Redcarmoose
Headphoneus Supremus
The New Piston Fresh Edition
After the Piston One and Piston Two, 1More Design changed the playing field with the new redesigned Piston 3 in March of 2015. Since then the manufacture Xiaomi has released a number of ultra-budget editions including the Youth Edition and the Basic Edition.
It may sound a little confusing but 1More Design with Xiaomi, also released a $99 Triple and $199 Quad Driver IEM as well as a “Capsule” line of IEMs. This last year Xiaomi also released the Pro Edition as well as the Xiaomi Mi Quantie Pro Hybrid and finally......
The Fresh Edition:
This model is the lowest priced Xiaomi IEM ever created. In China they are listed as the Xiaomi Mi Piston Huosai 3, and here as simply the Piston Fresh Edition. At $4-$9 dollars it’s one of the best IEM values around. Strikingly Xiaomi prints Piston Huosai 3 in bold thick letters across the top of the box.
Today we will do some visual and sound comparisons with the original Piston 3 and do some direct comparisons against a couple other Chi/Fi ultra-budget IEMs. At first it may seem a little unfair to compare the Piston Fresh Edition to the $26-$35 Piston 3, but in many ways they share a common lineage both in design and sound signature. I don’t own the Basic Edition but did give it a listen, not a big fan of the Basic Edition flat cable, also I seemed to like the Fresh Edition sound better right off?
Why $5 IEMs?
Incoming $5 IEMs are great sports IEMs as there is no worry about damaging them at the gym or biking. A design like the Xiaomi/1More Fresh Edition are small and seem to stay in place during times of heavy physical activity. They also seem relatively strong against rain water and rough handling. Keep in mind that lower volume levels are normally recommended as to not completely block-out situational awareness sounds while in traffic.
The Piston 3 Hype:
Here are the reviews:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/xiaomi-pistons-3-0-in-ear-headphones.20647/
The sound signature was V shaped and made it’s mark with a thick warm lower mid-bass. Highs were nothing to write home about, and the midrange was somewhat lackluster, and pulled back in the mix. Folks would describe the Piston 3 treble as slightly steely but never harsh or strident. But in March of 2015, $26-$35 priced Piston 3s became a big deal. They were built well and did a number of musical genres. They had a nice warm personality with EDM and came with a quality three button remote.
What’s interesting is there was a continuation of that famous sound signature. In many ways the $99 1More Triple driver shares that same thick lower mid-bass, as well as a close proximity to the Piston 3 shape. Amazingly the 1More line has been both incredibly popular as well as controversial at Head-Fi with some folks not grooving to the house tone. Now the Fresh actually attempts to improve the signature with a retuned lower mid-bass, and surprisingly arriving at a closer to reference-flat V shape signature. This may sound hard to believe, but it’s typical of the Chinese marketing trajectory, of always bringing better value and change for the money.
Original Piston3 And Fresh Edition Comparison Photographs:
To cut to the chase here, the Fresh Edition is just that...... FRESH! Gone is a lot of that thick lower mid-bass. The Fresh Edition still has a V signature but much of that way too smooth lower mid-bass has been removed. What we are left with is a more mid-treble and mid-bass centric IEM. The highs are still much like the Piston3 being slightly cold and tin like. But after you put our price tag into account, they sound better than all $10 IEMs. Add-in the great build and form-factor and reality starts to set in.
When first giving this new IEM a listen it’s the lack of bass extension that first comes to mind. But if you have spent time in the $10 range you can realise it’s 99% full of IEMs which produce too much slow and cloudy bass. Once you get used to how nice and spacious the lower mid-bass soundstage is, much of the magic these offer starts to come into play.
They do rock and EDM well, respond better and better with source improvement but always seem to fail at reaching great vocal reproduction. It’s where the vocals sit in the mix that prevent these from getting all the points. Even at the $10 price point better vocals are to be found. At $5 I don’t know?
