[delmonte]

  How is the fit and comfort on the HA-FXZ100's?  They look really big, so I'm wondering how comfortable they are.  I have a chance to get a pair, and I'd like to find out about the fit and comfort before making a final decision.
 
delmonte: Yeah, it is my understanding from reading this thread and elsewhere that the FXZ100's aren't as bass-heavy as the FXZ200's.  That they are more balanced.  I just want something with the same qualities as the FXT90's but with a slightly different sound signature: a little more bass and a little less aggressiveness in the upper mids/lower treble region (i.e., a bit more bass presence and a bit smoother up top).
 
Also, thanks for the tip about Tenso.  I will check that out in the future.
 

The 200s are heavier than the 100s. Coming from FXT90, they were definitely not as comfortable, but not uncomfortable at all. The word I might use would be cumbersome; if you're on the go a lot, their size might not be really convenient. You might feel like you have a bit less freedom to move your head around. If you're going to be at home or at work most of the time, comfort shouldn't be too much of an issue, but of course that's extremely personal.

 

[steelglam]

 
The 200s are heavier than the 100s. Coming from FXT90, they were definitely not as comfortable, but not uncomfortable at all. The word I might use would be cumbersome; if you're on the go a lot, their size might not be really convenient. You might feel like you have a bit less freedom to move your head around. If you're going to be at home or at work most of the time, comfort shouldn't be too much of an issue, but of course that's extremely personal.

Yeah, I will be using them on the go a lot.  I typically listen to cans or regular speakers at home.
 
Do you think they are too cumbersome for walking the dog, using public transportation, etc.?  I probably wouldn't wear them to the gym; I have other earphones for that application (though if they worked well for the gym, I would consider it).
 
I do like that they are shallow fit, since I have real trouble with deep insertion IEMs.
 
I notice that they are 50% heavier than the FXT-90's!  I don't recall the FXT-90's ever feeling cumbersome or uncomfortable, but that's a lot heavier.

 

[jnsaudiophile]

Okay.. I've had the fxz200s a year now and I am upgraditis has finally hit me. What would be good IEM to go up from the fxz200? 
 
I came from the vsonic gr07mkII then the fxz200 and now I'm looking forward to the next step

 

[sfwalcer]

  Okay.. I've had the fxz200s a year now and I am upgraditis has finally hit me. What would be good IEM to go up from the fxz200? 
 
I came from the vsonic gr07mkII then the fxz200 and now I'm looking forward to the next step

The new Sony XBA-H3s makes these FXZ200s sound like childs play. 
 
I came from the gr07 BEs and now owns the DN1000s. Have recently auditioned the H3s for 2 weeks, when they drop down to $200 and under those H3s is a MUST buy.
 
For me the sound of these FXZ200s is worth about $75 sonically on a technical level these days, cuz there are many budget-fi sets for $100 and under that can more than hang with them performance wise.

 

[steelglam]

 
The new Sony XBA-H3s makes these FXZ200s sound like childs play. 
 
I came from the gr07 BEs and now owns the DN1000s. Have recently auditioned the H3s for 2 weeks, when they drop down to $200 and under those H3s is a MUST buy.
 
For me the sound of these FXZ200s is worth about $75 sonically on a technical level these days, cuz there are many budget-fi sets for $100 and under that can more than hang with them performance wise.

Can you give some examples of IEMs that are $100 that you think are equal to the JVC's?

 

[sfwalcer]

  Can you give some examples of IEMs that are $100 that you think are equal to the JVC's?

^ yeah sure. Here is my comparo write-ups a lil' while back.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586909/the-discovery-thread-new-zero-audio-doppios-pg1197-kef-m200-pg835-philips-fidelio-s2-pg-724/13635#post_9765146
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586909/the-discovery-thread-new-zero-audio-doppios-pg1197-kef-m200-pg835-philips-fidelio-s2-pg-724/11970#post_9617130
 
The Nuforce NE-700X for one, which can be had for like $25-$35 on the sales forum here.
 
The Sony XB90EX is also a good alternative, so is the Zero Audio Basso.
 
edit: the closest in sound/ performance is the Nuforce 700s.

