Build- These things are built extremely well. The earpieces are very solid with no gaps or any manufacturing defects and they’re just plain beautiful to look at. Better yet, they use the popular MMCX connection without any modifications (unlike the Sony XBA-H3 where the connection is recessed) so should you choose to or need to replace the cable, there’s a huge choice of replacements. Something that I didn't notice till much later on was how clever JVC's removable cable implementation is. On both the driver unit and the cable itself, there is a kind of tape to add some friction between the driver and the cable, preventing it from swiveling loosely, a common issue Shure MMCX IEMs are known for.
 
The cable itself is understated and it takes a while to realize just how good of a cable it is. It’s more like a headphone cable than your usual IEM cable in that it’s thick and very straight with nearly no memory. Luckily however, it’s not stiff and resistant to bending so it hangs down very nicely, avoids tangling, and has low microphonics. It’s nice, loose, and floppy in the best way. I’m less of a fan of the jack which is a straight angle jack. Right angle jacks in my opinion are simply more versatile and considering that this is an IEM, the better option overall. It’s a nice jack though, with metal jacket that says JVC, a thick strain-relief, and a thinner section protruding beyond the metal jacket, making it easier to use with phone cases. Higher up on the cable there’s a decent y-split that says the model number, HA-FX850, and a cable slider, always a welcome addition. The only caveat I can think of build wise is that they’re very large and stick out prominently.
 
Comfort- For such large headphones, these are really comfortable. I can actually almost forget they’re in my ears and I don’t have to wear them over-the-ear like my Sony XBA-H3, which are really not fun to wear. The stock spiral dot tips are great, nice and soft and pliant. No complaints here and only praise, especially coming from the massive Sony.
 
Portability- Adding this because this bears noting. These really are not for on the go listening. For my reviews, even if I intend to only use the IEM at home or indoors, I do try them at least once on the go to see what it'd be like. I've done that with these and I have to say, if you considered these for wearing on the go, I'd look elsewhere. The problem is that these are very large and very heavy so they tend to slip out while moving. Also, the combination of angled nozzles and long, inflexible MMCX connectors means that over the ear wearing isn't really feasible nor comfortable. The drivers will push into your ear and the MMCX connector will push against your ear as well. Not only that, but these are vented at the back, making isolation pretty poor. The isolation is probably on par with the Sony's, but the Sony's can actually somewhat be worn on the go because of the over the ear design. To top it off, for some reason the cables on these is overly long. I'm an average height male, 5'10, and the cables on these is much too long. You'd probably have to be at least 4 inches taller than me for the length to be appropriate. Plus, no inline cable controls. You could fix this easily because of the MMCX connectors or by buying an extension cable with phone controls, but you run the risk of changing the sound, perhaps for the worse. So yeah, wouldn't really recommend these for on the go. For that, my preference is the Yamaha EPH-100 because of the extremely tiny drivers and light weight. Plus I just wouldn't' care as much risking/breaking $70 IEMs vs $200 ones.
 
Isolation- The isolation isn’t too bad considering that it’s ported at the back, but it’s decent at best. These aren’t really made for on-the-go listening though, more for private listening. Also, should you choose to wear them out, because of the large size and ported back, these are very susceptible to wind noise.
 
Tip choice- In my opinion and experience, these pair best with the stock JVC Spiral Dot tips. With other silicone tips, the treble tends to be more sibilant and bass more bloated. I tried these with meelectronics double and triple flanges, Yamaha EPH-100 double flanges, ultimate ears single flanges, and comply isolation foam tips. I wasn't a huge fan of putting comply foam tips on these; they really change the sound signature in what I believe to be a negative way. The sound becomes much more neutral but just loses that fun, joyful sound it has. Bass tightens up enormously while still maintaining quantity, making these hard to listen to since they're basically blasting a whole in your eardrums at higher volumes. Also, it seems to smear the treble, killing the detail. You also get this weird resonance that makes it annoying to listen to. That's my experience with these, take it as you will. Unfortunately I did purchase these used and they only came with one pair of spiral dot tips. I did not get to try the stock JVC marshmallow foam tips and have no experience with them.
 
