[stephanNL]

http://www.tinydeal.com/original-xiaomi-piston-basic-edition-in-ear-headset-earphone-w-mic-p-158803.html
 
What are those?!?!?! New edition or fake?

 

[phandrew]

I just received my Xiaomi Hybrid and they are indeed warm sounding but nothing near muffled. I have no idea why I bought it considering I already have a Dunu DN2000

 

[Marco Angel]

I have a sony ex600, fiio ex1 and 3 pairs of xiaomi hybrids, two of them sealed........ i bought them just for testing as a had the piston 3 (now my girlfriend has them)

 

[mooreshady]

Too much thread to read, or just a refresh for everyone..

To check authenticity, scan the barcode. The barcode is at the back of the MI paper/sticker. Well mine says authentic. Got from Gearbest and is gold.

 

[ytheleus]

Couple of things. Potentially useful tech stuff first, then my impressions of the Hybrids compared with Piston 2.1s. 
 
First, I've got one of those android devices that doesn't like the three button controller. There's a way to get them to work.
The problem is that there are two wired headset standards, and you can get a cheap adapter to convert between them.
 
'International' Standard is (starting from the plug tip) Left/Right/Ground/Microphone
But 'Non International' is L/R/M/G
So wired headsets need to use either the same wiring standard as the phone/tab, or use an adapter. The button signals are carried on the mic line I believe.

A quick web search for 'CTIA OMTP adapter' should turn one up for a few dollars if you need one. Maybe someone will find the information useful.
 
Also, plugging my Hybrids directly into the android device socket gave recognisable but awful sound - but with the adapter in the socket and the Hybrids plugged into the adapter the sound was night-and-day different. Something to do with earthing I suspect. So if yours sound terrible and only the middle button works...
 
But if you get an adapter it is up to you to research whether you need one, so at your own risk. Generally if your middle button works but the other two don't you could use an adaptor to get all 3 buttons. On android I also use (free) Jays Headset Controller app to customise the buttons.
 
Now the review. I'm comparing Hybrids with Pistons 2.1, both tuned as well as I can with (free/ad free) Viper4AndroidFX HQ drivers. I'm not comparing them out of the box. If you aren't using V4A on android you are probably insane anyway. I do not claim to be an expert on judging sound but I know what I like. I haven't done any burn in, assuming burn in even exists, which I do not claim.
 
So I like the pistons for the money and have used them a lot. Overall I found more detail at low and high frequencies with Hybrids, so the bass is less boomy and a high hat sounds more like a real high hat, but I had to tweak the midrange up more on the Hybrids and they are marginally less detailed there for my ears. Overall I prefer the Hybrids on sound, their idiosyncrasies can be tuned out and they sound just a bit better to me.
 
Edit: Just wanted to add that the sound stage of the Hybrids is noticeably better than the Piston 2.1s as well, which is a big part of why I prefer them.
 
I also found them more comfortable. With Pistons i could only wear them with Comply tips, these angled, er, ear nipples mean I can use the stock tips comfortably. I also prefer the control/mic console position. With Pistons I was always hunting to feel out which was the right hand bud. The Hybrids make it obvious. So I'm satisfied they're an upgrade on 2.1s though I wish the mids were a bit richer out of the box.. 

 

[duo8]

Is it a 2011 Xperia by any chance?

 

[ytheleus]

No, Pipo T9. Very obscure 9" chi tablet. Cheap but good.
I tend to operate at the bargain end of the market.
But I'm pretty sure the theory holds for any International vs Non International wiring.

 

[Nomad666]

I have just received mine today from Banggood (they came from Laos judging from the label).
 
I am disappointed in the sound quality. I have a pair of 5-year old $30 Visang R-01 that I thought would be equalled (or bettered) by one of the better reviewed low-end earphones available today.
 
The bass is good and in plentiful supply, and there's treble, but it's like there's a gap in the mid-range frequency response. I could speculate that this is because the two drivers' frequency responses don't meet in the middle. For example, I noticed that violins in an orchestra don't sound right, they sound muffled.
 
