Noble Audio - FoKus Rex5

From what I've read, the Noble REX5 is the best sounding tws earbud ever. If that is the most important thing, then that might be the endgame. They have 5 drivers on each side verse 1 in the XM5's. They have a dynamic driver for bass, 3 balanced armature drivers for the mids, and a planar magnetic driver for Treble. They apparently rival even some wired iems in sound quality. I bought them, but they were already sold out after just around a month of release, so they must be very popular, lol. I'm actually supposed to get them today or tomorrow. I can give my feedback and compare them to the XM5's if you like. I actually have the XM5's as well. I must say they are $450, and I understand most people would not be willing to spend that much for a tws.

I received them shortly after commenting, and my god 🤯!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not even joking when I say they make the XM5'S sound like Beats and like the old Beats, lol. They are a clear upgrade in every way in terms of sound quality. They are even better than my Moondrop Dusks I got for my father. The Dusks are a $400 wired iem and the REX5's best them. I'm legitimately blown away. All the reviews were true! And this is the stock tuning right out of the box. You can customize the sound with the app. I'd say most will they are not super bass heavy, which I don't personally mind tbh. I'm a quality over quantity guy when it comes to bass, and my god, do these deliver. I'll try to compare sound as best as I can. The bass in the REX5's is less prominent but cleaner, faster, and more punchy, basically better in every way, in my opinion. Same with the mids, they are more clear and detailed. You can hear the timber and texture of vocals much more clearly because of the balanced armature drivers. That was my biggest issue with the Sony's. I love vocals Pop, RNB, Rock those are my main genres of music and the XM5'S mids just seemed dull to me not bad but not super engaging kinda boring for a lack of better words. The REX5 remedies that issue perfectly. The faster decaying bass almost emphasizes the mids more while not being a deterrent to the bass. And lastly, the star of the show, honestly, the treble here is damn near perfection. Bright and sparkly giving vocals a little more pop without being fatigueing the detail is very good as well, a tier above the Sony's. You can hear details and layers to music and vocals you simply can't in the Sony's. The soundstage is about the same, maybe a little wider. The imaging is also much better and more natural and "correct" sounding, you could say. The build quality is also outstanding. Both the earbuds themselves and the case are made with brushed aluminum. The most premium feeling earbud I've ever owned. The touch controls are the exact same as the Sony's, which is a good thing because I liked them personally. The battery life and noise canceling are better on the Sony's as I expected. They aren't bad on the REX5's, but sound and build quality are really what you're paying for here. All in all, I think if you have the money and know why you are buying these, they are totally worth the investment. I don't regret it one bit!!!!!

My rankings based on what I own. My criteria are big soundstage, tight articulate bass, and comfort. 1. Noble FoKus Prestige 2. Master & Dynamic MW09 3. Devialet Gemini II 4. Noble Fokus Rex5 5. Denon Perl Pro 6. Technics AZ100 7. B&W Pi8

On pure SQ alone: Noble Prestige > Devialet Gemini 2 > Master & Dynamic MW09 > Noble Fokus Rex5 > Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 > Denon Perl Pro > Technics AZ100 > Sennheiser MTW4

Noble Rex5 I had the Pi8 to see which one I like better, Pi8 went back as they are just simply not in the same class. Recently got the Denon Perl Pro for working out and honestly I wouldn't pay the extra money for the Pi8 compared to these for the 130 dollars off woot.

Not on your list but should be: Noble FoKus Rex5

I use mine daily but intermittently. I've never come anywhere close to running down the batteries during 3 or 4 hour sessions, going back into the case in between uses. I don't know that I've gone below 50% even, just hasn't been an issue. The sound quality is exceptional. Use the personalized EQ and then adjust to taste and it's got plenty of bass. My most direct comparison is the Sennheiser MTW4s which were great, but lost to the Nobles on clarity and separation. They sound clean AF but still have plenty of punch for bassy stuff. I don't know about the Amazon review, but anyone saying these are "awful" has an agenda. They're fucking amazing. My only complaint is the price.

As one of the Fokus Rex5 upvoters and buyers, I remain pleased with my purchase.

Hifiman Svanar TWS (old version), Noble FoKus Rex5, GeekFly Legend 6, Aviot TE-ZX1.