Build:
Aluminium and plastic housings with practical shape and great rings around the tip ends to hold your silicone tips. They also are built with nice stainless steel screens, and great strain relief in all the needed places. Only a single button remote, but a nice microphone for calls, Android only. Other reviews have stated they came with only two sets of tips but my pair came with small. medium and large tips. The tips are actually of pretty great quality and seem exactly like the Piston 3 tips. The TPE plastic rubber style cords are identical to what is always used on the upper section of the Piston3s, though missing are the aluminum and gold plug as well as the cloth covered cable sections so nice on the Piston3s.
Shape:
The best part is simply how they fit and stay in place. Bigger budget Chi/Fi may sound better from companies like KZ, but the low weight and superior fit is where the money is at here.
In Comparison:
Remax RM-565i
The all stainless steel 6mm dynamic micro-driver Remax is a great comparison. Both the Remax and Fresh Edition are priced the same and feature a comparatively similar sound signature. They are both easy to wear budget IEMs, with the Remax displaying an almost identical lower mid-bass. The Remax jumps slightly ahead with better imaging and detail delineation, both in the mids and treble range. Though a great budget IEM is more than just a sound signature, once more the Xiaomi build quality being leaps and bounds above our Remax production standards.
Remax RM-610D
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/de...s-tablets-mp3-mp4-players-black.21622/reviews
Truly the best all around sound winner of this $10 shootout would have to be the Remax RM-610D. In fact during my testing I mistakenly put the 610Ds in my ears thinking they were the Fresh Editions! Both IEMs look very close to being the same, but the RM-610Ds excel at vocals better, have better bass with more detail and cleaner more spacious highs. Just a better sounding IEM all the way around. I write this but in many ways these two IEMs display a different style in reproduction. It’s not a bad thing owning both and choosing between the two, depending on mood or music genre choice. At times the Fresh’s more forward approach is appreciated. In conclusion the Xiaomi build quality far surpasses anything Remax does at this price point.
Not Always The Real Deal:
It’s safe to say the Piston 2s and Piston 3s have been the most counterfeit replicated IEMs in history. Some models faked look better than others, but none of them sound good. So, it’s nice to find a new production run of a quality original product still grasping the build quality, style and sound quality signature of the famous Piston line of budget IEMs. As Chinese production runs go, they produce a product that normally exists in the market place for a year or so then can become rare. The reality now is that for 2018, no NIB Piston 3 original IEMs exist for sale anywhere, as they are simply “sold-out”. So finding a Fresh Edition easily continues the tradition so many of us budget-fi enthusiasts have enjoyed being a part of.
In Ending:
Amazingly at 1/6th of the price of the original Piston 3, our Fresh Edition, though built with less parts, still carries the fit and finish so famous in 2015. And in a strange turn of events actually can sound more audiophile due to a new design and bass reduction tuning system developed. Here we find a great replacement IEM for phones and daily use many times better sounding than IEMs regularly provided with phones. Strikingly better than the $30 Apple EarPods and more ergonomic than most any IEM I have personally come across, getting a great fit for everyone.
Conclusion:
Interestingly upon further research through use, the Fresh Edition actually stands out as being better built and more robust than any of the Remax offerings. Further listening shows an amazing new Piston tuning which allows for comfortable long term listening. Continued use shows the special sandblasted aluminum shells to become repellent of smudges and scratches. Also closer inspection shows the cable construction both at plug and across the entire length of cable to be of superior material from the competition and avoids tangles. Maybe not being perfect for all musical genres, the Fresh Edition arrives upon a surprise of excellence with both instrumental classical music and electronic dance music genres. With Rock or Metal the treble tune never gets harsh or too bright. The treble is not always the most detailed but it’s also smooth and reserved with poorly recorded tracks. The IEM responds very well to EQ, helping to reach a level of proficiency in vocal reproduction.
Further use really provides an understanding of just how comfortable and easy the $5 IEM is for day in and day out use.
