Dec 18, 2024 at 7:47 PM Post #23,791 of 23,833
Fiio seems over priced too. Shure needs to fix that active/inactive issue for even battery life. Power off active every hour to switch them works for me.

FYI my nephew lost one of his nozzles so I called Shure and was able to order replacement and they sell the oring that rests on shell and seals the nozzle even though I have read they aren't available.
 
Dec 18, 2024 at 8:07 PM Post #23,792 of 23,833
Weird - I’ve had none of these issues with my TW2. Maybe I’m not using it long enough in a single session to run into uneven draining. But I’ve had absolutely no disconnects or pops or other issues. It’s been perfect. I wonder if these are specific somehow to the sources or your power supply or environmental things like temperature or something.
I expect it's partially due to the extremely congested radio spectrum for WiFi/BlueTooth/etc in my condo complex. But also something related to my body's bioelectric field or the way my body tissue blocks the signals. I can cause a dropout instantly by putting my hand up to my face while wearing the TW2. But it very rarely occurs with the AirPod Pros, maybe 1 in every 20 events. I still can't fathom how the tiny AirPod Pros seem to outperform the much larger adapters that should theoretically have better antennas.

I have heard a pop before with TW2 and the cheap one. I have had no issues with either. You just don't have good luck. Cheap one I get 6.5 hours of battery life. TW2 more than that. Below is a cheap one. I don't know how good it is but it's cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DDY9L8W..._csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWw&th=1
I actually have a set of those TRN adapters. Mine are a different revision though as they look different. The model number on them is BT20S compared with the BT20 Pro
in your link. Alas the BT20S was another complete letdown. Constant connection issues. Never got them to work reliably. I bought it through a Drop campaign and when I went to return them, they said don't bother and just gave me a credit for their cost to use for a future purchase. That credit is likely still sitting there as I stopped buying from Drop after that purchase. Not specifically because of it, but because Drop pricing could often be beat if you watch for sales.

Like you (and I) said, I just seem to be having a run of bad luck lately. Oh well, I'm still hopeful that eventually it'll work out and I'll find something that works well for me.
 
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Dec 18, 2024 at 8:19 PM Post #23,793 of 23,833
Fiio seems over priced too. Shure needs to fix that active/inactive issue for even battery life. Power off active every hour to switch them works for me.

FYI my nephew lost one of his nozzles so I called Shure and was able to order replacement and they sell the oring that rests on shell and seals the nozzle even though I have read they aren't available.
Fiio's prices have certainly increased as the brand has expanded. I've been pretty satisfied by my past Fiio purchases, but I think they've grown too rapidly and are trying to deliver on too many products. Quality control was never perfect, but it seems to have worsened rather than improved. They've also branched off a couple of subsidiary brands - Jade and now SNOWSKY. I'm unlikely to buy future Fiio products other than their cables. That's one product of theirs that I do really like.

Good to hear that Shure is now offering those o-rings. Not a big deal for me as I'm still quite happy running the SE846 with no filter installed at all.
 
Dec 18, 2024 at 8:39 PM Post #23,794 of 23,833
Fiio's prices have certainly increased as the brand has expanded. I've been pretty satisfied by my past Fiio purchases, but I think they've grown too rapidly and are trying to deliver on too many products. Quality control was never perfect, but it seems to have worsened rather than improved. They've also branched off a couple of subsidiary brands - Jade and now SNOWSKY. I'm unlikely to buy future Fiio products other than their cables. That's one product of theirs that I do really like.

Good to hear that Shure is now offering those o-rings. Not a big deal for me as I'm still quite happy running the SE846 with no filter installed at all.
Maybe your free Fiio will be a good one.
 
Dec 18, 2024 at 10:44 PM Post #23,795 of 23,833
I expect it's partially due to the extremely congested radio spectrum for WiFi/BlueTooth/etc in my condo complex.
That makes sense - I’ve not been using it in such an environment. I am not an expert but I think the newer Bluetooth versions, newer chips, and better antenna design can make this better. I doubt Shure invested in much of that in the TW2 though.

I can cause a dropout instantly by putting my hand up to my face while wearing the TW2. But it very rarely occurs with the AirPod Pros, maybe 1 in every 20 events.

That is so strange. I just tested this out on both the TW2 + 846 and APP2 and could not get it to happen at all over many many tries.

I bought it through a Drop campaign and when I went to return them, they said don't bother and just gave me a credit for their cost to use for a future purchase. That credit is likely still sitting there as I stopped buying from Drop after that purchase. Not specifically because of it, but because Drop pricing could often be beat if you watch for sales.

