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Heir Audio 3.Ai Impressions/Comparisons/Review Thread - Page 4

post #46 of 309
8/14/12 at 2:28pm
Well im not sure if i want something neutral, d basically want a gr07 with a little more details and better soundstage.
Maybe some more bass and trebles as long as its still a balanced sound aswell
Edited by Moosecraft - 8/14/12 at 2:39pm
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post #47 of 309
8/14/12 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tzjin View Post

From what others have said, it seems the 4.Ai is a better comparison with the GR07. Both have neutral sound signatures, whereas the 3.Ai tuned to be more "fun".

I think Swimsonny said the 4.Ai handily beats out the GR07 in most regards. Makes this owner a little sad.

i eq the bass on my gr07 up since i didnt realize im a basshead

and will be primarily using my iem unamped so im wondering about the low end extension on the 3ai

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post #48 of 309
8/14/12 at 3:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tzjin View Post


I think Swimsonny said the 4.Ai handily beats out the GR07 in most regards. Makes this owner a little sad.

 

Honestly, I've found Sonny's impressions regarding the GR07 to be a little off, especially when he says the total opposite to what I and several others have heard. It doesn't seem to be a case of the typical "we all hear differently" head-fi speak either.

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post #49 of 309
8/14/12 at 4:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eke2k6 View Post

 

Honestly, I've found Sonny's impressions regarding the GR07 to be a little off, especially when he says the total opposite to what I and several others have heard. It doesn't seem to be a case of the typical "we all hear differently" head-fi speak either.


I just read his review and I'm a bit surprised as well.

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post #50 of 309
8/14/12 at 4:39pm
There's already a comparison on the first page between the 3.Ai and GR07 (and others)!
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post #51 of 309
8/14/12 at 5:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by putente View Post

There's already a comparison on the first page between the 3.Ai and GR07 (and others)!

thanks! i guess i missed that

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post #52 of 309
8/14/12 at 7:37pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by putente View Post

Cotnijoe, a few days have passed since your last impressions about the 3.Ai... How is your "relationship" with them going? biggrin.gif

Im still in Malaysia but im using them quite a lot! probably 3 or 4 hours a day minimum. Still in love =D! lol. I'll be posting a comparison of the 3.Ai and Sony MDR EX800ST in a few days (theyre quite different but i think its a worthy comparison). Then probably in about a week or so put up the full review of the 3.Ai once i get settled down in college in the US. So...that's the plan =)

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mertodinlo View Post

If you do have tiny ears, the purple tips, will provide a better fit. I tried the smallest red tips, but had to change after ½ hour. I agree that the purple tips takes a little more effort to get on, but it's worth it!

ooo...i have very tiny ears. Red seemed ok for me though. I'll try the force those purples in again even though im liking the comply tips a lot =)

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by tzjin View Post

From what others have said, it seems the 4.Ai is a better comparison with the GR07. Both have neutral sound signatures, whereas the 3.Ai tuned to be more "fun".

I think Swimsonny said the 4.Ai handily beats out the GR07 in most regards. Makes this owner a little sad.

I would assume the 4.Ai would be more similar to GR07...never tried the 4.Ai so i cant be 100% on that. Seems most likely tho. And it makes sense that the 4.Ai would dominate the GR07...considering the price difference and Heir's ability to gain a reputation on Head-Fi in a matter of months.

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post #53 of 309
8/14/12 at 10:22pm
Thread Starter 

Hey! Probably my final comparison unless i can get my hands on IE8 or 80s. Not so much of a comparison for SQ as it is to sort of show the pros and cons.

 

Sony MDR-EX800ST (AKA MDR-7550 i think?):

 

I loved the EX800ST. The second i tried them i knew i had to try its older cousin the EX1000, which didnt disappoint either. Some greattttt in ears from Sony.

 

The EX800ST and 3.Ai are very different. Despite having a pretty big bass, the EX800ST is still geared towards monitoring while the 3.Ai is just loaddddddd of fun. Still, i think comparing the two shows the strengths and weaknesses of the 3.Ai quite well. So here goes! =)

 

Both of these do extremely well in the bass department. The EX800ST's bass makes me wonder how well they will really perform in the studio, because it really has quite the presence compared to other monitors. Impact is wonderful, with nice clarity and fairly good extension. I was also impressed how clean it was. The 3.Ai bass, however, just knows how to work its magic too well. 3.Ai has a little bit more bass quantity to it but with no compromise of clarity and detail. And again...DYNAMICS. The 3.Ai really knows how to control its bass, showing it off at the right time and stepping back a little when it should. No doubt it will still be bass heavy for those who focus on neutrality of treble, but bass on the 3.Ai is still phenomenal in many aspects.

 

The 3.Ai has a much richer sound compared to the EX800ST, which is much much thinner in comparison. This really shows some of the strengths and weaknesses of the 3.Ai. The EX800ST basically owns the 3.Ai in terms of space. Being a vented IEM, naturally the sense of space is huge in comparison to the 3.Ai. The more neutral signature and the slightly bigger soundstage also adds to the sense of open-ness in the EX800ST. The EX800ST can be too thin sometimes though, so i would not recommend using them for genres like rock and heavy metal (similar to the problem with GR07s). I also found that the EX800ST does very poorly at higher volumes. Treble becomes overwhelming and scratchy and the sound becomes harsh. Switching between the two, you can tell right away that the EX800ST has a seemingly endless amount of space in comparison to the 3.Ai. The EX800ST's space comes a the price of isolation though. Isolation is pretty bad...and for an in ear...id say its just down right terrible isolation.