 

[steelglam]

 
^ yeah sure. Here is my comparo write-ups a lil' while back.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586909/the-discovery-thread-new-zero-audio-doppios-pg1197-kef-m200-pg835-philips-fidelio-s2-pg-724/13635#post_9765146
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/586909/the-discovery-thread-new-zero-audio-doppios-pg1197-kef-m200-pg835-philips-fidelio-s2-pg-724/11970#post_9617130
 
The Nuforce NE-700X for one, which can be had for like $25-$35 on the sales forum here.
 
The Sony XB90EX is also a good alternative, so is the Zero Audio Basso.
 
edit: the closest in sound/ performance is the Nuforce 700s.

Thanks for those suggestions.
 
It sounds like from your reviews that the Nuforce's, Sony's, and Zero Audio's sound is bassy/warm and not particularly detailed, though.  The things that I liked most about the JVC HA-FXT90's were that they were clear, fast, detailed, dynamic, and imaged well.  I was just looking for a tad more bass and a tad less aggressiveness in the upper mids/lower treble region.  I'm not looking for an IEM that sacrifices any of the positive qualities of the FXT90's, just something with a slightly different sound signature.  Hence, the description of the HA-FXZ100's appealed to me because folks seemed to indicate it had all of the qualities of the FXT90's that I listed above but a bit more bass presence and a bit smoother up top.
 
ljokerl's description of the Nuforce 700's reminds me of my Vsonic GR99's.  Bassy, warm, smooth, and slightly dark sounding.   That's fine, but I'm looking for something with a bit different of an approach.  Something with more detail, clarity, and speed like the FXT90's have.

 

[BlinkST]

 
 
I've been switching between my 200s and my H3 for a while now, listening to: 
 
"Carribean Queen" by billy Ocean
"Time" by Wiz Khalifa 
"Anytime" by Brain McKnight
"Just in case" by Jaheim
etc
 
 
Using my macbook pro. Not sure if it's a burn-in thing, but the H3's bass has kind of.. Mellowed out a bit. The 200s sound nice, as it always did, but I immediately notice the bass has a stronger presence, and the voices are more forward. The soundscape isn't as spacious as the H3, either, and little nuances are more noticeable on the H3. For example, when Wiz Khalifa exhales in "Time", you would have to be listening for it specifically to catch it. It's like with the 200s, a lot of things are fighting for your attention. The sound isn't as separated. 
 
If you are looking for something that just sounds plain good, the 200s are okay. If you're looking for a more complete sound though, the H3 is better. By comparison, the sound coming from the 200s is a little narrow, though powerful. A little confined. That's not to say you can't hear a "soundstage" [Or "soundscape" as I like to call it] only that it's narrower. Again, both are pleasing to listen to, but the H3 paints a more spacious, better picture, and I find it more pleasing to continue using. I can immediately hear the difference between the two. The H3 sounds closer to what I wanted: to hear music like I was downstairs playing it from my home theater. The voices are still "forward", but the rest of the music is spacious. 
 
The H3 can also handle higher amounts of bass rumble without driver rattle. Actually, it can handle higher volume overall. On my macbook, I would have to adjust my volume a little lower for the 200s, while with the H3, I can keep them at full volume. I mentioned 200s driver rattle before when I was playing the song "reunion" by the XX, and even made a video. This is not as apparent when I use the 200s with my iPhone, however, but if you like using your headphones with a computer and you are aware that the extra power can help drive the headphones better, it might be something to consider. 
 
Actually, taking a closer look at it now, it sounded like the bass on the H3 took a backseat, but it now sounds... pretty balanced? Anyone else hearing this might telling you the bass got tamed or something to that effect. They both rumble all the same, but the H3 is a little less loud. It's like the 200s take the extra power and make a already somewhat jumbled soundscape a little more louder, and the H3 takes it and makes an already spacious soundscape more spacious. When something strikes, you hear it travel, and you get a better sense of space. Voices are also smoother. It sounds so much more different from what i was hearing with the 200s for about a year now.
 
 
The only other person I know with a H3 and a 100/200 is ericp10, so you could ask him to confirm any of this.
 
