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Wireless IEMs Any Good?

rubycat

rubycat

pfm Member
Birthday coming up so I thought I would treat myself to some wireless earbuds.
Have been using an old pair of Samsung wired iem's with my android mobile streaming Spotify.
Fedup with the cable getting in the way so I would like to try wireless maybe Sony xm5 ?
Have never used bluetooth iem's so what are the pitfalls, the bits they dont tell you.
Would like a clear detailed sound over anything else. Any advice greatfully received max £250 spend.
Thanks
 
I've used a few, the original B&O (which I still use even though problematic in some ways) and the XM4's (sold due to fit/comfort after a while).

With source materal at 320kbs you don't need to spend that much and in fact that might be better to go cheaper as fit is probably more important than ultimate sound quality. Having said that I would probably go with an LDAC connection to an XM5 (it's supposedly slightly smaller than the XM4) with Tidal.

Hope that helps.
 
I have the Sony XM4s, overall I’ve been happy with them, listening through them now on the train in fact… but:

I could only get them comfortable with the Comply memory foam tips/earbuds. These only last about 3 months, so that is an ongoing cost.

They support LDAC which is a very good compression algorithm for sound quality, they sounded better through my Samsung S10 than my current iPhone which doesn’t support LDAC and defaults to a lesser compression algorithm. They don’t sound as good, quite noticeably without the LDAC.

Battery life. When they were new I was getting maybe 3+ hours from a charge, then pop them back in the case which they charge from and you are good to go again. 18months down the line the right IEM has a life of maybe 1.5-2 hours on a good day, so they will need replacing soon. I will be chasing Sony on this as it seems a known fault.

They are very convenient, the SQ is good, the noise cancelling is excellent. I don’t regret the purchase at all, now I’m an iPhone user, I may go apple for my next pair of IEMs, purely because they should functionally be a better match.
 
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Thanks very much for your help, I have just checked my Moto G31 (please dont laugh) and I does not support LDAC.
So that might be the the biggest obstacle to overcome if the sound is so much better than normal Bluetooth.
 
Yes. LDAC is noticeably better IF you are listening to lossless audio. Not so much if you're using Spotify.
 
Contrarian suggestion from the cheap seats for good reason: these are cheap enough just to try, to see if you like the concept before pursuing 'better' (which undoubtedly, is available)


(they do a version without the slight bass lift BTW, but I'm glad i bought these since they are used on commute by public transport, where these sound well-balanced / great at low volume)
My thoughts after about 18months use.
  • Battery life is really good, meets the claim, and the case will recharge the buds 5-6times easily.
  • The lack of wires to tangle on the move, fish through your coat in -use, is a bigger thing than you might think.
  • Sound of these, regardless of price, is utterly non-fatiguing, but I'm not listening too critically on the move. Even-handed for voice, or all sorts of music via phone
  • I like the comfort - these ' cam-in' to your pinnae, the tiny pad resting against the end of the ear canal torqued to taste - and not seated within the ear canal. I like that a lot, and makes them comfortable for long periods.
  • Useful only for playback.

Cheap! Cheap enough to try, before committing to the concept, with Birthday moneys : )
 
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Wireless IEM's emit a large amount of EMF directly into your ear canal which is close to the brain. So convenient yes, and the premium Apple earpods apparently sound quite good. Though bad for your health (if that matters to you).
 
bluetooth, c 420-440MHz is non-ionizing radiation, and the signal strngth is... milliwatt.
I don't think there is any basis for the assertion in the post above.

..there isn't for mobile phones, over >25yrs of widescale use; also non-ionizing radiation - and they have an ERP of nearly a watt, at near 'microwave oven' frequencies!
 
martin clark said:
bluetooth, c 420-440MHz is non-ionizing radiation, and the signal strngth is... milliwatt.
I don't think there is any basis for the assertion in the post above.

..there isn't for mobile phones, over >25yrs of widescale use; also non-ionizing radiation - and they have an ERP of nearly a watt, at near 'microwave oven' frequencies!
Click to expand...
Yeah and they said smoking and DDT were safe decades ago. I stand by my comment 💯 .
 
Edifier are a good budget brand.

Sony sounds great but have battery life issues as noted.

Sennheiser are good but don't let them lose all their charge as they might sulk and not recharge.
 
Honestly get the decent fiio receivers, they do hires codec then choose whatever iem you like you can fiddle arse around with peq on whatever software player you use.

I have galaxy bud pro 2 for sweaty stuff, the fiio receivers and a modest iem leave them for dead.
 
I have Technics AZ80s that I'm very satisfied with. Great sound; good app with easy setup & EQ; both noise cancelling & ambient gain options; comfortable enough for hours of listening. I've never run out of battery. I put them in their cradle during breaks & recharge them after work.

I do think the noise cancelling could be better as it has trouble blocking the radio at work. The ear seal is pretty good for regular operation, however. Ambient gain is useful in quiet environments where I need to hear certain noises & voices from time to time.
 
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