Oh it is. Significantly better. When combined with the best transparency modes it sounds almost like an open back ear bus and isn’t so isolating that plus sound quality makes it my favorite even if sound quality alone I may prefer other earbuds.
The more I listen the more I notice improvements. I’m sure it would be stark if I went back to the old ones. I’m not overly a fan of bass, but the bass on these is done so well I find myself looking around to see what’s making that knocking sound and then realize it’s actually bass reproduction so perfect I can’t even tell it’s coming from the headphones.