[doctorjazz]

Decided to the the Spiral Dot tips another shot on the H3 and spend more time listening. I think my initial impressions were a bit off. These two are not bad together. I must admit I don't listen to the H3 much with all the other gear I have here, but each time I go back to it I remember why I was initially impressed. It's stil one of the best universals out there (and is a steal for the current price on amazon of like $240). 

Cool track-really enjoyed it!
Never understood why the H3 lost it's sparkle so quickly, really like these
Starting to really appreciate the JVC's, generally have a tough time getting good seal/fit, especially with funny chambers and other off shapes, but, after trying lots of tips, have gotten satisfactory seal on the 850, and, man, do they sound good. Haven't tried head to head, one of these days do them, maybe with an AT and Heaven V thrown in, just time, time time, who knows where the time goes?

 

[dweaver]

I don't have these new spiral tips but I did swap out the hybrid tips on my H3 with a longer neck wide nozzle tip and noticed an immediate improvement in treble making them much more enjoyable.

A note for Canadians, I bought mine at a local Sony store and while they we're marked $349 on the shelf they actually came up as $249 on the computer so look to be on sale in Canada at the Sony stores.

 

[ericp10]

That Sandy Dennny track is nice, doctorjazz. Are you stil enjoying the Hope VI?

 

[dweaver]

Loving Patricia Barber and Diana Krill plus my Jazz Diva and Nat King Cole collections with the H3 alot. So the H3 does Jazz very well. It also seems to work well with Classical especially Cello's, acoustical music, Celtic tunes like Loreena McKennit, classic rock, as well psychedelic and hard rock.

I was trying to decide what it reminded me of signature wise. From memory the H3 reminds me of the HD650 or the IE8 but with slightly more forward mids and brighter more articulate treble. Its on the dark/warm side but without sacrificing the upper mids and treble to do it.

 

[dweaver]

Due to my use of brighter headphones I just adjusted the EQ on my LG G2 as follows, 31Hz 0, 125Hz -1, 250Hz -2, 500Hz 0, 2KHz +1, 6KHz +2, 16KHz +3. This tweak removes some of the darkness and makes the IEM sound more clear sounding.

 

[doctorjazz]

That Sandy Dennny track is nice, doctorjazz. Are you stil enjoying the Hope VI?

Yup, spend my full size listening alternating between Shure 1540 and Hope Vi (through Geek Out 1K or DX90)---whichever I happen to have on at the time is my favorite, both great phones. Try to give On1 and others some time, but it's hard taking off the Shure/FAD tag team

 

[dweaver]

Interesting doctorjazz, we seem to have a similar interest in Headphones and IEM's. My current favorite fullsize headphone in the 1540 and I am now enjoying the Sony XBA-H3.

 

[Dsnuts]

I know you just got your H3 dweaver. You should hear what they sound like with a upgraded cable on a more powerful amp. It sounds amazing.
 

 

[dweaver]

I picked a pair of Philips SHP-2600 from a local London Drugs store. I almost missed them when looking at the various headphones. Due to London drugs easy return policy and the low price of the headphone I thought I would take a chance on the headphone since it has almost zero reviews.
 
Price for the headphone was $40 Canadian.
 
Out of the box impressions: It sure looks like a cheap Sony knockoff!! The cable is very basic and the cups are made from a very basic plastic construction following the basic Sony V6 type design. The pads are generic synthetic material that is very similar to what you see on Koss DJ headphones but are oval so easily sit over the whole ear. The padding is thin enough some peoples ears may touch the driver cover though. They have a decent level of isolation and are extremely light and comfortable on head.
 
Initial sound impressions were optimistic. The bass was a bit weak for my tastes but not bad, the midrange sounded decently full, and the treble seemed decently extended and detailed. I noticed some holes in the sonic landscape and a tendency to distort at louder volumes. So I decided to let the headphone cook for a couple of days with my burnin mix of pink/white/brown noise, drumming and select songs at a slightly louder than comfortable volume level.
 
