[phiemon]

Hello!

Hopefully someone here can help me with a tip. I am considering buying new TWS and my decision is between:

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
Sony WF-1000XM5
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3

My main criteria is the sound quality. If you believe RTINGS, the APP2 are the best overall. Can anyone tell me anything about this?

 

[Andricop]

Hello!

Hopefully someone here can help me with a tip. I am considering buying new TWS and my decision is between:

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
Sony WF-1000XM5
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3

My main criteria is the sound quality. If you believe RTINGS, the APP2 are the best overall. Can anyone tell me anything about this?

Hi,

If you want to pair with an iPhone I would choose the AirPods without hesitation, SQ is very good, and even if you can find some TWS with a slightly better SQ it is not worth it because of the perfect pairing with iPhone (multipoint, quick connection, no BT problem, ...)

A few weeks ago I had the B&O Beoplay EX and even if SQ was very slightly better I returned them

 

[Eoin]

Hello!

Hopefully someone here can help me with a tip. I am considering buying new TWS and my decision is between:

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
Sony WF-1000XM5
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3

My main criteria is the sound quality. If you believe RTINGS, the APP2 are the best overall. Can anyone tell me anything about this?

If your eco system is Apple (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch) then without doubt, in terms of functionality, ease of use, then nothing comes close to the coherent experience with the technology.
There are a lot of customisable options under AirPods accessibility settings that can help tailor sound specifically to your liking. Personally I run mine stock, except for Azla Crystal tips which I find transforms the comfort and secure fit to absolute perfection.
3rd party offerings don’t offer the full integration one gets with APP2, but can sound good also.

Personally, I wouldn’t be focusing on sound quality, given the quality of what you listen to on your DAP/IEM setup, one cannot but notice the not so subtle difference in SQ.
The best TWS synergy, in my opinion, is as a lifestyle/daily product, that makes life easy.

 

[phiemon]

Hi,

If you want to pair with an iPhone I would choose the AirPods without hesitation, SQ is very good, and even if you can find some TWS with a slightly better SQ it is not worth it because of the perfect pairing with iPhone (multipoint, quick connection, no BT problem, ...)

A few weeks ago I had the B&O Beoplay EX and even if SQ was very slightly better I returned them

If your eco system is Apple (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Watch) then without doubt, in terms of functionality, ease of use, then nothing comes close to the coherent experience with the technology.
There are a lot of customisable options under AirPods accessibility settings that can help tailor sound specifically to your liking. Personally I run mine stock, except for Azla Crystal tips which I find transforms the comfort and secure fit to absolute perfection.
3rd party offerings don’t offer the full integration one gets with APP2, but can sound good also.

Personally, I wouldn’t be focusing on sound quality, given the quality of what you listen to on your DAP/IEM setup, one cannot but notice the not so subtle difference in SQ.
The best TWS synergy, in my opinion, is as a lifestyle/daily product, that makes life easy.

Thank you very much for the answers.

Yes, I am also deep in the Apple eco system, so the APP2 would be for the iPhone. I will buy them.

How are the Azla tips for the iPhone? Any sound differences?

 

[jude]

Hello!

Hopefully someone here can help me with a tip. I am considering buying new TWS and my decision is between:

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
Sony WF-1000XM5
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3

My main criteria is the sound quality. If you believe RTINGS, the APP2 are the best overall. Can anyone tell me anything about this?

We have all three of those, and I don't agree with RTINGS. To be clear, I'm not saying they're wrong, just that I don't agree -- so I guess I am saying they're wrong when it comes to me.

I use the AirPods Pro 2 a lot, but almost never to listen to music dedicatedly. It is unquestionably an incredible device, in terms of its technologies. Nobody can touch Apple yet when it comes to pass-through. (We objectively tested this at Head Acoustics' US labs. Perhaps we'll use those tests as content at some point.) The APP2'S ANC is also excellent. Outgoing voice is very good (but not awesome). And it sounds very good for what it is. But what it is not for me is an audiophile TWS for dedicated music listening -- for that it's good. I'll give it that.

We only recently received the Sony WF-1000XM5. The XM5 is an excellent earphone (especially for ANC), and it sounds quite good to me. But, again, for me, first impressions suggest it's not going to be my dedicated audiophile TWS, though I think it sounds better, and is more resolving to me than the APP2 (but keep in mind I've only used this model so far with one of my Android phones using LDAC). And while ear fit will vary from person to person, I don't get the quickest, easiest fit with the XM5 with any of its included eartips -- it takes more finagling than I'd like.

