[d marc0]

   
It's great that you are able to try all of this gear out, and great that you share your excellent impressions with us 

 
It's my pleasure mate! And thanks to those who are so kind to let me review their gear.

 

[hockey_magnet]

   
I'm using the Sony Hybrid Noise Isolating tips - the ones with foam underneath.

If you can give the Hybrid Silicone (no foam) a try. I found that they provide a more balanced sound. To me, the difference was significant and really made the H3 shine. Tried the tape mod but to my ears, it muffled the bass.

 

[d marc0]

  If you can give the Hybrid Silicone (no foam) a try. I found that they provide a more balanced sound. To me, the difference was significant and really made the H3 shine. Tried the tape mod but to my ears, it muffled the bass.

 
I have tried them and they seem to accentuate the highs resulting into a more v-shaped sound. It may seem to sound better because more treble presence is always good for a bass boosted sound signature. However, this will result into a more severe recession in the mids. So personally I find it farther from the ideal sound of the XBA H3 if you we're considering linearity.
 
As for the tape mod... it's hard to comment because we may be applying different techniques but in my experience the bass is a lot clearer, controlled, and tighter.

 

[hockey_magnet]

All different but I find the silicone hybrids also elevate the mids and vocals, not just treble. I'm hearing things in the mids that I was missing before. IMHO only

I have tried them and they seem to accentuate the highs resulting into a more v-shaped sound. It may seem to sound better because more treble presence is always good for a bass boosted sound signature. However, this will result into a more severe recession in the mids. So personally I find it farther from the ideal sound of the XBA H3 if you we're considering linearity.

As for the tape mod... it's hard to comment because we may be applying different techniques but in my experience the bass is a lot clearer, controlled, and tighter.

 

[daveyostrow]

  Your thought about the XBA-H3's mid is the same as my opinion to XBA-30's; but to put it worse, XBA-30 has that painful, piercing, and harsh upper treble that drowns the details from instruments.

i disagree, the xba30 had none of the harsh xba3 issues... you can add your own foam, experiment a bit. 
The H3 and 3/30 are very different, i could see people preferring the xba30s smoother sound but the h3 are a real beast.
 
 
Marco, this is a very polished comparison you are doing for us. I have been working on something much more dumbed down, but yours is a pleasure to read.

 

[d marc0]

All different but I find the silicone hybrids also elevate the mids and vocals, not just treble. I'm hearing things in the mids that I was missing before. IMHO only

I agree with you that vocals are better, but in my tests this is in the upper mid-range/lower treble. The recession I was talking about is between 1kHz and 4kHz and there's no tip variety in my collection that can help fix that.

 

[d marc0]

Marco, this is a very polished comparison you are doing for us. I have been working on something much more dumbed down, but yours is a pleasure to read.

Thanks mate, I appreciate that.

 

[telecaster]

Review and tastes can be so personnal. I for one disagree with all you said about the H3, they have such remarkable clean bass, medium and treble all together. I think you got a bad source to drive them rightly.

 

[d marc0]

Review and tastes can be so personnal. I for one disagree with all you said about the H3, they have such remarkable clean bass, medium and treble all together. I think you got a bad source to drive them rightly.

I respect your opinion mate. No worries.

You can check my setup at the beginning of the review and I'm pretty sure they are upto par. I'm really just relaying what I've heard... At the end of the day it's upto the reader to agree or disagree.

I do appreciate your feedback. Cheers!

 

[d marc0]

Review and tastes can be so personnal. I for one disagree with all you said about the H3, they have such remarkable clean bass, medium and treble all together. I think you got a bad source to drive them rightly.

 I just read your post the second time and I got confused... so you also don't agree that I said:
 

BASS: Each and every hybrid IEM I’ve reviewed so far has impressed me with their bass performance but Sony’s XBA H3 is the first to bring a mixed bag of impression. It has a strong emphasis on mid-bass but oddly coupled with a close-to-neutral sub-bass. The bass quantity is not really at “basshead” level but the impact/presence is quite good. Unfortunately, there’s a bit too much mid-bass and it usually causes bloat and bleeding. This will also depend on the tempo and complexity of the track and I’ve noticed that it can get away with slow clean songs such as acoustic performances and ballads. The problem occurs when dealing with complex, fast tempo tracks such as progressive metal. Bass decay stays a little bit too long thus bass bleed/bloat becomes more apparent. Fortunately, the problem is not so obvious with some genres such as EDM and 80’s Pop/Rock.

 

MIDS: This is where the XBA H3 falls really short of my expectations; the mid-range is quite recessed. What makes it worse, the recessed area is right in the middle where most of the rich detail reside. As a result, most instruments such as the piano, violin, and guitars at high octaves sound dull and distant. Distorted guitars sound too thick and masks the rest of the details. Vocals sound distant and restricted, diverting your focus to the surrounding instruments. Fortunately, the upper mid-range is quite forward saving the entire presentation from sounding veiled. Vocal sibilance is never an issue which is a plus! The XBA H3 doesn’t have the clarity of the other hybrids I’ve heard but at least cymbals sound natural and clear providing the necessary sparkle to even out the overall presentation.

 

 

HIGHS: The treble section is the XBA H3’s main strength with enough presence to compliment the emphasised bass. It is very detailed, well extended, airy, sparkly, and never sibilant. Cymbals sound great and vocal sibilance is almost non-existent resulting into a relaxed listening experience without compromising detail. Micro detail is easily extracted and can easily compete against the best I’ve heard. The only fault that I can point out and I’m really nit picking here; is that the XBA H3 still retains a little bit of the grainy texture and metallic tinge that were prevalent in the previous XBA series of IEMs. Not as bad but still faintly audible to my ears.

 

 

[djvkool]

 

[lin0003]

Can't wait for your LCD-2 review. Is it a loaner unit or are you moving to full sized? 
 
Oh, and I just saw that you have the L2 in your wishlist. I think Noisy Motel is having a sale for Anzac day, you might want to check that out. 

 

[d marc0]

Can't wait for your LCD-2 review. Is it a loaner unit or are you moving to full sized? 

Oh, and I just saw that you have the L2 in your wishlist. I think Noisy Motel is having a sale for Anzac day, you might want to check that out. 

It is a loaner unit and as much as i may want one, I don't have the funds.

Yes my next purchase will most likely be the L2 but I'm still waiting on a refund that Sony owes me. They are such a pain to deal with considering they messed up the transaction with my bank.

 

[lin0003]

Just wondering, what are you using to drive it? It needs some juice to sound good. 

 

[d marc0]

Just wondering, what are you using to drive it? It needs some juice to sound good. 

I'm a bit concerned because all I have is the c5. I might end up borrowing another amp if the c5 doesnt cut it. I was told however that this should work. So crossed fingers...