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Sony XBA-H1 and XBA-H3 Hybrid Dynamic and BA IEM
Oct 23, 2013 at 3:19 PM Post #737 of 3,257
dweaver said:
Eric the M200 is more linear and neutral than the H1. I no longer have the M200 on hand so can't say which is more detailed but I think the M200 was a bit smoother. The H1 on the other hand has a warm lush sound to it that is very enjoyable and I like the sound stage and instrument placement.

the H1 wins hands down for comfort and isolation.
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That is very interesting dweaver. Do you think the tuning and timbre is better than the xba3? From what I've read, detail and separation are about the same between the two?
 
Oct 23, 2013 at 3:21 PM Post #738 of 3,257
XBA-H3 were in the mail today, sorry for crappy lighting:
 

 

 
These are HUGE. Sound impressions to follow...
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Oct 23, 2013 at 3:33 PM Post #739 of 3,257
Man dat Ex-1000 box. So classy. H3 total downgrade confirmed :wink:

Lookin forward to the impressions James :)
 
Oct 23, 2013 at 3:38 PM Post #740 of 3,257
Oct 23, 2013 at 3:59 PM Post #741 of 3,257
Im curious what the H3 improves on, I assume better bass and soundstage.

I think im replacing my xba3 with these, the isolation combined with the lucious sound is awesome, I feel enveloped in my music completly with no outside noise AT ALL.
 
Oct 23, 2013 at 4:18 PM Post #742 of 3,257
I've been a long time Sony IEM user, and the H-3 has really got my attention. The 16mm driver in my XB 90-ex is bettered by it's having a liquid polymer driver; if it's the same quality as the EX 1000, and they have avoided the common hybrid problems with the BA drivers, it could be right up there. To have my 90 significantly improved is tantalizing, as I love the sound as it is. Fantastic post guys, please speed the reviews!
 
Oct 23, 2013 at 4:52 PM Post #743 of 3,257
idsynchrono_24 said:
Man dat Ex-1000 box. So classy. H3 total downgrade confirmed
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I agree on the packaging. And after some first quick listening comparisons, I can only say treasure your EX1000s my friends.
 
Out of the box, the H3 sound much closer to the XBA-4 than EX1000, but with a boomy / muddy bass that's actually worse than the XBA-4's. Mids are pretty good quality, but too warm because of the bass bloat. Highs are unoffensive, but also unremarkable. Sadly an overall pretty underwhelming first impression, considering the tech involved and price asked for.
 
I've never experienced substantial change from burn-in, but nevertheless will let them play overnight. These need substantial change to be keepers, sorry to say.
 
Oct 23, 2013 at 4:57 PM Post #744 of 3,257
The funny thing is that following this thread and making some more research on HeadFi and the web got me to shoot the EX-1000 for a good price. I am loving it so much for its overall performance, that I think I do not need to look into the H1-H3 series much more...
 
Oct 23, 2013 at 4:59 PM Post #745 of 3,257
Interesting early impression James. Maybe wider bore tips will help like some have said about the H1 to make the mids and highs more apparent. Very big earphone though. Anyway my take has always been if they were an EX1000 beater they would have had the price tag close to it.
 
Oct 23, 2013 at 5:07 PM Post #746 of 3,257
james444 said:
   
I agree on the packaging. And after some first quick listening comparisons, I can only say treasure your EX1000s my friends.
 
Out of the box, the H3 sound much closer to the XBA-4 than EX1000, but with a boomy / muddy bass that's actually worse than the XBA-4's. Mids are pretty good quality, but too warm because of the bass bloat. Highs are unoffensive, but also unremarkable. Sadly an overall pretty underwhelming first impression, considering the tech involved and price asked for.
 
I've never experienced substantial change from burn-in, but nevertheless will let them play overnight. These need substantial change to be keepers, sorry to say.
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Well he is King james444 when it comes to the Sony iems. I trust his first impressions. 
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Oct 23, 2013 at 5:23 PM Post #749 of 3,257
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Besides the price, I never liked this diagram. Looks like that diaphragm is capped off unlike the EX1000 driver. Those metal caps are hard to do right and tune correct. The Sony approach to mechanical tuning of armatures hasn't worked that well so far either. I was worried about the mechanical tuning of the LCP driver. Hard to imagine it will clear up much if it does need to. More like that capping could be the cause and burn in won't fix it. 
 
Maybe there is too much foam in the nozzle. Worked well for my EX600 which was darker than others reported their pairs. Quality control was not great with my pair but removing them helped. Maybe the same thing here. Though it was totally reversible with the EX600. Not sure about the H3 of course.
 
Oct 23, 2013 at 5:46 PM Post #750 of 3,257
james444 said:
I agree on the packaging. And after some first quick listening comparisons, I can only say treasure your EX1000s my friends.

Out of the box, the H3 sound much closer to the XBA-4 than EX1000, but with a boomy / muddy bass that's actually worse than the XBA-4's. Mids are pretty good quality, but too warm because of the bass bloat. Highs are unoffensive, but also unremarkable. Sadly an overall pretty underwhelming first impression, considering the tech involved and price asked for.

I've never experienced substantial change from burn-in, but nevertheless will let them play overnight. These need substantial change to be keepers, sorry to say.
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Hmmm... I had a bit of suspicion the second they mentioned that the new phones were tuned with the assistance of some music duo (?). I guess it's important to note that these phones do utilize full range drivers so I suppose anything can happen, but yeah, pretty underwhelming first impressions. I hope they do exhibit some change, the tech involved is far too intriguing :frowning2:
 
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