[Levanter]

   
    mids ? really ? yes i admit xba-3 is over all , clearer , has better instrument separation and cymbals are better pronounced , h1 is kind of veiled and less dynamic all over the spectrum compared to xba-3 , 3 has better extension at highs , but man , its more V-shaped , and sound stage is a disappointment , what goes for h1 is bass and bass extension , less V-shaped means a bit more forward mids , sound stage and is more lively , more enjoyable , if you are looking from a audiophile's prospective , h1 cant beat xba-3 , but to me , its a winner , miles better cable and a practical and more useable cable clip . mine is more then 60hrs burned with frequency sweeps , did you burned it in ? bass decay is improved and driver crossover is less evident to me , its personal . if xba-3 is 8.7/10 to me , then h1 is not below 8.3 and that is not bad for $90 and i paid $140 for my first xba-3 .
    i like h1 , its nice and fun and less dry .

 
XBA-3 is V shaped? I found their mids and highs more prominent than their bass though.. maybe more of a slight upward slope shape.
H1 has bass, recessed mids and even more recessed highs... to me it feels like a downward slope.. i didn't feel their soundstage particularly that wide though, maybe due to the congested feeling from poorer separation. But i did find XBA-3 more engaging as it has a better PRaT than H1 which i find is a bit slow in fast paced songs.
 
The H1 i've tried is a demo set on display for past weeks, so i think it's been burned in quite a bit. I found H3 as the best all rounder, and would prefer that over the XBA-3.
If you paid $90 for the H1 then that wasn't so bad... over here it's selling at $150 which i consider that overpriced.

 

[suman134]

   
XBA-3 is V shaped? I found their mids and highs more prominent than their bass though.. maybe more of a slight upward slope shape.
H1 has bass, recessed mids and even more recessed highs... to me it feels like a downward slope.. i didn't feel their soundstage particularly that wide though, maybe due to the congested feeling from poorer separation. But i did find XBA-3 more engaging as it has a better PRaT than H1 which i find is a bit slow in fast paced songs.
 
The H1 i've tried is a demo set on display for past weeks, so i think it's been burned in quite a bit. I found H3 as the best all rounder, and would prefer that over the XBA-3.
If you paid $90 for the H1 then that wasn't so bad... over here it's selling at $150 which i consider that overpriced.

 
     xba-3 is not v shaped ? bass and highs are elevated and mids takes the back seat , and how can separation be related to sound stage ? man , we are different and yes h1 is slow and has lean highs . and may be that h1 is not properly burned in . leave it bro , lets not take it much further .

 

[Levanter]

   
     xba-3 is not v shaped ? bass and highs are elevated and mids takes the back seat , and how can separation be related to sound stage ? man , we are different and yes h1 is slow and has lean highs . and may be that h1 is not properly burned in . leave it bro , lets not take it much further .

 
highs is elevated, bass not so... no idea how you can describe the mids as taking a back seat when the H1's mids are even more recessed.
separation as in the imaging and space between instruments and vocals are congested. That to me plays a role in soundstage.
 
yep, looks like we hear things differently.. could be due to difference in the source as well

 

[suman134]

   
highs is elevated, bass not so... no idea how you can describe the mids as taking a back seat when the H1's mids are even more recessed.
separation as in the imaging and space between instruments and vocals are congested. That to me plays a role in soundstage.
 
yep, looks like we hear things differently.. could be due to difference in the source as well

 
     it can be , i do j3 and c2 with e11 .

 

[d marc0]

I personally don't find mids recessed. I even think it is a well balanced sounding iem especially with the right setup and mod.

 

[suman134]

I personally don't find mids recessed. I even think it is a well balanced sounding iem especially with the right setup and mod.

 
     a bit of bass bolt but not recessed mids , i agree .

 

[Levanter]

If you use an amp with your set up then I understand if you find the mids more balanced.

 

[suman134]

If you use an amp with your set up then I understand if you find the mids more balanced.

 
    no amp , j3 and c2 on their own can do it , with an amp nearly nothing improves , just some texture and a bit more highs .

 

[Levanter]

    no amp , j3 and c2 on their own can do it , with an amp nearly nothing improves , just some texture and a bit more highs .

Hmm never listened with a J3 or C2 before so can't comment on their characteristics/signature. So to you the XBA3 mids are more recessed than H1?
How would you compare H1 mids with H2 and H3?

 

[d marc0]

If you use an amp with your set up then I understand if you find the mids more balanced.

     a bit of bass bolt but not recessed mids , i agree .

I mean the xba3 to my ears is a balanced sounding iem with a mild bass boost. Haven't heard the H1 yet.

 

[suman134]

I mean the xba3 to my ears is a balanced sounding iem with a mild bass boost. Haven't heard the H1 yet.

 
    you were talking about 3 , i was about h1 . seems like im the odd one .

Hmm never listened with a J3 or C2 before so can't comment on their characteristics/signature. So to you the XBA3 mids are more recessed than H1?
How would you compare H1 mids with H2 and H3?

  
     havent heard the h2 or h3 , and will not cuz it can be that , they will never come to indian soils . more recessed , yes , compared to bass and highs , thanks to a high hump .

 

[gdourado]

Hi,
Anyone have an opinion on how do the XBA-H3 perfrom against the Shure SE425?

 

[Levanter]

  Hi,
Anyone have an opinion on how do the XBA-H3 perfrom against the Shure SE425?

 
Haven't heard the 425, but if compared to 535, the H3 outperforms the 535 in the bass region. However details, clarity, imaging and separation is still better in the 535.
535 mids is more forward and signature is towards the raw slightly aggressive side while H3 is more laid back and warmer than the 535. Treble wise the H3 is more forgiving with a bit of sparkle while 535 has higher treble range.
 

   
    you were talking about 3 , i was about h1 . seems like im the odd one .
  
     havent heard the h2 or h3 , and will not cuz it can be that , they will never come to indian soils . more recessed , yes , compared to bass and highs , thanks to a high hump .

 
You mean they brought in H1 but not H2 and H3? Quite weird since they usually bring in the family sets

 

[gdourado]

   
Haven't heard the 425, but if compared to 535, the H3 outperforms the 535 in the bass region. However details, clarity, imaging and separation is still better in the 535.
535 mids is more forward and signature is towards the raw slightly aggressive side while H3 is more laid back and warmer than the 535. Treble wise the H3 is more forgiving with a bit of sparkle while 535 has higher treble range.
 
 
You mean they brought in H1 but not H2 and H3? Quite weird since they usually bring in the family sets

Thank you for your reply.
I am very tempted by the H3 at their current price.
I never heard some higher end IEMS, so I don't know what to expect.
I currently use some Philips Citiscape Uptowns playing alac from my computer to Fiio E17 or from my iPod to Fiio E11.
I know over-ear are very different from IEMs, but how would the H3 perform in comparison to my uptowns?
 
Cheers!

 

[Levanter]

Thank you for your reply.
I am very tempted by the H3 at their current price.
I never heard some higher end IEMS, so I don't know what to expect.
I currently use some Philips Citiscape Uptowns playing alac from my computer to Fiio E17 or from my iPod to Fiio E11.
I know over-ear are very different from IEMs, but how would the H3 perform in comparison to my uptowns?

Cheers!

Sorry I've never listened to the Philips before. However if you have listened to Sennheiser Momentum before, the Momentums IMO performs much better in all areas compared to the H3, except for bass extension which the H3 goes much deeper.