Sound- The most important part of the review. After all a well-built comfortable headphone with terrible sound might as well be an ear plug right? These definitely live up to the very large hype though. They sound rich, bright, and lively in a way that’s just so fun and infectious that you start tapping your toes and smiling. These are very v-shaped with VERY prominent treble and bass, but the mids are very nice and rich as well. The bass is the best out of any IEM I’ve ever tried, it’s got quantity, detail, tightness, and depth, and it wields it with aplomb. No it's not as tight as a balanced armature, but it's thicker than any BA IEM I've ever tried. Drums and other bassy notes hit with authority and are a joy to listen to. The treble is great too; it’s pretty bright and peabut has this nice thickness from the wooden timbre that give the vocals life. The soundstage on these is also pretty massive for an IEM. Surprisingly though, it still somehow manages to sound quite intimate, a very large plus in my book. Also, despite the brightness, it's not all that fatiguing either.
 
After listening to these I finally understand why there’s such a devout following to “woodies”. The wooden timbre really is addictive. It just makes everything sound so much natural, rich and alive. The sound just has this delicious texture that you can’t get enough of. It’s something that’s really hard to convey and something that needs to be experienced to understand.
 
I will note however that these are not actually the best for modern music like EDM and pop. They still sound great, but they simply just pair better with acoustic music and indie rock, basically anything slow and melodic and/or using wooden instruments. They're just not quick enough, not compared to other sets. They also don't do well with very energetic rock due to the lack of speed and the sheer amount of bass.

Comparison- I also own the Sony XBA-H3 which retails for the same price as the JVC and competes directly with it. I did some A&B comparisons and here are my impressions. Usually conclusions should come last… but I’ll just open with it: these beat the Sony’s in just about every way.
 
Bass on the Sony’s is not very well done. Though it was intended to be one of the Sony’s greatest strengths, it’s really the Sony’s greatest weakness. It’s got quantity, no doubt about that. It can even match the JVC’s absolutely massive bass in that, but it’s flabby and flat in a way the JVC is not. It’s not very detailed and it really needs tightening. I want to say that it’s boomy but it’s really not. It’s just… two dimensional. It’s just a wall of sound without definition. The JVC is actually more boomy sounding but that’s because it has dimension and depth to it. The worst part is that the bass manages to drag down the rest of the sound with it by casting a shadow on the rest of the sound and obscuring detail. This is further exacerbated by the difference in sensitivity between the BA drivers and the massive dynamic driver.
 
Mids on the Sony are more recessed and are often overshadowed by the bass. When the bass isn’t overshadowing it though, it’s pretty pleasant to listen to. No real complaints here other than it sounds a bit thin.
 
Treble is the shining point of the Sony. The Sony has a specialized balanced armature driver that Sony has coined a “super-woofer” that really does a beautiful job with treble. The treble on this is just fantastic, it easily beats the JVC here. It’s delicate, detailed, and fantastically clear. Female vocals are a joy to listen to on the Sony. It’s also smoother than the JVC which can be too bright and peaky. My only complaint is that like the rest of the sound, the treble can sound somewhat thin and sterile, something endemic to BA drivers. Some people prefer this, but I really don't. It just doesn’t have the warmth and richness of the JVC and other dynamics. On the plus side, it is more detailed than the JVC, but that can be to it's detriment as well as it is far more critical of poor source material. Even 320 kbps mp3 sounds pretty poor coming out of it. It really shines with good quality FLAC, like the one's from Tidal.
 
Coherence is another big issue with the Sony. I don’t mean this in the usual way people do when they review multiple driver IEMs. The Sony’s don’t use a crossover circuit network so that’s not really the issue here. The issue is that the dynamic driver and dual balanced armatures don’t really mix well. The balanced armature drivers are delicate and sophisticated while the dynamic driver is just loud and crude. Just not really a good mix and not well done on Sony’s part. Also, while not hard to drive because it’s an IEM, the Sony is considerably harder to drive than the JVC because of the triple driver setup. Interestingly, the BA and dynamic drivers respond very differently to power and can cause a weird decoherence as the dynamic driver eagerly laps up power and overpowers the two BA drivers. This is even worse when trying to watch movies as you try to get the treble and mids loud enough during a quiet scene, but then the movie transitions to a bass heavy scene and you've basically manage to blow out your eardrums.
 
Soundstage is something the Sony and JVC manage to match each other equally on. Both have massive soundstages for IEMs, they sound almost like headphones. But the JVC somehow manages to still sound intimate while maintaining that largeness whereas the Sony can sound distant.
 
