Wireless Earbuds, any good?

Mag · « **on:** 17 Oct 2021, 04:33 am »

I was thinking of getting wireless earbuds for xmas present so that I can lay in bed while listening with no cord to worry about if I lay on my side.

So I'm wondering if the sound quality is any good. Is there a lag in sound with bluetooth connection? Then there's the possibility that I could wear them at work while on duty and I'm thinking there might be interference with Wifi.

Thought?

Mag · « **Reply #1 on:** 17 Oct 2021, 06:12 am »

Decided to go with the Yamaha TW-E3A earbuds as they get favorable reviews for having exceptional sound quality. Which is my main concern and they work with Windows 10. Also trust the Yamaha brand, so I'm confident I'll be satisfied with the purchase.

These are pricier than competitors and may not have features that someone else wants or needs. For my needs I won't be using them with a smartphone. Just for lying in bed while listening to Amazon HD on i5 computer.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #2 on:** 17 Oct 2021, 11:45 am »

My 2 cents are:
My boss give me a cell for work contact but after a few weeks I discovered I cant sleep with the phone turned on, só Iam imagine your room with Wifi, 5G phone Havana Síndrome and wireless buds.

Craig B · « **Reply #3 on:** 18 Oct 2021, 11:57 am »

I'm reasonably happy with Ultimate Ears' UE Fits model. The sound is at least as good as any other sub-$500 IEM I've tried, and the semi-custom fit works well, at least for me.

DannyBadorine · « **Reply #4 on:** 18 Oct 2021, 12:39 pm »

Bluetooth defintely degrades the sound quality, but if the purpose is to have music in bed without a chord then you should have a good time with those earbuds and you probably won't notice much of a difference.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #5 on:** 18 Oct 2021, 01:36 pm »

I have 2 sets of true wireless headphones.

1- Mifo 05 Gen 2 Plus - I use these for work. Preposterous battery life (5-7 straight hours of use on conference calls), good range (PC in basement, I can get all the way to the 2nd floor and still have connectivity), sound decent (not enough bass but otherwise good and for work use they are perfect) and well priced. Liked them so much I bought my daughter a set who took them off to Uni.

2 - 1More True Wireless ANC - I use these for walks or around the house listening. Way better bass than the Mifo's, pretty good sound, but less than 1/2 the battery life in real use (2 hours maybe?) and large (look like june bugs in my ears).

I own but no longer use a set of Noble wired iems. They are better for fidelity no doubt, but for convenience I choose the other 2 every time.

WGH · « **Reply #6 on:** 18 Oct 2021, 03:24 pm »

I use the Jabra Elite 75t. Good fit, excellent full sound and they even went through the wash once and survived even though they are not the waterproof model.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and a hearing calibration feature to fine tune the sound to how your ears actually work plus a solid 5 1/2 hours of battery life. I would buy them again.

https://www.jabra.com/bluetooth-headsets/jabra-elite-75t##100-99090000-02

Mag · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Oct 2021, 11:45 am »

Quick post as I'm getting ready for work. Got my Yamaha TW-E3 Earbuds yesterday evening by Purolator. Had some problem pairing for first half hour or so and could not change out earpads, fortunately the ones one the set seem to fit my ear.

First off, oh my god, exceptional sound quality is the word. At max volume on my computer setup using Amazon HD(highest sound quality setting) Voice Meeter, Realtek HD audio headphone output at 96000Hz 24 bit the max volume seems perfect for my listening habits. No lie, I'm hearing subtle clarity in lyrics that I haven't heard in familiar music.

The range is approx. 30 feet without interference. I can be anywhere in my house and maybe in the outside yard and be connected. Was even able to lay in bed on my side with earbuds on the pillow. But they tend to want to pop out of my ear as I walk around the house, so I got to try and change to the right size pads for my ear later tonight when I get home from work.

Gonna pay the price at work for listening to these while sleeping. Although I did sleep some I don't think I got a proper sleep.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Oct 2021, 11:55 am »

Glad you like. I have read the current HPs are about ten times more detailed than a typical loudspeaker.

mcgsxr · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 Oct 2021, 02:23 pm »

Mag in my experience when buds want to pop out they are too large.