Of your list, that leaves the Sennheiser MOMENTUM TW3. And if sound quality for music listening is your primary criterion, it's my clear favorite of the three. The MOMENTUM TW3's default tonal balance is closer to my overall preferences for music listening than any other TWS I've tried (and second, in terms of overall performance, to the HIFIMAN SVANAR Wireless), but if you're going to score the MOMENTUM TW3 against the most popular preference targets, it may not be the best in that regard. (But I also find that method of evaluating too reductive much of the time.)

One of the perceptual metrics we've been testing with (and will be showing more data from going forward) is something from Head Acoustics called MDAQS (Multi-Dimensional Audio Quality Score). We talked about MDAQS with Dr. Hans Gierlich from Head Acoustics (recently retired), and posted a video about it, which you can see here:

​

I've been talking a bit about MDAQS in a couple of seminars I've given, and, again, we'll be sharing MDAQS scores for headphones and IEMs in the future. (We'll probably start late this year, and then ramp up in 2024.) I'll also be sharing more information about what it is (and what it isn't).

Anyway, the Sennheiser MOMENTUM TW3 is one of the highest-scoring devices we've tested with MDAQS, which didn't surprise me. It scored an MDAQS overall score (MOS-O) of 4.8 out of a possible 5. As for its tonal balance (which, again, would probably not score very high if using solely the most popular frequency response targets), MDAQS gave it a timbre score (MOT-T) of 4.9 (which, again, did not surprise me). Of the three assessed dimensions, it could reasonably be said that the Timbre dimension is the one most involving and affected by frequency response.

(It'll help to understand the previous paragraph more if you watch that video above.)

Anyway, long story short (I know....too late), of the three you mentioned, when it comes to music listening, I recommend the Sennheiser. And, of course, I'm not recommending it solely because of the MDAQS score, but I thought that was an interesting thing to share since we're talking about the MOMENTUM TW3.

​

2023-09-24 1614 EDT: Edited to make the distinction between my preference for the MOMENTUM TW3's tonal balance and overall performance to me.

 

[ttt123]

Hello!

Hopefully someone here can help me with a tip. I am considering buying new TWS and my decision is between:

Apple AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C)
Sony WF-1000XM5
Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3

My main criteria is the sound quality. If you believe RTINGS, the APP2 are the best overall. Can anyone tell me anything about this?

I have the APP2 and recently got the WF-1000XM5. Using with iPhone 14 Pro Max. They are both good.
While I haven't done a proper comparison, I like the XM5 SQ a lot. They are both good, and you should try both if possible. For SQ, the XM5 is my preference. Using with DSEE Extreme may give it an edge over the APP2. I feel the XM5 is more transparent. Small differences, but they do add up.
Plus the XM5 has 8+ hours with ANC on, and is small and comfortable for extended use, which for some may be a useful feature.

I would just say that the APP2 is not a no brain choice, as the XM5 has a lot to offer.

 

[Eoin]

How are the Azla tips for the iPhone? Any sound differences?

The Azla made the AirPods easy to insert and get a great seal.
That tacky material the Azla’s made of also makes them 100 times more secure.
The only difference was the consistency of sound the Azla gave due to the above.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Thank you very much for the answers.

Yes, I am also deep in the Apple eco system, so the APP2 would be for the iPhone. I will buy them.

How are the Azla tips for the iPhone? Any sound differences?

I have the TW3 and XM5. Out of the box tuning of TW3 is excellent. But... It stopped charging 7-8 months after I bought it. I took it back to the shop and received a brand new one. I asked if this happens often and was told that it happens a lot with wireless IEMs - and mostly with Apple devices.

XM5 also sounds great after an EQ adjustment. What I also like about it is that it can sustain two connections, so you can use it with your computer, then switch to your mobile phone when you receive a call. Battery life is also great.

 

[Neweymatt]

Have to figure out how best to route it…

Jotunheim2 with the phono module. You could also line in your CD player or a DAP.

It’s a great amp for your headphones and IEMs, especially single-DD/DD hybrid ones.