Agree. I am regularly able to beat Drop prices. I also have noticed that some things that look like deals are a bit suspicious - for example the pricing that can be beat elsewhere, or pricing that looks like a special deal but is the same price it has been for a long time, or the kit being slightly different from the regular one you can buy elsewhere (like different accessories). And then there’s ship times. The discussions often have comments on people frustrated waiting months for their shipment.
 
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Dec 18, 2024 at 11:05 PM Post #23,796 of 23,833
Fiio's prices have certainly increased as the brand has expanded. I've been pretty satisfied by my past Fiio purchases, but I think they've grown too rapidly and are trying to deliver on too many products. Quality control was never perfect, but it seems to have worsened rather than improved. They've also branched off a couple of subsidiary brands - Jade and now SNOWSKY.
Yep. I am always suspicious of these brands that have odd branding, overly complex product lines, a constant stream of new releases, and weird offshoot brands with cringe inducing names like “SNOWSKY”. I think these companies really need to redo their line up and deliver properly on a few items. It is hard to trust even some of their flagship releases like the K19 DAC/Amp (https://www.fiio.com/k19). It has an amazing feature set and specifications for the price ($1299) - and reviewers agree on this generally - but its menu/controls feel rough, there are some quirks/bugs that need firmware updates in the future, and it seems like this may end up being something that is just left incomplete since they’ll probably move on to the next big release.

Another example of weird offshoot brands is Shenzhen Foresight Technology (AKA Fosi Audio) trying to go luxury with Mamoritai - oddly, a ChiFi brand using a Japanese sounding name to distinguish their higher priced brand. I have to admit their recent amp release looks very pretty (https://www.headfonia.com/mamoritai-euphony-review/). But it is just so poorly thought out in many ways. It is very expensive ($2000), has bizarrely few inputs/outputs (RCA in, 6.35 unbalanced out), doesn’t do well with high impedance headphones, etc. I don’t get it.

In contrast, German brand RME has combination DAC/Amps (the ADI-2 lineup like https://www.rme-usa.com/adi-2-4-pro-se.html) at multiple price points that match the Fiio K19, the Mamoritai Euphony, and also above either. These devices are built solidly, come with incredibly detailed manuals, trustworthy warranties, and continue to receive updates year after year. Sure they are not flashy, and have been on the market for a few years, but they do their job well and I don’t think I’ve ever seen an owner say something negative about them. And since RME keeps updating the functionality for free, you can trust that any issues you run into will get worked out.
 
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Dec 18, 2024 at 11:24 PM Post #23,797 of 23,833
I still can't fathom how the tiny AirPod Pros seem to outperform the much larger adapters that should theoretically have better antennas.
Looking at the APP teardown from iFixit (https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/AirPods+Pro+Teardown/127551), it looks like they actually make use of almost the entire ‘stick’ to house the antenna. The third photo in Step 11 (the X-ray image) shows the internals that are folded over against themselves. That entire length is taken up by the piece in the orange highlighted box in the third photo of Step 12, which is the antenna hardware. Pretty incredible industrial design in terms of how compact and perfectly it all folds up against itself.

1734582118657.jpeg
1734582129469.jpeg


I can’t find any teardown of the Shure TW2. But looking at the photos (https://www.shure.com/en-US/products/accessories/rmce-tw2?variant=RMCE-TW2), I think the ear hook part that terminates at the IEM is entirely taken up by cabling that feeds the actual IEM. It’s thinner than the APP stick after all. The adapter electronics probably don’t go beyond the barely visible line that separates the earhook part from the circular button part. I doubt they have the same antenna size physically, actually.

1734582262359.jpeg


Another consideration is the wireless technology is different. APP2’s H2 chip uses Bluetooth 5.3 while TW2 uses Bluetooth 5. That can make a big difference - 5.3 included a couple features called Connection Subrating and Channel Classification Enhancement that help with connection quality, stability, ability to handle interference, etc. Plus, the APP2 USBC version (but not the older Lightning version) supports 5 GHz band as well, which lets them support lossless audio but also have less interference since basically everything else in Bluetooth is in the 2.4 GHz range (much more crowded).
 
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Dec 20, 2024 at 8:01 AM Post #23,798 of 23,833
Maybe your free Fiio will be a good one.
It's beginning to look like I may not receive it. As it turns out, the tracking number provided by Aliexpress showed the origin carrier as Singapore Post and the delivery carrier as Canada Post. I had a 2nd shipment (not audio related) that arrived in Canada on Dec. 17th. It showed as Canada Post but the tracking number was not found by them when I contacted customer service.

Today it got delivered by a UniUni courier. It had a tracking number in the same series as the Fiio shipment, so I checked it on UniUni's tracking system and it wasn't found in their system. So my suspicion is that the Aliexpress site (and 17Track) wrongly showed Canada Post as the delivery courier. The Fiio order arrived locally on Nov. 19th, so if it too was a UniUni handled package, it likely would have been delivered by now.

