[sardar17]

 
these above tracks have been used for comparison like the ones listed below
 
I just got my h1 today for 110 dollars(rs 6900)
 
impressions-
 
The unit i got seems to be faulty,,the left side had lesser clarity and more bass than the right.After adjusting balance at -5 on my clip+ things seemed to improve but overall clarity suffered.Anyways as far as sound goes i compared this with my brainwavz m3 and sony mhl-ic.
                                                                                                 These earphones are way more bassy than my earlier offerings as listed above and there was no diff from any source,,clip+ or laptop or sony xperia mini.The overall soundstage was very good but the clarity is way less than m3 and mhl offerings.The bass is good but a bit overbloated for my preference and even the instrument seperation seems just average.All in all i am not impressed,maybe my unit was faulty as left side showed lesser sound so i have gone to sony centre and got them replaced(i will get a new set after some time)
 
If the sound still remains same(in the newer h1) then i must say this is really bad and are totally wanting as far as clarity goes.
 
tracks used for comparison
 
 

 

[Simons]

a_recording ...... I think maybe you need to get a pair of these H3s then review .... & compare it to the xba 40s , your reviews are good man

Only one person I've read here seems to like them .......... ( or was it 2 ) Surely they must be good!!
( without putting tape on them with pin holes )
Sounds a little funny after paying $500

o they have a darkish sound ( like xba 4/40 )
or is it more bright ( so to speak )
:How do they sound when your out and about... On the train etc?
o they sound good direct to iphone? ( one guy said it did does anyone 2nd that

)

 
there are at least two, me and the guy with the manga avatar (sorry, forgott your name I´m new to headfi). And as I think it is not possible to make a IE better then it is, but as there are a lot of possibillities to make them worse, I guess there is something wrong. Seal, source... they are really big, so maybe some people have problems with the right fitting. And today I noticed with my Samsung Galaxy S3 they sound worse. So SGS3 and MP3s @ 320Kbit = average performance, just slightly better then TDK IE 800. Better separation, but far away fromwhat Ive heard yesterday. And it sounds as if the Dynamic speaker is not getting enough power. Subbass is almost gone, Bass is to few.
 
SGS3 and Simfy-tracks: Better, I would say 3 of 10 compared to the Mac book pro
 
Dell XPS 17: 8 of 10. So the source is important. I hear a strong subbass i.e. in the ultrademon track, but with the mac (even if I hate apple) it was so deep and strong it pushed me tears to my eyes.
 
and in "while she sleeps - this is six" they really performed well to, they could handle even this really fast track. So try different source as well.

 

[sardar17]

   
there are at least two, me and the guy with the manga avatar (sorry, forgott your name I´m new to headfi). And as I think it is not possible to make a IE better then it is, but as there are a lot of possibillities to make them worse, I guess there is something wrong. Seal, source... they are really big, so maybe some people have problems with the right fitting. And today I noticed with my Samsung Galaxy S3 they sound worse. So SGS3 and MP3s @ 320Kbit = average performance, just slightly better then TDK IE 800. Better separation, but far away fromwhat Ive heard yesterday. And it sounds as if the Dynamic speaker is not getting enough power. Subbass is almost gone, Bass is to few.
 
SGS3 and Simfy-tracks: Better, I would say 3 of 10 compared to the Mac book pro
 
Dell XPS 17: 8 of 10. So the source is important. I hear a strong subbass i.e. in the ultrademon track, but with the mac (even if I hate apple) it was so deep and strong it pushed me tears to my eyes.
 
and in "while she sleeps - this is six" they really performed well to, they could handle even this really fast track. So try different source as well.

were u talking about h3??
 
the way i am unhappy with my h1 i think given the specs h3 will sound worse as 16mm driver will make everything muddy

 

[howihearit]

there are at least two, me and the guy with the manga avatar (sorry, forgott your name I´m new to headfi). And as I think it is not possible to make a IE better then it is, but as there are a lot of possibillities to make them worse, I guess there is something wrong. Seal, source... they are really big, so maybe some people have problems with the right fitting. And today I noticed with my Samsung Galaxy S3 they sound worse. So SGS3 and MP3s @ 320Kbit = average performance, just slightly better then TDK IE 800. Better separation, but far away fromwhat Ive heard yesterday. And it sounds as if the Dynamic speaker is not getting enough power. Subbass is almost gone, Bass is to few.