Overall, I’ll close in saying that the tuning on the Sony is amateurish while the JVC is masterfully done. The Sony sounds thin and boring and honestly, not really all that fun to listen to. There’s really no contest in terms of enjoyment. I’d love the treble of the Sony on the JVC but the JVC’s treble doesn’t really leave me all that wanting. I’ve heard good things about how the XBA-A3 and XBA-Z5 fixed most of the H3’s issues but they’re out of my price range right now.
 
EDIT- I tried the Sony with a warm source and wow is there a difference. The Sony now sounds rich, warm and smooth and fun to listen to. The bass still is not as competent as the JVC but the treble is definitely better. It's smoother and more detailed, and now has more weight and warmth. It lacks the tonality of the JVC but is still fun to listen to. However, the soundstage and detail retrieval do decrease somewhat with a warmer amp, but that's to be expected. Unfortunately, it's somewhat hard to find a good warm source for cheap nowadays as most dacs+amps have moved towards more neutral sound signatures. (For example Fiio's previous generation was known for their warm, musical sound, which the newer K generation, which I own, is known for being more neutral and detailed.) You're really going to need a warm source if you want to make these sound their best imho.
 
I’ll end this comparison with a small part on the physical aspect of the two IEMs. The Sony is large in every sense of the word. The massive dynamic driver and two balanced armature drivers do not make for a small housing. It has an absolutely enormous 16mm driver, the largest I can recall any IEM having. Not only that, but it’s also got memory wire earhooks which definitely do not help to minimize its footprint. It’s much more annoying to wear and much more obtrusive. You’ll never forget they’re in your ears. However, they are not all that uncomfortable once you shape the memory wire and get a good seal. The JVC still has it beat though, in both convenience and comfort.
 
Design-wise, the JVC utterly tramples the Sony. The JVC looks like a steampunk-esque wood and brass work of art while the Sony looks plasticky and cheap. Both have good build quality though, the Sony is very solid as is the JVC. It’s just plasticky and tacky in terms of aesthetics. I’ve praised the JVC cable but the Sony’s cable is easily its match or superior. It’s flat, doesn’t really have memory, very low microphonics (and any it does have is eliminated by the over-the-ear design), and is just a general joy to use. Plus there’s the awesome fact that Sony gives you not one but two cables in the box and one comes with android phone support and a headphone + control button. Also, the cables have right angle jacks, which is great. The only caveat is that since the cable is flat, it can twist around itself quite a bit. Also, worth noting is that the XBA-H3 also uses the same MMCX connection as the JVC, but whereas JVC uses a standard unmodified version, the Sony uses a sunken design to avoid the twisting issues MMCX traditionally has. This means that replacement cables will be hard to find for the Sony. To be fair though, Sony gives you two durable cables which should last you for the lifetime of the device.
 
In closing, the JVC is just a really great, really unique IEM. The wooden timbre is something I think everyone will love and it’s just great fun to listen to. For around ~$200 these are a great buy. Highly recommended.
 
(This review was conducted using a Fiio E10K. The Sony was tested with the stock Sony Hybrid + Foam ear tips, and the JVC with the stock Spiral Dot ear tips. I will note that these have a strange scooped nozzle design which makes fitting tips on them annoying. Strangely, because of this, the Yamaha EPH-100 tips, which basically don't fit on anything, fit perfectly on this. Also, do not pair these with a warm or bright source. You'll need a more detailed, neutral source to really get the best out of these. A bright source will make the already bright highs even brighter and a warm source will make these sound muddy and bloated.)

For the price, the sound quality is truly unbelievable. You won't really believe it till you try it.

I've been using cheap IEMs for years now and run a wide gamut of brands in the process. I've had the Meelectronics M6 and M9, Skullcandy Ink'd, Sennheiser CX400, Ultimate Ear 500, Samsung headphones included with my Galaxy S3, and Sennheiser CX-685i. This easily blows them all out of water. I thought the Ultimate Ears 500 was as good as it got at this price point, especially for a dynamic driver, but they're not even comparable. I really can't recommend any other pair of budget headphones anymore with this on the market. They sound good from pretty much any source as well and they're easy to drive. I've used them on a 2013 iMac, Galaxy Note 4, S.M.S.L M2 USB DAC+Amp and been pleased with the results on all of them. I'm also getting a pair of Yamaha EPH-100 IEMs soon and will edit this review with a comparison.