Geekfly Legend 6, Aviot TE-ZX1, Noble FoKus Rex5. Atmos is evil.

Having B&O Pi8, divialet gemini II and just recently the noble fokus rex. Nobles are several steps above either, obviously subjective but to me its a clear winner overall.

Loving my Rex5

The Rex5 just came out… a year or so after the Prestige. I have both bought my Prestiege first.

To me the best are what sound the best: Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 Audiophile tier. Best sound on the market. But other than those? * B&W Pi8 * Deviant Gemini II

[Noble Audio FoKus Rex5](https://hifisoundgear.com/products/noble-audio-fokus-rex5?currency=USD&variant=50200641995061&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=9d5b5a33f2a8&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-Oi7BhA1EiwA2rIu2xxiHFS5I73oYphRRJelDAAbMJF__6fzGpKMuMdYdOU-yT733bPAkRoCsOwQAvD_BwE) [Noble Audio FoKus Prestige ](https://hifisoundgear.com/products/noble-audio-fokus-prestige?currency=USD&variant=49164110397749&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=9d5b5a33f2a8&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA-Oi7BhA1EiwA2rIu25zIn-IM9AarlNPomGt49dxJrODLRomrANIK0VH5Zmt-GzqnvHLejhoCt5IQAvD_BwE)

I love my Noble FoKus Rev5s, but they're about $100 more than these.

Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 Audiophile tier. Best sound on the market.

Noble fokus rex5 best sounding change my mind. Five drivers per ear bud game changing for sure

The Nobel RX5 are a game changer

Noble fokus rex5

Noble fokus rex5 are by far the best sounding earbuds on planet earth Change my mind. With 5 drivers per earbud game changing.

Noble fokus rex5 hands down the best sounding earbuds on the planet Five drivers per earbud game changing

I just got a pair of Noble fokus rx5 they are incredible way over $300 worth every penny.

I also have them an have several of those listed by the top rex5 are the absolute best earbuds you can get if music is your top priority. Even the ambient mode is about A tier honestly while ANC def like b tier lol but it connects 100 percent of the time has great battery life I sound great to every body I talk to. But the op said budget is 300 bucks these go for 449 an after taxes 483 also he said and top priority

Few things Bose sucks. I know you said you used them but they are trash you don't compare them with the best of the best in terms of sound quality lol Soundcore is very well known it's one of the most popular budget earbuds you can get an they are also known for their workout earbhds that have great battery life an last forever Now I also have these too along with others an ill say they are one of the best sounding earbuds but not the best. Nobole beat them any thing noble but noble fokus rex5 is the absolute best you can get for your money. I have the pros an mw09 an listen to them along side the noble rex5 using the proper codec an support an yeah the way songs sound on the rex5 is different than on the dpp. For instance psycho by system of a down you feel the song when you listen on the rex5 you hear it very well on the dpp. They are a great choice though if you don't wanna shell out too much money. Now for their problems or some what problems. The battery life is as advertised however once you out on spatial audio an use the other feature it's knocks it down quite a bit from the 8 hours mark an you start getting airpods quality battery life or little better. They don't connect 100 percent of the time out of my noble an mw09 other high end earbuds these don't always connect. They are easy to use as a daily driver with touch controls but if you disconnect them an then take them out of the case again sometimes it will not pick up. I made sure it easnt just my device as it happens on my laptop too. Great earbuds sound better when my mw09 but not best money can buy

The worst ones lol. Don't be sorry so much about insane bass worry more about an eq that can add the bass or take it away. If it just comes with alot of bass it's just muddy music an it's probably very cheap. Good bass would beike Sony the best deviants the best that can sound like Sony or deviant noble fokus rex5. Denon perl pro also has great bass but it can get too loud if you move the meter up to loud. But yeah don't think loud insane bass that's usually just cheap. But if you really don't care an have money to waste an don't care about the quality of music an probably have an iPhone beats work great too also work for Android.

Rex 5 or prestige?

