Pros:
- Rich and lush tone and timbre
- Easy to drive
- Well built shells
- Pain free fitting
- Very nice inclusions
- A sturdy pelican case to protect your IEMs
Cons:
- Speed of drivers is somewhat slow for a hybrid setup
- Included cable gets easily tangled
- Somewhat average technicalities (subjective)
INTRODUCTION:
This is my first FiiO product to be reviewed. I was quite surprised a co-reviewer included me in the tour. Special thanks to Adrian Yambao. FiiO has been around the audio community and they also offer some commendable DAPs. My experience with the gear on hand is quite pleasant and satisfying. Please do read on..
DISCLAIMER:
My opinions here are completely my own. I am NOT in any way influenced by any form of incentive. This is purely my honest, subjective impressions and experience with the gear on hand. I cannot stress more that you should take this as a grain of salt for we have different perception to sound and what we hear. I always try my best to stick with the stock accessories that come with the gear by default. You are free to try other methods such as tip rolling or cable rolling. Below are worth noting before concluding on what I say here:
1. DAP (digital audio player, be it phone, laptop, mobile, or stationary setup)
2. DAC or dongle or any external amp
3. Ear Tips
4. Cables
5. Source of audio file be it offline FLACS or streaming services like Deezer, Apple music, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify and the likes..
6. Your playlist. It matters and is worth to be considered when reading from a reviewer's perspective. It is apparent that you get to know your favorite reviewer and what they are listening to leisurely and critically.
My reviews are more on how music sounds in my ears. The technical stuff like frequency graphs and the physics behind the tech and drivers used, I leave to other reviewers.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Configuration: 1x 13.6mm dynamic driver, 2x balance armature drivers
Impedance: 28ohms
Sensitivity: 106db
Freq response: 10hz - 40khz
PACKAGING:
Packaging is quite generous on this set. Especially the protective case. Here are the inclusions:
A pair of JH3 iems
Sturdy pelican case
Cable
Quick start guide
6 pairs of silicon tips (the M sized red and black tips was used for this review)
A pair of foam tips
Now let us dive into how JH3 sounds..
LOWS:
Lows are nicely presented. Not bloated. Punchy and thumpy. Minimal bleeds to the mid frequencies. Sub bass and mid bass have decent coherency. The weight and density is very enjoyable. Not bass head level though. For a mature listener, the lows are very commendable and desirable. Texture is average. Somewhat, the lows here have a relaxed manner and not that snappy or quick. It reminded me of KZ DQ6S lows but on the mature side of things.
Conclusively, the key strength of the lows are its weight and density. I wish it could have been more snappy to my liking. Nonetheless, the lows here have a very addictive presentation and will not leave you hanged and will make your head nodding.
MIDS:
I'll cut to the chase. I am very particular on my mids. Right off the bat, I sensed the mids are a bit recessed. A bit pushed back. Especially in terms of vocals. Aside from this trait, I find the mids very appealing and very natural sounding. Very musical and organic. Orchestral tracks sounded very rich and lush. Pianos, organs, percussions are very appealing. Tone and timbre is very exceptional. Now the upper mids have a potential of being shouty. New new Orleans by Christian Scott, is my test track for upper mids shoutiness. While the trumpet on this track is still bearable on JH3, it is near borderline of making me grin. If the mids have been a bit forward, the upper mids would have been unbearable. So treble sensitives, watch out for this one.
Conclusively, the mids are recessed here which I think compensates for the shoutiness in the upper mids region. Making the JH3 a pair to bring fatigue in long listening sessions.
TREBLES:
Now the treble, surprisingly, is not the culprit if we are talking in terms of sibilance. I find the trebles very open and exhibit a lot of energy. Air is average. Details are very commendable and a lot of micro details are presented nicely. I did not find the treble fatiguing, rather it is the upper mids that gets too hot on some tracks. Live albums are still very bearable to listen to, as live tracks are much RAW and did not have the processes of studio tracks, they tend to be more sibilant. Yet JH3 passed with flying colors in terms of treble.
Conclusively, trebles are very well presented here and I must say, almost on par with my Seeaudio Midnight, that I commended my favorite IEM when it comes to treble.
FIT & ISOLATION
Fitting is very nice and acceptable. Did not exhibit physical fatigue on the ears. Once inserted, JH3 will not fall. Though I did not try this review on stage with me while performing. I must say still, fitting is on the shallow side of things. Isolation is average as I can still hear someone talking to me if I'm listening on low volume. Nonetheless, nothing to complain here.
TECHNICALITIES:
JH3 is average in terms of technicalities. Let me elaborate.
Separation is average. I did not sense anything spectacular. Yet nothing comes to mind for me to complain about.
Imaging is very decent. As I can easily follow the panning of elements.
Stage is somewhat above average. Not wide enough to "wow" me. And not kramp or narrow to disappoint.