I have also found that for some iems, I use different sized tips in each ear (found especially true with foam tips for some reason).

Craig B · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 Oct 2021, 04:22 pm »

Quote from: mcgsxr on 21 Oct 2021, 02:23 pm

Mag in my experience when buds want to pop out they are too large.

I have also found that for some iems, I use different sized tips in each ear (found especially true with foam tips for some reason).

I've discovered my ear canals are different from one another, too. I didn't know it until I got a pair of Apple's AirPods (hard buds, with no cushion material). Judging only by comfort, the left one feels fine and seems like it'll stay securely in place all day. The right one is supremely uncomfortable, borderline painful, and seems ready to fall out at a moment's notice.

Mag · « **Reply #11 on:** 22 Oct 2021, 01:38 pm »

-Update-
Changed ear tip pads to next smaller size and fits better, doesn't fall out of ear now when walking around the house. Seem to be experiencing ear fatigue from having buds in ear for several hours.

Battery life is about 6 hours before having to recharge, recharge take 2 hours. I expect battery life with the lithium batteries to be at least 5 years. I've had my smart phone at least 5 years with daily charging so hopefully ear buds will last as long.

Got interference when electric shaver was close to ear while shaving. Also had regular interference when using other computer & watching TV. Seems like using TV remote caused interference and cable router may have been causing interference but was also transferring files on usb sticks which may have had something to do with it.

Anyway have 2 days off from work so will have plenty of music time. May have to switch to main rig loudspeakers to give my ears a rest. Have a huge headache at the moment. After I eat something maybe headache will go away.

Mag · « **Reply #12 on:** 29 Jan 2023, 05:08 pm »

--Update--
Circumstances resulted in a change of jobs and I'm back driving for a living. Just so happens I needed a new smart phone to do this job so I purchased the Samsung A13 5G. Next I downloaded the Mobile App for Amazon Unlimited and the good news is my entire Playlists are there to listen to while driving.
I find the sound quality with my Yamaha Buds to be just as good as what I was hearing at home computer connection. The Mobile App has an equalizer Setting in which I have it set to Rock since I listen to driving music when working like Headbanger's Ball, keeps the adrenaline flowing.
Damn if I had only had this tech when I drove taxi for 22 years. Having it now however makes doing this job bearable, I only need to come home to eat & sleep. I can do all the computing I did at home with the A13 in my pocket.

mitch stl · « **Reply #13 on:** 30 Jan 2023, 08:57 pm »

Just a suggestion -- anyone interested in the subject of headphones or IEM (in-ear monitors) might want to check out the head-fi.org website. Headphones and associated equipment are all they talk about, and in great detail, with tons of participants.

Mag · « **Reply #14 on:** 24 Apr 2023, 10:07 pm »

On my new job I dropped Train Crew off and decided to listen to music with my ear buds on the way back to city rather than the car stereo, a good 2 hour drive.
I was listening to a Kitaro song at maximum volume of my Samsung A13 that I'm familiar with and I could hear the faint sound of chimes in the background, sort of like wind chimes. Wow, I said to myself, I never heard that before in that song.
Needless to say I'm very impressed with these Yamaha TW-E3 using the Amazon HD mobile app.. I bought a second set to last me into retirement in case this model goes out of stock. Already lost one of the ear cushions that fits my ear, so took that one from the new set so hopefully it will not wear out.
Not the best ear buds in terms of features but the sound quality is exceptional to my ears.

Rocket · « **Reply #15 on:** 25 Apr 2023, 10:19 am »

Hi,

Glad you like the Yamaha TW-E3. I wasn't aware that Yamaha made wireless IEM's so this is news. I've tried a couple of wireless earbuds and so far I've had the following IEM's:

1. EarFun Free Pro True Wireless Earphones - these were quite good for a budget iem but the bass was a bit shy.
2. Noble Falcon True Wireless In-Ear Monitor - these were quite bit more money and only stopped using them because I lost one of the earphones.
3. Final Audio ZE3000 Wireless Earbuds - these iem's are the best so far being a little cheaper than the noble falcons. They are the closest so far to using over ear headphones. - recommended if you want to pay a little more.
4. Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless Earphones - these were on special and I'm waiting for them to compare with the final audio ism's. They utilise active noise cancelling so they should be good for the office.

