[snip3r77]

Wish I could tell you, but I missed out on the firesale TJ Maxx / Ross / Marshalls had on the BA200. Still mad I couldn't get in on that insane deal. $25 for dual BA driver IEMs lol...

This probably owns the p3. I had them and it broke after serving me for 3 years

 

[joamlt22]

  My first impressions of the Piston 3, about 10 hours burn in only, is that it is not very balanced at all. Packaging and confort are perfect, materials good enough.
 
Sound quality on the other hand was not as high as I expected. First impressions is of a bloated bass, not subbass or high bass, I would guess around 80Hz. Mids are alright, resolution is good, and highs are just a little raised from neutral. V shaped like everyone says, but not as much on the highs (not very sibilant) as on the bass (clearly emphasized). Treble resolution is not so great too. Overall an adequate resolution, but not a giant killer at all. 
 
Sure, it is only 20usd or so, I should adjust my expectations. Let's see if some hundred hours burn-in changes much.

 
TBH, that was my initial impression too.
straight out the box, it sounded worse than the P2.
I was hesitant and was about to regret my purchase.
Give it some burn in, but don't listen while burning.
You don't wanna get the brain burn in syndrome.
Changed my mind after about 80 hrs ++ and never looked back 

mind you, it's a 32 ohm monitors, so you probably need a good small amp. 

 

[Tom22]

  I just received the Piston 3s today and it seems like the bass is very flat, almost nonexistent... Hmm.. Maybe they need to be burned-in completely? Another way to describe it is that the soundstage seems very 'distant' versus the feeling with the Piston 2s which felt so 'in your face'.
 
I will say that the Piston 3s are far more comfortable than the Piston 2s ever were. Sometimes the Piston 2s would start hurting my ears after I wore them for a few hours, these new 3.0s are super comfy and I love the new design. It seems so much more futuristic (even though they ditched the Piston look somewhat).
 

I think what may be the culprit for that lack of bass is the biggest issue with the p3s which is the eartips (now i didn't have the p2s, which a lot of people are saying uses REALLY flimsy silicone material) but i could get them to sit in my ear properly with the included once (and i swapped them out). 
 
Once i swapped them out, the bass was more present, more full (its definitely much more skewed towards the mid bass> subbass), which seems like its lacking in terms of depth, but good punch nonetheless.
 
but i do feel it is quite V shaped (again it seems like based on a lot of opinions here and elsewhere on the "interweb" the mids are better done on the p3s>p2s.

  My first impressions of the Piston 3, about 10 hours burn in only, is that it is not very balanced at all. Packaging and confort are perfect, materials good enough.
 
Sound quality on the other hand was not as high as I expected. First impressions is of a bloated bass, not subbass or high bass, I would guess around 80Hz. Mids are alright, resolution is good, and highs are just a little raised from neutral. V shaped like everyone says, but not as much on the highs (not very sibilant) as on the bass (clearly emphasized). Treble resolution is not so great too. Overall an adequate resolution, but not a giant killer at all. 
 
Sure, it is only 20usd or so, I should adjust my expectations. Let's see if some hundred hours burn-in changes much.

Yup i agree not balanced in the least (for a balanced earphone somewhat in this price range, i would say is the brainwavz s0, m1) those are still warm but much more balanced > p3s

   
TBH, that was my initial impression too.
straight out the box, it sounded worse than the P2.
I was hesitant and was about to regret my purchase.
Give it some burn in, but don't listen while burning.
You don't wanna get the brain burn in syndrome.
Changed my mind after about 80 hrs ++ and never looked back 

mind you, it's a 32 ohm monitors, so you probably need a good small amp. 

Yes, it is a 32ohms and the sensitivity is a bit low, but its not outrageous, i personally think they run fine off ipods/iphones/android devices in general (just needs a bit of extra juice). 
 
Just a question for everyone here, is anyone really using the stock tips? or are they using other ones? 
 
I'm in between the brainwavz s5 (grey) wider bores, this is how it looks like: Credits to their original owner
 
and this sky blue from here http://www.ebay.com/itm/Awei-20-PCS-Bullet-shape-Replacement-Silicone-Eartips-In-Ear-Tips-Sleeve-/281134745605?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4174efc805

 

[chancelucky]

Got mine a few days ago and I think they're great for $22.  I do think the variation in reaction to these may be explained by the relatively high input impedance.  I noticed that at low volume, they sound pretty ordinary and straight out of the audio jack of my droid cell phone or Galaxy Tab 10.5 tablet they were fine, but nothing to get excited about.  It wasn't until I hooked the piston 3's to a hifimediy DAC via my cell phone that they really came to life. 
 
It's not a balanced sound signature, but they're very good at picking up the "emotion" in the music.  The slight bass emphasis lets you feel the rhythm section a little in jazz recordings.  The mids are good enough to let me hear the bodies of the instruments in classical recordings.  The highs, I would guess are a little rolled.  I used to have etymotics which had this x-ray-like feel.  The Xiaomi feel more distant, though it's also more natural.  I find it very easy to listen to these for extended periods of time.
 
With IEMs fit is everything and it's very personal. I may have lucked out.  I've taken these both to the gym and on bike rides and found them surprisingly comfortable and they haven't fallen out.  The great thing is that at this price point, I don't have to worry about them much and I'm able to enjoy a lot of the subtleties of recorded music. 
 
I think they belong in that realm of audio equipment that's cheap but musical, the ARXA turntable, the Minimus 7 speaker, the Sonic Arts T-Amp.  the Radio Shack CD 3400 portable CD player. 
They remind me that decent sound doesn't have to be insanely expensive.  I"m sure there's better to be had, but I can take these anywhere, get sweaty, etc. 

