I'm really looking forward to checking the FH3s out in comparison to the Tin T2+ I have at home, especially since many frequent posters here have recommended I try these given my musical taste. I'll post impressions once I've had some time with them
Wow am I glad I never auditioned the FH3s earlier. I'm a big believer in never checking out gear I can't yet afford
These totally blow away my T2+ and Blon 03s. It's not even close, but I suppose that isn't surprising given the $100 premium the FH3 commands over those sets.
Bass: Incredibly tight and articulate. Just the right quantity for me. It feels like a really high quality subwoofer - not flabby, just the right balance to effortlessly engage you with the driving bassline of your music. As I've only really got the Bl03s and the T2+ to compare with, I find the FH3s to be the best of both worlds - very fast response, like the T2+, but perhaps a touch slower. Enough sub and mid bass, comparable to the Blons in quantity, but without muddying up the midrange one bit. At least, not that I'll find out about until I can afford to
I'm seriously impressed with the bass response on these. Even at lower volumes, they sound engaging and smile inducing.
Mids and Highs: This is where I'm completely blown away. Having never heard a multi driver set previously, my first impression with the FH3s was just "Wow, these are super clear. Like really clear!". Going back and forth between this and my other sets, I can now perceive what I can only refer to as "congestion" on the other 2 sets. In the busier parts of tracks (which is basically nearly the full length of most of the tracks in my music library!), the other sets seem to "mute" certain details. The result is basically a loss of perceived energy in the music. Logically, I'd attribute this step up in clarity to the multi driver setup in the FH3, whereas the others are single driver sets. That said, I can't say I've heard any higher tier single DD sets, so I won't make any generalisations just yet. But holy cow, I feel I can now hear stuff in my music I've never heard before! I mean, yeah, it was probably all still there if I listened closely enough, but now it just seems effortless to pick out every detail in each layer of the tracks.
I have been using a new source for my desktop setup, which has also been somewhat of a "revelation", so I can't dismiss the possibility that there is some sort of placebo effect adding to my overall experience. I'm using the headphone out on a Motu M2 professional audio interface. I'm playing full quality wav or aiff files through a windows PC, and sometimes via an iPad (since the Motu is USB-C powered, it's super easy to swap it between sources). But when I try the FH3 out on my trusty Qudelix 5k (unbalanced, for now), I'm still experiencing that dramatic leap in clarity and quality vs the Blons and T2+. I sure feel like I struck gold with this purchase. It's got me hearing all my music in a totally new light, and I can't have asked for more than that from an upgrade! I can see why there was a general consensus about the FH3's bang for buck.
Random musings: Best fitting iems I've ever tried just using the stock standard tips which came already attached to the iems. I haven't bothered to tip roll with any of the other options as of yet, but suffice it to say, there's enough there to play around with to get the ultimate seal for your ears. Far better isolation than the T2+, and slightly better than the Blons too. I got a great seal on the Blons with some Sony hybrid tips. With this set I've found that I can't go beyond a certain volume for very long, but to be fair, I found that with the T2+ as well. I believe I'm sensitive to highs, but that said, I don't find either the FH3 or the T2+ to be too sharp/bright for my taste. On the contrary, with the newfound combo of better detail retrieval, bass quantity and improved isolation, I'm getting an excellent experience at lower volumes, and my ears are thanking me for it
...You won't regret it!
