[Vain III]

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ARE MY IMPRESSIONS AND YOURS MAY VARY:

Pictures Of The Headset:



Equipment & Song Choices:

Below I'll list a few songs that I listed to while making my initial impressions:
Virtual Barbershop, Massive Attack - Tear Drops & Angels, PogoMix - Upular (Virtual 3D), Muse - Madness
B.O.B - Strange Clouds, OneRepublic - If I Lose Myself (Alesso Remix), OneRepublic - Stop and Stare
P!nk - Just Give Me A Reason ft. Nate Ruess, Kid Cudi - King Wizard, Passion Pit - American Blood,
Zedd - Clarity ft. foxes, Fallout Boy - The Mighty Fall Ft. Big Sean, Logic - Good Life, Sinatra - My Way

I used my Y400 (JBL Audio), Cowon D2, and HTC One S. My preference is listening directly from the source unamped. All the songs were either MP3 @ 320KBps or FLAC.

Impressions:

As a dynamic dual-driver I am completely aware that a burn-in is going to be a requirement. I've had these burning in for a measly eight hours and I can say that I'm already telling an substantial difference from when I first opened the packaging. The headset is meant to be worn down instead of over the ear. The included accessories are lacking and the tips are basic. I have tiny ears so I had to switch the smallest of the included ear tips; which do isolate quite well with deep insertion.

Bass-heads rejoice! This pair of headphones can get quite low without distorting. I wouldn't compare them to anything that the F3X3 can produce, but the lows are present, and detailed with decent body. The midrange can feel slightly recessed and hollow in songs that have emphasis on heavy bass. Now, when I say recessed I do not mean they are indescribable. No, the midrange is present, clear, and moderately smooth with a touch of dryness. The upper mids are very open and airy. They fit in very nicely with the treble. The treble itself is very spacious and moderately bright. The highs are clear and slightly forward. The sound stage is quite spacious for an IEM. When listening to Virtual Barbershop it is extremely easy to feel like you're actually there.

Overall I would say that this set punches above it's tier class (especially at $30 on Newegg) as a warm, spacious, v-shaped headset with great range and presence. With burn-in I expect the lows to get tighter, the mid-range to pull forward a little, and the highs to become more lush. I'll update my impression after--I feel--the burn-in is complete.

 

[waynes world]

Thanks vain! Really looking forward to how they change with burn in (especially the mids).

 

[sfwalcer]

Quote:

Thanks vain! Really looking forward to how they change with burn in (especially the mids).

I hear ya'!!!

 

[glorfybe]

Wow, I'm just listening to Muse - Madness from your list. That's some good sub bass being conveyed there - these duals seem to be the things to get the job done if you like your bass with real impact!
 
Loving the review!

 

[waynes world]

Ah yes, Muse. If you ever get a chance to see them live.. utterly fantastic.

 

[ethnomama]

I'm curious - how do these compare with the Brainwavz R1? Those provided a new listening experience for me, as did the MEElec A161 and the Sony XBA1, 2, and 3s (got lucky with the recent Best Buy 'refurbished' sale). Then I got the T-Peos H100, thinking hybrid dual drivers must really rock (metaphorically speaking, of course) - but alas, not so much... 
 
So within this question about comparing specific models lies a more technical/aural inquiry: what does/should one expect to hear differently with dual+ driver models? I suspect there is no single distinguishing characteristic, i.e. 'more' bass/treble/mids, but rather a certain level of 'aural enhancement' that requires a more holistic description. What should one expect from multi-driver IEMs? And for those motivated by a challenge, how do dual dynamic differ from dual armature drivers - is there a parallel difference or are they substantively distinct? 

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

I'm curious - how do these compare with the Brainwavz R1? Those provided a new listening experience for me, as did the MEElec A161 and the Sony XBA1, 2, and 3s (got lucky with the recent Best Buy 'refurbished' sale). Then I got the T-Peos H100, thinking hybrid dual drivers must really rock (metaphorically speaking, of course) - but alas, not so much... 
 
