HiFiMAN TWS600 True Wireless IEM Review

 

 

 

 

 

HiFiMAN TWS600 True Wireless IEM Review

 

Introduction:

Hifiman was founded by Dr. Fang in New York – USA and is one of the most well known personal audio companies in the audiophile word.

Hifiman has a wide variety of Hi-Fi, Reference and Premium class products like Portable Audio Players, Planar Magnetic Headphones, Desktop Amplifiers, Earphones, IEM’s and True Wireless Monitors like the TWS600 which I will now review for you.

The TWS600 is the first True Wireless IEM of the company and features HiFiMAN’s Topology Diaphragm Dynamic Driver, Bluetooth 5.0, IPX4 Sweat & Dirt certification and has a operating distance of 150m/490ft in open environments (according to HiFiMAN advertisings).

Disclaimer:

The TWS600 True Wireless IEM was provided to me by the company HiFiMAN for review purposes. I am not affiliated with HiFiMAN beyond this review and these words reflect my true and unaltered opinions about the product.

 

Price:

The MSRP price for the HiFiMAN TWS600 with an RE600/RE600s combo as additional is 199,00 USD and can be purchased from the link below;

Purchase Link: https://store.hifiman.com/index.php/tws600.html

 

 

Package and Accessories:

The TWS600 came in a medium sized box which features the product branding and illustrations of the product.

This box contains the following items;

  • 1 pair x HiFiMAN TWS600 True Wireless In-Ear Monitor
  • 1 pcs x charging case
  • 4 pairs x Black Silicone Ear Tips (1 pair came pre-installed)
  • 1 pair x Whit Silicone Ear Tips
  • 3 pairs x Double Flange Ear Tips (all 3 pairs have a different shape)
  • 1 pair x Triple Flange Ear Tips
  • 1 pcs x USB Type-C cable
  • 1 pcs x User Manual & Quick Star Guide

 

 

The Design, Build Quality, Fit & Comfort:

The TWS600 is a True Wireless In-Ear Monitor that features HiFiMAN’s Single Dynamic Driver with a Topology Diaphragm same as the RE800 and RE2000 it has.

The monitor housing is made of plastic and has an ergonomic shape which fits perfectly to my ears with an average size. The use of lightweight material (each monitor weights only 5.9g) and the general shape of the shell are making the TWS600 to an ideal IEM for long listening periods.

On the front of the monitors shell is the HiFiMAN product branding, one microphone (near the corner) for voice conversations and the multifunctional button in the center of the faceplate which is fairly easy to operate. To be honest, I would prefer a touch surface instead a physical button.

The TWS600 features also LED light that shines in blue (fully charged), red (aired) and pink (in paring mode).

The front panel looks very stylish and reminds me to the eyes of the T800 (Terminator) robots in James Cameron’s epic Terminator (1 & 2) movies.

The back side of the monitor shell is a combination of several plastic parts that are fixed to each other. The sound nozzle is located in this area and has a slightly angled profile with a metal mesh on the top that prevents the insertion of unwanted particles like dust, ear-wax, etc.

The backside of the monitors sports also the Left/Right markings and the two connectors which are helping to charge the monitors inside the special Caring Case with build in battery.

The HiFiMAN TWS600 comes with a small carrying & charging case which is made of plastic.

The case protective charging case is in dark grey and has an elliptic shape. On the top of it is the HiFiMAN logo.

At the bottom of the case is flat stand made off rubber in black color which sports some brandings and certifications.

On the left corner is the USB-Type C connector to charge the build-in battery of the TWS600 charging case.

When you open the case you will see the seats for the Wireless Monitors, the Left / Right markings and four LED light dots in the center of a battery illustrations that lights up in orange when you put the monitors in to the seats or if you connect it o the charger.

These seats have a magnetic surface to ensure the right connection for the charging process and to avoid any drop out of the monitors.

The case is pretty small (44 x 80 x 33mm) and lightweight (only 55g) and can fully charge each monitor for 6 times.

 

Technical Specifications:

  • Driver Type                  : Single Full Range Dynamic Driver with Topology Diaphragm
  • Frequency response    : 20Hz – 20kHz
  • Bluetooth version        : BT5.0
  • Bluetooth distance      : ≤150m (outdoor)
  • Charging case battery : approx 660mAh
  • Earphones battery       : 3.7V 55mA*2
  • Music time                   : 5-6 Hours
  • Calling time                  : 4-5 Hours
  • Charging time              : ≤1 hours
  • Stand By                      : up to 110 Hours
  • Audio coding format   : CVSD、mSBC、SBC、AAC
  • Size/Dimensions          : Length: 25mm Width: 17.4mm Height: 26mm

 

 

Battery Life:

Each HiFiMAN TWS600 monitor has a build in 55mAh battery which offers a playtime of approx 5 hours while listening to music, which is a pretty good result for such a small True Wireless In-Ear Monitor.

The charging case is able to fully charge each monitor for 6 times which means that it has a build in battery with approx 660mHa (2 x 55mAh earbuds x 6 times = 660mAh).

Here are some detailed specs:

  • 5.5 Hours Playtime on a Single Charge
  • 38.5 Hours Playtime with Charging Case
  • 1 Hour Charging Time for Earphones
  • 1.5 Hours Charging Time for Charging Case
  • 110 Hours Standby Time

 

 

Pairing, Navigation, Signal Strength & Call Quality:

The pairing of the TWS600 with your source is pretty easy. You only need to turn on the left and right monitors when you first use them. After you have pair the left and right monitors by the first use the pairing action will be done automatically. You only need to take it out from the charging box/case at the same time.

