[Tommy C]

Unfortunately I'm on iOS, which _I think_ means there isn't a wavelet equivalent for me?

for iOS the closest app to manipulate sound output via Bluetooth is SoundID by Sonarworks and while not perfect, it works.
You will need to find your TWS in their database of devices. If you're unable to find it, pick a similar device that has the same chipset.
Once you set it up, take their sound test and from there you can either use one of their pre-sets eq or customize one.

 

[CocaCola15]

Can you elaborate on this? I'll put something together and send it off later today if this is the case. I've been battling congestion, so any notes on FR over the past couple days would be skewed, especially with upper midrange/treble response.

Well, I noticed using the new "neutral" preset that treble sibilance was now in play (this is with 2.1.7 and 2.1.8). I had to tone down the EQ on the right two settings, and not a little, to get the Touch back to sounding acceptable (very good, actually).

Update: So I just went to use the MTs and what do I find but another FW update from 2.1.8 to 2.1.9 (last week was 2.1.7). What gives with CA? 3 FW updates within a week? That has a good/bad aspect, good they are fixing something, bad their updates are seemingly causing new issues. TBH, I put the MTs up for sale on the forum, mainly because I decided I prefer the CA M1+, not just for sound, which is pretty close, but also because I only need one pair of CAs, and I have the UE Fits on order. Anyway, not sure what CA encountered. But I do know the sound sig changed with 2.1.7/2.1.8 and using the neutral EQ setting caused sibilance that never happened before to my ears. I have been using the same tips all along.

I just read over the 2.1.9 notes and it says that "immersive" is the default setting in the app EQ. I guess I thought neutral made more sense, but they say neutral replaces bass boost? Is someone at CA hitting the pub a bit too much?

Another update: Maybe I am just crazy but the sibilance seems to have disappeared, using the neutral setting, no EQ on the player (Kaiser Audio) either (set to off).

Anyway, debating on whether to keep them. I do like the Touch, no doubt about it. But my ears are different and the right side never seems to fit properly, as opposed to the M1+ which allow me to use their OEM foam tips, which I absolutely love (and bought 10 pair on Amazon to prove it! Haha). So I guess I will part with the MTs, again, they are excellent TW phones, but my stable has too many horses right now. And I expect the UE Fits to be keepers.

 

[tiagopinto]

Can you elaborate on this? I'll put something together and send it off later today if this is the case. I've been battling congestion, so any notes on FR over the past couple days would be skewed, especially with upper midrange/treble response.

So… surprise, surprise:

and then every two minutes (if it helps the guys in dev with timing or whatever)

At 2 min

At 4 min

At 6 min

At 8 min

At 10 min… aaaand done.

My first take on this is they shouldn’t have touched the FR after the 1.4.2 update (meaning just before 2.1.7)
Here, I believe the MT sound was at its best, imho.


With 2.1.7 and 2.1.8 the firmware notes and date are exactly the same. This should never happen because it confuses the customer. “So what are you exactly doing this time?” A short “technical improvements with connectivity” on 2.1.8 would suffice. Even if it’s not only that that they’re doing, as we know.

The update process itself was very similar with no hiccups.

Sadly, I must begin to agree they may have tried to broaden the FR. More lower bass and less treble roll off are my initial impressions.
I may be suggested because I’ve been listening much more to wired after the last weekend but, when I picked these up today, it may seem that when they touched the lower bass they may have boomed up the mid-bass (a consequence?), which now I feel could use a little taming. Maybe there’s a little more shrill in the upper treble but this doesn’t bother me as much.
Mids haven’t lost definition but they may have lost a little presence when the bass comes in.
These were never linear buds but I did love their “balance” and timbre after 1.4.2. Here they had all the separation and clarity I craved for in them.
I’d love to hear more from others on this. On the one hand I hope to be proven wrong. On the other, I wish my ears aren’t failing me.
If I’m right, tell them to put it back. This driver may not be a beast for all they want it to be.
If I’m wrong, I need EQ and an audio test…

 

[CocaCola15]

Check again, the MT FW is now 2.1.9.