All and all this product exhibits a level of quality far above the menial asking price finding a place in the legendary status of Xiaomi products. As an extra sport IEM for the gym, or as a great gift for your non-audiophile friends, things simply don’t get much better than the Fresh Edition!
Equipment Used:
Apple IPod 5th Generation 16GB
Apple IPod 6th Generation 32GB
Sony WM 1Z 3.5mm single-ended
Music Used:
Various EDM
The Alan Parsons Project-Eye In The Sky (35 Anniversary Edition) 16/44.1 FLAC
Rush Counterparts DSD 2.8MHz
Rush Moving Pictures 96/24 FLAC
Daft Punk Tron Soundtrack 16/44.1 FLAC
Vangelis Blade Runner Soundtrack 2013 Audio Fidelity FLAC 16/44.1 SACD extraction
Disclaimer:
$5 IEMs are not for everyone, though everyone deserves at least to put price aside and find out how far things have come in the last 3 years. These IEMs sound genuinely wonderful and staggeringly great for the money. At less than the cost of a Coke and bag of chips, they end up as the “go-to” extra pair of IEMs when listening in precarious situations!
Original Packaging
Enjoy!
Specification
General
Brand: Xiaomi
Model: Piston Earphones Fresh Version
Type: In-Ear
Wearing type: In-Ear
Function: Answering Phone,Microphone,Song Switching
Language: No
Material: Aluminum Alloy,TPE
Color: Black,Blue,Pink,Purple,Silver
Product Details
Connectivity: Wired
Plug Type: 3.5mm
Cable Length (m): 1.25m
Frequency response: 20-20000Hz
Impedance: 32ohms
Sensitivity: 98 dB (S.P.L at 1KHz)
Input Power: 5mW
Compatible with: iPod
Dimension and Weight
Product weight: 0.0140 kg
Package weight: 0.1000 kg
Package size (L x W x H): 10.00 x 7.00 x 3.00 cm / 3.94 x 2.76 x 1.18 inches
Package Contents
Package Contents: 1 x Xiaomi Piston Earphones Fresh Version, 2 x Pair of Earbud Tips
General
Brand: Xiaomi
Model: Piston Earphones Fresh Version
Type: In-Ear
Wearing type: In-Ear
Function: Answering Phone,Microphone,Song Switching
Language: No
Material: Aluminum Alloy,TPE
Color: Black,Blue,Pink,Purple,Silver
Product Details
Connectivity: Wired
Plug Type: 3.5mm
Cable Length (m): 1.25m
Frequency response: 20-20000Hz
Impedance: 32ohms
Sensitivity: 98 dB (S.P.L at 1KHz)
Input Power: 5mW
Compatible with: iPod
Dimension and Weight
Product weight: 0.0140 kg
Package weight: 0.1000 kg
Package size (L x W x H): 10.00 x 7.00 x 3.00 cm / 3.94 x 2.76 x 1.18 inches
Package Contents
Package Contents: 1 x Xiaomi Piston Earphones Fresh Version, 2 x Pair of Earbud Tips
After the Piston One and Piston Two, 1More Design changed the playing field with the new redesigned Piston 3 in March of 2015. Since then the manufacture Xiaomi has released a number of ultra-budget editions including the Youth Edition and the Basic Edition.
It may sound a little confusing but 1More Design with Xiaomi, also released a $99 Triple and $199 Quad Driver IEM as well as a “Capsule” line of IEMs. This last year Xiaomi also released the Pro Edition as well as the Xiaomi Mi Quantie Pro Hybrid and finally......
The Fresh Edition:
This model is the lowest priced Xiaomi IEM ever created. In China they are listed as the Xiaomi Mi Piston Huosai 3, and here as simply the Piston Fresh Edition. At $4-$9 dollars it’s one of the best IEM values around. Strikingly Xiaomi prints Piston Huosai 3 in bold thick letters across the top of the box.
