[ryanmatic]

So far, the Bluetooth dongle sounds pretty great and is plenty convenient. I haven’t been able to compare it closely to the standard cable but I’ll do that over the weekend and get back to you. Whether or not it’s worth it as a standalone purchase I’m not sure; it’s pretty similar to the Radsone ES100 but the Beyerdynamic one is a good deal smaller (and it nicely matches the Xelento’s finish). I’ll post some pics later too.

 

[clerkpalmer]

So far, the Bluetooth dongle sounds pretty great and is plenty convenient. I haven’t been able to compare it closely to the standard cable but I’ll do that over the weekend and get back to you. Whether or not it’s worth it as a standalone purchase I’m not sure; it’s pretty similar to the Radsone ES100 but the Beyerdynamic one is a good deal smaller (and it nicely matches the Xelento’s finish). I’ll post some pics later too.

Thanks. I have an ES100. I do like the idea of short cord but I'm having trouble convincing myself the beyer dongle will be worth $250. Looking forward to your impressions wired v BT.

 

[TooPoorForHiFi]

I don't think its worth it unless it has some kind of feature(s) that the ES100 doesn't have. I don't believe it has LDAC support(correct me if I'm wrong) and Battery life is rated around 8 Hours? If you need a short Cable, FiiO makes one for their IEM & BTR3 or have a Pro Custom Build one for more Money $1XX from tritonaudiocables.

 

[MarkF786]

The only disappointment so far is persistent driver flex in the right earbud (never in the left), which I notice regardless of how carefully and slowly I form the seal. It's annoying enough that I'm inclined to request a replacement and see if I have better luck with that. This sounds like a fairly common issue based on a number of comments in this thread, but it strikes me as odd that such a precision IEM would show this kind of variability even across earbuds from the same box. I had thought maybe it was due to small anatomical differences between my left and right ears, but I'm still able to experience flex in the right earpiece when I attempt to fit it in my left ear. Weird.

I have driver flex on both mine, though it's much more noticeable on the right. It is a surprising design flaw, but I'm suppressing my OCD tendency which dwells on these types of flaws. I believe (or hope) the flex doesn't negatively impacts the driver.

 

[clerkpalmer]

I have driver flex on both mine, though it's much more noticeable on the right. It is a surprising design flaw, but I'm suppressing my OCD tendency which dwells on these types of flaws. I believe (or hope) the flex doesn't negatively impacts the driver.

Could you describe what this sounds like?

 

[MarkF786]

I recently bought the Shure RMCE-BT2 Bluetooth cable to use with my SE846. I tried it briefly with the Xelento as well and my initial impression is that I prefer it to the Xelento Wireless cable. The Shure cable has better reception (the Beyer cable intermittently cuts out when I'm walking with my iPhone X in my pocket) and I prefer the actual cable itself and the wire cable guide around the ears. In terms of sound quality, I didn't notice an immediate difference, though it seems the Shure cable does have more power. They Beyer cable has the MIY/Mimi app to adjust the frequency response based on hearing tests, but I haven't found it to be very useful.

If you need a Bluetooth cable for your Xelento, give the Shure a try.

 

[MarkF786]

Could you describe what this sounds like?

It sounds like a metallic clicking sound, similar to if you flicked the pull tab on a soda can. When you have a good seal and push the IEM in, the sound occurs.

Oddly, when I just tried it now, I'm getting more driver flex on the left side, but I have recently switched eartips so maybe the seal isn't as good on my right side now.

 

[clerkpalmer]

It sounds like a metallic clicking sound, similar to if you flicked the pull tab on a soda can. When you have a good seal and push the IEM in, the sound occurs.

Oddly, when I just tried it now, I'm getting more driver flex on the left side, but I have recently switched eartips so maybe the seal isn't as good on my right side now.

Thanks. My left one does this all the time. Can’t get the right one to do it.

 

[Chessblitzer2017]

who cares, this guy put em in and jam, don't even care or notice shxt. whiners will whine

 

[clerkpalmer]

who cares, this guy put em in and jam, don't even care or notice shxt. whiners will whine

Ha ha. Agreed. Sound stupidly good.

 

[MarkF786]

who cares, this guy put em in and jam, don't even care or notice shxt. whiners will whine

Ignorance is bliss.

When your car’s making some funny noise, just crank the radio and drive on, dude!

 

[money4me247]

Was hoping to trouble shoot without buying a new cable but I guess I can do that. Any recommendations for an affordable decent quality replacement for Xelento?

@clerkpalmer , I personally like the Campfire Audio cable. I use it because it has mic/remote controls and it is well-made. Link here: https://campfireaudio.com/shop/litz-cable/

Just a personal disclaimer. I personally do not believe cables make any significant impact on sound quality.

 

[WhatToChoose]

@clerkpalmer , I personally like the Campfire Audio cable. I use it because it has mic/remote controls and it is well-made. Link here: https://campfireaudio.com/shop/litz-cable/

Just a personal disclaimer. I personally do not believe cables make any significant impact on sound quality.

Impedance my friend...impedance...does funny things. Checkout out Etymotic and the old ER4PT adapter for more info on how impedance (which is the only aspect of cables measurable that can change the sound) changes the sound.

I guess whether or not the SQ difference is audible depends on how good the ears and mind of the listener are, eh?

 

[borisov57]

I love AKG N5005 and their detail retrieaval, but switch to Xelento is always, oh I am home, that is that. I love them.

 

[ryanmatic]

So after using the new Bluetooth dongle quite a bit over the past couple of days, I can confidently say... it’s fine. It does what it promises. Battery life is somewhere around the 8 hours Beyer quotes, and the multipoint connection support is pretty nice (for me, it pairs to both my iPhone and my iPad, and switching between them is as easy as pausing on one and resuming on the other). To add to what MarkF786 mentioned earlier, wireless range is so so—I heard semi-frequent dropouts when leaving my iPhone in one room and walking into another (my apartment is very small, but yeah, walls). I could even get the connection to stutter sometimes when moving my Apple Watch between the dongle and the phone. Not a dealbreaker, but notably worse than the ES100, for example.

When switching over to a cable connection, the biggest difference is the change in volume. The wireless dongle is actually quite quiet, requiring me to leave the volume around 50% most of the time. When cabled, I can’t go much over 15% before it becomes too loud. Maybe that’s where Beyer found those extra hours of battery life. The actual sound quality of the dongle is fine, but dynamic range sounds a bit improved when cabled (subbass in particular becomes more present). Since I’m still acclimating to the Xelento’s (wonderful) sound, that’s about all I can say about audio quality difference between the included Bluetooth dongle and the cable.

That said, the ergonomics of the Beyer dongle are pretty bad. The cable isn’t quite long enough, so I frequently have to choose between clipping it too high (which causes the earbud seal to loosen and pop out), or just letting it hang (which pulls on the earbuds just a little too much). I’m definitely sticking with the standard cable and my ES100, because that combination is actually more manageable than the Beyer dongle (since I can wrap the full length cord however I’d like), the ES100 sounds better, and the standard cable makes plugging into my Switch or other devices pretty easy. So yeah, if you’re looking for a wireless option for your Xelentos, I’d either consider the Shure 2nd generation cable Mark mentioned earlier, or a Radsone ES100. Both offer better ergonomics, and the Radsone for sure offers better sound quality.