Sony XBAH3 Hybrid 3-way Driver In-Ear Headphones

meh.. it was really hard for me to find in ear monitors (IEM's) that i could like. i wanted quality sound with in-line microphone that works consistently. it is really more about getting earbud tips that fit your ears. you can buy so many different types of earbud tips that are compatible with your IEMs. I really don't recommend that people go out and replace their current IEMs with these or any others if it is just a matter of comfortable earbud tips. just try about 15 different earbud tips! i guarauntee at least one of them at the right size will fit well for you! there are other good sounding IEMs for less money but not many good IEMs that have a consistent good working in-line microphone. the replaceable wires was a big plus for me because if the wire breaks i don't need all new IEMs. They do sound fantastic but i did still have to spend a good bit of money to find the perfect earbud tips for my ears. for me the earbud tips came down to choosing between comply Tsx-200 comfort Plus and Comply Tx-200 Isolation plus tips. the clear winner turned out to be Comply-Tx-200 these fit so well and hold in place so well even with this bigger heavier bulky IEM! the Tx-200 was more comfortable than the Tsx-200 in my ears

So what can I say. I was initially disappointed. Why you may wonder, well... read on.So to start off, I needed to find me a new set of headphones, the small kind that goes in the ear. Now I learn they are categorized as IEM's (In Ear Monitors). What I had in the past, and for many years now, where the Sony MDR-ED21LP Fontopia In-The-Ear Headphones, which became discontinued a while back. I go through them in about a year or so, the in-ear part eventually breaks up and become painful to wear and the last working one I had actually ended up breaking at the plug. So why am I telling you this, well cause I'm hard-of-hearing and I tried probably a good 50-60 different pairs when I worked at Best Buy, I returned nearly all of them and the winner for my ears where these $20(Sony MDR-ED21LP) headphones, which shocked me. And ever since, I think 2004, I have only purchased them. When I first saw they where not making them anymore they said the Sony Mdr-Ed12Lp where the updated version of what I had been buying. It does sound the same, as it still has the 16mm driver in it, but it's a far far less quality build. They didn't last long. So that brought me to a new search. I had to learn some new lingo when it came to specifications. It was interesting to learn a few things. One thing I learned was that cheaper headphones are generally made louder, something to do with getting enough treble and bass from one speaker, and I learned that higher quality in ear headphones are not necessary going to be as loud, but they will be far more clear. This I learned after I got these Sony XBA-H3.So then I was on the search for new headphones, I decided to finally go for higher quality headphones that are made to last longer than a years use. I was set in stone to find a better model that had a 16mm driver in it. I was just convinced I needed that to make sure I could hear my music. After some research these Sony XBA-H3 kept showing up in reviews and posts and had a 16mm driver in it and I read it had two additional speakers in each ear, for 3 speakers in each ear. I guess the other kind of speakers in there are not a driver type speaker, they are called armature. And this is another piece of lingo I learned... it's said that armature are great for mid and treble range of sounds, but not bass. And I learned that the 16mm driver are more on the bass side and not as good for treble. Though my old Sony's had good treble, but they are nothing like what these new headphones produce. Even with my hearing disability, I can CLEARLY hear a difference.So why was I disappointed at first... It was cause I simply didn't know enough. I didn't realize that headphones are... well, not just headphones... There are all kinds for different reasons and require different kinds of "support". And by "support" I mean the device being used, my Cowon J3 MP3 Player, all class 10 flacc files, where not really able to fully power the headphones. Apparently most mp3 players should power these headphones, but mine didn't, I had to up the volume and it starting to clip and distort. I initially thought it was the headphones, cause my old ones didn't do that. This is why I was initially disappointed. But I was also disappointed cause of another reason. It just didn't seem loud enough. And I needed to know why. This is where I learned that cheaper headphones sound louder and more professional headphones don't necessarily. It took me a few days to understand this on the new headphones. First I learned that you have to make sure your ear buds are sealed good, this helps keep the bass in. So I changed to the hybrid ear pieces, and it helped, but it is still not enough for me so I got the Comply T-200 tips and it fixed the issue. Remember, I'm also hard-of-hearing... So, with that issued figures out, I then had to figure out the sound difference from my old beloved one-speaker-per-ear headphones. At the moment I do not have a small pocket amp, I plan to get one to use with some of the current products I have that simply don't power the earphones enough. But, with out that I am using the headphones as is and what I have learned and adjusted to is this...With the same Cowon J3 mp3 player, playing class 10 flacc files, the headphones are a bit more quiet than my old headphones. BUT... and it's a big butt... They are far far more clearer. I am certainly hearing things I have not heard before. And I have begun to learn that most of the music I have been listening to where actually overly BASS'd on the old ear phones. That was kind of a shock to me. But, don't get me wrong, the bass on these XBA-H3's are definitely there, it's very well rounded and present with out disrupting the mids and highs. The mids are probably what was the most pleasing new things for me to hear, remember I'm hard-of-hearing. I'm hearing all my music as if the first time, and they are not even hi-res files... There is another new term/lingo I learned on this new learning curve process... and that is "sound-stage" What an interesting concept to describe speaker, but it certainly makes a lot of sense now. The sound-stage of these ear phones are really good, I feel like I can feel space between the instruments, especially the bass and mids, the highs are present, but I don't know how to explain the "space" in the "sound-stage" that the highs offers. It's kind of like the bass and mids are in front of me at a very definable clarity, and the highs are like... well... high above every thing else.There is another thing I learned that was actually fascinating. My old headphones may have been loud volume wise; but with out realizing it was causing fatigue. I never really put two and two together until I did deep research of these headphones. The Bass, Mids, and Highs, although very very up front and present, are in no way over bearing, it's as if they are "breathing". I COMPLETELY understand what it means when headphones are described as being fatiguing. When I have my headphones on my PC I'm able to turn up the volume and every thing is crystal clear, but not Fatiguing at all. It seems like there's some sort of limiter in the headphones that prevents it from being overbearing, not sure it's the best way to describe it. So when I get my pocket amp to power these headphone when using my Cowon J3, I know the loudness I can get will be clean, distortion free, and non fatiguing, that's pretty neat.So I learned a lot upon my decision to buy a higher quality ear phone. It has actually put a lot of things into perspective for me. I am extremely happy with these ear phones. Having the feelings of appropriate separation of sounds, bass mids and highs, has given me a 3D approach to music, so much so that I am now in the search for a portable hi-res player with a built in amp to go with these headphones.And on a last note. I probably would have been more thrilled with the headphones right away if I had plugged them into my PC first, I never thought to do that, as my PC can clearly power the headphones just fine. But then again, this entire process as been a fun learning curve.The kind of music that I listen to would be classical music.