Today we will do some visual and sound comparisons with the original Piston 3 and do some direct comparisons against a couple other Chi/Fi ultra-budget IEMs. At first it may seem a little unfair to compare the Piston Fresh Edition to the $26-$35 Piston 3, but in many ways they share a common lineage both in design and sound signature. I don’t own the Basic Edition but did give it a listen, not a big fan of the Basic Edition flat cable, also I seemed to like the Fresh Edition sound better right off?
Why $5 IEMs?
Incoming $5 IEMs are great sports IEMs as there is no worry about damaging them at the gym or biking. A design like the Xiaomi/1More Fresh Edition are small and seem to stay in place during times of heavy physical activity. They also seem relatively strong against rain water and rough handling. Keep in mind that lower volume levels are normally recommended as to not completely block-out situational awareness sounds while in traffic.
The Piston 3 Hype:
Here are the reviews:
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/xiaomi-pistons-3-0-in-ear-headphones.20647/
The sound signature was V shaped and made it’s mark with a thick warm lower mid-bass. Highs were nothing to write home about, and the midrange was somewhat lackluster, and pulled back in the mix. Folks would describe the Piston 3 treble as slightly steely but never harsh or strident. But in March of 2015, $26-$35 priced Piston 3s became a big deal. They were built well and did a number of musical genres. They had a nice warm personality with EDM and came with a quality three button remote.
What’s interesting is there was a continuation of that famous sound signature. In many ways the $99 1More Triple driver shares that same thick lower mid-bass, as well as a close proximity to the Piston 3 shape. Amazingly the 1More line has been both incredibly popular as well as controversial at Head-Fi with some folks not grooving to the house tone. Now the Fresh actually attempts to improve the signature with a retuned lower mid-bass, and surprisingly arriving at a closer to reference-flat V shape signature. This may sound hard to believe, but it’s typical of the Chinese marketing trajectory, of always bringing better value and change for the money.
Original Piston3 And Fresh Edition Comparison Photographs:
To cut to the chase here, the Fresh Edition is just that...... FRESH! Gone is a lot of that thick lower mid-bass. The Fresh Edition still has a V signature but much of that way too smooth lower mid-bass has been removed. What we are left with is a more mid-treble and mid-bass centric IEM. The highs are still much like the Piston3 being slightly cold and tin like. But after you put our price tag into account, they sound better than all $10 IEMs. Add-in the great build and form-factor and reality starts to set in.
When first giving this new IEM a listen it’s the lack of bass extension that first comes to mind. But if you have spent time in the $10 range you can realise it’s 99% full of IEMs which produce too much slow and cloudy bass. Once you get used to how nice and spacious the lower mid-bass soundstage is, much of the magic these offer starts to come into play.
They do rock and EDM well, respond better and better with source improvement but always seem to fail at reaching great vocal reproduction. It’s where the vocals sit in the mix that prevent these from getting all the points. Even at the $10 price point better vocals are to be found. At $5 I don’t know?
Build:
Aluminium and plastic housings with practical shape and great rings around the tip ends to hold your silicone tips. They also are built with nice stainless steel screens, and great strain relief in all the needed places. Only a single button remote, but a nice microphone for calls, Android only. Other reviews have stated they came with only two sets of tips but my pair came with small. medium and large tips. The tips are actually of pretty great quality and seem exactly like the Piston 3 tips. The TPE plastic rubber style cords are identical to what is always used on the upper section of the Piston3s, though missing are the aluminum and gold plug as well as the cloth covered cable sections so nice on the Piston3s.
Shape:
The best part is simply how they fit and stay in place. Bigger budget Chi/Fi may sound better from companies like KZ, but the low weight and superior fit is where the money is at here.
In Comparison:
Remax RM-565i
The all stainless steel 6mm dynamic micro-driver Remax is a great comparison. Both the Remax and Fresh Edition are priced the same and feature a comparatively similar sound signature. They are both easy to wear budget IEMs, with the Remax displaying an almost identical lower mid-bass. The Remax jumps slightly ahead with better imaging and detail delineation, both in the mids and treble range. Though a great budget IEM is more than just a sound signature, once more the Xiaomi build quality being leaps and bounds above our Remax production standards.
