[james444]

  mid-bassy? Hmmm? How's the sub-bass? I understand about having the bass done in a way that you most enjoy it. Not all bass is the same.

 
I agree with Tom, mid-bass isn't completely masking away the sub-bass. But stock sound is definitely mid-bassy. My own preferences lean rather towards less mid-bass and equal amounts (or even slightly more) sub-bass though. And that's the beauty of the tape mod, since it seems to attenuate mid-bass more than sub-bass. The hole in the tape needs to be very tiny though, to achieve that kind of sound signature.

 

[stormmilk]

I saw another review, and they say these have nothing in common with the previous dynamic flagship ex1000, but I might give it a shot.

 

[Jackson 6]

Decided to try out the treble, with a song that has nothing but treble, the acidic 'Spark' by T.Amos. It screams out for distortion, but the H3 kept it in check. It's not just bassy.  

 

[acsteel]

Just got my H1s today after my previous EX310's died, and I don't really know much about IEM's at all, so I thought I would ask you guys here. Been listening to them all day, and I have noticed that while the bass is very good, the mids and highs sound quite 'sharp', for want of a better word. The only way I can put it is that when there is a lot of s's in the vocals, they are a bit distorted, jarring and uncomfortable to listen to. Will burning them in help with this, and does anyone else notice this with the H1s?

 

[daveyostrow]

  Just got my H1s today after my previous EX310's died, and I don't really know much about IEM's at all, so I thought I would ask you guys here. Been listening to them all day, and I have noticed that while the bass is very good, the mids and highs sound quite 'sharp', for want of a better word. The only way I can put it is that when there is a lot of s's in the vocals, they are horribly jarring and uncomfortable to listen to. Will burning them in help with this, and does anyone else notice this with the H1s? I'm pretty disappointed right now since they don't sound as good as my previous set.

it may just need some burn in, but the highs would not be as smoothed as the ex310 (i had the ex510 myself). it can be your preferance, but let your ears adjust as well to a higher end sound. and fyi, i am also sensitive to piercing highs. 
so ya, give it some time
 
if you want a deeper bass and easier treble the xb90 can not be beat

 

[james444]

  Just got my H1s today after my previous EX310's died, and I don't really know much about IEM's at all, so I thought I would ask you guys here. Been listening to them all day, and I have noticed that while the bass is very good, the mids and highs sound quite 'sharp', for want of a better word. The only way I can put it is that when there is a lot of s's in the vocals, they are a bit distorted, jarring and uncomfortable to listen to. Will burning them in help with this, and does anyone else notice this with the H1s?

 
I haven't heard the H1, but going by their measured graph they shouldn't sound overly sharp in mids and highs. Since sibilance ("a lot of s's in the vocals") may also be caused by bad fit, I'd recommend you try the Sensaphonics seal test, just to make sure that you've got a proper fit.

 

[Eirwyn]

   
I haven't heard the H1, but going by their measured graph they shouldn't sound overly sharp in mids and highs. Since sibilance ("a lot of s's in the vocals") may also be caused by bad fit, I'd recommend you try the Sensaphonics seal test, just to make sure that you've got a proper fit.

I can also confirm that even though bass is really good, H1's highs are not as smooth as my previous IEMs. On the other hand, I hear 'sibilance' not just with H1 but with every IEM I own, and it's quite annoying tbf, is there something wrong with my ears?

 

[Lifted Andreas]

 
I can also confirm that even though bass is really good, H1's highs are not as smooth as my previous IEMs. On the other hand, I hear 'sibilance' not just with H1 but with every IEM I own, and it's quite annoying tbf, is there something wrong with my ears?

 
Sounds like your ears just arent made for extended high freq. :/
 
I'm trying to decide between XBA-H1 and ATH CKS1000 at the moment.

 

[getclikinagas]

   
Sounds like your ears just arent made for extended high freq. :/
 
I'm trying to decide between XBA-H1 and ATH CKS1000 at the moment.

Regardless of price I assume?, as the CKS1k is twice the price.
 
CKS1k may have the upper hand. Overall refinement, Bass quality, Treble detail levels.

 

[Lifted Andreas]

  Regardless of price I assume?, as the CKS1k is twice the price.
 
CKS1k may have the upper hand. Overall refinement, Bass quality, Treble detail levels.

 
Yeah, actually I had already made the decision just wasnt sure how detailed the H1 is in the upper frequencies.

 

[iAbdulKarim]

Hi to everyone!

This is my first post, but I've been following the forums and advice for a very long time now.

I'm in the market for some new IEM's and have narrowed it down to either the Sony XBA-H3 or Sennheiser IE80's. They're pretty much the same price at the moment here, so that's why I've chosen these two. I mainly listen to EDM (love my bass), but my collection is a mixture of all genres and I'll be listening to them for 3 hours a day on my commute through London to work.

