[SKilleT]

  hear hear! I am disappointed you ignored the colors of the cable, -1 on the impressions.
 
JK!
 
Would you say that the build quality of the h-3s are better or the same as the 7550? The housing, in particular.
 
 
 
EDIT: also, for people who are afraid that the h-3s will break due to the cable (in what? 3 years?) there is an extra cable that is included in the pouch that comes with the earphones. I would show pictures of that, but I need to reformat my camera's memory. If I don't have it, by tomorrow, maybe skillet,eric, or carlsan can prove this claim.

Indeed the color combination is good but I didnt really like it as it looks like the beats audio cable.....
 
However, the build quality in my opinion is the same if not better. If you count the cable as a part of the build quality, then I would defiantly say the cable is one of the best I have seen. In fact, the cable is one of the reasons why I returned the Sony 7550.
 
It indeed comes with a cable with mic which makes it even better!
 
I am really satisfied with it.
 
I have bought so many headphones to try out such as Westone 4r, Westone 3, VSonic GR07, XBA-40, XB90EX, Shure 315, Shure 215, VModa M-100, Sony EX7550!
 
These are the best IEM ever. I will defiantly keep them and enjoy them to the max. But hey, that's just me.

 

[bee4]

Carlsan, I see that you have InEar SD-3 as well. Could you say something about H3 vs. SD-3 (plus vs. Cardas if it is not asking too much)? Thanks.

 

[axismundi]

I had XBA-H3 for more than one week now and I'm very happy about what I'm hearing.
 
In my eyes (or should I say my ears?), out of the box they excel in presenting a very layered, multidimensional and yet coherent sound. All instruments are clearly rendered and distinctly identified, regardless of what you throw at them - no perceptible intermodulation. Which is something one would expect from a multiple-drivers IEM, yet in this respect XBA-H3 crushes for example JVC FXZ200 or Audio-Technica CK10. I've never heard something like this before in an IEM - no hype here.
 
One other strong point which you note right away is the mids - magic and silky. Addictive.
 
I do agree with those who find the bass over-bloated. A bit of research (http://en.goldenears.net/26285) and a proper parametric equaliser made miracles. Dropping by 5-7dB the mid-bass (135Hz, 0.3 quality factor) removes the masking bloat and allows the 16mm driver to shine. I used to think that Sennheiser IE800, JVC FX700 or FXZ200 have great bass - I still think that, but XBA-H3 are in a league of their own once corrected (and of course, properly amped). The bass in XBA-H3 goes very low, has texture and rumble and is virtually distortion free - even at unbearable high volumes.
 
Highs are competent and well integrated with the rest, which is what XBA-H3 deserves. However, having been spoiled with IE800, FX700 and FXD80 (after equalising and removing the huge spikes around 8KHz and 16KHz for the latter), I'm less impressed compared to the rest of the spectrum - if wish they extended just a tad more. Nevertheless, you'd struggle to find better.
 
All in all, not bad at all out of the box but not exactly reference sound either. I did have to employ the equaliser for other parts of the spectrum (e.g. address 2.5KHz dip or the 5KHz and 10KHz peaks) to correct some smaller inaccuracies. Once that's done however, the final result is addictive. I love XBA-H3.
 
Some other thoughts:
 - they are huge and obtrusive (they even beat FXZ200 in this respect), but they do fit very well in my ears - so much so, that I have no issues using them in the gym
 - cable feels indeed of very good quality (not a big fan of the colour scheme though)
 - the Sony hybrid silicon foam tips are worth the hype
 - the high impedance / rather average sensitivity combination means that driving them from an average DAP (iPhone for example) may let you wishing for more volume, depending on what you're listening to.

 

[Jackson 6]

The Bass settles down in time.

 

[sardar17]

  The Bass settles down in time.

more like the ears get used to.

 

[Jackson 6]

The boom goes down. Had about 300 hours, it took the ex 1000 three month's to settle according to some. I agree with the ie 800's spiky treble, though it's a mighty fine IEM all the same. Prefer bloat to harsh treble, it gives life to mono jazz.