 

[Dextar]

I finally got mine in today, only did a little bit of listening on them but they sound great. MUCH better than the M9's I picked up a few weeks ago. They are also MUCH more comfortable. They aren't as bright but the bass sounds much better. Well worth the purchase price! I'm going to let them burn in to see if the sound signature changes, I would have preferred a BIT more brightness but overall these are great.
 
The biggest complaint I have is the in-line controls, they are so high up you can't even see them. They worked fine with my S6 but until you get used to them they are rather difficult to use.

 

[Matias]

After some 20 hours of playing loud while I was away the bass seems to flatten a bit: burn in always makes wonders to dynamic drivers.
Still resolution did not increase much. But it is a little better balanced, no significant peaks in sine sweeps by ear.

 

[Badelhas]

If the Pinton 2.0 had 12ohm and these Piston 3.0 have 32ohm, does is mean it the music will be low/insuficient volume when using a smartphone like the HTC One m8?

 

[thatBeatsguy]

  If the Piston 2.0 had 12ohm and these Piston 3.0 have 32ohm, does is mean it the music will be low/insuficient volume when using a smartphone like the HTC One m8?

Not exactly low, more like "a bit lower." Most phones can drive some 60 ohm cans no problem, so why are you all fussing about 32 and 12 ohm pairs?

It's almost as if the Pistons are the--- ohhh.... 

 

[kiraaaa]

I ordered my v2's from ibuygou. Unfortunately, both pairs broke within 6 months (one after just 1-2 months, and the other just died a few days ago at the 6 month mark).
Gonna take the risk and order the v3's since I really liked the sound of the v2's but it seems like they're going for $27+ CAD at ibuygou and most other sites like penonaudio, etc.
The lowest I see right now is from TinyDeals who have them for just under $25. I know they're listed as a legit seller for the v2's, but they're not verified legit for the v3's according to the table on the first page on this thread.
 
So where is the cheapest, legit place to order these from right now?
Anyone have any idea how long shipping to Toronto/GTA takes from ibuygou vs TinyDeals? If ibuygouy ships faster, I don't mind paying the extra ~$2.

 

[Click]

  I ordered my v2's from ibuygou. Unfortunately, both pairs broke within 6 months (one after just 1-2 months, and the other just died a few days ago at the 6 month mark).
Gonna take the risk and order the v3's since I really liked the sound of the v2's but it seems like they're going for $27+ CAD at ibuygou and most other sites like penonaudio, etc.
The lowest I see right now is from TinyDeals who have them for just under $25. I know they're listed as a legit seller for the v2's, but they're not verified legit for the v3's according to the table on the first page on this thread.
 
So where is the cheapest, legit place to order these from right now?
Anyone have any idea how long shipping to Toronto/GTA takes from ibuygou vs TinyDeals? If ibuygouy ships faster, I don't mind paying the extra ~$2.

If you read the last few pages of this thread, you would see that many people, including myself, have verified Tinydeals as selling real P3s. There's 0 risk involved if you buy from Tinydeals.
 
I've also said it took 15 days for it to arrive to me. I live in NY. Not sure how long it'll take to ship to Canada, but I'm guessing around the same time frame, since Toronto is right above NY.

 

[Badelhas]

Not exactly low, more like "a bit lower." Most phones can drive some 60 ohm cans no problem, so why are you all fussing about 32 and 12 ohm pairs? :rolleyes:
It's almost as if the Pistons are the--- ohhh.... 

Thanks. I am not fussing, I just don't have the knowledge regarding this subject, that's why I asked. Only today, after some research, did I really understood what is impedance

 

[kiraaaa]

  If you read the last few pages of this thread, you would see that many people, including myself, have verified Tinydeals as selling real P3s. There's 0 risk involved if you buy from Tinydeals.
 
I've also said it took 15 days for it to arrive to me. I live in NY. Not sure how long it'll take to ship to Canada, but I'm guessing around the same time frame, since Toronto is right above NY.

Sorry, I read through the thread, just that the chart on the first page threw me off. OP should update that.
 
Anyway, appreciate the response. I guess I'll go with Tinydeals since they're cheaper and seems like faster shipping (ibuygou took over a month for v2's).
Did you select "PostNL Registered Air Mail II" as the shipping method? It says 10-15 working days compared to 15-30 for "Registered Air Mail". Both are $0... not sure what the catch is here, if there is any.

 

[Badelhas]

Not exactly low, more like "a bit lower." Most phones can drive some 60 ohm cans no problem, so why are you all fussing about 32 and 12 ohm pairs? :rolleyes:
It's almost as if the Pistons are the--- ohhh.... 

Regarding this smartphone in particular, please check this deep testing from AnandTech, in several impedance levels. He seems to imply that this phone can be used with any kind of headphones and will output decent amount of sound, correct?

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8078/smartphone-audio-testing-htc-one-m8-and-samsung-galaxy-s5/2

 

[thatBeatsguy]

 

Not exactly low, more like "a bit lower." Most phones can drive some 60 ohm cans no problem, so why are you all fussing about 32 and 12 ohm pairs?

It's almost as if the Pistons are the--- ohhh.... 

Regarding this smartphone in particular, please check this deep testing from AnandTech, in several impedance levels. He seems to imply that this phone can be used with any kind of headphones and will output decent amount of sound, correct?

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8078/smartphone-audio-testing-htc-one-m8-and-samsung-galaxy-s5/2

That should be obvious enough, yes.

 

[Badelhas]

That should be obvious enough, yes.

obviously