Remax RM-610D
https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/de...s-tablets-mp3-mp4-players-black.21622/reviews
Truly the best all around sound winner of this $10 shootout would have to be the Remax RM-610D. In fact during my testing I mistakenly put the 610Ds in my ears thinking they were the Fresh Editions! Both IEMs look very close to being the same, but the RM-610Ds excel at vocals better, have better bass with more detail and cleaner more spacious highs. Just a better sounding IEM all the way around. I write this but in many ways these two IEMs display a different style in reproduction. It’s not a bad thing owning both and choosing between the two, depending on mood or music genre choice. At times the Fresh’s more forward approach is appreciated. In conclusion the Xiaomi build quality far surpasses anything Remax does at this price point.
Not Always The Real Deal:
It’s safe to say the Piston 2s and Piston 3s have been the most counterfeit replicated IEMs in history. Some models faked look better than others, but none of them sound good. So, it’s nice to find a new production run of a quality original product still grasping the build quality, style and sound quality signature of the famous Piston line of budget IEMs. As Chinese production runs go, they produce a product that normally exists in the market place for a year or so then can become rare. The reality now is that for 2018, no NIB Piston 3 original IEMs exist for sale anywhere, as they are simply “sold-out”. So finding a Fresh Edition easily continues the tradition so many of us budget-fi enthusiasts have enjoyed being a part of.
In Ending:
Amazingly at 1/6th of the price of the original Piston 3, our Fresh Edition, though built with less parts, still carries the fit and finish so famous in 2015. And in a strange turn of events actually can sound more audiophile due to a new design and bass reduction tuning system developed. Here we find a great replacement IEM for phones and daily use many times better sounding than IEMs regularly provided with phones. Strikingly better than the $30 Apple EarPods and more ergonomic than most any IEM I have personally come across, getting a great fit for everyone.
Conclusion:
Interestingly upon further research through use, the Fresh Edition actually stands out as being better built and more robust than any of the Remax offerings. Further listening shows an amazing new Piston tuning which allows for comfortable long term listening. Continued use shows the special sandblasted aluminum shells to become repellent of smudges and scratches. Also closer inspection shows the cable construction both at plug and across the entire length of cable to be of superior material from the competition and avoids tangles. Maybe not being perfect for all musical genres, the Fresh Edition arrives upon a surprise of excellence with both instrumental classical music and electronic dance music genres. With Rock or Metal the treble tune never gets harsh or too bright. The treble is not always the most detailed but it’s also smooth and reserved with poorly recorded tracks. The IEM responds very well to EQ, helping to reach a level of proficiency in vocal reproduction.
Further use really provides an understanding of just how comfortable and easy the $5 IEM is for day in and day out use.
All and all this product exhibits a level of quality far above the menial asking price finding a place in the legendary status of Xiaomi products. As an extra sport IEM for the gym, or as a great gift for your non-audiophile friends, things simply don’t get much better than the Fresh Edition!
Equipment Used:
Apple IPod 5th Generation 16GB
Apple IPod 6th Generation 32GB
Sony WM 1Z 3.5mm single-ended
Music Used:
Various EDM
The Alan Parsons Project-Eye In The Sky (35 Anniversary Edition) 16/44.1 FLAC
Rush Counterparts DSD 2.8MHz
Rush Moving Pictures 96/24 FLAC
Daft Punk Tron Soundtrack 16/44.1 FLAC
Vangelis Blade Runner Soundtrack 2013 Audio Fidelity FLAC 16/44.1 SACD extraction
Disclaimer:
$5 IEMs are not for everyone, though everyone deserves at least to put price aside and find out how far things have come in the last 3 years. These IEMs sound genuinely wonderful and staggeringly great for the money. At less than the cost of a Coke and bag of chips, they end up as the “go-to” extra pair of IEMs when listening in precarious situations!
Original Packaging
Enjoy!
Attachments
Last edited:
