[Dasm]

Nice review

especially when there many $200+ range earphones that could be on par/fall short to the N3, making them not worth the extra $100 to put in into the N3.

- for example? In terms not only sound, but build qulity too, pls

 

[Slaphead]

After having a long time with the N3 I finally have the time to write a short review based on my experiences.

Build quality is quite good imo. So first onto the stock cable of the N3. The 90 degree jack has a good and sturdy strain relief and the jack feels extremely solid. However there isn't any strain reliefs on the y-split so rough users might want to take care of it more. Mic is very responsive with clicks. No delays or lag and the microphone itself is clear when talking through it to other people on the phone. My 1 gripe about the stock cable is that is has a bit of memory in it so it when first taken out of the packaging, for a few weeks the cable keeps returning to its circular shape coiling around my pocket. But after a few weeks of using and "pulling" it becomes much more straightened and tangles much lesser now.

To me, the N3 are slightly V-shaped and dark sounding in overall balance of the sound frequency reproduction.
This humongous bass is very very very controlled and yet at the same time punchy with a little more than average sub bass for its "fun" signature while still maintaining good control.

As a V-shaped signature, yes the mids are a little recessed especially in male vocals while female vocals apparently have a slight peak in the upper mids which makes them sing with a little more energy than male vocals. Male vocals sound slightly mellow due to the big bass while female vocals sound lively and engaging. Having read some reviews written here, I do agree that the mids are its weakest point among the 3 main frequencies but I want to comment and say that I think that IMHO this is as good mids can get when put together in a strong and bassy signature. i truly believe that anymore bass boost or boost in the vocals will make it sound grainy, too peaky or too muddy.

Now moving on to the treble. I really love the treble on the N3. In fact it was this treble that led me to buy the N3s'. Most treble I hear tend to either sound coloured( dynamic driver treble) or sound peaky and piercing or just too insignificant especially in bassy signatures. However this treble is very airy, crispy, very very dry and yet non fatiguing. It is slightly rolled off. Also the treble is extremely NOT COLOURED. Its as if cymbal hits really sound like cymbal hits and not sound like "recorded cymbal hits". It's very natural and soothing to the ears.
'
Now I after saying all this good points about each component of the frequency, I would like to point out the negatives now. Especially in terms of its overall sound. Since it is a V-shaped signature it should be lively and engaging right? Nope. To me the N3 are a V-shaped BUT YET boring signature. I know it sounds weird when I say this as most people tend to put V-shaped and "fun" together but this isn't the case for me. There were times I wanted the bass to hit just a little harder and times where I wanted the vocals to shine just slightly more.(In fact this earphones have made me fall asleep the most on my commutes among all my other earphones) But they failed to do so due to their SMOOTH signature. I always tell my friends I will take any smooth sounding earphones over peaky/too fun earphones. However this time I'm gonna have to take my words back. The N3 really are too smooth for my liking but then again, it boils down to preference of sound signature. So overall do I recommend this earphones? I would say a maybe due to its HIGH PRICE. In terms of its sonic ability, I really think there is no other earphone that could beat the N3 in its price. But however I feel it is too costly for the N3s', especially when there many $200+ range earphones that could be on par/fall short to the N3, making them not worth the extra $100 to put in into the N3. However if you can get a cheaper price than its retail price like I did.... Just go for it

Edit: I forgot to talk about sound stage and imaging so I shall write a small paragraph for it.

Soundstage is relatively spacious in width but small in height with a fair amount of depth. Soundstage is above average at best that feels like a studio sized room. It also does not have the immersive feeling that JVC FX woody series have.

Imaging is extremely good especially since the BA treble driver is differentiated from the bass driver. Instrument separation is excellent and pin pointing guitars drums and vocals is easy.

I'm with you on this. Now I'm over the honeymoon period with the N3 the main thing I can criticise about them is their lack of bite. They are very musical, and the midrange sounds wonderful to my ears, but they just don't sound that exciting - certainly not compared to the likes of the RHA T20, which I might add are not without their faults, but one of the things they do have is quite an addictive pace about them which the N3 lacks to some degree.

I certainly not saying I don't like the N3s, I do, and they're a great addition to my stable. Really the above is the only thing I can fault them on, and it's not a big fault at all when you consider how much other stuff the N3 gets right.

 

[Martin79]

themindfreak - Do you have any good iems for comparsion? Or only KZ etc? Please advise some good iems.

 

[Bepli]

After having a long time with the N3 I finally have the time to write a short review based on my experiences.

Build quality is quite good imo. So first onto the stock cable of the N3. The 90 degree jack has a good and sturdy strain relief and the jack feels extremely solid. However there isn't any strain reliefs on the y-split so rough users might want to take care of it more. Mic is very responsive with clicks. No delays or lag and the microphone itself is clear when talking through it to other people on the phone. My 1 gripe about the stock cable is that is has a bit of memory in it so it when first taken out of the packaging, for a few weeks the cable keeps returning to its circular shape coiling around my pocket. But after a few weeks of using and "pulling" it becomes much more straightened and tangles much lesser now.