 

[tiagopinto]

Well, I noticed using the new "neutral" preset that treble sibilance was now in play. I have to tone down the EQ on the right two settings, and not a little, to get the Touch back to sounding acceptable (very good, actually).

Update: So I just went to use the MTs and what do I find, another FW update from 2.1.8 to 2.1.9 (last week was 2.1.7). What gives with CA? 3 FW updates within a week? That has a good/bad aspect, good they are fixing something, bad their updates are seemingly causing new issues. TBH, I put the MTs up for sale on the forum, mainly because I decided I prefer the CA M1+, not just for sound, which is pretty close, but also because I only need one pair of CAs, and I have the UE Fits on order. Anyway, not sure what CA encountered. But I do know the sound sig changed and using the neutral EQ setting hurt my ears. And I have been using the same tips all along.

I just read it over and it says that "immersive" is the default setting in the app EQ. I guess I thought neutral made more sense, but they say neutral replaces bass boost? Is someone at CA hitting the pub a bit too much?

Another update: Maybe I am just crazy but the sibilance seems to have disappeared, using the neutral setting, no EQ on the player (Kaiser Audio) either (set to off).

Anyway, debating on whether to keep them. I do like the Touch, no doubt about it. But my ears are different and the right side never seems to fit properly, as opposed to the M1+ which allow me to use their OEM foam tips, which I absolutely love (and bought 10 pair on Amazon to prove it! Haha). So I guess I will part with the MTs, again, they are excellent TW phones, but my stable has too many horses right now. And I expect the UE Fits to be keepers.

I’m extremely happy now...

... for 2 reasons...

1st reason is I may not be aurally confused. Albeit two FW updates in the same day would help getting there. My ears are not failing me. @CocaCola15 noticed it too, although he didn’t mention the bass...

2nd reason is whoever hit the pub on 2.1.7 and had an extra shot for 2.1.8 stayed in the pub and someone else took over for 2.1.9. The bass has regained its texture and now is not overpowering.

I have been listening to music on headphones for 10 hours+ today so fatigue may surely hinder my judgement. I do need further testing tomorrow morning but I would risk by saying the tuning has gone back to 1.4.2 specs... or close.

Phew, that was scary. Echo and the other gods are on my (our) side. They’ve brought the MT back!

 

[jasonb]

I'm not a big fan of a company changing the sound of their product like that. You're never going to have 100% of the people who bought that product like every change that is made to frequency response. Frequency response should be left alone and not changed on random updates.

 

[CocaCola15]

I’m extremely happy now...



... for 2 reasons...

1st reason is I may not be aurally confused. Albeit two FW updates in the same day would help getting there. My ears are not failing me. @CocaCola15 noticed it too, although he didn’t mention the bass...

2nd reason is whoever hit the pub on 2.1.7 and had an extra shot for 2.1.8 stayed in the pub and someone else took over for 2.1.9. The bass has regained its texture and now is not overpowering.

I have been listening to music on headphones for 10 hours+ today so fatigue may surely hinder my judgement. I do need further testing tomorrow morning but I would risk by saying the tuning has gone back to 1.4.2 specs... or close.

Phew, that was scary. Echo and the other gods are on my (our) side. They’ve brought the MT back!

Glad I was apparently not crazy. I started to doubt myself after 2.1.7 and 2.1.8. I am more treble sensitive, so the bass wasn't on my mind. Just glad 2.1.9 showed up.

 

[tiagopinto]

I'm not a big fan of a company changing the sound of their product like that. You're never going to have 100% of the people who bought that product like every change that is made to frequency response. Frequency response should be left alone and not changed on random updates.

