Hifiman TWS800 IEM Core Review

Sound Signature

The 800 shares the same origin as the 600. It features a balanced signature with emphasis on clarity, resolution and airiness. However, the TWS800 is more powerful, more authoritative and better in almost every aspect than the 600. The bass has improved a lot, resulting in a more coherent and balanced presentation. The mids are just as sweet, treble extension is clear, extended but controlled.

Hifiman aimed for the stars with this one, that’s for sure.

Low Region

I am going to be honest here. I did not like writing about the bass section of the TWS600, however I will thoroughly enjoy writing this section right now. From the sub to mids, the bass has great texture, improved dynamics and improved quantity compared to the TWS600. It feels natural, not overly saturated or boosted, just natural. It blends in perfectly with the rest of the spectrum.

It does not feel insufficient at all. It can get quite powerful when the track calls for it, too. On the other hand, the agility of lows are impressive as well. Congestion-handling ability of the TWS800 is much better than that of the TWS600. I really liked how Hifiman tuned the lows. Exciting.

One small note here, due to the form of the TWS800, the bass improves as tips go deeper into your canal, so if you think that the bass is lacking, you may be having seal issues. Try tips that go deeper, or go foam. It has a delightfully tuned bass that you should definitely enjoy to the fullest.

Midrange

The mids are perfectly aligned with the rest of the spectrum. They are layered, natural and detailed. Furthermore, the whole presentation is resolving and the clarity is most certainly impressive for a TWS earphone.

Vocals are delicate and articulate, not too forward, not too recessed. Just right where they are supposed to be. The Hifiman TWS800 does not have an upper mid peak and it feels more coherent, without hurting the perceived clarity. Sensitive ears will like this a lot after the 600. Resolution and clarity is better and especially the note thickness is improved greatly. So mids have improved body and they do not sound thin. Instruments sound very natural, nothing feels artificial.

Treble

The treble region of the Hifiman TWS800 is energetic & detailed. Just like the rest of the spectrum, the TWS800’s treble follows the main idea of an audiophile TWS. It is clear, detailed, non-fatiguing. It certainly perform above its asking price.

No unwanted crispness or sibilance of any kind. The extension is also good with plenty of details. Saxes, Piccolos, Flutes do not feel artificial at all.

Soundstage & Technical Performance

The sound stage is open and airy. Instrumental separation is very good as it is quite easy to pick out the positions of the instruments. Also, instruments have adequate air between them and PRaT is improved because of this.

Congestion handling during fast passages improved greatly over the TWS600. Attack & decay is faster, thanks to a more coherent and improved driver. The Hifiman TWS800 offers better imaging as the driver is more capable and the freq curve is more natural. I want to add that Hifiman fixed the slight hissing issue, the background is darker, compared to TWS600.

Final Words

Hifiman’s goal was clear. Creating a TWS sculpted with the idea of hi-fi that can be loved by everyone. Of course, natural presentation, energetic and dynamic signature was the ultimate solution.

Hifiman improved nearly everything of the TWS600. The Hifiman TWS800 features a much better build quality, a better and more elegant charging case, new touch controls, a new and much better driver and a new and improved audiophile tuning.

A few months ago, I wrote at the end of the TWS600 review that I was very excited about the new products coming by Hifiman. You guys now understand why I wrote that, right? The Hifiman TWS800 has excellent genre compatibility, it is a great all-rounder so you can listen to wide range of genres. Listening to EDM and bass-dependent tracks with the TWS600 was not very optimal however, you won’t have that problem with TWS800.

I have been switching from Evgeny Grinko to Röyksopp, Röyksopp to Buika. It’s fun. The only thing that upset me is the codecs. Unfortunately the pair supports only SBC/AAC and there is no support for LDAC or any other high-quality codecs. Come on Hifiman, at least give us aptx-HD!

That’s pretty much everything I can say about the 800. Honestly, Hifiman did nail this one and they showed us how serious they are with their wireless audio.