I’ve had the sennheiser HD 660s for some time now and love how they sound. I also got the thieaudio Legacy 3’s around the same time as the 660s but I guess I’m sensitive to v shaped sound because I get fatigued by the l3 like I use to be with the m50x’s. I think I’m OK with treble but seem to be sensitive to slammy bass, probably a flat or balanced sound where bass is present but not emphasised would be ideal for myself.
Is there any IEM’s within the $300 range that can fit the bill?
I’ll just drop this here. He discusses the similarities between what the 600 series does and the FH3. Don’t get me wrong, the FH3 has waaaaaaay better extension and is the much better headphone/earphone.
I personally wouldn’t say they are really all that similar imo, there really isn’t anything I can point to that would make me compare them to a 600. To be honest there really isn’t an iem I’ve heard that is that similar to an hd600 (it’s pretty hard to have an iem sound like a headphone and vice versa).
If you are running them off a phone or budget amp I would agree the fh3 might give a more enjoyable experience, but the hd600 is easily a higher performer when you give it the source gear it needs imo
Just going off what I hear from my gear. Would love to hear them at their full potential. The timber on the 600 series is perfect, but the bass and treble extension leave a lot to be desired. Their mid-range is phenomenal.
And that’s mainly what they are known for, I wouldn’t say the fh3 is that similar to that tbh, it’s got good midrange but imo with the fh3 I’m more impressed with the bass and the treble performance than the midrange. From a pure signature perspective honestly I would say the er2xr or er4xr is more similar to the hd600 but they don’t have the organicness the hd600 has and is a bit more compressed and also foward, but imo closer than the fh3
I personally don’t think the FH3 and 600 sound similar. But HIFI Dreams made the connection to both of them and what they DO similarly. Not how they sound.
It’s the only connection I’ve heard someone make to an IEM and the 600 series.
Hmmm wait lol wasn’t paying attention, by 600 series are you meaning the 600/650 side of things or the 660s, since that would be pretty different, the fh3 would be closer to a 660s than a 600 imo
@M0N have you heard the campfire orion? They are pretty mid focus, not crazy wide. I guess maybe not in the 300 range though, unless used. I thought they sounded kinda like the 6xx
I lump all of them in together. 600 “series” as HIFI Dreams discusses. I’ve owned all of them at one point or another but only have the 650 now. The 660s was my least favorite.
The 660s noticeably deviated from the 600 and 650 which is why I ask
Either way… The point HIFI Dreams was making was that the similarity between the Sennheiser 600 series of headphones and the Fiio FH3 is that neither do anything wrong. They both are inoffensive and walk a line of trying to please everyone.
They may sound different, but in this regard, they are quite similar. 
M0N, you’re making me want to break out with my 650s. I haven’t had them on my head in a looooooong time!
yeah i agree. I went from the m50x as my first headphones to the hd 660’s this year and i have been shocked with how long i can listen to music on them compared to my previous pair.
Sucks that you can’t really replicate the results of the mid performance of the 600 series in IEM’s. As i said earlier, i think its boomy and too much bass that bothers me.
So fh3 is kind of an option then so far
whats the thoughts of the starfields or kxxs? and the blessing 2’s would be a jump but if they’re that good then maybe
@Tristan_Krafft regarding the actual question, the fh3 is a good iem that you might prefer over the l3, but it’s not something I would call similar to the 660s. IMO if you wanted something that had something more flat and balanced sound with good timbre the JVC fdx 1 would be pretty great imo
They are solid but a bit source picky, they should be in this range, personally for me they could sound strained at times but they did have good tuning and tonal balance imo
ok so the jvc fdx1, i’ll check them out, thanks!
I own both the Starfield and KXXX. They are pretty much identical sounding IEMs with the Starfield being considerably cheaper than the KXXS. They are very good IEMs for the money. Every IEM enthusiast should have a set. The Blon BL-03 are another great choice for even less $$$.
That’s what i’ve been hearing, and both the starfield and blon 03’s are on my to get list. At least not too much saving will need to be done for those. On the headphone side of things, i’d like to one day try out a focal clear and any of the zmf’s
I have the Focal Clear, Elegia and Elex. I also have the ZMF Aeolus. The Aeolus is my favorite opened back. I hope you get to listen to them.
damn that’s awesome!! Do you listen to different ones based on what signature you’re in the mood for?
If we had something like canjam in south africa then i’d be in there listening to any of those for sure. One of the fears though is that i’d listen to a headphone that are incredible but can’t ever afford and then may not be as satisfied with current gear. Have you had that sort of experience?
I acquired them from curiosity of wanting to hear them first hand. I have many others as well.
Now that I own them and understand how they sound first hand, in retrospect, I could have done without many of them, but I wouldn’t know unless I had that first hand experience with them.
I’ve had the same problem (but much worse) with guitars. You get an idea in your head that something will always be “better” or the perfect guitar for you and you hunt for it, rarely ever settling down and being happy with what you have. The chase and the fantasy are usually always more exciting than what reality can deliver. So yes, I have been living with the audiophile disease for most of my life. But it hasn’t always revolved around headphones. I also collect professional recording equipment. I probably have more money in audio plug-ins than anything else. I have stuff I bought for hundreds of dollars that I’ve never even used. It’s completely ridiculous.
yeah i’m guessing that every headphone or IEM gives something up to have the qualities that they have and if all had everything then there wouldn’t be this hobby. I’m a newbie in the audiophile disease and i think i might be drawn into it with regards to budget IEM’s (just because it would hurt the wallet less).
It’s an addictive sensation to get something new and different, luckily i’ve fended off the desire to try out a different headphone and the IEM search at the moment is fueled by the worry of my L3’s qdc connection breaking since there’s been reports of this being an issue. Just want to be padded for when or if the l3 breaks and also as i said it hasn’t been my ideal sound signature anyways.
Hindsight is 20/20 though and at least you can say you’ve experienced the sound of some of these products that a lot of people will never experience.