[gerelmx1986]

 
^Nice rig! I'm sure it sounds great.

Yep sounds fantastic, I don't have my iClassic anymore t compre against the fiio, but i had the XBA-1's and well the fiio "opened-up" the XBA-1's a Little bit (expanded soundstage)

 

[gerelmx1986]

The sound of my h3 is much different from the iem I heard the first 100 hours. Burn in is real! At least on some iems!


Soundstage width and separation is world class. Soundstage depth is about as good as it gets, and height is very good. Separation is phenomenal.
 

I agree with you in those two points mate, i have it for a week now and the sounds of the bass has stabilized, no more "mega-bass" effect, now sounds more controlled, yet punchy, and yes the soundstages is soooo Deep, very nice instrument separations, in fact i Heard the Harpsichord plectrum so clear on Bob van Asperen's rendition of Froberger's keyboard works

 

[hockey_magnet]

Just to add to my last post...

I'm listening to my h3 through my f806 - e12 as a source. No bass boost, no high gain. I'm currently bouncing back and forth between the mh1 stock tips and the heir tips found on lunashops. I've been listening to them exclusively at home, and have been comparing them to my other favorite iems (check my inventory if you're wondering what that is)

The sound of my h3 is much different from the iem I heard the first 100 hours. Burn in is real! At least on some iems!

What I hear now out of them is a very balanced and controlled bass response that extends as far as I can hear. It is prominent from the sub layer all the way up and through the mid-bass and into the midrange. I hear no bleed whatsoever. I think some might perceive a bloat or a bleed, but with higher quality tracks and sources it's actually very well presented in separation and texture.

Midrange is spot on. Separation and imaging is seldom rivaled by any iem I've heard. It gives an out of the head feeling. It really shines when multiple vocals and instruments are playing at the same time. Separation is consistent and doesn't ever seem to ever get overwhelmed. I can pick out any particular sound on a complex track and focus in on it, and it's sound never will get distorted or smeared.

Treble is very present and with better than average detail. It gets as bright as it can get without becoming sibilant. There are parts of songs where with some iems I will almost have to brace myself for the impact that the sibilance will have with my ears. I NEVER have to worry about that with the h3. The ex1000, altone200, and even sometimes with the GR07BE, the sibilance has a fatiguing effect on my listening experience. Some will knock it, saying it's "unnatural" or "not as extended as...", but I think the h3 is superior in the sense that it is what I consider fatigue free treble. It is still very present, relatively well extended and not lacking or rolled off whatsoever IMHO.

Soundstage width and separation is world class. Soundstage depth is about as good as it gets, and height is very good. Separation is phenomenal.

I own sets of iems that do surpass it in terms of detail (altone200, KC06, havi b3 pro1 just to name a few) but all things considered, the h3 is the total package. It takes bass lovers and audiophiles and strikes a balanced product in the h3.

Reviews can sometimes be discouraging on these. It's unfortunate if it caused some to be reluctant and not purchase them. They can currently be had for around $250 usd. That is a great price on a great iem. I hope more people bite on them, spend some time tip rolling, and give them 100 hours of play time/burn in. I'm sure many will be pleased with what they experience.

I agree with almost everything you've said except I do still find the mids very slightly recessed - Have over 50 hours on them and certainly the bass SEEMS to have receded a bit but could be brain burn as well. I alternate these with Shure 846's which have a much different sig, particularly the mids. On the H3's I find they present female vocals better than male vocals for the most part. The separation is really excellent for sure - overall the H3's really do perform well and more than worth the money - still my most comfortable iem - they seem weightless after a while

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

I've got somewhere in the ballpark of 120hrs now on the h3 and its changed for sure. I've been using my ue900 and re400 for references, I do still find there to be a bit of recess in the mids as well but that's significantly improved after the time abd possibly larger bore tips (which made changes immediately so I do find large bore tips a must for less V shape).

Comfortable as you'll get them on an IEM but definitely looks odd in public. If only they can hear what you're hearing..

For then current 250 sale price they're fantastic. I would say it's the IEM answer to a 3.1 stereo system.

 

[Hisoundfi]

hockey_magnet

Just curious, what tips are you using for them?

I used the Sony hybrids for a long time, and got a sense of recessed mids and mid bass bloat with them.

These things are significantly affected by the bore width of tips used.

I use a wider bore tip than the Sony hybrids to balance the sound out. It makes a huge difference.

Sorry, not trying to be a know it all, just posting my findings based on my experience with these.

Hope it helps.

 

[Hisoundfi]

Soundsgoodtome

Jinx! Lol, we pretty much posted the same thing about tips at the same time!

Just confirmation of what we are trying to say

Cheers

 

[gerelmx1986]

I haven't  tested the battery of my Fiio to see wether the 40-ohm rating affects the battery performance of the fiio

 

[hockey_magnet]

hockey_magnet

Just curious, what tips are you using for them?

I used the Sony hybrids for a long time, and got a sense of recessed mids and mid bass bloat with them.

These things are significantly affected by the bore width of tips used.

I use a wider bore tip than the Sony hybrids to balance the sound out. It makes a huge difference.

Sorry, not trying to be a know it all, just posting my findings based on my experience with these.

Hope it helps.

No problem. I'm using comply ts100 which do have a pretty wide bore. Tried the Sony hybrid silicone as well.

 

[gerelmx1986]

I am using complys Tx-200 i think, the ones that suposedly are compatible with XBA-1

 

[hockey_magnet]

No problem. I'm using comply ts100 which do have a pretty wide bore. Tried the Sony hybrid silicone as well.

Sorry I think it's the TS 200 - the 100's would be too small - they fit Shure's but not Sony's

 

[mpawluk91]

Does anyone know where to buy the Sony foam tips that come with the xba h3? The red foam ones?

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Im told on Sony stores but they want something ridiculous for em! I think I remember seeing a foam/silicone alternative for cheaper somewhere but I forget the brand.

Does anyone know where to buy the Sony foam tips that come with the xba h3? The red foam ones?

 

[StanD]

  I haven't  tested the battery of my Fiio to see wether the 40-ohm rating affects the battery performance of the fiio

In what way do you expect the battery to be affected? Which FiiO?

 

[mpawluk91]

Im told on Sony stores but they want something ridiculous for em! I think I remember seeing a foam/silicone alternative for cheaper somewhere but I forget the brand.

I swear I've tried a lot of different tips on my h3 (including the jvc spiral dot) and to my ears the red foam ones are the best sounding and most comfortable

Much better than the regular foam tips from sony

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Someone here might be nice enough to sell you their set. I don't use mine with the Sony but I find them useful for other in-ears that don't need large bores like my TEAC ZE1000 or RE400.