 

3.Ai, although its spacing is restricted in comparison to the EX800ST, when compared to other bass heavy IEMs, it has to be praised for what its able to give in terms of space. After my ears have adjusted to the sound of the 3.Ai, i have to say the amount of space it gives is still very nice and sufficient. Isolation on the other hand, is top notch. I havent had Etymotics around for a while so i cant say how they compare to those, but theyre definitely there with the best isolation Westones and Shures, perhaps better.

 

Comparing the two, it shows that the 3.Ai:

-has a trade off between space and open-ness for a rich sound, awesome bass, and isolation

-3.Ai is more versatile and not as genre specific as the EX800ST. There hasnt been a genre where i just cannot stand with these.

-3.Ai does well at varying volumes (I dont listen to my music too loud so... my loud might be different than others) and its control of dynamics never ceases to impress me.

 

Personally I think the trade off between the space and the rich sound, bass and isolation is a good one. Again, once my ears have adjusted, I wouldnt really bring up any major complaints about space. There is no "cavernous" feeling despite the loss of spacing compared to more neutral IEMs. And the rich sound and bass of these...WOW. Definitely something worth listening to and the isolation makes them very good in any type of environment.

 

I would definitely recommend both of these. Very well done on both ends.

 

*note the difference between soundstage and space.


Edited by Cotnijoe - 8/15/12 at 7:12am
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post #54 of 309
8/15/12 at 12:24am

I might missed it in an earlier post, but what are you using as source/amp? Myself uses an iPod Classic with the best result so far, but I'm curios to see what your best combo may be? :)

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post #55 of 309
8/15/12 at 12:26am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mertodinlo View Post

I might missed it in an earlier post, but what are you using as source/amp? Myself uses an iPod Classic with the best result so far, but I'm curios to see what your best combo may be? :)

I use iBasso D5Hj amp/dac connected to my Zenbook via USB. Probably an amp/dac most people haven't gotten to try.

 

I'll post some quick impressions using iphone with Fostex HP-P1 and RSA The Shadow too.

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post #56 of 309
8/15/12 at 2:26am

Thanks for all the comparisons, Cotnijoe! Keep them coming... beerchug.gif

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post #57 of 309
8/15/12 at 9:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peculier View Post

Does anyone know how the 3Ai compares to the W3 or TF10? Does it have a similar fun sound signature?

 

I'm curious too.  I only have the W3 so a comparison to a TF10 isn't all that helpful for me.  I know they're supposed to be similar but from most of my reading on here it seems as if the TF10 is beloved and the w3 well... isn't.  I like my w3's although I admit they aren't good for my eclectic tastes in music. 

 

I guess I should buy a tf10 so these comparisons make more sense. 

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post #58 of 309
8/17/12 at 8:09am
Thread Starter 

Hey guys! Got a chance to audition the IE8 and IE80...only briefly tho. And i gotta say...the 3.Ai are easily better than the IE80s. I'm not sure if there was something up with the one i was auditioning or something...but the IE80s were very grainy...and was a bit messy. If he IE80s you guys auditioned arent like this then probably best to ignore this but yea...if that's how the IE80s are...3.Ai are quite a step up.

 

Comparing with the IE8 (which i only got to try for 5-10 mins =\) id say its still a step up. The BA driver in the 3.Ai really shows the clarity behind everything. I'm not sure what the IE8's bass was set at but it wasnt as big as i was expecting. At the end, 3.Ai is still a much cleaner sounding IEM. It does sound a little darker than the IE8s as well.

 

Again...another giant killer...Sennheiser is in danger too. I would definitely point anyone interested in the Sennheiser IE8 or 80s towards the 3.Ai first!

 

Also got to try a lot of cool stuff =) portable tube amps...final audio heaven IV (which was pretty good =) ) HD650 and the just released Denon AH-D600 (i warn you guys of the treble...its REALLY metallic harsh sounding for some reason...disappointing...dealer said it mite be cuz its new so its not burnt in but i dont rly buy it...)

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post #59 of 309
8/17/12 at 8:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cotnijoe View Post

Hey guys! Got a chance to audition the IE8 and IE80...only briefly tho. And i gotta say...the 3.Ai are easily better than the IE80s. I'm not sure if there was something up with the one i was auditioning or something...but the IE80s were very grainy...and was a bit messy. If he IE80s you guys auditioned arent like this then probably best to ignore this but yea...if that's how the IE80s are...3.Ai are quite a step up.

Comparing with the IE8 (which i only got to try for 5-10 mins =\) id say its still a step up. The BA driver in the 3.Ai really shows the clarity behind everything. I'm not sure what the IE8's bass was set at but it wasnt as big as i was expecting. At the end, 3.Ai is still a much cleaner sounding IEM. It does sound a little darker than the IE8s as well.

Again...another giant killer...Sennheiser is in danger too. I would definitely point anyone interested in the Sennheiser IE8 or 80s towards the 3.Ai first!

Also got to try a lot of cool stuff =) portable tube amps...final audio heaven IV (which was pretty good =) ) HD650 and the just released Denon AH-D600 (i warn you guys of the treble...its REALLY metallic harsh sounding for some reason...disappointing...dealer said it mite be cuz its new so its not burnt in but i dont rly buy it...)


Unless you were in the exact airport store I was, your pair wasn't faulty. Frankly, I think the IE8 is better than the IE80 because it's not nearly as grainy.
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post #60 of 309
8/17/12 at 8:32am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by eke2k6 View Post


Unless you were in the exact airport store I was, your pair wasn't faulty. Frankly, I think the IE8 is better than the IE80 because it's not nearly as grainy.

that's so sad to hear then =\ for a pair of IEMs that's so well regarded and so sought after...IE80 was a bit of a disappointment then...was expecting to be blown away...

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