The burnin seems to have fleshed out all of the holes I noticed. The high volume distortion has pretty much disappeared. I played the song Rest by Beckah Shae and did notice a bit of distortion in the hardest hitting sub bass parts of the song so it also seems to bottom out with serious sub-bass. For most genres this headphone will offer an extremely balanced signature that is full and balanced, offering an above average listening experience at a bargain basement price.
 
If you can find these for under $40 I think they are worth taking a chance on as they hit well above that price tag in sound quality. They are an excellent first full size headphone for those wanting to try their hand in that arena without having to buy an expensive amp and gear to play them.
 
Here is a link to the headphone from a German website: https://www.otto.de/p/philips-headband-kopfhoerer-shp2600-00-schwarz-418036408/#variationId=418036437

 

[dweaver]

I have a pair of UE900 out on loan right now, when I get them back I will try playing with their cable on the H3 and see what happens. I actually don't mind the original cable as I like how I can bend it around my ear and hole it's shape to help keep the IEM in proper position. I am currently using these only with my portable sources but will try them with my desktop amps as well to see how they work from them.
 
My little EQ tweak I mentioned above helps tame the bass a bit but I also find it is enjoyable unbridled as well. Just sat down and plugged them into my Audioengine D1 while typing these and am listening to Mumford and Son's Babel album and am enjoying them a lot. The bass is still a bit to strong but only just. I then switched to my Little Dot Dac1 and Bravo Ocean Tube Amp with a 75ohm impedence adapter and HOLY CRAP!!!!!! This combination is simply insanely good!!! The impedence adapter ensures there is no noise and the combination of the bright DAC and the warm tube makes the IEM simply shine in all areas! The bass is no longer over powering and the mids and treble are fully alive and dynamic! Right now these sound as good as my full size headphones! I may have to try this combination with some of my other headphones to see if it helps them in any way!

 

[doctorjazz]

I know you just got your H3 dweaver. You should hear what they sound like with a upgraded cable on a more powerful amp. It sounds amazing.

DS, any particular cable you're using?

 

[Dsnuts]

Danny took a chance on these cables. 92% silver core.. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-Love-Shure-se535-se425-se315-se215-upgrade-cable-/251510993064?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8f3930a8  I gave them a try as well and they been on my H3 ever since I got them. The ear guides will help maintain the shape.
 
Haven't tried it yet but I am certain this cable will also work with the FX850s as well.

 

[doctorjazz]

Interesting doctorjazz, we seem to have a similar interest in Headphones and IEM's. My current favorite fullsize headphone in the 1540 and I am now enjoying the Sony XBA-H3.

 

[doctorjazz]

OK, give it a try (the cable, that is, ordered from ebay).
Having source problems (I know, 1st world problems, yada yada yada)...My X3 and DX90 both seem to have given up the ghost at the same time. IBasso was woking this morning, I tried using coax out to try out a DA converter, hasn't turned on since (Guess I'll post on the DX50 thread next). Haven't used the X3 since the iBasso came, tried turning it on/charghing it, not going on either (at least when I connect it to computer it gets recognized as a drive, may be able to coax something out of it...XB90 doesn't show as drive, card doesn't show either, doesn't charge, doesn't turn on. Oh well, back to the iPod Touch and Samsung YP-whatever for portable sources...Have to check out where I got XB90 from, many recent purchases, but I suspect I'm going to be stuck for it...:mad:

 

[Kamakahah]

OK, give it a try (the cable, that is, ordered from ebay).
Having source problems (I know, 1st world problems, yada yada yada)...My X3 and DX90 both seem to have given up the ghost at the same time. IBasso was woking this morning, I tried using coax out to try out a DA converter, hasn't turned on since (Guess I'll post on the DX50 thread next). Haven't used the X3 since the iBasso came, tried turning it on/charghing it, not going on either (at least when I connect it to computer it gets recognized as a drive, may be able to coax something out of it...XB90 doesn't show as drive, card doesn't show either, doesn't charge, doesn't turn on. Oh well, back to the iPod Touch and Samsung YP-whatever for portable sources...Have to check out where I got XB90 from, many recent purchases, but I suspect I'm going to be stuck for it...:mad:

Try holding the menu and power button simultaneously for 10-15 seconds on the X3 like you would during a firmware upgrade. Should do the trick.