Fantastic! Glad your ears agree to the advice given. I think H20 could be a millionaire if he started getting commission for his recommendations, I trust his judgment totally, completely genuine, what head-fi needs.
Stu
He is one of the peeps I chatted with in PM. Very helpful! You guys that are always reviewing should ask Head-fi to implement a paypal gift mechanic on your profiles. H20, I'll buy u one of these, delicious. Made in Korea as well
BASS
The H-200 bass kicks sounded a tad bit hollow when listening at lower volumes but when set higher (65%) it becomes a lot fuller and well textured. Mid bass is very clean and detailed equal to the Sony's. Sub bass quantity is equal to the XBA 3 but the H-200 is a tad bit more fuller and textured because of the Dynamic driver characteristic. The XBA 3 on the other hand has more punch and impact at lower volumes but when both IEMs are set at higher volume, the difference becomes negligible. In terms of speed: the Sony is definitely unbeatable but if I wasn't comparing, I didn't find the H-200 slow at all. As a matter of fact, the H-200 handles heavy metal double bass kicks fairly well. As a conclusion, the XBA 3 performs better at low volume; at higher volume, both IEMs are equal. The XBA 3 wins by a tiny weenie margin. UPDATE 02/06/13: So I tried using the RED cable for the first time and I must admit; I didn't expect the change would be that drastic. Bass are so much fuller and has stronger impact even at lower volumes. The "hollow" sound bass kicks were gone which means somehow (I THINK) the red cable has less resistance than the black cable w/ remote. With this new discovery in mind, my new verdict is: H-200 wins over the XBA 3 by a slight margin.
SOUNDSTAGE
The H-200 has an average soundstage to my ears but it's definitely there. Maybe because I'm so used to the XBA 3s great soundstage where you get that euphoric feeling and immersion to the music that you're listening in to. If I were to give the XBA 3 a score of 7 in soundstage, the H-200 will be a solid 5. UPDATE 02/06/13: Using the RED cable improves the Soundstage indeed; both IEMs are now equally good in presenting a wide presentation and it's really hard to pinpoint which of these two is better. H-200 and XBA-3 are just equals in soundstage.
CONCLUSION
So, which IEM is better? The H-200 by a huge margin!Do I feel that I've found the upgrade that I was looking for? That is a solid "YES" for me! I am very happy with the H-200 because I can just throw any music/genre and these cans deliver with a bang! It's enjoyable, a bit forgiving to crappy recordings and most of all: it is not strident thus extended listening sessions is never fatiguing.
Special thanks to H20 for pointing out the difference when using the red cable over the black cable w/ mic/remote.
I'm not convinced there's a significant difference between red and black. I think that the red has less resistance possibly due to missing mic which results in more volume. I suspect that volume matching both cables would result in the same sound.
I'm of the opinion that the only real difference between any cables is how much highs are rolled off due to different capacitance of different cables. On just 4ft I'm not convinced that's detectable - it certainly is on 30ft of guitar cable where I require a buffer.
I'd be interested to here from tpeos - are the cables the same construction aside from mic.
TBH I didn't expect that there would be any tangible difference when swapping cables. As a matter of fact this is the first time I've ever used a secondary cable. I haven't even used the 2nd cable on my MDR1r and I've owned it for 6 months now. I just gave H2O the benefit of the doubt and I'm glad that I did.
I think we just have differences in quantifying the changes in sound as a result of cable rolling. Plus we don't hear things exactly the same; similar but not exactly the same. Because we have differences in anatomy, we can only compare how we experience things. So in short, what may sound as a drastic change in sound for me, could be very well non detectable in your own experience. That is why I truly respect your opinion on this matter.
Are these really similar/better than the Triple.fi 10? I sold my TF10 a while back, a decision I regret because I miss them very much. They were so fun to listen to, and I'm looking for a similar sound signature.
Are these really similar/better than the Triple.fi 10? I sold my TF10 a while back, a decision I regret because I miss them very much. They were so fun to listen to, and I'm looking for a similar sound signature.
+2, ive owned the tf10's and i made a friend hear the h-200 who has owned them swell, both agreed 100% that these were better in all aspects, much more balanced, the tf10 had a v shaped soundsig.. the mids on these are not recessed! if i remember correctly the tf10s had more bass quantity at low volumes, but these have better quality bass... u will not miss the tf10 after u hear this.
I have them both here, TF10 / H-200, it's very much like the others have stated above. I think I remember someone saying they both sound a little similar and somewhat I agree with that statement, especially regarding the tonality, possibly H-200 being a smidgen brighter, though when it comes to control, refinement coherency, detail, you're really leaving TF10 behind. I would say the soundstage is fairly even in width from the A/Bing I did, however, there's not much point in A/Bing the two as competitors because H-200 clearly surpasses them.
The TF10s were my first IEM that was not a sub $100 single dynamic and they held a special place in my heart but I do not think it's even close between them and the H-200. Heck, I got the e-Q5 as what I figured would be a sidegrade from the TF10 but the Ortofons were a decided improvement (to my ears). That could just be my more mid-centric preference at work there however.
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