 

[Alexzander]

Had a chance to finally try today Solaris Stellar Horizon and Trifecta.
SSH have the most beautiful look, feel, fit and size among all Solaris models to my taste, but the sound leaves wanting more and doesn’t justify the price at all.
The bass I would say is the strongest part of it, not that much elevated but implemented quite tastefully. It’s the mids where some not so good things start to happen: they are way too linear which also leaves male vocals to be underpowered.
The real disaster are highs - cymbals, all the “sh” and “ts” sounds are way too much overly spiced. And we have also some sibilance introduced, yikes. It literally ruins the whole presentation, making SSH sound grainy, digital and glary.
So a hard pass unfortunately.

Another thing that is not up to 2023 standards both in terms of SQ and price are the stock cables for both SSH and Trifecta. This are the same old somewhat poorly sounding cables which take a lot from quality of supplied IEMs. And now we have x3 of them with one having almost not used nowadays 2.5mm termination. This is totally unacceptable keeping in mind the price hike. Shame on Campfire for this!

Trifecta on the other hand is a much more mature offering. The tuning is not to my liking but I can easily understand the choice if it’s something that you are up to - I don’t think that I ever heard an IEM tuned like this, maybe only XE6 sounding distantly alike.
The star of the show is the bass - not the sub bass, not the mid bass, but the very core bass. It’s being forward, elevated and HUGE amount of air movement accompanies it.
Both decay and reverb of each note are pure pleasure to experience.
Quite a unique presentation for sure.
Mids are being seriously pushed back with male vocals again suffering the most.
With stock silicone tips and cables I can hear some unpleasant occasional peaks in highs - this time I was actually able to solve the problem very quickly.
I swapped the stock cable for the not the most highest purity gold-plated silver Nobunaga cable and viola.
A long time ago I’ve noticed that gold-plated silver can make the sound both more vivid while diffusing and softening the highs a bit - which was fortunately a case here.
And the last few words on the divisive resolution aspect of Trifecta - I wouldn’t say that it is not resolving enough in terms of technicalities capability but rather the chosen tuning cast some shadows on details in the mids and also affects things like separation.
So IMO overall Trifecta is a real flagship product which I can recommend to buy if you like such sound profile.

 

[Scubadevils]

Jotunheim2 with the phono module. You could also line in your CD player or a DAP.

It’s a great amp for your headphones and IEMs, especially single-DD/DD hybrid ones.

That looks excellent, only downside I can see is that it doesn’t have a 4.4mm option?

 

[tombrisbane]

Aura arrived today 15 mins in, has the mids from Phonix I absolutely loved but with DD bass. Need a lot more time but so far extremely happy!

 

[Kiats]

This new CD player from Shanling will absolutely be mine once available. No info yet on DAC or amp (at least that I’ve seen) but I note a 4.4mm and 3.5mm, unlike the recent Moondrop that was announced and minus a 4.4mm. It specifies battery powered and ‘transportable’ so yet another great way to listen to CDs with IEMs and in this case move about the house - I love the idea of playing an album that way in bed or at my desk. My journey lately definitely going more old school!

Can’t wait

Yeah... the ET-3 is supposed to be excellent as well. Just waiting for Jaben Singapore to send me a set to try. Apparently, stock keeps selling out before they even arrive. Well, at the price they are charging, that is hardly surprising.

 

[warrenpchi]

Calling all Watercoolers joining us at CanJam SoCal 2023!

We're doing a WhatsApp group chat to help coordinate meals, meet-ups and other on-site activities. Please PM @goldwerger to get added!

 

[chickenmcnug]

Hi friends. Been awhile, my account was even deactivated due to inactivity
Maybe about 2 years late but have an EXT on the way.

Looking for a DAP to pair this with. Also a note: tried the EXT with an AK SP3000 and kind of hated the combo. Much preferred the Questyle M15 dongle on my phone over it so I guess I prefer a less technical sound?

I remember not ever liking how any of the iBasso/Fiio daps sounded.

If I’m mot wrong, I’ve read that EXT is very sensitive to cables/source and scales pretty well with power. Also open to some amp suggestions if it come down to that though I rather not stack. I have of narrowed it down to the following:

Cayin N7 (expensive)
Hiby RS6 (good contender)
Hiby R6ii (looks like power might be low though I’ve read it’s a non-issue)
Hiby R5ii (Android version is a little old, might wait for a “R5iii”)
Sony daps (Read that UI is kinda slow & volume cap)

Here are some rough criteria:

Pocketable (Hiby R8 was way too big for my liking)
Android (newer versions, preferably 12)
Balanced 4.4 (I think 90% of daps have this now?)
Fast UI
No lag on audio vs video when used on desktop mode* (Ive noticed this an issue even on R8, if this is present on everything then ignore this)