Build quality is also similarly amazing. These things are weighty but insanely solid. Cons are small but I do think the strain relief could be a bit better, especially near the jack, and would've preferred a right angle jack (straight angle jack + note 4 is... uncomfortable to say the least). Also, they could've rounded the sides a bit as they are rather massive and can dig in if you don't insert them perfectly straight. And finally, my biggest peeve with the design is because of the metal body and jack, as well as the kevlar cable sleeving, large static discharges are common and painful. Still, at this price point and sound quality, I really can't complain. The Piston 3.0 should resolve the static issue as the area closest to the ear is now plastic.

These have really made me a believer in Xiaomi. Great job and keep it up. I'm going to keep on enjoying these in the meantime.

EDIT- I've done a comparison between these and the JVC HA-FX850. http://www.head-fi.org/products/jvc-ha-fx850/reviews/13420. Also, I've tried these with Comply isolation tips and done the tape mod now. There is a huge difference with the comply and a small one with the tape. In my opinion, these basically require comply or other foam tips to sound good. Treble and soundstage suffers a bit but the foam tips massively tighten up the bass, which was my biggest issue with these.
 
Preface-
 
I started my IEM journey with cheap IEMs like most, then moved my way up to the Xiaomi Piston 2.0 which were my first real taste of better quality audio. I loved them dearly, but the sound signature wasn't exactly what I wanted. The bass was too boomy, and the treble too sparkly. Enter the Yamaha EPH-100. The Yamaha's still remain my favorite IEM to date, it's not the most technically proficient IEM, even at the price point, but it manage to be more than the sum of it's parts. It has a warm, rich, smooth sound that just makes you want to lay back and listen to them for hours, something easily done considering how tiny and comfortable they are. Needless to say, I loved them greatly. But they are entry-level IEMs and I felt the urge to upgrade again. This review was conducting using an SMSL M2 and a Fiio E10K as sources.
 
So now, onto the XBA-H3s. I was recommended these by the famous ljokerl of theheadphonelist.com and head-fi.org. While they fall into the warm and smooth category of earphones, they aren't a direct upgrade to the Yamaha's. They sound very different and I still prefer the tuning of the Yamaha, despite it's blatant technical inferiority (doing an A and B test of the two really reveals the Yamaha's shortcomings).
 
First off, let's talk about comfort. Despite their absolutely massive size, these headphones are surprisingly comfortable once you manage to get a good fit and shape the memory wire. They'll still hurt your ears after prolonged periods of listening but that's to be expected. In this they are very much so the opposite of the tiny Yamaha's which can rest in your ears for hours without fatigue or discomfort.
 
Build quality is very good. These are extremely sturdy and pretty much everything about them inspires confidence in their durability. They're solid plastic and metal and are actually quite handsome and very, very Sony. Needless to say they manage to look unique (well that and they stick a good inch out of your ears so I guess that also makes them look unique). The jack is metal and everything is properly relieved. The cable really deserves a shoutout. It's visually striking with one side red and the other black, but it's real merit is in what it manages to get right unlike so many other lesser cables. It's soft and supple but not springy or rubbery, doesn't retain memory, and really avoids tangling. In part that has to do with the material used, and other has to do with clever design (I believe it has something to do with the grooves running along the length of both sides of the cable).
 
Before discussing sound quality, I must say that these drove me crazy the first week I owned them. Insertion depth and ear tip is everything for this IEM. Depth affects bass quantity, clarity, soundstage, and more, as does ear tip choice. I tried many different tips from other headphones as well as the sony hybrid tips with and without foam that were included with this. I ultimately settled on the stock hybrid tips with foam. Other tips would either increase or decrease the bass quantity too heavily and the stock tips without foam increased the bass to absurd levels while destroying clarity and drowning everything else out. These really need foam tips to sound their best as I've yet to find a pair of silicon tips that work well with them. UE single flanges, JVC Spiral Dot, Meelectronics double and triple flanges, Sennhesier CX400 tips, etc, nothing really works.
 
Once you find a pair of tips that properly fits you and get a good seal, you're finally ready to rock. The first thing you'll probably notice is the bass. It's huge and punchy, but unfortunately, not very tight and doesn't have that much depth. It's like a wall of sound that hits hard but doesn't really have any detail. It is both this headphones greatest asset and failing. The massive 16 mm dynamic driver is definitely doing its job power wise, but I'd be willing to forgo some power for a more articulated, tighter low end. Some reviews have called the bass "loose and flabby" and unfortunately they're right.
 