 
EDIT: I did some additional listening with my H3 using my iPhone and macbook, and it's not a burn-in thing like I assumed in my first sentence. The whole sound is not as a hefty as from the iPhone, which is unexpected considering what happens with the 200s, but other things stand out. It sounds similar on the iPhone if I adjust the volume, but not quite the same. The sound has this heft to it, compared to the macbook. 

 

[MS1605]

Blink, Thanks for the write up. I have the 200s and have been thinking about the H3s for my next IEMs. Im looking for more bass without sacrificing sound quality.

 

[mamitasu]

I am new to IEMs scene, the IEM that I used previously was Creative Aurvana 3, pretty bad workmanship, broke after 1 year + of usage. So to replace my IEM, I head to a local hifi shop to replace my already broken Creative IEMs.
 
I told the sales rept my budget and he recommended me the FXT-90s and FXZ-100. After a series of testing, I felt that FXZ-100 was half a step better than FXT-90 as I listen to mainly Rock, Electros and Jazz. An IEM with a good bass would definitely bring more life and presence to the music.
 
After buying that for SGD $238 (I should have bought it from Amazon.jp, as it will be way cheaper than that, but whatever it comes with a 1 year warranty if I buy it local), I decide to try it with more variety of music. My first impression of the Highs was not that good, it is deafening when I listen to pop musics, at the 4khz range mainly which I had to reduce is by at least 3db to balance out. The mids seems to be recessed too. Oh the whole, the sound quality sounds a bit dark as compared to the IEM which I owned which is pretty good in the mids. The bass I wont comment much, as it is pretty good, sounds very thumpy(perfect for metal), unlike those bass that sounds weak and cheap.
 
I am using my android phone, S4, to listen to my music and this beast will need more power than any other IEMs, roughly about 20% more. I had to coupled HXZ100 with my KUNLUN E18 for this reason.
 
On the whole, if you looking for an IEM under $200, this is a good deal.

 

[BlinkST]

  Blink, Thanks for the write up. I have the 200s and have been thinking about the H3s for my next IEMs. Im looking for more bass without sacrificing sound quality.

I believe you won't be disappointed. When the 200s got burned in pretty well, one of the first things I noticed was that the voices are presented as if the person is speaking to you. Like you're in that studio session, in a confined space, and the performer is speaking to you. The H3 opens up this space some more, reveals more detail, and smoothens out the voices. For example, on "Club can't handle me" by floRida, the "sss" from 0:00-0:13, sounds trivial. Generic recording stuff. On the H3, that sound is more separated and lends some space to the song. It gives it this unmistakable atmosphere. All these sounds I thought were trivial, now give all of my songs their own unique atmosphere. The highs are less harsh, also. 
 
The H3 sounds just as powerful as the 200s when driven by my iPhone. But on the macbook, the H3 doesn't go as loud as on the phone, and instead becomes a little more detailed. After listening for a while now, it'a definitely not lacking in bass, that's for sure. It's just a little quieter. 
Like I said, it's weird, because the 200s get louder, and the H3 gets quieter, but certain parts of the sound become more noticeable. It still rumbles and stuff, which I can confirm from listening to some songs (Started from the bottom; work; Anytime etc). The sound does not "surround" you as much as on the phone. From that perspective, it would sound more like you're listening to music at a distance, and less like you're in the middle of the music. I don't know if this is a result of the quietness, or this is how it responds to more power. The voices of course don't echo or anything, so it won't sound literally like a concert hall, but they come close to not sound like headphones. One of the songs that does this best is "How dem flex" by Sizzla. 
 
Even on the iPhone, I can hear a clear difference between the H3 and the 200s. It's not just a matter of if a part of the music is distinctly right or left channel. The H3 makes it sound like the atmosphere is more complete; the sounds on the left and right have space, yet feel as if they are connected. 
 
 
Message ericp10 though. He's a veteran of this stuff. 

 

[MS1605]

Thanks Buddy.

 

[edvardd]

Dont know If this has been mentioned but http://youtu.be/M9v_6wAvQaY

 

[Sokolnitz]

Goldenears measured the FXZ-100 : http://en.goldenears.net/33669

 

[djvkool]

I'm selling mine if anyone is interested - look out in the FS section