Disclamer: These earbuds were purchased with my own cash while on vacation in Tokyo. I am not associated with any company for that matter, including the links in the review. This review is my personal unbiased opinion and keep in mind that these earbuds have about 50hrs burn in. Most listening was done with my HTC 10, except source comparisons. I want to thank Head-Fi, for giving the forum to learn and express. Enjoy.
Introduction:
I think everyone knows B&O, and although these earbuds are not new models, in fact they came out in 2011. First off I want to apologize for the box being a little beat up. It happened in the luggage and opening. I should’ve taken pictures beforehand. I thought I should do a review since I own them so what the heck. They were purchased 2017 for roughly $180 and I do not believe they are manufactured any more so if you want one it might be a little hard to find now. I could be wrong. The styling and marketing both seem designed towards apple users with the metallic and black contrast. The button was made iphone compatibility also. They are fairly easy to drive measured at ohm and I would gauge above 100db/mW.
Packaging and Accessories:
That being said the hard formed plastic inside the packaging keeps the earbuds nicely in place, but there is no real protection on the top except thin clear plastic. It does work to display the earbuds nicely in a store though and that’s most likely what they were going for. The carrying case has a nice feel to it. Not heavy and should work good in a bag or purse. It is thin, but a little long so pockets might have varying success. One thing though, the earbuds fit in the case, but the cable doesn’t really have any space. I coiled the cable around the flap, but then half of the cable is exposed and could be damaged.
The rest of the accessories are pretty standard. A shirt clip which further stops any possible microphonics and 4 sets of semi-dense foam covers.
Build and Fitment:
These are a unique design in my opinion. I haven’t seen any earbuds with brackets like this, in a good way. The design give you a good range of adjustment in all directions allowing you to get a good/comfortable fit. Also, because of this, every time you put them on it is easy to get the same fitment. Allowing for a consistent sound every use. The earbuds and brackets feel sturdy and slide smooth. The cable on the other hand feels fragile. It has very high bend memory. After coiling them around 4 fingers overnight they will not straighten out by their own weight. Strain reliefs seem good, and Y split is thick. One last thing that bothers me, and maybe just me, but the buttons. It’s not very easy to distinguish them apart. Perhaps after longer use I would get used to it.
Now the Sound:
In this case it sounds very plateau like, mid centric. There is a drop off on the bass side and the extended treble, but more so in the bass. It is slightly analytic and detailed. Not very warm due to the lower bass quantity, but I feel this also gives nice air in between instruments since the notes don’t have as much weight. I wouldn’t consider it thin though, just not full bodied. If you’re a tea drinker I would compare the boldness to a green tea maybe. Not as thin as a BA white tea, but not full bodied like a black or oolong. I don’t feel it excels in either positioning or layering. The width is nice but not huge, I think the problem if any lies more in the center sounds. Listening to “In the Distance” from Yosi Horikawa, there is a gap in the center as the footsteps go from side to side. It does sound like it has nice dynamic range if you’re in a quiet room. Listening to Carmen Suite No1 from Bizet gives a nice transition from quiet horns to loud cymbal crashes.
Lows:
The bass is slightly lacking quantity compared to a neutral sound. IMO bass guitars are harder to pick out, and some bass drums sound a little hollow. This might be due completely to the tuning, but also because the lack of isolation. If you place one finger underneath each earbud, covering the little gap left in the ear, bass quantity increases a lot. A possible mod might be some moldable silicon/clay placed in that crevice.
Mids:
The mids are definitely where the tuning went into on this earbud. Upper mids seem a bit accentuated, but in a good way. Details show up nicely, and voices are fairly forward, not overly, whether its MJ, Nhora Jones, or Axl Rose. Clearly understandable, audible, and the breath or vocal vibrating sound natural.
Treble:
In this range there is plenty of splash and energy. I don’t hear any harshness, but enough quantity to show up on the stage. I feel it flows cleanly from the mids into the treble area and give a nice balance in this area.
Comparisons:
One of the quick and simple things I do to compare quantity between my different headphones or iems is to use the HTC PAP in frequency mode. I don’t keep the settings, just write them down for the record. I do this after listening to music, so I don’t subconsciously change my opinion. For the 3i I got measurements of 7,6,1,1,3, so from lows to highs that is the amount of increase I needed to hear the tone.
vs VE Monk+ The monks although being earbuds, are much much cheaper as I think everyone knows, so build quality of the earbud itself doesn’t compare. B&O with smooth metal build is where part of the money goes and that gives more comfort, support, and consistent fit. That being said the cable is another deal though. The expresso cable that comes with the Monk+ are more supple, less memory prone, and imo looks better than the regular black 3i affair. The case that comes with the monk, although not smooth leather, holds the earbud and cable safer. You can also put a lanyard on the zipper handle allowing for easier carrying.
When it gets to sound. The monks got 5,5,2,1,4 on HTC pap and it shows in the music. Bass quantity is higher than the B&O, the sound is warmer, but on the other end not as much energy in the highs. I would say the B&O are wider staged perhaps artificial, but the VE have better center stage and transition from side to side. The B&O have more detail in the mids and treble also.
vs Radius TWF31 This are in the same price range and both are not new releases which is why I am comparing them. Other than that they are different designs of course, the twf31 being iem with dd and piezo, and the 3i being an earbud dd. The fitment of the 3i is not as comfortable as a shallow inserted iem, but more sturdy because of the bracket. Also the cable is thinner than the Radius, but with the shirt clip gives no microphonics, which is the downside of the twf31’s cloth covered cable.
With the TWF31 the isolation is better as expected, and bass quantity is higher partly due to that. The width sounds similar to me between them but the Radius doesn’t have an issue with transitioning. The Radius also has better depth when it comes to sound stage but also sounds darker and seems L sounding in comparison. The treble energy is still there but not as prominent. The B&O does have slightly more accentuated upper-mids. Django’s scraping of the strings sound a little rougher, but at the same time details seem to show up a little better in that region.
Conclusion:
Overall the B&O 3i are a nice looking, and sturdy earbud that gives average sound and above average detail. If you are very much against iem and full sized headphones I would look into it. On the other hand if you don’t mind even shallow fit iem I think you can get more for the money in that realm. Unfortunately I don’t have high end sources so I can’t tell if it scales better with say an opus 1s, or an AK SP1000. I do think they fit well with some jazz, classical, and/or rock. Preferably not too busy though so the layering doesn’t get overpowered. A smaller ensemble or normal band size should sound good.
List of Songs: All flac 16/44 unless noted.
- Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
- Rage Against the Machine – Bullet in the Head
- Tribe Called Quest – Check the Rhime
- Bob Marley – Turn the Lights Down Low
- Radiohead – The National Anthem
- Eric Clapton – Blues Before Sunrise
- Yusef Lateef - See Line Lady
- Michael Jackson – Billie Jean
- Hans Zimmer – As Good as it Gets
- Yosi Horikawa – Bubbles (Apple Music)
- Yosi Horikawa – In the Distance (Apple Music)