To me, the N3 are slightly V-shaped and dark sounding in overall balance of the sound frequency reproduction.
This humongous bass is very very very controlled and yet at the same time punchy with a little more than average sub bass for its "fun" signature while still maintaining good control.

As a V-shaped signature, yes the mids are a little recessed especially in male vocals while female vocals apparently have a slight peak in the upper mids which makes them sing with a little more energy than male vocals. Male vocals sound slightly mellow due to the big bass while female vocals sound lively and engaging. Having read some reviews written here, I do agree that the mids are its weakest point among the 3 main frequencies but I want to comment and say that I think that IMHO this is as good mids can get when put together in a strong and bassy signature. i truly believe that anymore bass boost or boost in the vocals will make it sound grainy, too peaky or too muddy.

Now moving on to the treble. I really love the treble on the N3. In fact it was this treble that led me to buy the N3s'. Most treble I hear tend to either sound coloured( dynamic driver treble) or sound peaky and piercing or just too insignificant especially in bassy signatures. However this treble is very airy, crispy, very very dry and yet non fatiguing. It is slightly rolled off. Also the treble is extremely NOT COLOURED. Its as if cymbal hits really sound like cymbal hits and not sound like "recorded cymbal hits". It's very natural and soothing to the ears.
'
Now I after saying all this good points about each component of the frequency, I would like to point out the negatives now. Especially in terms of its overall sound. Since it is a V-shaped signature it should be lively and engaging right? Nope. To me the N3 are a V-shaped BUT YET boring signature. I know it sounds weird when I say this as most people tend to put V-shaped and "fun" together but this isn't the case for me. There were times I wanted the bass to hit just a little harder and times where I wanted the vocals to shine just slightly more.(In fact this earphones have made me fall asleep the most on my commutes among all my other earphones) But they failed to do so due to their SMOOTH signature. I always tell my friends I will take any smooth sounding earphones over peaky/too fun earphones. However this time I'm gonna have to take my words back. The N3 really are too smooth for my liking but then again, it boils down to preference of sound signature. So overall do I recommend this earphones? I would say a maybe due to its HIGH PRICE. In terms of its sonic ability, I really think there is no other earphone that could beat the N3 in its price. But however I feel it is too costly for the N3s', especially when there many $200+ range earphones that could be on par/fall short to the N3, making them not worth the extra $100 to put in into the N3. However if you can get a cheaper price than its retail price like I did.... Just go for it

Edit: I forgot to talk about sound stage and imaging so I shall write a small paragraph for it.

Soundstage is relatively spacious in width but small in height with a fair amount of depth. Soundstage is above average at best that feels like a studio sized room. It also does not have the immersive feeling that JVC FX woody series have.

Imaging is extremely good especially since the BA treble driver is differentiated from the bass driver. Instrument separation is excellent and pin pointing guitars drums and vocals is easy.

Very good review, I totally support your statements on the sound and build quality. For me personally they are really damn good earphones. I absolutely love its sound signature, I wouldnt wanna sleep with them but they sound very relaxed. I would say a price of 300$ totally fine, obvsly lower is better, but I would say its a fair price if you want that kinda signature.

 

[themindfreak]

Nice review

- for example? In terms not only sound, but build qulity too, pls

Hmmm I do know that some people preferred Ibasso IT03 over the N3 even though I have never demoed them before. For build quality I can't say anything because I don't own any other "expensive" earphones bleh :/

themindfreak - Do you have any good iems for comparsion? Or only KZ etc? Please advise some good iems.

Nope, sorry that I don't own any other "expensive" iems to compare, but I did demo a few mid range priced iems like Ue900s and Senn Ie80 I guess? I feel they are on par with N3. JMO

 

[Martin79]

Senn Ie80/i have / is not a par with N3. N3 is much better.

 

[haoyuan]

For those who are still wondering how the N3AP stacks up against the Z5...

I purchased the N3 back in January from Japan, and now in July I bought a pair of Z5 after giving it a listen on my setup.. The difference is very noticeable and the Z5 still comes out on top despite being released 3 years earlier. The N3s are fun but the stage is much bigger for the Z5s.

 

[mer]

TheMIndFreak : Spot on, mate I use EQ to fix the "V" signature , which is not really V... I boost 30hz and 60hz 14khz and I recess 4-10khz for a more `----__- signature. I love them, I found them magic.

 

[Vladimir_F1]

After klipsch xr8i I found N3AP litlle bit boring. I like bass.. and on Sony it's not as pleasant for me.

