Thomastik-Infeld Jazz Flats Review

I am contemplating it… I have the M3 version (had them for many years) and really like them, but they are giving up now (mechanically, electronically, sonically, …) :cry:

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Three things:

  • the M6 sound very neutral, unlike the M3. You might find them boring at first, cause you think they lack bass. Which they don’t.
  • A firmware update to 1.5 can mess with ANC. Maybe wait for the next version. I posted about it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyHeadphones/comments/1rawssf/severe_issues_with_the_sony_wf1000xm6/
  • If you don’t like the foam eartips, you can get silicone ones for free. Just do the fit test in the app and say it didn’t work, The app will show a website were you can order them (this one, which does not work now somehow: https://services.sony.de/supportmvc/de/contact/earbudtips). After you got them, check if the silicone eartips have a grid/net to keep away dirt from the XM6. If not, complain and they will send the proper ones.
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Thanks!

I justed realized I was talking about the WH models, not the in-ears :sweat_smile: Oops!

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Get the Focal Bathys for Over Ear. The first time I listened music through them I had tears in my eyes (no joke!). The sound was that good. ANC is soso though…

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That’s a hefty price tag… :astonished_face:

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Yeah!

I had a simple logic to buy them: I noticed that my hearing got worse over the years. Can’t hear anything above 15/16Khz and recently my left ear seems to get worse, at least there is an imbalance when I listen to a mono sinus tone.
Fact is that it will not get better, which is a utterly sad thought.
And music is my #1 passion.
So, I will have less and less chance to hear music the way I did or do now. This music experience will be lost forever. Again: a sad thought that made me realize the transience of life.

As I sold all my high end equipment and we don’t have the space anyway for my old stuff (I had huge Infinity Kappa Speakers and the components to go with that), I decided to get the best sounding Bluetooth ANC headphones in existence (well, top 3).
Bluetooth cause I cannot be without music outside, ANC cause of traveling … and they sound even better via analog or USB (due to the built-in DAC), so they are great on the couch as well.

ANC is ok-ish, but not as good as Bose or Sony. It’s good enough for going by train or plane, but not dead quiet…

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Well to be fair most headphone will come up short against Bose ANC, it’s the king. Many would beat the sound though.

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Yeah - but for the price of the Bathys I would expect more.
On the other hand, the Bathys are so much better than anything else I listened too, that it justifies the price. And sound quality is more important than ANC, at least to me.

Oh, I just tested the Bathys outside in the busy streets of Hamburg, against the XM6. The ANC of the Focals is much better (couldn’t hear normal traffic or people talking), but again: I think my XM6 have a defective ANC, so the comparison is unfair…

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Yep, I mentioned the long life of TI strings earlier in the thread.

I played my oldest set of TIs yesterday — strings I’d put on my first Jabba over three years ago. They have hundreds of hours on them, and they sounded beautiful: clear, balanced, articulate. :+1:

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I love the smooth feel. The new one is good but not great, yet. It’s truly is like fine wine.

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:100:

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Yeah the true issue is not the drivers capability but tech R&D. While Bose is not a big tech company, it’s still much bigger than any audiophile companies put together. Their lunch budget is probably larger than Focal’s R&D budget.

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Hahaha, yeah! I know the CTO of Bose … he basically says the same :slight_smile:

But: no Bose headphones can match the Focal stuff in terms of audio quality, by far.
The Bathys fail miserably in two respects: ANC (well, not miserably, but I expect more for the price) and firmware update policy.
The chip set of the Bathys supports LDAP, and it was promised to be implemented … but I’m still waiting for it. Forever, I guess…
I was a big APTX fan, but LDAP is better, so … WTF Focal?

Where Bose shines is ANC and sound quality of the earbuds. The Ultra 2 earbuds have really great ANC (better than many over ears) and very good sound quality, but it was more like a comfy couch. The XM6 are like a race car: very neutral, very detailed sound. Can’t decide if I find the XM6 the best or the B&W PI8. I still ponder if I should have kept the Pi8…

I wonder if some of the ANC issues are due to patent issues. Apple ran into that with their first and second gen AirPod Pros. ANC was excellent and then they lost a lawsuit regarding a patent and nerfed it via firmware update.

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:100:

That said, I use ANC for ANC and not Audio. They can’t really coexist.

It seems like you guys really need a thread dedicated to IEMs.


But back to the topic of this thread:

To the OP, TI Jazz Flats are truly great strings in my experience. Not inexpensive, but worth it to many who value their ease of playability, clear tone and long-lasting life. :+1: :+1:

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I’ll add a set to my next Thomann order. :+1:

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There is no 30” version, but the 32” version should fit nicely on your 30” short scales.
Be careful where to cut though … I cut a little longer than necessary and then approached the right position with some iterations (wind/unwind/cut), so the strings are not too long and not too short…

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Now that I’m able to play long scales again, and have acquired a few, I’ll try the TI’s on one of them.

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I switched from a Yamaha TRBX304 to a Fender P-Bass and almost immediately severely irritated a nerve in my index finger pad of my fretting hand. Now, I have to sit on the sidelines and let my index finger heal and see a hand specialist which sucks. I am not sure if it was the change in nut width or the action was too high or the strings or all of the above. Never had an issue like this on the Yamaha. I played on the P-Bass without using my index finger and my other fingers are uncomfortable with it too. I am returning the P-Bass and am going to get a Fender Jazz bass because the nut width will be the same as the TRBX304. I’m going to get it set up professionally and will just inform the shop about my finger and that I’d like low action (without fret buzz) and I’ll probably ask them to change the strings. Would these TI Jazz Flats be a good solution when setting up a new bass after a nerve compression issue? Sounds like their playability might really help my finger easing back in. Would the tone be good for playing Americana, Country and Classic Rock? And, yes, I will double check my technique to make sure I am not pressing down too hard or putting the neck in a death grip.

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