seriously good enough for most people, even most audiophiles! In fact most of our music are only about 10 true bits. Don't buy into that Hi-Res 24-bit snake oil commercial wagon. If you're looking into DSD sampling, this earpiece can't fit the bill.