Noble FoKus Rex5 is what you're looking for. The price *is* steep (still under $500 though), but I don't think anything else comes close to the sound quality they provide. But that is all you pay for, the sound quality. Mic is okay, but nothing to write home about, and if you care about ANC, then it's a far cry from the best in class. And in the OP you said there are no features and no app (unless I read it wrong). That is just not true, is it? There is an app. It might not be the best in terms of functionality, but it's there. It has a pretty good 10-band EQ with an additional 3-band EQ curve. There's also a personal EQ function that allows for some fine tuning for your ears. I've had them for almost a month and I still get impressed with the sound they produce every day. In my experience, they are worth every penny.

MTW4 has crap sound quality. Technics AZ80 and Perl Pro are the best currently. Except Noble Fokus Rex5 just came out and I’ll report back how those sound.

I’m trying out the new Noble Fokus Rex5 and have heard those are the best sounding earbuds thus far.

I 100% agree! It has the widest soundstage I’ve ever heard from a wireless earbud but it could be better. I’m an audiophile and the distortion, bass, and low volume level bothers me to no end. I’m hoping the Bluetooth 5.4 and higher quality drivers will make the Rex5 the best ones yet! Also, my technics are already having battery issues just owning them for 5 months. So I’m not very happy about that. I guess that’s what you get with consumer brand earbuds! :/

You need momentum 4 earbuds or devialet Gemini 2 or noble rex5. Best earbuds ever made IMHO

Go for Noble Audio. I have the Fokus Rex5 wireless IEM and Fokus Apollo wireless headset. Both are great and so much better the the mainstream models.

I literally got the Noble Rex5 yesterday. I've tried almost every earphones OP mentioned (except the Gemini and AZ80) and I will whole heartedly confirm that the Rex5 is the best sounding I've ever heard. Sounds decent out of the box but it EQs really really well. There's a 10 band EQ if you know what you're doing and a very easy to use 3 band EQ if you're not as comfortable using the 10 band.

If you are simply after best sound quality in a wireless earbud, then you can’t go past the Noble Fokus Rex 5. They sound great. If you want other features then you are better off with APP2 if you use Apple, or the Galaxy Buds Pro 3 if you’re using android.

Devialet Gemini 2 has the best balance of sound and ANC. Rex5 sounds a bit better but it’s ANC is big downgrade from AirPods Pro 2 while Gemini 2 will only be a small downgrade. Honestly I think the denon Perl pro is worth it enough since it’s so much cheaper than those, but I’ve heard the fit is tough so I’m hesitant to recommend them

Wait till you try the Noble focus rex 5. Those will blow you away

If budget isn't an issue, then definitely look at the Noble Fokus Rex5 and the Gemini 2. I listen to edm all day long on both. Source dap: ibasso dx180 I also use wired iems, the Thieaudio Hype 4s sound ridiculously amazing for edm.

You should find a store to demo all the ones or buy and return the ones you don't like. I think the best way to choose a bud is to listen to it using your phone or music source to music you normally listen to. Depending on review don't always work because everyone uses different sources be it a dap, a dongle, naked phone etc and musical tastes vary. Some buds like the AZ100 sound great on edm and hiphop but may not live up to your expectations in jazz or classical. If budget isn't an issue, the Gemini 2 is your best choice as all types of music sounds good, its small and comfortable for all day wear especially if you add an aftermarket foam tip. Some features aren't as good as others but totally excels st sound quality. The Rex5 is good too but requires a lot of time to tweak the eq to fit your musical tastes.

Honestly $300 is average for high end buds nowadays. The better ones go up over 400 close to 5. The XM5s are kinda old now although they sound great compared to conventional buds, the tech is a little old. The XM6s are supposed to be coming out soon. The best for $300, would be the Technics AZ100 for bass heavy music with excellent sound quality but not great if you need excellent anc. If you want to talk about the best of the best, you can only look at the Devialet Gemini 2 and the B&W Pi8. I personally use the Geminis and its great for bass and exceptional clearity and staging. The Noble Rex5 mentioned are good but overrated at close to $500. I have these too and you need to have the patience to tweak the eq to make them sound good. Out of the box, they're just ok. Out of box using eq presets, you will have excellent results with both the AZ100 and the Geminis.