A nice feature is that the TWS600 monitors will power on automatically when you remove them from the charging case and will turn off and begin recharging automatically when you place them back in the charging case.

The operating distance of the TWS600 is epic according to HiFiMAN advertisings with 150m/490ft depending on environmental conditions (for example outdoors without objects like walls).

The call quality paired with my Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus was on an average level.

The multifunctional button can do the following actions;

 

For Music:

  • Press once to pause, press again to resume play.
  • Double-press the left earbud to reduce volume, double-press the right earbud to increase volume.
  • Triple-press the left earbud to turn to the next track, triple-press the right earbud to turn to previous track.

 

For Calls:

  • Press once to accept an incoming call, or press and hold 2 seconds to reject.
  • Press once to end the call.
  • When you are talking on the phone and receive another incoming call:Press once to end the first call and answer new coming call.
  • Press and hold two seconds to activate the phone’s voice control

 

When it comes to the call quality (paired with my Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus), I can say that the performance of the HiFiMAN TWS600 was on an average level. The voice transmission was neither crystal clear nor too muddy.

  

Equipment’s used for this review:
  • IEM’s                          : HiFiMAN TWS600 True Wireless In-Ear Monitor
  • Source                       : Samsung Galaxy S9+, iPad Air2, FiiO M6

 

 

Albums & tracks used for this review:
  • Edith Piaf – Non Je Ne Regrette Rien (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
  • Sertap Erener – Aşk (Spotify)
  • London Grammar – Interlud (Live) (Flac 24bit/44kHz)
  • Laura Pergolizzi – Lost On You “Live at Harvard and Stone” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Leonard Cohen – You Wnt it Darker (Spotify)
  • Dave Gahan – Kingdom (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
  • Vivaldi – Le QuarttroStagioni “The Four Season” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Otto Liebert& Luna Negra – The River (DSF) – Binaural Recording
  • Massive Attack – Angel (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Lorde – Team (Flac 24bit/48kHz)
  • Metallica – Sad but True (Flac 24bit/96kHz)
  • Megadeth – Sweating Bullets (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Slayer – Angel of Death (Spotify)
  • Tom Player – Resonace Theory “Album” (Tidal Hi-Fi)
  • Liquid Tension Experiment 2 – Acid Rain (Spotify)

 

 

 

The Sound:

The HiFiMAN TWS600 is a True Wireless IEM with a mid-forward presentation, which shows a noticeable roll-off in the lower and higher frequency regions. The overall presentation is quite detail and clear, while the somewhat unnatural 3D like effect gives the impression that the sound comes from a cave.

PS: This review is written after a burn-in process of approx. 80 hours. I have used the stock black silicone tips with small opening.

 

Bass /Midrange/Treble:

The HiFiMAN TWS600 shows a pretty controlled and fast bass response especially for a True Wireless In-Ear Monitor, but lacks in terms of intensity and extension.

The subbass area shows not enough rumble and extension, which is quite noticeable while listening to genres like Pop, EDM or RnB, while the clarity is on a good level. The bass is mainly concentrated in the midbass region (around 100-250 kHz), but is missing again some body and fullness that is needed for a more natural presentation of instruments like guitars, drums, etc.

BTW, I really don’t like to use any equalizations with any of my equipments”, but the EQ response of the TWS600 is fairly good and helps slightly to solve/fill the lack in this area.

The TWS600 has a mid-forward presentation which is a real “highlight” of this True Wireless IEM. The HiFiMAN TWS600 performs very well in terms of clarity and detail retrieval, while there is a very audible emphasis in the upper midrange region with a peak around the 2 kHz region that makes the overall presentation slightly unnatural.

Female vocals, especially soprano and mezzo soprano voices and instruments like pianos or violins are showing some sibilance and harshness due to this upper midrange tuning.

The lower midrange is controlled and clean, while it lacks slightly in terms of intensity and depth, which makes the male vocal presentation in general somewhat thin and lifeless.

The treble range of the HiFiMAN TWS600 shows an audible roll-off and is mainly concentrated in the lower treble range (presence) around 4 – 5 kHz region. The overall presentation of the treble range is smooth and fatigue-free and has an average performance in terms of airiness, clarity and extension.

The treble range is pretty good in terms of speed and control, while the audible roll-off, which is especially noticeable in the upper treble (brilliance) are making the overall presentation somewhat dull.

 

Soundstage:

The soundstage rendering of the HiFiMAN TWS600 shows a pretty sufficient performance for a True Wireless IEM. The performance of the TWS600 in terms of instrument separation is fairly good, while both the width and the depth of the soundstage are on an average level.

  

 Conclusion:

The HiFiMAN TWS600 is a true wireless IEM with a mid-centric presentation, which shows an opposite tuning compared to many other TWS IEM’s who are offering a V-shaped presentation.

The midrange clarity/detail retrieval and the bass speed are remarkable features in terms of sound performance, while the strange tonality will disappoint consumers who are looking for a tuning with lots of bass and treble boost.

The stylish look, good battery performance and signal strength are also some remarkable features of the TWS600.

 

Pros & Cons: 
  • + Midrange Clarity & Detail
  • + Bass Speed
  • + Stylish Design
  • + Battery Life & Signal Strength
  • – Bass & Treble Roll-Off
  • – Upper Midrange Boost & Overall Tonality
  • – Only AAC and SBC support

 

 

 

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1 Response

  1. HiFiMAN TWS 600 True Wireless İEM from the legend designer Dr. Fang . An excellent review as the old ones . Let me congratulate you dear expert audiophile and reviewer MoonStar . A great job as always . Mustafa Yeten Yavas an audiophile guy owner of amazing HiFiMAN 901s DAP 👍👍🙏🎧🎼🎶🎶

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