Cheers Rod

Mag · « **Reply #16 on:** 25 Apr 2023, 02:27 pm »

Quote from: Rocket on 25 Apr 2023, 10:19 am

Hi,

Glad you like the Yamaha TW-E3. I wasn't aware that Yamaha made wireless IEM's so this is news. I've tried a couple of wireless earbuds and so far I've had the following IEM's:

1. EarFun Free Pro True Wireless Earphones - these were quite good for a budget iem but the bass was a bit shy.
2. Noble Falcon True Wireless In-Ear Monitor - these were quite bit more money and only stopped using them because I lost one of the earphones.
3. Final Audio ZE3000 Wireless Earbuds - these iem's are the best so far being a little cheaper than the noble falcons. They are the closest so far to using over ear headphones. - recommended if you want to pay a little more.
4. Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless Earphones - these were on special and I'm waiting for them to compare with the final audio ism's. They utilise active noise cancelling so they should be good for the office.

Cheers Rod

Over-ear headphones is not something I can use while driving, agree they can be quite revealing perhaps too revealing if you can't adjust their resolution down a bit. The car audio is quite good as well depending on which van I'm driving. I had already listened to the 3 cd's I had on hand so needed fresh material. I don't listen to the radio.
I should try another brand of Ear buds just to compare. I noticed the Yamaha TW-E3A is already discontinued, reviews were mixed. But to my ears they sound as good as my main stereo, articulate bass, very clear mids & hi's without being overly revealing.
The other advantage of ear buds vs over ear headphones is I can lay in bed on my side with appropriate pillow and change the song if need be without getting up. Whereas with over ear headphones I would have to lay face up and can't change the song without getting out of bed.

Mag · « **Reply #17 on:** 29 Apr 2023, 10:07 pm »

Okay, I could not get the thought out of my head, the need to compare wireless ear buds, but how can I justify another set?
Well I didn't buy myself a birthday present and this would be my gift. Also I reasoned if Walmart didn't have something I liked I would forego the idea.
With the selection available at Walmart I chose the JBL Tune130NC TWS for $130 CDN..
The reviews on Amazon for this product are mixed. Not totally familiar with this product yet, button function, etc.. I was able to download the JBL app for this model on the Store App on my Samsung A13. The app allows me to adjust an equalizer similar to a parametric equalizer, and 3 settings on/off for ANC, Ambient Aware, Talk Thru, and longer battery life which seem like better features I can use while driving/working as opposed to my Yamaha ear buds. I got to say the user guide is poorly written.
I must have nailed the equalizer setting because again the audio to my ears is exceptional. Definitely in the same league as my Yamaha ear buds, perhaps slightly better or maybe I'm just easy to please. Same issues though according to reviewers, ear fit, battery recharge, sound quality.
There you have it, IMO these wireless ear buds have exceptional audio, YMMV.

CharlieCH · « **Reply #18 on:** 2 May 2023, 12:28 am »

A little late to this thread but here is my $0.02…. I love BT earbuds and have some I really like (Between Pros) They are great for casual listening, on a plane, mowing the lawn (I have a reel mower so it’s not loud) and I think they sound great. But I can’t use them when trying to sleep because they are too bulky and uncomfortable when lying on my side. And they fall out too easily so good luck trying to find them when you wake.

You can look up wired earbuds on Amazon that are for sleeping and I use some of those. There are several brands/models and I got several to try them and they were all about the same. Sound quality is not great but they stay in your ears and are not uncomfortable when you lie down sideways.

So if you want buds for sleeping, look into those. All were pretty cheap so it’s not a great risk to try one set.

Tyson · « **Reply #19 on:** 2 May 2023, 04:33 pm »

For wired, Etymotic has excellent sound and is quite small and also have excellent sealing on the ear to block out external sound.