SGS3 and Simfy-tracks: Better, I would say 3 of 10 compared to the Mac book pro

Dell XPS 17: 8 of 10. So the source is important. I hear a strong subbass i.e. in the ultrademon track, but with the mac (even if I hate apple) it was so deep and strong it pushed me tears to my eyes.

and in "while she sleeps - this is six" they really performed well to, they could handle even this really fast track. So try different source as well.

8 out of 10 sounds ok!! Or very good!!
It depends on what you believe a 9 or 10 is...
Basically from an apple device you think it sounded good...

Ok man some impressions please ( from the apple device )
: soundstage
: brightness/darkness
: the sound of vocals
: highs
: mids
Bass was great by the sounds of it

.

 

[dweaver]

OK I went through all the tracks listed above and liked my H1 on some tracks and not on others. When I liked them it was because the warmth of the H1 added to the listening experience and when I didn't it was due to the opposite effect or because the treble sounded a bit to harsh or metallic.

I did try switching to another headphone on these tracks and will add that the H1 is not a detail oriented IEM.

 

[sardar17]

OK I went through all the tracks listed above and liked my H1 on some tracks and not on others. When I liked them it was because the warmth of the H1 added to the listening experience and when I didn't it was due to the opposite effect or because the treble sounded a bit to harsh or metallic.

I did try switching to another headphone on these tracks and will add that the H1 is not a detail oriented IEM.

but there lies the problem as the details on these are far far less than even brainwavz m3 and sony mhc earphones!!??
 
i had meelectronics a151 before and they massacre h1 in terms of details,instrument seperation and vocals!!
 
yes h1 have very good warmth and soundstage though

 

[TheBoss]

hi james... how would you compare the h3 to other sony offerings such as the 7550/ex800st professional series in sound quality?

 

   
Very similar to the EX1000, though I'd think those are ultimately even better phones than the 7550 (despite their more problematic treble). Anyway, both IEMs bear an uncanny resemblence, the 7550 being just a bit more mid-centric and laid-back in treble. Listening to the 7550 and H3 side by side, the former sound simply cleaner with more coherent tonality, whereas the latter impress with excellent mids/highs separation on the one hand, but disappoint with bloated and somewhat diffuse bass on the other.
 
Timbre-wise, the only edge the H3 seem to have over the 7550 are cymbals, 'cause their BAs exhibit more metallic shimmer, but pretty much all other instruments sound more natural on the 7550 to my ears. Putting on Mahler's 2nd (final movement), the 7550 win hands down over the H3 in my book. These are such great value for the money, particularly for classical listeners.
 
But besides classical, I've also listened to both with pop, rock, jazz and electronica and there were some tracks on which the H3 came close, but not a single one on which I ended up preferring the H3 over the 7550.

 
Thank you for impressions.
 
Going by your impression I guess I will just stick to 7550/ex800st pro-monitor series. 
 
My music library has 0 files that can take advantage of H3's super high end sound spectrum, and I sure would not take that if I have to give up clean/coherent tonality and balance that my 7550 offers.

 

[dweaver]

theBoss, the H1 is quite different from the 7550 in warmth and signature and the H3 appears to be even more different so I would agree with your decision 100% especially if you like the 7550.

 

[pietcux]

I have the EX-1000 and also feel that it is so good that I cannot improve it with theese new offerings as it is perfect already.

 

[kms108]

Has anyone actually test these new iem with 192/24 recordings instead of just normal mp3, in hong kong sony are giving away 5 192/24 recording on a SD card with H3 purchased. Afterall they are promoted as HD iem.

 

[dweaver]

If they miss detail on regular music files I can't see how they will be able to present the minutia that is in those kind of HD files.

 

[kevms89]

I have the EX-1000 and also feel that it is so good that I cannot improve it with theese new offerings as it is perfect already.

I would have bought the xba1000 but its too much for me $ wise.

 

[sardar17]

feel people on this forum gave
wrong reviews on h1 and h3
I should have got me electronics
a161 as they are the best ba iem
under 100 dollars right now and are
just awesome as could be found for
only 70 dollars.
I wasted money on xba h1 and they
can't even compete with offerings
half the price and sound muddier
than shure s4 and even shure 215
are way better and balanced

 

[sardar17]

klipsch s4 I mean in above post

 

[DannyBai]

Well that's your preference so I wouldn't call it misleading since we all have different tastes.  I never heard the 161's but I found the 151 bland and boring.  I don't think the H1 is the holy grail or even one of the best in its tier but it's not bad and about par with other offerings in the range.  Of course there are better at/above and below cost of the H1 but the individual will have to decide.