Earphones / Headphones: Where to try, what to buy?

The Sennheiser ones are getting really good reviews...

I bought a pair of Bragi ones a couple of years ago and they were shit. I think it's moved on pretty significantly since then though.

You can just buy a BT cable for your Shures? Or do you have the older ones from before the interchangeable cables.
(I know this isn’t a ‘true wireless’ option, but if you like their sound...)

the sennheiser ones are the only ones i read about that didn't have dropping out issues.

that would drive me bonkers

Nope.

Battery life sucks, bulky, connectivity issues, playback lag, mic was useless and fiddly controls.

I got those noise cancelling Sony's and they were excellent sound and decent for running but 90mins battery life. I killed them over xmas as I left them in my shorts pockets and will be going back to wireless (wired) earbuds.

@mashton seems to have had different experiences though.

If airpods did comply tips then I'd be getting a pair - they're the best thing on the market currently

I guessed as much. Will wait...

Shame I hate wearing headphones for a prolonged amount of time.

@h2o - yeah, if I’m going wireless I want actual wireless. Otherwise I’ll just deal with the full shure wire. I’ve also read terrible things about the shure Bluetooth cable.

@mashton thanks for that. Interesting to read how about how many people have totally contrasting experiences...

There's a chance they could've improved the mic etc as I had mine a while - also probably being a bit harsh but I know what you're like!
What annoyed me was there was no charge indicator on the case - so often would pull the buds out and have no juice.

Charge case every night ..

I might make a little stand with the charging plug glued into the right location, so I can just pop them on each evening.

These are probably front runners right now:

https://audio46.com/shop/audio-technica-ath-ckr7tw-black/

Had good reviews and have much better battery life than any others. Wanna see them in the flesh though and see how bulky they are. Saw someone wearing a pair of true wireless Bose soundsport things this morning on the subway and it looked like they had a dildo coming out of their ears... I'd rather avoid that look.

Klipsch also announced some at CES. I suspect I'll wait till CES is over to see what is released there.

How about sutin like this to use with your shures

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/TRN-BT20-Bluetooth-V5-0-Ear-Hook-MMCX-2Pin-Connector-Earphone-Bluetooth-Adapter-For-SE535-UE900/1825606_32955022313.html?spm=2114.12010612.8148356.3.42d36d9ba2jiQf

Bluetooth V5.0, Standby time: 180 hours Playback 6 hours, 100mAh battery, mmcx or 2 pin connectors

some impressions from head-fi
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chinese-asian-brand-info-thread-portable-headphones-and-iems.820747/page-1369#post-14650963

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chinese-asian-brand-info-thread-portable-headphones-and-iems.820747/page-1383#post-14665224

Shure's already look like hearing aids, let a lone with those spaceships attached to them. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

hehehe, function before fashion

Tannoy have release some too

A certain amount of vanity is to be expected.

Shure's already look like hearing aids, let a lone with those spaceships attached to them

hehe

Well, I'm going to go for the Audio Technica CKR7TW's. They're not that bulky, are cheaper than the Sennheiser's, have a substantially longer battery life and have bigger drivers. If they suck then I'll sell 'em.

not that bulky

Fortunately I've got a big ol' melon head and relatively sticky-out ears so they look fine :-)

Let me know what you think. I need some new headphones. Are they cheaper in US?

$249 before tax, so like $273 or something. Text me if you want anything. My sister is coming in two weeks and can bring stuff back.

Immediate impressions are very good. Fit is good, don’t look that ridiculous and are comfortable. Sound really nice - surprisingly nice in fact. Warm mids. Can deliver a nice thump at the low end without sounding boomy. Relatively bright but that suits my listening habits anyway. Sound a bit more consumer orientated and fun to listen to than my very analytical Shure SE425s. Soundstage is perhaps wider than the Shure’s but instrument separation not as good.

They apparently house a DAC within the earbud which is pretty nifty. Very surprised at how decent these sound versus my Shure/Dragonfly Black combo. They are head and shoulders above Airpods from a SQ perspective, obviously. Very similar sound signature to a pair of M50x’s. They mangle bad recordings. Like - really badly.

Very happy with the purchase, save for one issue, audio delay with video... currently cannot watch video without audio lag - I know it has crippled some wireless audio stuff but didn’t think I’d find it here as I’d not read about it being an issue anywhere. Will see if updating my phone/changing the codec type fixes this - they support both AAC and SBC codecs. Oh and aptX but my iPhone doesn’t >>> Anyway just an initial ramble. My iPhone is going nowhere though - thinking about it - I rarely watch video with headphones on my phone anyway.

And okay okay, they’re relatively bulbous but I really don’t mind. Definitely not as bad as Bose - and they have a claimed six hour battery life so that’s good.

Not sure I’d wanna pay £250 for them though if I still lived in England - assuming they put them at that price point. Chunk of change just for getting rid of a wire.

1 Attachment