I totally agree. Subtle changes from before 1.4.2 up to it were very welcome. These “sudden moves” are not. Please bear in mind my ears are very fatigued today. But I did use my usual test playlist, listening to the same tracks or segments on every new FW. I do trust my ears usually so I hope I’m not too off...

https://tidal.com/playlist/fef9464a-cb19-4a7d-814a-ab499934b364

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Using my Nuratrue buds this morning. Man, they do sound great. One problem though, they really need to go to 11 to shine. Sadly, they stop at 10. Was having fit issues. Took off the wings and they fit much better without them for me. Immersed in some Mastodon. Heaven.

Mastodon is fantastic. Try Grorr if you want something similar. All of their stuff is on Bandcamp

Unfortunately I'm on iOS, which _I think_ means there isn't a wavelet equivalent for me?

Darn. Didn't think about the iOS thing. SoundID would work, I suppose. Keep forgetting some things are very different between ecosystems.

Well, I noticed using the new "neutral" preset that treble sibilance was now in play (this is with 2.1.7 and 2.1.8). I had to tone down the EQ on the right two settings, and not a little, to get the Touch back to sounding acceptable (very good, actually).

Hmm maybe that's what I was hearing last night. I thought it was just a by-product of me using Transparency Mode

Update: So I just went to use the MTs and what do I find but another FW update from 2.1.8 to 2.1.9 (last week was 2.1.7). What gives with CA? 3 FW updates within a week? That has a good/bad aspect, good they are fixing something, bad their updates are seemingly causing new issues. TBH, I put the MTs up for sale on the forum, mainly because I decided I prefer the CA M1+, not just for sound, which is pretty close, but also because I only need one pair of CAs, and I have the UE Fits on order. Anyway, not sure what CA encountered. But I do know the sound sig changed with 2.1.7/2.1.8 and using the neutral EQ setting caused sibilance that never happened before to my ears. I have been using the same tips all along.

I just read over the 2.1.9 notes and it says that "immersive" is the default setting in the app EQ. I guess I thought neutral made more sense, but they say neutral replaces bass boost? Is someone at CA hitting the pub a bit too much?

Can't speak for them, but I will forward this info on. Probably would help to have a reasonable explanation, but my guess would be that these are meant for the folks having TWS+ issues; they've been having a real tough time accounting for that.

Could say it's frustrating enough to warrant a few trips to the pub...

Another update: Maybe I am just crazy but the sibilance seems to have disappeared, using the neutral setting, no EQ on the player (Kaiser Audio) either (set to off).

Anyway, debating on whether to keep them. I do like the Touch, no doubt about it. But my ears are different and the right side never seems to fit properly, as opposed to the M1+ which allow me to use their OEM foam tips, which I absolutely love (and bought 10 pair on Amazon to prove it! Haha). So I guess I will part with the MTs, again, they are excellent TW phones, but my stable has too many horses right now. And I expect the UE Fits to be keepers.

I think they'll be keepers, too, knowing what you enjoy listening to. Should be a nice reprieve from the bass emphasis of your previous sets.

So… surprise, surprise:



and then every two minutes (if it helps the guys in dev with timing or whatever)



At 2 min



At 4 min



At 6 min



At 8 min



At 10 min… aaaand done.



My first take on this is they shouldn’t have touched the FR after the 1.4.2 update (meaning just before 2.1.7)
Here, I believe the MT sound was at its best, imho.


With 2.1.7 and 2.1.8 the firmware notes and date are exactly the same. This should never happen because it confuses the customer. “So what are you exactly doing this time?” A short “technical improvements with connectivity” on 2.1.8 would suffice. Even if it’s not only that that they’re doing, as we know.

The update process itself was very similar with no hiccups.