For me, its always and only about sound quality. All the other features, while good to have isn't what I look at as I hardly ever use them. I have a huge collection of tws and iems. I have the rex5, Gemini 2, and AZ100. If you can afford it, Id would wholeheartedly recommend the Geminis. The music quality and bass response is better than anything else in the collection and on par with several high priced iems. If I had to pick one set to listen to the rest of my life, that would be it. Added bonus is they are smaller than all the others and extremely comfortable for all day wear.

Lol sound is subjective. I can't say for sure its better, just sound better to me. Ive had all 3 for awhile now and Im always listening to the Geminis over the others. Smaller buds for sure so its much more comfortable. Sounds are clearer and bass is more pronounced. The AZ is like bass in your face, a bit more suitable for hiphop. If you started on it maybe it would be different but your ears have already been spoiled by the Geminis you will be disappointed. Rex5 sounds great if, and only if, you have the time to really eq them out. I couldn't find any presets online to use so I started using the poweramp eq for other noble iems and spent almost 2 hours trying to get them to sound better. The clarity and separation is there but to get the bass to hit right took some time. I mean the Geminis using poweramp rtings presets sound great to me. As good as my $500 iems and I haven't found anything that sounds better. You want to upgrade, I think the only possibility is the Geekfly Legend 6 lol I haven't heard them yet but from what Ive read, either those or wait for the Gemini 3.

I currently own over 10 sets of tws from budget to one of the most expensive. Hands down for sound quality alone, Gemini 2 are the best sounding and small form factor for comfort listening for long periods of time. Out of the box, without any eq would sound like $4-600 iems. Once you find a tune you like, it can sound even better. My current top 3: Gemini 2, Rex5, and AZ100. I've heard lots of good things about the Tour Pro 3 but it's never on sale in my country. Retails for around $350 for me. For just a tad more, I would just get another set of Geminis as backup.

You could get away with excessive tuning using an aftermarket EQ app like poweramp to make mediocre buds sound great, but it takes a lot of time to fine tune them to your liking. For what you want, tons of features and sounds great out of the box. My top 3 would be the Technics AZ100, Bose QC Ultra, and the Huawei Freebuds 4 Pro. If you had asked this half a year ago, answers would have been totally different. For $200, the Huawei sound phenomenal, good amount of volume, huge bass and clarity, overall good battery life, anc, and transparency. They sometimes sound as good as my $550 Gemini 2s. I have a set of the Noble Rex5s which cost even more and I totally think they are overhyped. Wasn't at all impressed, they sound exactly like the Aviot Zx1 at half the price.

There are several very good to excellent buds that work well with the iPhone. Ive been using iPhones since the beginning and Ive currently have like 9 pairs of tws paired to it. I also use android based daps. The Liberty 4 Pros are very similar to the AirPods Pro 2, except the Ankers battery lasts a little longer and the case provides more info. Sound wise there are many other better alternatives, all depends on your budget. Sub $100, the Aviot Q3 or Space Travel, sub $200 Technics AZ80 or Bose QC, sub $300 AZ100 or Pi8, sub $500 Gemini 2 or Rex5. I have all of these, but tested several others to get here.

Noble audio fokus rex5 are Leagues above any of these

Yes i have owned them for about 6 months now. I have ocd about finding the best sounding. These are it. I returned many earbuds until these

Noble fokus rex5 are the best sounding tws on the market without a doubt

Absolutely the noble fokus rex5. Absolutely beast when it comes to being the best sounding tws right now

Budget under 100, Roseselsa Earfree I5, Soundpeats Capsule 3 Pro Plus HM: Moondrop Moca, Budget for 100-200 Denon perl pros, Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 HM: OnePlus buds pro 3, Nothing Ear, Technics az80, Jlab Epic lab Budget for 200-300, B&W Pi8(when on sale) HM: JBL Tour Pro 3, Technics Az100, Sennheiser MTW4 300+ Noble Fokus Rex 5, Devialet Gemini II This would be my suggestions for audio quality, I base these off their performance in soundstage, imaging, seperation, and things similar to that. As for tuning it really comes down to personal preference, most of them will suite anyone's personal needs with their custom EQs. I've tried countless amount of earbuds in all price ranges (20 to 300+ dollars worth) but these come out to be my top performers. I might have missed some since I have so many but I'll probably come back if I missed some. (I'll get into more details if you really want, like durability/longevity, battery, ANC, transparency, etc)

have teh rex5's on order with my current fav being teh beoplay ex for wireless ear buds if sound quality is the most important. I would choose those over any on your list if sound quality is what you want. The active noise cancelation is terrible on them though.Not a fan at all of the denon perl pro. I will update comment when my nobile audio rex5 show up. I have yet to have any wireless earbud come close to a mid tier IEM though(again in terms of sound quality). Really like the hype 4's for bang for the buck. Sony xm5 are trash in terms of sound quality for their price.