No big deal if it doesn't ever show up as I got a full refund. I gave my TRN BT20S set another try... sitting there gathering dust didn't help. :laughing:
 
Dec 20, 2024 at 8:39 AM Post #23,799 of 23,833
Looking at the APP teardown from iFixit (https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/AirPods+Pro+Teardown/127551), it looks like they actually make use of almost the entire ‘stick’ to house the antenna. The third photo in Step 11 (the X-ray image) shows the internals that are folded over against themselves. That entire length is taken up by the piece in the orange highlighted box in the third photo of Step 12, which is the antenna hardware. Pretty incredible industrial design in terms of how compact and perfectly it all folds up against itself.
.

I'd seen that teardown before I bought mine. I never thought much about them but a good friend and his wife love theirs. They aren't audio enthusiasts, but they said that the APP2 have really changed the way they listen to all sorts of audio... music/videos/movies/tv/podcasts/audiobooks/etc. They let me borrow a set for a day and I was sold. Sure they don't have the much fuller soundstage we get with our 846, but for the price and performance, they really are quite a good product.

Another consideration is the wireless technology is different. APP2’s H2 chip uses Bluetooth 5.3 while TW2 uses Bluetooth 5. That can make a big difference - 5.3 included a couple features called Connection Subrating and Channel Classification Enhancement that help with connection quality, stability, ability to handle interference, etc. Plus, the APP2 USBC version (but not the older Lightning version) supports 5 GHz band as well, which lets them support lossless audio but also have less interference since basically everything else in Bluetooth is in the 2.4 GHz range (much more crowded).
I was reading up on the H2 chip's support for Apple Intelligence, their version of generative AI and saw those BT specs as well. That's one thing Apple has really made big gains on - they have some pretty decent engineers. I was concerned when they announced they were moving away from their partnership with Intel and were going to design and manufacture their own processing products. I had been using a late 2013 MacBook Pro with an Intel CPU for over 8 years when I finally felt the need for more performance. I did a lot of research and came to the decision that I'd try one of the Apple silicon models.

I'm now using a 2021 M1 Max MacBook Pro and have been really happy with it. I do use it for video editing with Davinci Resolve and 3D modelling with Blender, but those are hobbies for me now. If I was still doing 3D/video work commercially, I'd have no qualms about buying a new M4 model or even a Mac Studio. I'm overdue for my tablet replacement, and have been back and forth between going with an iPad Pro or a M$ Surface. I'm holding off to see if the M5 Ipad Pro is worth paying top $$ for but my thought is to go with a used or refurb previous gen unit. Or jump ship to leave the Apple ecosystem and go with a Surface. Now that M$ is doing ARM it'll be interesting to see how they position against the iPad Pro, but that's a next year issue.

Anyhow, easy to get sidetracked so I'll stop rambling here. If/when I get that Fiio adapter, I'm still expecting some disappointment based on some of the reviews I've read. For now I'll keep watching for something else. Who knows... if I procrastinate long enough, maybe Shure will release a TW3 that addresses the uneven battery drain and uses a BT 5.4 or newer chipset. Would be nice to have a little more power too. I still have to run the TW2 at close to full volume to overcome my tinnitus, so amplifier improvements would be welcome. We can dream...
 
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Dec 20, 2024 at 8:51 AM Post #23,800 of 23,833
Dec 20, 2024 at 4:41 PM Post #23,801 of 23,833
Dec 25, 2024 at 5:17 AM Post #23,802 of 23,833
I'm offered a fairly reasonable discount on a pair of brand new gen-1 se846s, is it worth getting the pair now in 2024?
 
Dec 25, 2024 at 9:37 PM Post #23,804 of 23,833
No, your M9 is much better :ksc75smile:
Thanks, I've always been curious about the se846 which always seems to be rejected by the audiophile communities while being adored by musicians and those alike.
 
Dec 25, 2024 at 11:26 PM Post #23,805 of 23,833
Thanks, I've always been curious about the se846 which always seems to be rejected by the audiophile communities while being adored by musicians and those alike.
Previous comment is one opinion. I personally can't comment on the m9 since I never got one (was always curious about those though). I currently have the SE846 Gen 1 and Gen 2. Use them both and still love them. That's just my opinion. I had no problem buying a second pair when the Gen 2 came out (i use my gen 1 with a TW2 and gen 2 wired). The only difference between gen 1 and 2 is the red filter. Really hard for someone to tell you if it's "worth it" to you as everyone has different financial situations and budgets. My SE846 goes everywhere I do.
 

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