Fortunately, the same cannot be said of the the treble. It's the fantastically clear, detailed, delicate treble you'd expect from balanced armature drivers. The "super tweeter" is definitely doing its job here, while somehow avoiding sibilance and sounding very smooth. Vocals really soar, especially when given a song with a female singer. Mids are the most surprising part however, as they generally manage to stand up to the massive bass. Despite the warm sound signature and the hefty bass, these also manage to have a pretty wide soundstage as well. Compared to cheaper, single driver sets, the sound seems to be more three dimensional and less flat. They sound a lot like headphones in that respect. The only real annoyance is when the dynamic driver's bass utterly obscures the vocals. Overall though, a very very fun sound signature that somehow manages to sound coherent and avoid treble fatigue despite the excellent treble. They are not as well rounded as some sets though, and aren't as versatile with as many different styles of music as some other IEMS. If you're looking for a neutral or non bass heavy IEM though, well these definitely aren't for you. And neither are hybrid IEMs in general to be honest.
 
It might sound like I'm universally lauding these, but they do have their caveats as well. They do grow discomfortable after a while and you never forget that they're in your ears. You're also not going to be travelling around with these or really wearing them in public as they are ported and isolation is relatively poor. And also you look ridiculous with IEMs sticking a good inch out of your ears. In terms of sound, the bass is too powerful, drowning out the rest of the sound. This is prominent in bass heavy songs that also feature vocals, such as EDM. They could definitely benefit from a bit of equalizing. Furthemore, even though they are definitely warm sounding, they are not really rich sounding like the Yamaha's. These are too detailed and the treble too sparkly and clear to achieve that warmth. This also removes some of the intimacy the Yamaha's have, and fair bit of the emotion as well. Also, both a plus and a negative, they are very forgiving of poorer quality sources for a higher-end set, but at the same time, they are revealing enough to really show the flaws in poorer quality sources. Youtube and web sources tend to sound muddy and muffled. If like me you choose to stream most of your music, I would definitely invest in a premium subscription to Spotify, Play Music, Xbox Music, Tidal, etc. These really shine with better quality audio and a good quality amp and dac. They are temperamental though, they pair ok with the Fiio E10k and terribly with the SMSL M2. You really need a good, warm source to make these sound their best. They really become fun to listen to with a warm source and somewhat more forgiving of poorer sources as well..
 
I will close in saying that I was both disappointed in the difference between this set and the Yamaha, but also surprised by the unique merits this set has and the Yamaha lack. The two are very, very different IEMs despite their sound signatures falling in the same category. These are much more akin to the Xiaomi Pistons, they sound very much like a heavily upgraded Piston (at 10 times the price). The sound signature is not as perfect a fit for me as the Yamaha's but I am satisfied with these and will keep them. They largely manage to mix the best of dynamic and BA drivers, the goal of every hybrid, and manage to avoid the coherence issues of most multiple driver IEMs by eschewing a crossover circuit. Definitely recommended, especially at only 200 dollars. If these aren't your cup of tea though, I'd suggest checking out the DUNU DN-2000 and other hybrids, as well as the Audio Technica ATH-CKR10, and the JVC FX series of wooden IEMs.

I'm giving these a 4 based on sound quality alone. I'm a cheap headphone user; I've gone from cheap headphone to cheap headphone over the past decade or so. I started with the Skullcandy Ink'd headphones, moved onto the Sennheiser CX400s, then the Meelectronics M6 and M9, and finally, this. I've also tried the Klipsch S4's. I'm currently on my third pair of these because well, they're so damn cheap. The sound quality for these blows every other comparably priced headphone out of the water. These are the best dynamic driver headphones I've ever had. Every other headphone had issues with overwhelming bass and lack of clarity, but these, although they don't lack bass, don't have that issue. Good clarity and sound overall with a good punchy bass and a fun sound signature overall. It embodies the best parts of dynamic driver ear buds with little of the cons.
 
My biggest issue with these is that although they're cheap, the quality is terrible. The cord has insane microphonics and although it has never cracked on me over a year of heavy use as some people have feared it might, its certainly not good. My first pair broke because the cable connection near one of the drivers tore, the second because the cable near the plug tore, and now I'm on my third. There's no strain relief whatsoever on these cables; I'm going to try to use Sugru or shrink tubing to try to add some ersatz strain relief, but keep this in mind if you plan on using them to work out (like I did).