I know you've the price limit of $350 but if you want the best sound quality that makes the music live and addictive then my 1st recommendation will be 1. Noble fokus rex5 (after some hrs. of customising the Equalizers - then it's the best in the market) 2. Devialet gemini II ( if you listen to it side by side with any other earbuds, except noble and somewhat denon, it just makes everything blunt and dull).

The Gemini II and Noble rex 5 are just at and slightly above your price range in my area, and both are incredible. The rex 5 are pretty big. But, they are the best wireless earbuds I have ever heard. The Gemini II are relatively small and run neck and neck with the pi8. I dare say you can't go wrong with either one. Not trying to make it harder for you 😉 I just have a passion for good...earbuds in general. Not sure why?

Devialet Gemini II, Rex5, jbl tour pro 3 This week.

Picked up the Noble FoKus Rex5 to compliment my Buds3 Pro which I use for calls. Definately prefer the Rex5 for all audio but for calls the Buds3 Pro. I was surprised by the fit of the Rex5. At first I thought it might be an issue but it fits very well. Dont want to spend too much - Get whatever comes with your phone deal (package, or top up) Just swipe the credit card - Noble Fokus Rex5

I agree the AZ100’s are overrated if purely based on “best sounding”. Lots of people will jump from low tier earbuds to the AZ’s and crown them as the best without trying anything else. They do a lot of things well but are not the best. The question is what exactly are you looking for? What do you value more? What music do you like? Devialet Gemini II’s, Denon Perl Pro’s, Noble Fokus Rex5 are better in sound. And if sound is the most important, than none of these even come close to IEM’s. Sony and Bose are far superior in ANC. For bassheads lots of other options such as Nothing Ears, Noble Mystique.

I’ll second this opinion. The Rex5 are the best that’s out right now. At least to my ears. The Gemini sound good and as well as the pi8, but I think the Rex5 are at the top.

What country are you located? In the USA they are $449. Worth every penny

Best are Devialet Gemini 2 and Noble Audio FoKus Rex5 The pro-sumer tier are: Technics AZ80, Denon PerlPro's and B&W Pi8 I am impartial to my AZ80s

I have them all and the Noble Audio FoKus Rex 5 with 5 drivers each, Bluetooth 5.4 and Audiodo custom tuning are hands down the best wireless earbuds I have ever had.

Phone quality wasnt the greatest but sounded phenomenal

Noble Rex 5 does, but it’s basically an iem with a wireless chip in it.

I should have done that lol. Well now it’s too late, but I bought a rex5. Pi8 is still great though, but it’s no Gemini or rex5.

I had done a very detailed comparison for many of the recommended earbuds. This might help you/others - https://www.reddit.com/r/Earbuds/s/LfTdNtnDta I also have posts on Noble Fokus Rex 5. You can find on my profile.

The perfect pair would be Noble Fokus Rex5, stunning build and even better sound, although they are not cheap

They are very comfortable, and there is a large selection of tips to ensure a good fit. I don't use them for calls, so I can't comment on that, however they have teamed up with Audiodo and it gives you a chance to lersonalisentge sound based on your hearing and it is amazing. The case isn't that large, certainly manageable.

I have a pair of Noble Fokus Rex5 and they are the best wireless earbuds I have ever heard, absolutely phenomenal. They have a technology called Audiodo that checks what frequencies each ear hears best and adjusts the sound to the optimum for each ear. It is revolutionary. The sound is amazing However it costs, a lot, $499, but well worth it. The Sennheiser M4TWS is pretty good, not the greatest ANC, but the sound is good and the build is pretty good to, those can be found for around $170 and they are good, I use mine when on the tube in and outof London for work at rush hour.