Having ownded the EX600, EX1000, XBA1, XBA3, XBA4, Shure SE535, Westone W4R, and UE900s, I had high hopes for the XBA-H3. Indeed reviews are favorable on Amazon and on Head-Fi.org.A few days ago Amazon had these on sale for $249 (check camelcamelcamel for exact date range). Even at the sale price, I am having mixed feelings about these IEMs. I am only keeping them because its a very good deal. I honest do not know if they are worth owning at $349, or even $249.Carrying the XBA name, the XBA-H series departs from the original XBA. It rather follows after the design philosophy of the EX600-1000 series. You get the H1 in the $150 price range, like the EX600. Then there is the EX7550/800, which is like the H2. Finally, there is the flagship XBA-H3, with price tag that rivals EX1000 at its cheapest street price from an authorized seller (before discontinued, $300).The EX600-1000 IEMs were amazing. The XBA-H not so much. The H3 keeps all the issues with comfort/fit that the EX1000 had, yet retains non of the hi-def, high resolution audio. The XBA-H series is largely oriented toward the mass-consumer market. Its sole purpose is to cash-grab from those who are in market for a pair of dynamic+balanced-armature hybrid IEMs (to compete with offerings from AKG, ATH, and others).When reviewing the XBA H3, I cannot help but compare it to the EX1000. It is assume that the H3 uses dynamic driver of similar grade and quality to the EX1000, but this time with added balanced-armature drivers to boost detail level and improve soundstage and positioning. Sadly, the XBA H3 accomplishes none of these things. It sounds more muddy and less resolving.PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:The packaging of the EX1000 is something that truly deserves of the "flagship" title. It oozes luxury. In comparison, unboxing the XBAH3 feels no different from unboxing the XBAH1, which is of inferior experience than even the unboxing of the bottom-range EX600. Cheap, cost-cutting seems to the theme of the XBA-H3's packaging. The only thing that sets it apart from the H1 is a sticker that says "hi-res".The number of tips both silicon and of the Sony hybrid kind are the same as with H1 and H2 and EX1000. EX1000 had a nicer leather carrying pouch.COMFORT/FITCompared to the EX1000 (and also H1, H2, EX600, and most other IEMs of less driver counts), the H3 is bulkier, heavier, and thus less comfortable. The H3 inherits all the negatives of the original EX1000's design - it picks up wind noise so it is bad for outdoor usage, its weight is stressful to the ear, and you cannot really lay on your side, or lean the side of your head against pillow/couch/airplane seat/car seat of anything really. No hats either. The H3 takes a while to put on and to get a good fit. Not really ideal for on-the-go use. I miss the plug-and-listen nature of the original XBA line's design. Although, once you get them on, you could run and they would be pretty secure. But if you are running outside, you would hear a lot of wind noise and also not be able to hear the warning of approaching cyclists from behind you.SOUND:BLEGH. I mean, it's nice. The "fidelity" of its sound is comparable to any of the universal IEM flagships (excluding the new Shure 846 which I have not auditioned). But it's not exactly musical. It is also not very analytical or resolving compared to the EX1000. It feels like the EX1000 engineers took the EX1000, and said "how can we shove some XBA drivers in there and make it sound largely the same but somehow different and better, or scratch better and just make it a bit different?" So they made the bass a bit more prominent, stretched out the soundstage, and made trebel details very...observable yet almost separate from the music. Maybe burn-ins will fix that? I don't know. May update this when I get a second opinion.In conclusion, I think I may just be biased against multi-BA iems - because stacking BAs will never produce the kind of musical, whole, together sound that a finely tuned single dynamic driver can produce. That is how I felt about the XBA3 and 4 and is why I like the XBA1 better. But I was hoping that the hybrid H3 would change that. Nope.My verdict? If you can buy them for $249, it is a solid deal - you are getting a $349 flagship IEM for $100 less. I like my UE900 better. I guess I would place the XBA H3 ahead the SE535 and W4R, but I would put the UE700, ER4PT, and even brainwavz M1 ahead of the XBA H3.