The Visangs don't have the bass, but they're in a different league in the mid-range, and the treble seems less harsh.
 
I don't know whether any burn-in will make a difference, but I'll just have to wait and see.
 
Sound quality is the most important quality to me, but the earphones are very well-made and fit well in my ear.
 
I also ordered some Rock Zircons, so it will be interesting to see how they compare.
 
I'm starting to think that the Xiaomi Piston 3 would have been a better model to choose instead of these hybrids.

 

[LiFan]

Quote:

   
 
But if you get an adapter it is up to you to research whether you need one, so at your own risk. Generally if your middle button works but the other two don't you could use an adaptor to get all 3 buttons. On android I also use (free) Jays Headset Controller app to customise the buttons.
 
 
 

 
Thank you very much for your tip, ytheleus. It really works.  

 

[LiFan]

  ____
 
The bass is good and in plentiful supply, and there's treble, but it's like there's a gap in the mid-range frequency response. I could speculate that this is because the two drivers' frequency responses don't meet in the middle. For example, I noticed that violins in an orchestra don't sound right, they sound muffled.
 
_____

 
Hmm, re-listened Jaqueline du Pre, Daniel Barenboim: "Haydn, Cello Concerto in C" (FLAC 24/96 EMI). Nothing of a "muffled sounding violins". They sound as they must do, bright and vivid, IMHO. Probably, it's a problem of your IEMs? Check barcode and QR then. They could be a fake.

 

[Marco Angel]

I have just received mine today from Banggood (they came from Laos judging from the label).

I am disappointed in the sound quality. I have a pair of 5-year old $30 Visang R-01 that I thought would be equalled (or bettered) by one of the better reviewed low-end earphones available today.

The bass is good and in plentiful supply, and there's treble, but it's like there's a gap in the mid-range frequency response. I could speculate that this is because the two drivers' frequency responses don't meet in the middle. For example, I noticed that violins in an orchestra don't sound right, they sound muffled.

The Visangs don't have the bass, but they're in a different league in the mid-range, and the treble seems less harsh.

I don't know whether any burn-in will make a difference, but I'll just have to wait and see.

Sound quality is the most important quality to me, but the earphones are very well-made and fit well in my ear.

I also ordered some Rock Zircons, so it will be interesting to see how they compare.

I'm starting to think that the Xiaomi Piston 3 would have been a better model to choose instead of these hybrids.

give them some burn in. Like a night at high volume. The gap on mine disappear after like 2 weeks of 2hrs of daily use

 

[chipstjuven]

I get this quiet popping sound in my left bud when I'm out walking. It's not the eartip, I tried changing it. Could it be driver flex? In that case, is there anything I can do about it?

 

[Nomad666]

   
Hmm, re-listened Jaqueline du Pre, Daniel Barenboim: "Haydn, Cello Concerto in C" (FLAC 24/96 EMI). Nothing of a "muffled sounding violins". They sound as they must do, bright and vivid, IMHO. Probably, it's a problem of your IEMs? Check barcode and QR then. They could be a fake.

 
I've scanned the QR code on the lead, and it says that the earphones are authentic. My Rock Zircons arrived today and they sound much better than the Xiaomi hybrids, perhaps they are faulty....

 

[LiFan]

   
I've scanned the QR code on the lead, and it says that the earphones are authentic. My Rock Zircons arrived today and they sound much better than the Xiaomi hybrids, perhaps they are faulty....

I had read your answer before you corrected it. To be sure your verification is correct I enclose screenshots of mine:
 

 

 

 
If you've got the same results then something is wrong with IEMs. Should contact the Seller, IMO.
Good luck.

 

[Nomad666]

  I had read your answer before you corrected it. To be sure your verification is correct I enclose screenshots of mine:
 
If you've got the same results then something is wrong with IEMs. Should contact the Seller, IMO.
Good luck.

 
Thank you, yes, I get the same results as you.
 
I will leave to burn in overnight again and then see about reporting them if there's no improvement.
 
Thanks for your help.