[TooNice]

My current pair of IEM are the MEElectronics A151 which I bought 8 years ago and I got tons of value out of it.

But with a lot of mobile devices doing about headphone jacks, I was wondering if progress has been made in the market for cheap yet decent wireless IEM. Are there anything I should look at (preferably available in the UK)?

I found the MEElectronics A151 pretty safe and would be quite happy with something similar, but I am also a fan of the Koss KSC-75 (for serious listening I like the AKG-701). Basically I do not need too much lots of bass (prefer slam to boom), but I like either something relatively neutral or with emphasis on mid. I also value airiness, soundstage and details, but given that I am looking at something cheap, I would use my MEElectronics and Koss as my benchmark.

(I am starting to read the "Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?" thread, but it will take some time for me to go through that, and it would be nice if anyone with experience with either of the MEELec or Koss that I use could put some input)

Thanks!

 

[joe]

If you're still in love with your wired IEMs and headphones, have you considered something like these Bluetooth adapters?

FiiO BTR5: https://fiio.com/btr5
FiiO BTR3K: https://fiio.com/btr3k
Shanling UP2: https://en.shanling.com/product/239
Shanling UP4: https://en.shanling.com/product/257

I've used the FiiO BTR3 (the predecessor to the BTR5 and BTR3K) with wired headphones to Bluetooth to my iPhone with great effect. (I've since been using the BTR3 to give my car Bluetooth connectivity and it works well there.)

I just wanted to post a possible alternative for you.

 

[Peddler]

Out of all the cheaper wireless IEM's I've experienced, I personally would recommend the Lypertek Z3 (Tevi). They have excellent specs, work well with Apple and Android, have excellent sound quality, can kick out some nice volume and have excellent battery life. Whilst they don't feature ANC or passthrough, I think their sound quality is truly excellent. Alternatively if you like stronger bass, the Tronsmart Apollo Bold's bring a lot to the table - I love their sound but would never describe them as neutral but they're perhaps closer to the Koss 35/75/PortaPro sound profile.

I believe you can now get the PortaPro as a bluetooth headset but there's still a wire connecting the two sets together. As Joe has pointed out, there's some excellent bluetooth amplifiers out there now which would probably cost less than the wireless PortaPro - definitely also worth considering.

 

[TooNice]

If you're still in love with your wired IEMs and headphones, have you considered something like these Bluetooth adapters?

[...]

Thanks for the head up, I didn't know those kind of things existed (I kind of took my wallet and ran years ago lol).

Definitely something I will keep on my mind and look into.

That said, a quick look suggest that those things are a bit more money than I had in mind at the moment. Though I am happy with my IEM, and I think I did quite well keeping it functional for 8 years, I do think that it's also a matter of time that I will eventually damage the cord especially this is what I also use when I jog and there is going to be a bit of tugging when I move.

And that is why I am starting to wonder if perhaps it might be worth looking at true wireless options. Those are meant to be for commute, exercise etc., so I might be willing to make some trade off of sound quality for the convenience, and given that my portable IEMs are truly budget nowadays I figured that there might be true wireless options that can match them.

@Peddler
Thanks for your suggestions, I will take a look at those too

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

My current pair of IEM are the MEElectronics A151 which I bought 8 years ago and I got tons of value out of it.

But with a lot of mobile devices doing about headphone jacks, I was wondering if progress has been made in the market for cheap yet decent wireless IEM. Are there anything I should look at (preferably available in the UK)?

I found the MEElectronics A151 pretty safe and would be quite happy with something similar, but I am also a fan of the Koss KSC-75 (for serious listening I like the AKG-701). Basically I do not need too much lots of bass (prefer slam to boom), but I like either something relatively neutral or with emphasis on mid. I also value airiness, soundstage and details, but given that I am looking at something cheap, I would use my MEElectronics and Koss as my benchmark.

(I am starting to read the "Going fully Wireless IEMs. Too soon? Or are we there yet?" thread, but it will take some time for me to go through that, and it would be nice if anyone with experience with either of the MEELec or Koss that I use could put some input)

Thanks!

The game is quite saturated nowadays. Let me know if you have any questions as you work your way through the TWS thread. It's quite long. Once you have a budget in mind, I can help direct you from there.

The sweet spot, in my experience, has been at about the $125 price point. Granted, that's gonna fetch more than the MEE A151 did, but that is where I believe is the true "bang for the buck" equipment. You have the ADV M5-TWS if you want a balanced signature that's effectively earbuds without a wire. The Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch is a good choice for effortless all-day listening with a bass boost that doesn't overwhelm the mids (probably one of my favorite tonalities in a TWS period).

If you want teleconferencing, I'd suggest taking a look at Jabra's eBay store where they tend to sell off the refurbished equipment. Managed to snag the Elite 85T for $150 from them with a coupon code.

For pure sound quality, though, I think you're going to have to bite the bullet and go with an adapter like @joe recommends. My personal choice would be either the Qudelix 5K or, if you want something closer to a True Wireless, the iBasso CF01. Yes, they're more expensive. You get a ton for the money with Qudelix and their included app. The CF01 are more spendy and more limited on features, but seem to give a good amount of power to anything I connect up to it. Would be a good choice if you primarily use MMCX IEMs.

 

[TooNice]

The game is quite saturated nowadays. Let me know if you have any questions as you work your way through the TWS thread. It's quite long. Once you have a budget in mind, I can help direct you from there.

The sweet spot, in my experience, has been at about the $125 price point. Granted, that's gonna fetch more than the MEE A151 did, but that is where I believe is the true "bang for the buck" equipment. You have the ADV M5-TWS if you want a balanced signature that's effectively earbuds without a wire. The Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch is a good choice for effortless all-day listening with a bass boost that doesn't overwhelm the mids (probably one of my favorite tonalities in a TWS period)..

Having gone through many posts in the TWS thread, I have decided that a TWS in the £100 (about that sweetspot in USD) is what I would like to go for. I would like a taste of forgoing cables when I am jogging outside, or carrying lots of bags (which may pull on headphone when strapped across my chest and whatnot).

I have already asked here but the CA Melomania Touch and the Lykertek PurePlay Z3 are on the top of my short list, followed by the Edifier NeoBuds Pro and the Moondrop Sparks. I have tried reading many reviews, but I don't think to find side by side comparisons even though they are all in similar price range and are very highly regarded by at least some people.

Please let me know if you have any thought on those, especially between the Touch and Z3 if you have tried the later.

Your previous post seem to indicate that you are fond of the Melomania Touch, and I would love to know your thought especially on the soundstage compared to other TWS in this range.

Thanks!