 

[amrbadrawy]

I have been A/B N1 vs. N3 during the last week and to be honest while i found N3AP more higher grade and yes the bass is more detailed but i found the N1AP more fun and fits wider music qualities "I A/B it with A3 and i found they have a typical sound signature but the A3 has much bigger sound stage", the boost at the 80hz in N1AP sounds more fun than the 30hz boost because you can rarely hear unless you have a hi-res file that happens it didn't get cut at this very low frequency during mastering, for me the bass difference between them is like comparing a new tight drum to an old little loose drum, or like comparing listening to detailed drums in front of you Vs. listening to drums in a big hall and setting at the end of the hall, they both sound good but the N1 fits much wider options "Youtube, soundcloud, low quality MP3, low quality Movies" so unless all your collection of the highest quality i find the N3 is a waste of money. Also there is a 1.5 m difference in the length of the chamber, so the N1 is a little smaller and this minute difference makes the N1 fits better for me.

 

[mer]

When I a/b'ed I was ready to buy the N1, the only difference I could detect for half an hour was that the n3 goes deeper ( I don't feel 80hz are more pronounced at n1 vs n3 , just 30hz recessed, if the 80hz were boosted compared to n3 then the kick drum would hit harder ( would be louder ) and this didn't happen. But anyway, the bass difference was not 100euro difference for sure but some people value this little difference. I only bought the n3 when I listened to congested 3 metal electric guitars where the N3 was much better and clearer and could actually seperate the guitars while the n1 was a big mush, in fact the difference was clear and day, I had to a/b a couple of times to make sure the upper mids/low highs were so grainy compared to the n3 and this was well burned-in N1 vs brand new N3 so I almost was shocked. The n1 has 50usd upper mids(nothing special), while the n3 has 200usd mids(special). The n1 has 100-150usd bass(nothing special) while the n3 has 200-250usd bass(special). The n1 has 150-200usd highs and the n3 has 200-250usd highs(pretty similar).

To be honest I believe most good headphones over 50euro are a waste of time and money with youtube. In fact, I have headphones that cost 20euro ( soundmagic IEM and others ) that scale much better than youtube... Youtube is a horrible source for music, yes some headphones are kind with bad quality material but I would never choose an IEM just because it sounds nice on youtube ( which basically means 30hz-16khz compressed music ). Yes there is some OK stuff on youtube but why would you buy an N1 or N3 to listen to bad youtube music.... (+smartphone/laptop noisy dac and bad opamp)... You might as well go back to the 80s and get an old Sony Walkman and some good TDK tapes, it will have better quality than youtube..

The N3 is a high quality phone and it scales with the best dac / opamp and sources or you are not taking advantage of it...

 

[amrbadrawy]

Well, i'm not talking specifically about youtube because yes as you said it got a terrible low audio quality most of the time but i'm talking about almost all loss audio files, so in my trial every thing didn't sound that good until you go up to a 24bit 96khz audio files then you start feeling the differences in the highs and the subbass, otherwise i didn't notice much of a difference with 3 different DACs in fact N1 sounded over all more comfy and more fun to listen to for long periods, what i was looking for a one single piece of headphone that sounds good with all my library "120k+ tracks" from the least quality up to 24bit 192khz files and when used straight of my phone, with bluetooth or when connected to any of my DACs, i find the N1 much better in this aspect, in addition there is a tiny small design difference that though they where tiny but i noticed them from this tiny little difference in weight to this 1.5 mm difference in chassis, all made the N1 a little more comfy than the N3. The N3 is amazing earphone, but only when you pair it with the right source files and the right gear and yes i think it sounds even better than much more expensive IEM from another manufacturers at even triple the price of it

 

[Wiz33]

When I was A/Bing the N1 and N3 in Tokyo last Jan (with just my iPhone 6) with mostly iTune AACs. The mids and highs are better on the N3 90% of the time and I don't feel that the bass is more punchy and while I bought both, I gave the N1 to a freind upon return, I'll get it back and do more A/B now that both are fully burned in.

 

[Sapp]

Hello. Someone listened n1ap/n3ap with iBasso dx90?

 

[Mn80]

Uh..okay so after having the N3 for maybe not even a couple of months the left channel is starting to fade. Getting an annoying buzz on both channels, not really sure if it's a ground loop problem with my home theater receiver, so I unplugged a few things on it, along with a few components on the same power strip..seemed to help.

Back on the 50AP for the meanwhile...what a bloody mess in comparison to the N3 (No offense to current users/owners, me included lol). Bloated bass, uncontrolled, hits the ceiling quite easily, muddy mids, lack of separation in highs, etc. Same for my broken, previously beloved 90EX.

The thing with the N3 is, it REALLY spoils you. It's one of those "Once you go black, you never go back" kind of scenarios lol. At this point I don't think unless if I were to look for other iems, it would HAVE to be at the 300-500 dollar price point. So, if you are cheap (like me) look elsewhere, cause otherwise you are just doomed to spend more.

The stock cables in my case did not last long (although I did like them a lot). I'm waiting for a custom order cable. The new cable is a 4-core (to keep it less bulky and light), 7N OCC, cryogenically treated, 22 AWG, 30 strand. Should be in about a couple of weeks. I opted not to go for silver plating as I wanted a more warmer, bass-centric and robust sound. Pretty excited, and I will try to post impressions with the new cable. Happy listening, folks.