[gikigill]

  From Nocturnal Audio http://nocaudio.com
I got 4-conductor hydra series. Pretty soft and no microphonics.

Thanks mate, might get one of these.

 

[Jackson 6]

A couple of nights with burn in and they will begin to warm up. Top banana's after three months and on, like fine wine.

 

[ClassicalViola]

  XBA-H3 without that annoying "Beats" cable 

 

Hi. What difference do you notice in the sound after switching to the Hydra 4-conductor cable by Nocturnal Audio? Looks interesting and affordable.

 

[djvkool]

 
I had another go of it.

I must say the build on these things is absolutely fantastic, ridiculously good. They just scream quality all over.

 

 
It's...a Sony
 

 

[H20Fidelity]

   
It's...a Sony
 

Excellent durability so I hear.

 

[gikigill]

As a long time Sony fan, it is pretty solidly built and sound good out of the box. Maybe Sony changed the tuning or the
 
enclosure but it doesn't seem to sound anything like the first H3s that I listened to.
 
It sounds clean, punchy and no veil of any sort. No questions about the build quality again.

 

[UnityIsPower]

I sent you a PM mate. Nice review as always.

H2 may be even worse lol, it surely doesn't have any more treble extension. H3 does go very high though. 

Did you like the H3 or you are just referencing graphs?

 

[frekedech]

A little bit.   Especially when I first opened them, I was O_O. It seemed to settle a little after an hour, it's fast. I don't think PRO500 are going to win any striving awards for accuracy and balance however they're just so damn addictive, a little like ASG-2 in that respect. (just really fun). Terribly easy to drive as well simply from Sansa Clip Zip (PRO500)


The H3 aren't mine sadly, they're a loaner unit from one of our members, however I'll have them for a week and pop in to say hi.


Oh, I took frekedech's photo and edited it for him while I had PS open , I hope he doesn't mind? (I'm really addicted to it)


 

Thank you Sir!
Now my H3 looks as sharp as it's treble

 

[UnityIsPower]

Thank you Sir!
Now my H3 looks as sharp as it's treble

Blasphemy, H3 treble is sparkle that don't stab!

 

[frekedech]

Blasphemy, H3 treble is sparkle that don't stab!

I mean.... sharp in a good way 

 

[frekedech]

 
Thanks mate, might get one of these.

 
You'll love it! 

 

  Hi. What difference do you notice in the sound after switching to the Hydra 4-conductor cable by Nocturnal Audio? Looks interesting and affordable.

 
Hello! The very reason I decided to get this cable is because of the fiddly ear-guide and that tacky looking cable from sony (no offence ). Since the nature of this hobby is very subjective, I'm not going to exaggerate the sonic improvement but it does give a touch more clarity on mids and treble YMMV.
 
The ergonomics is superb though, the NocAudio folks even customised mine with angled connector to suit H3 (just like the original). So no more "antenna" effect like other off-the-shelf Shure cables. 
 
You may shoot them an email requesting for special cable arrangement just like mine. Cheers!

 

[AUDIOBREEDER]

And....... it's gone from the Amazon website. as of today!
Was thinking of buying it sometime soon, but I have too many IEMs/Headphones ATM.

 

[mechgamer123]

  And....... it's gone from the Amazon website. as of today!
Was thinking of buying it sometime soon, but I have too many IEMs/Headphones ATM.

Hmm, anyone think it'll come back? I was thinking of returning mine and then just buying them in a few months, since I tend to not use IEMs in the summer very much, and if the price trend follows that of the previous series, it should be dirt cheap in a few months... Right?

 

[UnityIsPower]

 

[H20Fidelity]

I've spent a little more time with H3 this afternoon mostly from Sony Walkman NWZ-F806. I think they're a fine sounding hybrid.

Maybe a little on the warm side for my preferences in overall tonality and there's a fraction too much mid-bass for purists however I find the staging, imaging and overall presentation really enjoyable, smooth, involving. They have the perfect amount of weight in the mids for vocals to sound rather creamy and detailed right through the lower-upper mid range, it's not the most natural timbre I've heard however between the house sound of F806 Walkman and H3 it's certainly unique timbre. I will try with a brighter source, I did for a brief moment with my Studio V unit and got much closer to a tonality I'd purchase however the hiss was too much.

For my preference though who leans for upper mid-range emphasis (think like ER4S), I prefer a brighter upper-mids that can extract aggressive detail from recording  it's partly what gives me my music buzz. H3 would never be my preferred signature however pushing that aside they're a very pleasant IEM I could live with and I think Sony took the right road to please a majority of buyers. I personally won't be trying the tape mod, I don't find the bass overwhelming or annoying me to such extend.

Moving onto the fitting of these units I can understand Sony kept this approach for the angling of their dynamic driver though while they fit me with a little persuasion, they may not be user friendly to people with strange shaped ears, and because of this design wind noise is a concern also comfort is slightly decreased . They're just kind of fiddly to insert and seat properly, this takes up valuable seconds of your life before enjoying the music. 

Build is edging on the best I've ever seen - in real life you can stare at them in ore (for at least 45 seconds) thinking deeply "whoever put this together knew what the hell they were doing"

I  don't know if it's been mentioned but our tour pair has a loose connection on the left earpiece, it was like this when we sent it out, and I don't like this at all. I"m not sure how durable these Shure like connections Sony went for are. It's a downright annoyance especially when it cuts out mid-song. We do believe it may just be a cable issue and their owner awaits the return to confirm this. However, tut tut to Sony as this unit was almost brand new to my understanding, you don't need these kind of issues with such a wonderful looking expensive product.

It detracts from H3's beauty.