 

[Eirwyn]

Ok I have a noob question and I wanna ask on this thread because I have H1 and will get H3.
 
What exactly is a basshead? Because I call myself a basshead but I feel like I'm using it wrong. When I say I love bass, I'm talking about I love hearing the bass guitar really clearly and as loud as other instruments, I don't necessarily have to have that 'boom boom' sound. In fact, the more it has 'boom' the less clear is the actual bass guitar (open a song that has some solid bass guitar lines, and decrease your clear bass bar to -10, it's magical). So what exaclty should I look for in IEMs then? They need to go very low or...?
 
And in this case, will I like H3?

 

[pietcux]

just for my understanding, you decrease the clear bass to -10? That is not possible on my DAP NWZ-A845. I can only disable it or increase in three steps.

 

[pietcux]

Listening to SMV title classical thump right now. Ipod Classic 120 gb 320kb vbr > Meier Audio Stepdance @ 15 volt low gain> XBA-H3 perfect for people who love electrical bass.
SMV is Stanley Clarke & Marcus Miller & Victor Wooten.
That means Bass Guitar Nirvana!
 
And yes, you will like the XBA-H3.

 

[Eirwyn]

  Listening to SMV title classical thump right now. Ipod Classic 120 gb 320kb vbr > Meier Audio Stepdance @ 15 volt low gain> XBA-H3 perfect for people who love electrical bass.
SMV is Stanley Clarke & Marcus Miller & Victor Wooten.
That means Bass Guitar Nirvana!
 
And yes, you will like the XBA-H3.

 

  just for my understanding, you decrease the clear bass to -10? That is not possible on my DAP NWZ-A845. I can only disable it or increase in three steps.

Yep -10, you can do it on F886, but I just did it to hear the difference, that's not how I use the walkman in general haha. The bass guitar gets clearer that way, but the sound is too cold to enjoy any song of course.
 
You can see what kind of music I listen to from here. I will buy H3 as soon as I have the money

 

[Jackson 6]

A cheap bud may be considered Bass head, which means that it dominates, such as the Beats. A quality bud may have a bass lean, but the general SQ isn't blasted away, you still get the mids and treble. It might be called bassy though.Witness the xb 90 ex. A hi quality IEM will give a full rich and detailed SQ, such as the Senn ie 800, but through the goodness you have a spiky treble, it's an annoyance but not a dominating one, and conversely, to some ears the H3 has a slightly boomy bass at times, but not to mine, and this has the same effect to some as the ie 800's treble has to others, Hi quality IEM's give a 3D holographic tinge which the likes of,say, the xb 90 ex, can't hope to have, though they may be class leaders for those of a bass bias in their price range. And I still enjoy them and the xb41ex from time to time as well.

 

[sardar17]

i am still waiting for 1 proper review for xba h1 and h3.

 

[Arnej]

I have listened Sony XBA-H1 (on Sansa Clip+), which I waited for 2 months. Sounds very cheap. I can't believe that this IEM contains armature driver, I only heard a very veiled and dark sound. Soundstage is wide, but overall it's a very bad choice. Maybe only my DAP plays not good with this, but with T-PEOS H-100 it plays very well. So, just save your money for something different.

 

[Jackson 6]

You may be in the right place then! Trusted word's come from the youtube stars like HiFiGuy, and the multi 1000 posters here I'll be bound. My only claim is a long term knowledge of sony 'buds, if that's worth owt.

 

[sardar17]

  I have listened Sony XBA-H1 (on Sansa Clip+), which I waited for 2 months. Sounds very cheap. I can't believe that this IEM contains armature driver, I only heard a very veiled and dark sound. Soundstage is wide, but overall it's a very bad choice. Maybe only my DAP plays not good with this, but with T-PEOS H-100 it plays very well. So, just save your money for something different.

i already returned the h1 after using for a week.
went to sony store last week and tried it again,,,,glad i returned it.
 
 
incidently i too have clip+ so maybe it dosen't pair well with clip+