So within this question about comparing specific models lies a more technical/aural inquiry: what does/should one expect to hear differently with dual+ driver models? I suspect there is no single distinguishing characteristic, i.e. 'more' bass/treble/mids, but rather a certain level of 'aural enhancement' that requires a more holistic description. What should one expect from multi-driver IEMs? And for those motivated by a challenge, how do dual dynamic differ from dual armature drivers - is there a parallel difference or are they substantively distinct? 

 
I'll be interested in the response you get. My own experience with the 3 driver xba3's versus the single driver cks1000's is that somehow the 1000's manage to create a larger (ie deeper and wider) soundstage, with even better layering than the 3's, and they somehow manage to match the 3d'ness and instrument imaging/separation of the 3's as well. Combine that with a totally incredible bass and a treble that doesn't have that metallic tinge, and for me the 1k's make for a much more engaging experience.

 

[Vain III]

I'm curious - how do these compare with the Brainwavz R1? Those provided a new listening experience for me, as did the MEElec A161 and the Sony XBA1, 2, and 3s (got lucky with the recent Best Buy 'refurbished' sale). Then I got the T-Peos H100, thinking hybrid dual drivers must really rock (metaphorically speaking, of course) - but alas, not so much... 

So within this question about comparing specific models lies a more technical/aural inquiry: what does/should one expect to hear differently with dual+ driver models? I suspect there is no single distinguishing characteristic, i.e. 'more' bass/treble/mids, but rather a certain level of 'aural enhancement' that requires a more holistic description. What should one expect from multi-driver IEMs? And for those motivated by a challenge, how do dual dynamic differ from dual armature drivers - is there a parallel difference or are they substantively distinct? 

Sadly I don't have the Brainwavz to compare, but I have used the XBA 1 & 2 series and find that the listening experience on the 385s is much more ... immersive?

When I bought the duel-drivers I expected that the listening experience be cleaner. When it comes to dynamic drivers I always find that one spectrum over powers another and then there is a bland area however, on a dual driver I completely expect for at least two of the spectra to be higher quality with more clarity. I do understand that something is still going to be left out of the mix, but at least with a--good--dual-driver there is a higher chance of it being more pronounced than recessed.

Another thing I expect from a dual-driver is deep systematic instrument separation. While Wayne mentioned that the CKS1000 (single driver) produces a better sound stage over the triple driver XBA-3(0). I personally think--read:expect--my multi-driver headsets to have a clear definition of instrument separation. I want to be able to hear each instrument in a song. For example I love listening to garage and post-garage rock and I find that--with the 385s--I have the ability to understand the instruments that the band is playing. If I choose to focus on a singular instrument I can hear each kick of the drum, each strum of the bass, or even the artist voice. Each of them is defined so well that it gives you a sense of layering.

When it comes to 3+ driver headsets I fully expect the 3D presentation to be off the charts; this is something that surprised me about the EP-5200s. Where Wayne stated that his sound stage was good I suspect that multi-driver headphones trade sound stage for--lack of a better word--space. Sound stage, to me, is the lowest and highest point that the earphone can reach. Visually sound-stage would be a linear pattern that either stretches horizontally or vertically. While presentation is a sphere of sound that absorbs you. I believe that mutli-driver headphones trade off on the sound stage because they have multiple sound stages happening at one time to create an artificial sense of immersion.

 

[ElectronicLover]

So sorry to reply to such an old thread, but I felt it necessary to make it known that these are on sale on the Groupon site. Below is a link.
 
https://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-3eighty5-stereo-in-ear-headphones-with-in-line-mic-2
 
I received them yesterday, and had them playing for around 7 or so hours. I find it hard to believe that these are dual drivers, because of their price. Nevertheless, the experience was enjoyable, albeit the IEMs did not have as much bass as some other single driver phones that I currently have. Not quite sure of the terminology, but certain parts of songs which would have some impact with my other IEMs, the Double Drive did not produce the same quality.