I was willing to spend upto 18k, and buy a decent set of Bluetooth earphones (wire connected, neckband or true wireless), after my trusty V-Moda Forza Metallo Wireless finally gave out after over 2 years of excellent performance, day after day.
I decided to go the true wireless way, as for me, cables are usually the commonly the component that dies first.
My shortlist included:
1. Sennheiser Momentum TWS 1
2. Klipsch T5 True Wireless
3. Sony WF-1000XM3
4. Bose SoundSport Free
5. Bowers and Wilkins P13
6. Jabra 75t
7. Master And Dynamic MW07 Go
After a sad and painful (literally) week with the Sennheiser Momentum TWS 1, I finally plunged for these Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds, as:
The Klipsch has app and service (in India) issues.
The Bose don't sound very exciting, and physical controls on true wireless buds can be a pain to operate.
The B&W have mixed reviews and don't offer as much as the competition, for the price they demand.
And while the Jabras seem like a well rounded product, they are not particularly well known for their audio prowess, which was my main requirement.
The MW07 Go simply don't offer a comparable feature set, which for the price is really not acceptable. And have physical controls as well.
So I was left with this option.
After using these for the first time, I was utterly shocked:
The bass felt so weak, and they sounded shrill, there was so little detail in the music.
I cursed my purchase and though I'd made a big mistake going for Sony in the premium audio segment, having developed my nubile audiophile taste listening to Audio Technica, V-Moda, Sennheiser, Bose, Beyerdynamic, RHA, MEE, Jays, Marshall and B&O, to name a few.
But I was wrong. Happily wrong.
Returning these wasn't an option, so I started experimenting with the fit of the bundled eartips.
After about 2 weeks of trying everything, again and again, I settled on the L silicon tips.
And combined with optimizations (except DSEE HX, as it is utterly useless) and customisations via the Headphones App, I found the sweet spot for me.
They sound awesome now.
So, first thing to do when you get these is to find the perfect seal. Because once you do, you can start exploring what these babies can really do.
I find these to be very comfortable, especially compared to the TWS offerings from Sennheiser.
Coming to the sound quality, if you really want to make the most of your purchase, do install the Sony Headphones app. It really unlocks their full potential, and even helps partially neutralise some of their sonic shortcomings.
Detail: 8/10
Bass: 8/10 (punchy and very well controlled, but not as powerful and deel as some of its competitors)
Soundstage: 7/10 (not so bad, but feels especially narrow on some songs)
Separation: 8/10
Highs: 9/10
Mids: 8/10
Lows: 8.5/10
Overall, a very stellar showing.
But the noise cancelling is really astounding, it makes the whole experience much more immersive.
Also, the battery life is good, and these support fast charging. Wireless charging is a miss, but not that big a deal if you ask me.
But apart from all the above, there are a few standout features, that the competition can't really match:
1. The hear-through mode, especially tap and hold is just excellent.
2. The touch sensors on these are miles ahead of most rivals.
3. Sony keeps adding/enhancing these via software updates through the app.
4. Although not the very best sounding TWS earbuds out there, they can still hold their own against the top dogs, and are definitely near the top. Besides, their versatile sonic range can handle almost anything with aplomb, which most TWS can't boast of, even those from Bose or Sennheiser.
5. I experienced no connectivity issues, whatsoever. May be in part because of their ability to work independently of each other.
6. Whatever they have to offer, works well and without hiccups, which the likes of Klipsch, Sennheiser, and even Bose so far, haven't been able to match.
All in all, I am happy with my purchase, and with the updates and improvements that Sony has consistently been providing, I think these are keepers.
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