Noble Fokus Rex 5 are supreme, Pi8’s are a close second

+1 for Rex 5. Expensive but oh so worth it. The sound, comfort, and build quality are top notch and the EQ function is so powerful. There's a slick secondary tonality adjustment curve function that lets you really dial in your preferred sound in a way I haven't seen any other built in EQs manage.

Noble Rex 5 and it isn't even close.

I'd strongly urge you to sell whatever buds you have or save a little if you're considering buying some buds, and get the Rex 5. They are amazingly good.

100% agree with you. The Rex 5 are next level compared to everything else out right now.

Try noble audio. They have good ones. I can vouch for the rex5 but they have higher end ones, too. But if you really want the best fit you can go custom. Sennheiser also has some good options, although you won't really find a lot of high end ones for wireless.

Probably Gemini 2. Then pi8. I have both and Gemini definitely better. Az100 are good aswell. But they are too big. Rex 5 if you want the absolute best sound quality

I just ordered a pair of the Rex5’s to compare the difference too, I’ve been blown away by the Prestige but excited to try those too

I think you’re going to be very happy with the Noble FoKus brand, I’m so excited to hear the Rex5’s too!

Noble FoKus Prestige are the best I’ve ever heard, out of all the premium buds. I just preordered the Rex5 set to test those out as well, but they use a FoKus app on your phone where you can customize your EQ settings and really punch up the bass if that’s what you want

Sony and Bose are still the leads if ANC is your main priority. However, they are much further down the list if you're prioritizing sound quality/tuning. My current list consists of the Denon Perl Pros, Technics AZ100s/AZ80s, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, and a few other budget options. The Devialet Gemini II and Noble Audio Rex5 are both pricier sets, but the Gemini II -- while it's an excellent sounding earbud -- had several issues that held it back for me. The deal breaker in my case was latency, which was quite high even for a TWS. The Rex5 is the best earbud Noble has put out thus far, but they need to make improvements to their app and overall user experience. My current rotation looks something like the AZ100s, MTW4 and Denon Perl Pro, as each provides a good overall balance of battery life, sound quality, and features. The AZ100s have excellent ANC, that gets close to competing with Sony and Bose, but is a slight downgrade in some areas of the frequency response compared to the AZ80s. The battery life is excellent, however, which makes them a contender as my main travel earbud. The Denon Perl Pros with AAT can be one of the best sounding buds on the market, but AAT can be hit or miss for some and is very tip dependent -- and I do suggest you change the tips, to something like the Dunu S&S. The Perl Pros also offer an EQ over the top of the AAT correction, which is a nice touch. I still reach for the MTW4 a lot of the time as well; with Sound Personalization it is still one of the best sounding earbuds on the market, with very solid ANC and transparency. I was not as sold on the Pi8, although I found the "case as transmitter" feature much more useful than I originally thought. I preferred the bass response of the Pi7 S2. In general the Pi8 feels a bit safer, and a bit more boring, for lack of a better word. It is still an excellent sounding earbud if you prefer a more balanced, more neutral tuning that prioritizes clarity and detail. I tend to lean towards warmth and energy, and so it didn't quite make the top of my list. TLDR; if money is no object, buy a BT dongle DAC/Amp or ifi Go Pods/FiiO BT ear hooks and a pair of dedicated IEMs. For now, this market is still juggling a "winner" and you'll be hard pressed to decide what is the best for the price -- no matter if it comes at a premium.