Can I please ask for some advice on which would be better for my needs?

Many thanks guys!

 

[pietcux]

Hi I have both, the H3 and the IE80. The IE80 has a stronger bass even at the lowest level of the bass screw. But the bass is more loose than the H3. The H3 is not bass shy also. The H3 is more detailed and has overall a much smoother presentation, whreas the IE80 is more rough overall. Both are comfortable to me. The IE80 is much smaller and more or less invisible, the H3 is huge and clearly visible inside your ear. The IE80 is all about bass, the H3 has it all and does it very good. I prefer the H3 a lot.

 

[ericp10]

So I received my H3 today. Here are my initial impressions:
 
I still need to wrap my head around the XBA-H3 some more, but I was expecting quite worse than what I'm hearing. I can't say this is the heaviest earphone I've heard note-wise (it's definitely is 3-Dish and has weight in the sound, but I've heard other earphones with weightier notes in the 3-D realm), but the combination of weight and wide soundstage I will have to think hard about what I've heard to match it. Also, to be such a bassy earphone, this is one of the most detailed universals I have heard in vocals. And I do mean DETAILED vocals!! Sounds great to me, although some may think it's too much. The bass sounds a touch muddy to me (I went straight to the new Sony foam/silicon hybrids), but I do expect that to clear up with burn-in. The bass is enough to satisfy a basshead, but it's not in the far reaches of of being a basshead earphone. This is another full sounding earphone - like the ATH-IM70 - that is super rich and refined. Yes, much more refined than the IM70 (and I still love it's sound), and richly detailed. I can say right now this is what I dreamed for the EX1000 and EX600 to sound like in some sort of weird combination. The highs extend beautifully with none of that stabbing my eardrums with daggers sound. Lots of space around the instruments. Look this earphone, I think, will have too much bass for audiophiles, but will be perfect for audiophiles (like me) who love bass (if that makes sense). I'm using the X3 DAP, and I can say even right now this is the best Sony earphone I've ever heard! I still own the Sony XBA-4 (paid quite a bit more for it than I paid for the XBA-H3). The XBA-H3 absolutely destroys the XBA-4 to my  ears. Well done Sony! More solid impressions to come later, of course. Before you ask me what is the sound signature comparable too, I don't know. It sounds like a mixture of top tiers I've heard. Then it sounds uniquely like itself to me. I need to sort this signature out, but I like it. I initially was going to say the mids are recessed, but they aren't. There's just so much space between instruments. In case you're wondering, I'm digging this earphone already ... big time. 

Oh, as for fit. I had major problems with the fit of the EX-1000, EX-600, and 7550. All three felt heavy in my ears and tended to sag and feel like they wanted to pop out. The body of the H3  - I believe -  is bigger than the EX-1000, but somehow feel more comfortable and stable. I'm thinking this is because it's made with a light material (not the metals that made up the EX-600 and EX-1000) and a bit difference in the shape of it. Also, the new hybrid foam tips are holding it in place inside of my ears, so far so good. 

 

[james444]

Hi to everyone!

This is my first post, but I've been following the forums and advice for a very long time now.

I'm in the market for some new IEM's and have narrowed it down to either the Sony XBA-H3 or Sennheiser IE80's. They're pretty much the same price at the moment here, so that's why I've chosen these two. I mainly listen to EDM (love my bass), but my collection is a mixture of all genres and I'll be listening to them for 3 hours a day on my commute through London to work.

Can I please ask for some advice on which would be better for my needs?

Many thanks guys!

  Hi I have both, the H3 and the IE80. The IE80 has a stronger bass even at the lowest level of the bass screw. But the bass is more loose than the H3. The H3 is not bass shy also. The H3 is more detailed and has overall a much smoother presentation, whreas the IE80 is more rough overall. Both are comfortable to me. The IE80 is much smaller and more or less invisible, the H3 is huge and clearly visible inside your ear. The IE80 is all about bass, the H3 has it all and does it very good. I prefer the H3 a lot.

 
While I agree that the H3 are technically better, I easily prefer my IE8 (= very similar to the IE80) over them for commuting. Granted, I need to knock the IE8's mid-bass hump down with EQ, but apart from that they're one of the best thought out and most convenient commuting IEMs ever made. The H3 in comparison is bulky and inconvenient for on the go. jm2c.
 

  So I received my H3 today. Here are my initial impressions:

 
Thanks Eric, glad you're getting a better fit this time. Just for comparison's sake, since we both have the Fiio X3, which drives the H3 very well imo: I'm using the H3 with tape mod to tame their bass, and on top of that bass setting -2 on the X3's hardware EQ. That much for our different preferences, lol.

 

 

[getclikinagas]

   I can say right now this is what I dreamed for the EX1000 and EX600 to sound like in some sort of weird combination. 

 
Aside: Awaiting your full impressions.
How do they sound out of a better, more powerful source?