IEM discussion thread (Part 1)

IEMs / Other In-Ear Monitors (IEM)
1008

tips make a huge difference in bass performance on the FH3 for me. partly due to tip bore size but more importantly the insertion depth caused by different tips

seems to be the FH3 is the first set I have that counterintuitively has better bass when it’s slightly more shallow in my ears. could be Fiio’s odd venting system getting blocked against the outer ear messing up the bass venting, not sure exactly.

but those are a couple things to experiment with and if I don’t pay attention to those two things I often get dissatisfying bass from the FH3

1009

Thanks for the input, I’ll try with another tips. Do you use stock tips or aftermarket? At the moment, I use white/clear stock tips

1010

Those are the vocal tips so they tend to have less sub-bass. Try the red/black ones.

1011

spinfit cp145 (i think cp100 is the same except the base nozzle size) work tied for best with bass in my experience.

then some odd tips i stumbled onto on aliexpress seem the same for a bass as spinfit but a bit smoother on treble peaks because it doesn’t have the swiveling pinched part messing with the sound ( 4 Pairs Silicone Earbuds Ear Tips In Ear Earphone Soft Cover Cap Replacement for Powerbeats Pro Headphones Headset|Earphone Accessories| - AliExpress )

1012

Great, thank you both!

1013

@Rikudou_Goku, what’s your opinion on Sony XBA-N3? I saw you ranked them very high but I’m interested in how much are they different from FH3?
I have a chance to get them for ~140€ (used) and am tempted to buy them. Or would you recommend anything else in this price range? Perhaps your newly acclaimed OH-10? :slight_smile:

1 Like
1014

Get them before they are gone lol. At worst you can probably keep it until the prices starts going up from all the new units being gone. :joy:

Love them, my FH3 isnt really used anymore (FD5 takes it spot, despite them being quite different), I only use it during review comparisons.

I dont have much time to listen to my new stuff due to school work, but I get to them when I can.

2 Likes
1015

Great, thank you! Cable is detacheable MMCX, right?

1016

Having owned all 3 they are all close, but the cache of owning sony and a discontinued product at that is tempting for sure. I’d say all 3 handle bass pretty close with the fastest maybe being the fh3, but I’d be splitting hairs here lol. And treble is well extended on all of them edge to oh10. Mids I prefer the sony/fh3, where the upper mids are more intense and can be shouty on the oh10. But if you need the extra intensity I think the oh10 does a good job at keeping it clean and less fatiguing than others that attempt the same thing. Sorry for self inserting but damn if I dont like all 3 LOL

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1017

Wow thank you for comprehensive comparison. Sony’s are already bought lol

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1018

A wise decision, they are in my ears right now LMAO. :smiling_imp:

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1019

Look at this - apparently they got one left in stock (or is sitting on some??) :eyes:

sony
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Received mine a week ago. Bought it after @Rikudou_Goku gave it strong and unambiguous recommendation for an iem suited for hiphop music (truly appreciated that you took the time to guide a newbie on this forum - thank you!).

I will get back with some impression - but for now I can say that bass is something special - damn :grinning:(coming from BLON-03, hifiboy os v3, sony xb90ex, vsonic gr07 BE, audio technica im70)

4 Likes
1020

Can’t wait to receive mine. Do you use stock cable or you have aftermarket?
Because of @Rikudou_Goku, I also bought 2 additional cables from his list. :joy:
Not sure how my wife react to this but if I have iems in ears, I can’t hear her, right? :sweat_smile:

1 Like
1021

I am using Cable A6 on the N3.

Then she will come and stand right besides you and looking like an erupting volcano lol.

1022

I bought A3 and A4 for FH3 and N3, will probably interchange them between the two

1023

I advise you to not change the cable after you connected it to the N3 (and the FH3 as well). Since the mmcx connectors arent meant to be switched around that much. Very likely to damage the N3 and since it is going to getting more and more rare, it would be a shame if it died.

1024

Hm…okay, then I need to decide which one will use balanced and which one unbalanced cable :slight_smile:

1025

I would use the balanced one on the N3. A factor for that decision is that if you decide to get another cable later, I would much rather change the cable on the FH3.

1026

Noted, thank you very much :slight_smile:

1027

No problem. Enjoy them, they are excellent iems. :+1: