VSD3S vs Havi B3Pro 1
Here’s my not so short take on these two fabulous budget IEM’s:
Introduction:
I won’t elaborate much on the built of these two since they’re pretty similar in style, fit and built quality. They both offers nice cables, solid plastic housings, great comfort and next to no microphonics due to over the ear styling. The big difference is of course the removable cable on the VSD3S which is a really nice feature and added value.
They both offer at least average isolation (tip dependent).
Accessories are also pretty basic on both but it might be worth mentioning that it took much longer time for me to find the right tips for the B3’s than it did with the VSD3S. I’m using Philips Fidelio S2 tips on the B3’s and stock biflange tips on the Vsonics.
Another important thing is that the B3’s really needs an amp to show their true potential while the Vsonics are much easier to drive.
This comparison was made with a mix of FLAC ripped CD’s, high resolution FLAC and 320kbs MP3’s listening through the uDac2 which I find to work well with both IEM’s.
For those who care the VSD3S has about 30 hours on it while the B3’s got hundreds of hours of use.
Sound:
The Havi B3’s offers an exceptional soundstage in both width and depth and has very good instrument separation. It’s actually stupidly good in these areas and though the VSD3S also offers very good soundstage depth and width it lags a bit behind in separation. I think this it’s mainly due to the fact that they offer a much fuller sound with more mid bass than the B3’s. The voice reproduction on the B3’s is the most natural I’ve ever heard in any IEM and again while the Vsonics are very good they don’t quiet sound as natural as the B3’s.
Listening to music like Beck, Peter Malick Group feat. Norah Jones, Cowboy Junkies , Ane Brun, Passengers etc. really brings out the best in the B3’s and I think they outperform the VSD3S here. That does not mean that the Vsonics is not good in these areas, it’s just that the B3’s are even better.
(Fun Fact 1: Listening to Cowboy Junkies “Blacked Eyed Man) on the B3’s during this comparison I suddenly realized I’ve listened to several tracks for pure enjoyment and forgotten all about what I was doing. That kind of says it all about the Havi’s with this kind of music to me.)
My main (and possible only) grip with the B3’s is the lack of bass. The bass it does offer have great control and there’s zero bass bleed. It does however offer decent sub bass but I would have preferred that they’d been able to go even deeper and had a bit more impact. The VSD3S on the other hand gives me the impact that I miss with the B3’s.
When listening to Robyn, Daft Punk, Infected Mushroom, Pharrell Williams and my beloved Depeche Mode the B3’s sounds too thin and the lack of bass impact is obvious. The Vsonics on the other hand make listening to this kind of music pure enjoyment. It fuller sound really comes in handy and I’m not missing any bass at all (please note that I’m the kind of guy that find the Q701 to have a great bass in both quality and quantity). As a matter of fact on some tracks I find the bass to be on the verge of boomy and a tiny bit slow but in all I’d say that they offer pretty much the ideal bass quantity for my liking and also very good bass quality.
(Fun Fact 2: Listening to Depeche Mode “Construction Time Again” on the VSD3S during this comparison I suddenly realized I’ve listened to several tracks for pure enjoyment and forgotten all about what I was doing. That kind of says it all about the Vsonics with this kind of music to me.)
Listening to “classic rock” like Eagles, Doors, REM, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits etc. the natural voices, excellent separation and huge soundstage of the B3’s excels again and the slight lack of bass impact are easily forgiven. Moving up to more heavy stuff like Metallica, Alice In Chains, Celldweller, Nirvana and even Foo Fighters the extra weight in the sound that the VSD3S offers comes in very handy and makes the difference from enjoying it with the B3’s to go head banging with the Vsonics.
Summing it all up:
The overall sound of the Havi B3Pro1 is organic and natural. They’re very well balanced and lack a bit of bass impact. Listening to music on them reminds me of listening to vinyl through a tube amp.
The Vsonic VSD3S is a full sounding IEM with great bass reproduction that still feels well balanced. Listening to them reminds me more of listening to a CD on a digital amplifier.
These are both great budget IEM’s and while the VSD3S come across as the better all rounder I still feel that the B3’s are the best with the “right” kind of music (just take a listen to Amber Rubart’s “Sessions from the 17’th Wards” binaural recording with them and you’ll see what I mean, epic). I do, however, think that the VSD3S will be preferred by most people due to their fuller sound and more instant wow factor. The fact that you don’t need an amp to enjoy them will also make them more appealing to most people.
Ever since I’ve got the Havi B3Pro 1 about half a year ago I’ve been looking for the perfect supplement to them for all kind of music played straight from my phone and tried out A LOT of different IEM’s without feeling that they’ve satisfied me but now I’ve finally found it.
Please take this for what is: one man’s opinion from one man’s perspective and preferences.