Sadly, I must begin to agree they may have tried to broaden the FR. More lower bass and less treble roll off are my initial impressions.
I may be suggested because I’ve been listening much more to wired after the last weekend but, when I picked these up today, it may seem that when they touched the lower bass they may have boomed up the mid-bass (a consequence?), which now I feel could use a little taming. Maybe there’s a little more shrill in the upper treble but this doesn’t bother me as much.
Mids haven’t lost definition but they may have lost a little presence when the bass comes in.
These were never linear buds but I did love their “balance” and timbre after 1.4.2. Here they had all the separation and clarity I craved for in them.
I’d love to hear more from others on this. On the one hand I hope to be proven wrong. On the other, I wish my ears aren’t failing me.
If I’m right, tell them to put it back. This driver may not be a beast for all they want it to be.
If I’m wrong, I need EQ and an audio test…

Taking notes, so thank you for being this thorough. Maybe the tuning changes are Easter Eggs. Personally, I'm glad they're taking risks and not every one of them is going to pay off; looks like that's what you and @CocaCola15 encountered. Wish I could have isolated it as well. Mucinex D will help with that today...

Let me send this info off to the dev team. I'm about to attempt pushing 2.1.9 on the OP8T. Thanks again for the heads up!

 

[Tommy C]

And on a side note, where do you guys see the CA Melomania Touch available?
I checked on their site, Amazon to no avail.

 

[krenzler]

What does everyone think of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds from a sound quality/stability perspective? I've read they've fixed the battery drain issue from the original model, but are they good enough to be in your top 5 list?

Only TWS I've had (and still have) before MTW2 is APP so my 2c may not be worth a whole lot. I run iOS. They do sound better than APP. Audiophile sound tuning needs to be turned on. With the supplied silicone tips I found the stock tuning to be off - V-shaped. Tried the EQ and better but not 100% impressed. Ordered the Comply premium tips specifically for Sennheiser TWS and now much better. No EQ needed and the sound is well balanced to my ears. They are not bass cannons and the EQ is a rather basic 3-band. With Comply they take some effort and patience to get right in the ears - nowhere near APP ease of use plug and play. But I really like them.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

And on a side note, where do you guys see the CA Melomania Touch available?
I checked on their site, Amazon to no avail.

https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/eur/en/products/headphones/melomania-touch

 

[jasonb]

I totally agree. Subtle changes from before 1.4.2 up to it were very welcome. These “sudden moves” are not. Please bear in mind my ears are very fatigued today. But I did use my usual test playlist, listening to the same tracks or segments on every new FW. I do trust my ears usually so I hope I’m not too off...

https://tidal.com/playlist/fef9464a-cb19-4a7d-814a-ab499934b364

I recently had gotten the WF1000XM4. I tried the MT again right after the update and wasn't liking what I was hearing. I was chalking it up to my brain just being used to the WF1000XM4, but it may not have been just that.

 

[SemiAudiophile]

Please don’t get me wrong. Not having tried anything Noble, I’ve heard none other than good things about them, NFP and all.

But I believe it’s still early to cater for the straight audiophile in TWS with current BT compression. So, if they want to implement hybrids, for me, they have to have more features. More so at 350.

I'm with you there. The only reason to go TWS is for the convenience and features that otherwise wired components can't provide.

As good as it can sound at $350, it prob won't be that much better than a $200 IEM with $80 BT adapter.

I'm not familiar with the Noble brand either, so maybe I misjudged them too early. But at $350, it'll be hard to spend on TWS unless it had at least LDAC support or something extra other than great sound.

 

[JBean]

Apparently AptX Adaptive is backwards compatible with AptX and AptX-HD: https://www.aptx.com/aptx-adaptive

Unfortunately I don't have anything AptX to connect to, so I don't know which codec(s) the Z7 uses. I'd really like to know to get an idea of what kind of latency to expect, because I'm eyeing the Fiio BTA30 (or it's successor) to connect to my TV audio. It would be great to pull back the curtain and see what's going on behind the scenes.

Thanks! I have the Z7s now, and yes, they do connect on my phone (Huawei P10) to standard aptx. Have you (or anyone else who owns the Lypertek Z7) been using the foam tips? They are quite challenging to get on, and I don't want to find myself in the same situation as a few others in terms of ending up with a broken nozzle. I always use foam tips on my Tevis, and they are great. Does anyone have any recommendations for foam tips with a slightly wider bore than the Z7 Flexifit tips?