Fostex TM2 tws Review : Needs some tweaking

SOUND QUALITY:-

The TM2 has a flavor of its own. It has Good amount of bass, the mids are a hair less emphasized and the treble is much better than any other TWS IEM in the market. The dynamism is slightly lacking with the default earpiece, it feels a bit limited with sonicality and the notes do not have good depth and the body is just average. Tonality has a bit of metallic ring to it. Pairing it with something bright and agile brings out a neutral-ish sound out of the TM2.

WITH THE DEFAULT EARPIECE:-

Bass:-

The TM2 ships with a decent sounding pair of earphone housing a 6mm dynamic driver with a sleek design. It delivers good bass, the sub-bass is slightly less extended with a bit more emphasis to the mid-bass region. It has good volume to it but cannot be categorized as heavy, it is slightly inferior to the Audiosense T200 bass which hits with bigger body and goes deeper. The decay speed is good for a dynamic driver but is on the slower side given the size of the impact and air moved, It has good amount of texture but feels a but raw compared to most earphones. I found the upper bass to be well controlled and detailed.

Mids:-

The transition from upper bass to lower mid is flawless. The lower mid region has very good amount of details and clarity. I love the way is keeps things balanced without pushing a part of the mid range over others but the slightly less forward presentation makes the experience a bit less desirable. I was not expecting a lot of details and I don’t need to correct my stance, the TM2 lacks the details at the grass root level and might feel a bit less engaging. Another thing to mind is the less than desirable notes depth which takes away a portion of dynamism out of equation. Vocals are good with good texture but the tonality could have been a bit more natural, the timber is slightly metallic. Instruments have good attack and details but yes, if the notes had more depth the experience wound have been better. The upper treble region picks up the energy but it would have been much better if this energy was maintained across the entire mid range.

Highs:-

The energetic and forward treble region pushes the mid range into the V (the lower region is not big enough) while delivering very good spark and energy until the end. The transition from upper mid to lower treble region has a gradual rise of energy as it gains forwardness with deeper and more dynamic notes. The extension is much better than any other TWS IEM I have ever used. It delivers very good amount of details and clarity. Layering and separation is very good and much more refined compared to the AFT2 I have been using for a while.

If extension is the thing you missed with other TWS IEMs, the TM2 is the solution to that.

STAGE AND IMAGING:-

TM2 has an acceptable stage size. It is not really big as it lacks some width and height and thanks to the depth it gives a barrel type stage with exploding treble stage. The bass and mids are contained inside the barrel and the Treble feels much more dynamic and free. Most of the instruments are placed outside the head with some mid range and instruments ending up inside the head while being generated just outside.

DEFAULT EARPIECE CONCLUSION:-

I have not heard any other earphone from Fostex but going by their headphone tuning abilities this is not their best effort for sure.

As a standalone earphone this is just average, nothing spectacular about it. The dynamism could have been better, the notes could have been livelier, thankfully the TM2 can use nearly any earphone available in the market.

WITH OTHER EARPIECES:-

Audiosense T200:-

The T200 comes with two BA drivers and delivers more livelier and dynamic notes. Unlike the default the earpieces the T200 doesn’t feel laggy or jagged with high speed tracks. Bass is bigger with nice slam and kick, surprisingly this BA driver IEM feels more wholesome than the dynamic driver shipping with TM2. The mid range comes up a bit with very good details and clarity. Treble notes are more controlled and balanced. Thankfully there is plenty of space inside the case for TM2 along with T200.

More than anything the synergy is much better which is surprising.

Shozy Pola:-

The Pola with its ES drivers is slightly on the tougher side to drive, does the TM2 manage to extract fair bit of details out of it? The answer is yes, the TM2 manages to drive the Pola without much problem. the dynamic driver delivers wholesome amount of slam and thump, it feels much more complete than what the T200 and the default earpieces deliver. The mid range is similar to the wired version with the vocals taking the lion’s share. Treble is well extended but it does not feel endless like wired version.

The stage is very good, much bigger than any other TWS one can come across. If you are used to the micro details, the setup kind of struggles with that. It delivers most of it but some micro details are smeared.

COMPARISON:-(with default earpieces)

AFT2:-

AFT2 is the latest TWS earphone from Audiofly with improved battery life and sound quality.

The T2 sounds more open and has a livelier and slightly brighter signature where the TM2 is dull and has a darker mid range. T2 has bigger bass body with slightly better sub-bass presence, the thump is wholesome with a nice slam and kick. The mid range is more dynamic with better notes depth and the stage feels wider and taller, TM2 has much better depth. Treble is where the TM2 excels and T2 falls flat. T2 doesn’t have much treble to talk about, the extension is so so. Layering and separation is far behind the TM2.

CONCLUSION:-

The tuning of the TM2 earpieces feels a bit horrid, I know Fostex can do better than this.

Pros:-

1. Modular design can accommodate most of the earphones in the market.

2. Much more stable than most TWS IEMs. The over the ear wearing style gives more confidence.

3. Battery life is very good on single charge.

4. Connectivity and range is excellent.

5. It has very good treble extension and details, very close to wired version.

6. Drives variety of earphones without much problem. BA drivers

Cons:-

1. The buttons can be placed in a more convenient location.

2. The Micro USB socket has to go.

3. Lack of battery in the large carry case is kind of annoying. The carry case can easily house at least a 2000mah battery. Maybe Type-C charging ports can be added to each module?

4. A cheaper version without the earpieces can be more intriguing to the buyer or the earpiece need a better tuning.

Thanks for reading!!

Have a nice day, enjoy your music!!

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ABOUT AUTHOR

Suman Sourav Meher

Suman Sourav Meher

My humble audiophile journey started in 2010, when I was in college, where I fell in love with the elements, nuances, and variations of this mesmerizing world. The ability of tiny earphones to recreate amazing sounds made my bad days tolerable and good days better! Now I am a full-time audiophile with a preference for musical tracks, especially vocals and engaging ones. I must admit I am addicted, but not to drugs or alcohol, but to earphones. Come join me as I share my experiences, bad or good, and let’s have some fun!

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