This is a repost, but is still relevant. Sony and Bose are still the leads if ANC is your main priority. However, they are much further down the list if you're prioritizing sound quality/tuning. My current rotation consists of the Denon Perl Pros, Technics AZ100s/AZ80s, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4, Bowers & Wilkins Pi8, and a few other budget options (JLab Epic Lab, Beats Fit Pros, etc.). The Devialet Gemini II and Noble Audio Rex5 are both pricier sets, but the Gemini II -- while it's an excellent sounding earbud -- had several issues that held it back for me. The deal breaker in my case was latency, which was quite high even for a TWS. The Rex5 is the best earbud Noble has put out thus far, but they need to make improvements to their app and overall user experience. My current rotation looks something like the AZ100s, MTW4 and Denon Perl Pro, as each provides a good overall balance of battery life, sound quality, and features. The AZ100s have excellent ANC, that gets close to competing with Sony and Bose, but is a slight downgrade in some areas of the frequency response compared to the AZ80s. The battery life is excellent, however, which makes them a contender as my main travel earbud. The Denon Perl Pros with AAT can be one of the best sounding buds on the market, but AAT can be hit or miss for some and is very tip dependent -- and I do suggest you change the tips, to something like the Dunu S&S. The Perl Pros also offer an EQ over the top of the AAT correction, which is a nice touch. I still reach for the MTW4 a lot of the time as well; with Sound Personalization it is still one of the best sounding earbuds on the market, with very solid ANC and transparency. The new Smart Control Plus app finally allows you to disable ANC, which was the only real weak point of this set. I was not as sold on the Pi8, although I found the "case as transmitter" feature much more useful than I assumed it would be. I preferred the bass response of the Pi7 S2. In general the Pi8 feels a bit safer, and a bit more boring, for lack of a better word. It is still an excellent sounding earbud if you prefer a more balanced, more neutral tuning that prioritizes clarity and detail. I tend to lean towards warmth and energy, and so it didn't quite make the top of my list. If you’re a neutral plus bass boost lover, it doesn’t get much better than the Pi8 in this price range. TL;DR: For now, this market is still juggling a "winner" and you'll be hard pressed to decide what is the “best” for the price -- no matter if it comes at a premium. Of all the major brands, I lean heavily toward the MTW4, Denon Perl Pro, AZ100 (unless you enjoy metal/rock, then replace this with the AZ80), and the Pi8, in that specific order. If you want a more budget conscious set, you can often find the JLab Epic Lab for half the price of the aforementioned brands, and it’s a set that’s not recommended enough. Excellent sound quality and decent ANC for the price.

[Here's](https://imgur.com/a/tws-ranking-left-to-right-MBqgKk5) how I rank them in order of sound quality, with ANC and additional features being close behind. Couple of notes: I don't recommend the Fokus Rex5 unless sound quality is your one and only priority. Noble's app is subpar, and hasn't evolved much. This is actually their 4-5th TWS, and each one has suffered from the same issue. Great sound, poor overall user experience. Devialet Gemini II is another TWS that prioritizes sound quality over everything else, to its detriment. It is unequivocally one of the best sounding TWS I've tested, but I buy TWS for the other features, connectivity, codec support, etc. My very candid opinion is if sound quality is that important and TWS features suffer as a result, you might as well pick up a good midfi IEM and run it with something like the Qudelix 5k or any of the FiiO BTR devices. Or if you need TWS, spring for the iFi Go Pods (Lite) and a pair of lower midfi/budget IEMs, which in many cases are still going to sound as good as if not better than the higher priced "premium" TWS. I still rank the Sennheiser MTW4 above most options, given the strength of Sound Personalization and it being as close as we've seen one of the typical TWS manufacturers get to a true parametric EQ. From there, the AZ100s, given the improvement to battery life and ANC performance over the AZ80s. Although they're not ranked higher due to call quality. The Denon Perl Pro with AAT and EQ are close behind the AZ100 and MTW4, but their other features (ANC and transparency) aren't as good as its competitors. The Pi8 gets a lot of love in the community, and if your preferences lean neutral, they're going to rank much higher than I have them in my list. I prefer energetic tunings (JM-1, Harman, etc.); compared to the other sets on the list, Pi8 has superior technical performance, but is otherwise a boring listen -- although if you need volume, these are the TWS to buy. Sony's XM5 is on the list due to the strength of its ANC, which is still right behind the QC Ultra -- still the best ANC performer on my list, alongside the APP2. The AZ80s are still solid, and in some cases (genres that feature high-gain guitars) they're better than the AZ100s, but in overall performance the AZ100s still win out. TLDR; depending on your genre preference, MTW4, Denon Perl Pro, AZ100s, or Pi8. Avoid the Rex5 and Gemini II -- if sound quality is more important, consider increasing budget for a BT dongle or BT ear hooks along with a budget/midfi IEM (Meze Alba, Letshuoer S08, Hype 4, Crinicle Dusk, many of the recent Ziigaat or Kiwi Ears sets).