２０１４年から現在２０２０年まで、馬車馬のように（しかし大切に）ほぼ毎日使用していますが、一切故障はない。断線等もなく、交換用のコードが付属しているが、一度も交換していない。接点不良も起きていない。おそらく特性もほとんど変化はない。音にそこそこのこだわりしかなかった私にとって、勇気がいる買い物だったことを覚えている。BAは愚か、BAとダイナミックのハイブリッドのイヤホン（本品）は、家に届いて耳に装着するまで当時私にとって初であり、本品で聞きなれた曲を聴いたときの感動は忘れない。欠点としては、個人差はあるかもしれないが、耳掛け部分の装着性が悪く、密閉性が得られるポジションを探すのにはじめ手間取る（なれれば問題なく密閉性は確保できる）。また、非装着時にイヤーピースが外れやすい（装着時に外れたことはない）。つまり気を付けて保管しないとイヤーピースを紛失する（過去６数年で２～３回紛失した）。だがこれらの欠点は、得られる音質に比べれば些細なことだろう。

フィット感をのぞけば、完璧な商品。音一つ一つをあまりにも詳細に描くことで、すべての音が分離して聴こえ、結果として3D的な臨場感が得られている。このイヤホンを聴いたあと、他のイヤホンに変えて聴くと平面的に聴こえてしまう。高音ののびの良さは突出して良いし、低音とのバランスもとれている。女性vocalもののJ-POPに向いているかと思う。難点をあげると、フィット感がとてもよくない。合うイヤーピースを見つけるのにすごく苦労する。SONY好きです

H3、気に入りました。本当はフラッグシップたるZ5が欲しかったのですが、流石に無理と云う事で。音がトリッキーで良いですよね。ただ、耳掛け式と耳からびょーんと出るのはまだ馴れないなあ。

〇付属のシリコンイヤーチップを使用すると、開放型のヘッドホンのように音が透き通ってぬけます。〇いろいろな音が混じった野外で使用しても、高音と低音のメリハリがあります。刺激のあるイヤホンを求めている方にはぜひ聴いてほしい一品です。

通常のＣＤでも音の再現はすばらしい▼高音はどこまでも抜け行き、低音も籠もらず再現します▼今まで、高音が擦れてしまうのは、聴感覚・加齢のためと思っていましたが、この商品により、貧相な再生機器のためと知りました▼特に、アンプラグドの臨場感は、現場に立ち会っているようです▼耳コピをする人は、奏法・運指まで目に浮かぶようで、感動のことでしょう▼長時間の装着でも問題なく、購入当初は、毎日数時間は聴いておりました▼レシーバーの密閉性もよく、外音の遮断は良すぎる程です▼今のところ、これ以上の商品を知りません