In this article we review the Fostex TM2 Bluetooth adapter & IEM, which is selling for €269 Euro.
Disclaimer: We were sent the Fostex TM2 for this review, free of charge. All thoughts and experiences with the product are naturally my own. You can find more about it here: https://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/products/TM2.shtml
I am quite thrilled to review this product as I have nothing but good experiences from anything I’ve ever tested from Fostex. They’re very meticulous about their products and judging from my experiences, they always deliver.
FOSTEX
Fostex has gained many followers due to their careful engineering and expertise in the audio industry. This iconic company has roots going back to 1948 as Foster Denki and they became one of the largest OEM manufacturers of loudspeakers and transducer products worldwide. The Fostex Company was founded in July 1973 by Foster Electric and they have over 50,000 employees in nine countries. Fostex is one of the worldwide known industry giants when it comes to Hi-Fi and their expertise in the audio industry has put a smile on many audiophiles around the world. My first contact with them was around 10-12 years ago. I had the PM.05 stereo bookshelf speakers and I was in love with them. I have used several portable products including TE100 and TH900 throughout the years and my fondness of the company increased with every product. We shall together see whether TM2 is going to be one of those products or not. Let’s go!
Fostex TM2
FOSTEX TM2 MODULAR BLUETOOTH ADAPTER & IEM
Here are the highlights:
Modular Design with MMCX & Several Optional Connector Types
True Wireless Stereo Plus Enabled Device + Independent Mode (L or R)
6mm Fostex Designed Dynamic Driver
Bluetooth 5 + aptX Support thanks to Qualcomm QCC3026 BL Chip
iPX5 Certification
MEMS Omnidirectional CVC NC Enabled Microphones
10H Battery Life
MSRP: 269€
Fostex TM2
Packaging & Accessories
Fostex’s modular adapter comes with a black, 2-piece hard box. The neatly packed box is designed in a simplistic way. You get to see the cradle of adapters as soon as you lift the top cover. The cradle has this textured, harsh surface and it feels durable. It is quite lightweight as well. Under the cradle, there lie the accessories. You get 3 different sizes of wide bore tips, a USB-A to Micro-USB cable for charging the cradle and high quality, leathery carrying pouch. Apart from these you also get a couple of manuals and a Fostex sticker. The unboxing experience is nice and I especially liked the leathery pouch.
Build & Design
If you ever wanted that beautiful CIEMs you own to be wireless, this is your cue. The Fostex TM2 offers exactly this via its proprietary modular design. You have the option to change both IEMs and the connector type. TM2 comes with a Fostex engineered 6mm dynamic driver but you can always pop it off to attach your higher-end CIEMs & IEMs. As for connectors, Fostex provides you with MMCX out of the box. If your IEMs use 0.78 2-Pin connectors, you have to buy CIEM 2-Pin short cable extra. There are also options like FitEar’s 2-Pin & ADC so you are future-proof in case you want to upgrade.
Fostex TM2
The adapters are not big and they’re not small either. The form-factor ratio is good in my opinion, after all, there is a DSP and a BL board in these as well as a battery each side. Adapters feel good in the hand, they have a rugged, textured finish. They seem hard and durable. The modular hook connector part is, however, totally bendable and smoother to the touch. This part may or may not touch your skin so it is nice to have a smoother finish here. The adapters have touch sensors and a multi-purpose button on each side. Nothing feels cheap here, kudos to our friends at Fostex. Moving on to the cradle, it also has a rugged textured finish but it feels harsher to the touch. It feels very durable and you will have no problem carrying your expensive IEMs & CIEMs in it. If you open it, the inner side welcomes you with this leather looking cradle to charge earphones. It looks like real leather but it is actually a hard plastic-y material. Okay, let’s stop here for a moment and let these sink in because what I am about to tell you can upset you as it did to me.
Fostex TM2
The cradle does not have a battery. So it is not a charging box. It does, however, charge the earphones but you have to plug the case via micro-USB port in the back to a wall-charger. I don’t seem to understand why Fostex chose this route but even a small battery would be great to have in situations like vacation etc. The good thing about the case is that the gap where you are supposed to put your CIEMs in is quite large so you won’t have any problems fitting your CIEMs in there. You can even store your extra connector cables and tips there. As for comfort, I wear glasses and I had no problems with it thanks to the bendable connector part. You can bend them however you like and find a comfortable position for your ears. The included earphone is also quite small and comfortable to wear for my ears.
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Fostex TM2
Robert Clark
If your you charging case stops charging, you will have a very difficult time get a replacement case. I’ve been on a search, using Fostex service, to get one and they have me calling around with a part number that doesn’t show up. I think the box should hold an additional charge too.
Sometimes you need to put the earphones in the station and pull them out before they activate, so if you are running around without the case you might have dead earphones until you get to the station.