Noble Rex5 by far in terms of sound quality and mic quality. Fine for gym use, commute, and work. Only issue is slightly worse ANC than the Geminis (hopefully fixed in future software patch) and in case ergonomics (they don't come in and out easily). And more personally, for some reason I can't get the right volume. Either too loud or too soft. Also kind of visually loud.... green earbuds. But sound quality is A+ with good call volume. Second best devialet geminis. Good bass. Vocals sound muted on these though, they don't drive highs well. Kind of like instruments are infront of you and main singer is 20 rows away. Pi8s were okay, didn't test them long since both geminis and Noble were better for me. Technics were around the same level, maybe a notch below. Under that sits all the other standard buds like galaxy 3 pro / etc. Only better atm true wireless IMO might be the Breggz Audio. They retail for $2,000. I have not tried them (but 4 drivers vs Rex's 5)

The best over 1k are the Geekfly L6, hands down best sound quality out of all the ones I've tested, Noble Rex5, Devailet Gemini ll's, PI8s, Denon Perl, Sony M5, MTW4, and supports all the hi resolution wireless codecs, if you own a late model flagship phone your already to go for best wireless audio sound. Warranty and build quality by Geekfly is top notch. There isn't any tws on the market compares to the L6s.

The noble has a fantastic sound, but when I use other ear buds I own I can tell the difference, but for me it's not big enough to warrant the price. Maybe that's just me and no audio file.

That's a loaded question. Cost focused options (no order)  1. Earfun Air pro 4 ( 50 hours total in battery with over 8 per listening charge, very rich sound, comfort is just like all airpods like shaped earphone, good ANC, good phone call quality and under $100. 2. Bose 2nd Gen QC with over 10 per charge, greatest ANC, amazing hear thru, good phone call quality, and good sound, good fit under $180 3. Denon perl pro.. Will get you at least 5 hours of battery life, decent ANC, decent phone call quality, but the best sound quality under $250, could argue higher. Under $180 If you don't care about prices.  1. Az100 easily!  Beast battery life, good comfort, nice ANC, good hear thru, one of very best timbre, mid range, and bass quality out there. A very nice phone quality with the best ANC phone call noise block ever seen in the world. 3 device connection,. Amazing app and pen point touch control that can customized.. $299 one of the world's greatest dependable, zero problem devices in Bluetooth.  2. Noble Rex5... One of the best complete range audio experience you can get. Comfort a little on the chucky side but still nice for me, ANC is OK, hear thru is OK, but the phone call quality is one of the very best. ...can be a little tricky to get the perfect sound for some people due to the 3 level EQ system. You have to know what you are doing to get the best. But once you do... Its hard to beat it's sound $449  Honorable mention:  3. PI8'S.. They are Kryptonite and the sun at the same time. I would suggest this hands down as the best period in sound and comfort. But because they have horrible ANC and bad phone call quality I don't think this fits your list. But if just sound and comfort.. They are "inevitable"! Oh.. They have a battery drainage issue if you don't used them regularly they drain every day of none use. But omg, I can't stop picking them up to listen to my music. 

For me, this is the big 5 in endgame audio TWS earbuds. 1. ($449) Noble FoKus Rex5 2. ($499) Devialet Gemini 2 3. ($399) Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 4. ($249) Hifiman Svanar Wireless 5. ($299) Technics AZ100

Top 3 - Noble FoKus Rex5 - Technics AZ100 - Devialet Gemini 2 Honorable Mention - Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Audio quality and sound wise — Aviot TE-ZX1 / PNK, or Noble FoKus Pro, Prestige, or the new REX5. PerL Pro's are a gem *__if__* you are lucky enough to get a good fit, and tune the personalised sound profile in a vacuum/airtight space - I found doing it in my car worked perfectly for an accurate, most neutral to my ear tuning.

happy with pi8 but if you like more v-shape sound go for gemini or rex5

Not sure why this got downvoted. For pure sound the Noble Fokus series seem to be a cut above.

Noble Audio makes best sounding ones, Fokus Triumph is amazing but no ANC so not as high demand + even with lower demand they are always sold out, can't keep, meanwhile $50 Moondrop Moca are imo better than any of the stuff in this list, ANC is not the best but it's usable