Speed is the one thing that I notice lacking for a hybrid configuration. Stress by Pain of Salvation bass guitar and drum kicks struggled to be portrayed cleanly. I can safely say that JH3's relaxed manner will not benefit your busy and congested tracks.
SOURCES AND GEARS:
LG V30 hifi dac (high impedance mode)
Hiby Music player
UAPP app (USB Audio Player Pro)
Tidal Masters subscription
offline FLACS
Hidizs AP80 pro
Deezer Hifi subscription
Here are some tracks I usually listen to when reviewing:
That’s the way of the World by EWF
Africa by TOTO
The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Kral
Balmorhea album All is wild, All is Silent
Sila by Sud
Smooth Escape by D’Sound
Never too Much by Luther Vandross
P.Y.T by Michael Jackson
Ain’t no Sunshine by Eva Cassidy
Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC
Another one bites the Dust by Queen
Good times bad times by Edie Brickell
Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans
Ain’t it Fun by Paramore
Redefine by Incubus
Far Away by Nickelback
Lovesong by Adele
Lingus by Snarky Puppy
Harvest for the World by Vanessa Williams
Love Bites by Def Leppard
No Such Thing by John Mayer
As by Stevie Wonder
Whip Appeal by Babyface
Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan
Futures by Prep
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
Every Summertime by NIKI
SADE tracks
AC/DC tracks
Queen tracks
And many more… I always listen to High resolution format, being the least quality 16bit/44khz FLACS be it offline or online.
VERDICT:
This is my first FiiO product for review. And even though this set suffers from a technical point of view, its tone and timbre shined through. It is a well-tuned set in my honest opinion. As my title suggests, it sits nicely in the middle of everything. This can be a good start if you are trying to enter balanced and mature tuned IEMs. I cannot see any serious flaws in this set aside from the speed of the drivers. Which I was honestly expecting from a hybrid setup. For 60usd, the JH3 has a lot of competition. Still it is an easy recommendation from me, especially if you aim to purely enjoy your music. If you are willing to overlook the technical side, get the JH3. Cheers, and catch you on the next one!!
This is my first FiiO product to be reviewed. I was quite surprised a co-reviewer included me in the tour. Special thanks to Adrian Yambao. FiiO has been around the audio community and they also offer some commendable DAPs. My experience with the gear on hand is quite pleasant and satisfying. Please do read on..
DISCLAIMER:
My opinions here are completely my own. I am NOT in any way influenced by any form of incentive. This is purely my honest, subjective impressions and experience with the gear on hand. I cannot stress more that you should take this as a grain of salt for we have different perception to sound and what we hear. I always try my best to stick with the stock accessories that come with the gear by default. You are free to try other methods such as tip rolling or cable rolling. Below are worth noting before concluding on what I say here:
1. DAP (digital audio player, be it phone, laptop, mobile, or stationary setup)
2. DAC or dongle or any external amp
3. Ear Tips
4. Cables
5. Source of audio file be it offline FLACS or streaming services like Deezer, Apple music, Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify and the likes..
6. Your playlist. It matters and is worth to be considered when reading from a reviewer's perspective. It is apparent that you get to know your favorite reviewer and what they are listening to leisurely and critically.
My reviews are more on how music sounds in my ears. The technical stuff like frequency graphs and the physics behind the tech and drivers used, I leave to other reviewers.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Configuration: 1x 13.6mm dynamic driver, 2x balance armature drivers
Impedance: 28ohms
Sensitivity: 106db
Freq response: 10hz - 40khz
PACKAGING:
Packaging is quite generous on this set. Especially the protective case. Here are the inclusions:
A pair of JH3 iems
Sturdy pelican case
Cable
Quick start guide
6 pairs of silicon tips (the M sized red and black tips was used for this review)
A pair of foam tips
Now let us dive into how JH3 sounds..
LOWS:
Lows are nicely presented. Not bloated. Punchy and thumpy. Minimal bleeds to the mid frequencies. Sub bass and mid bass have decent coherency. The weight and density is very enjoyable. Not bass head level though. For a mature listener, the lows are very commendable and desirable. Texture is average. Somewhat, the lows here have a relaxed manner and not that snappy or quick. It reminded me of KZ DQ6S lows but on the mature side of things.
Conclusively, the key strength of the lows are its weight and density. I wish it could have been more snappy to my liking. Nonetheless, the lows here have a very addictive presentation and will not leave you hanged and will make your head nodding.
MIDS:
I'll cut to the chase. I am very particular on my mids. Right off the bat, I sensed the mids are a bit recessed. A bit pushed back. Especially in terms of vocals. Aside from this trait, I find the mids very appealing and very natural sounding. Very musical and organic. Orchestral tracks sounded very rich and lush. Pianos, organs, percussions are very appealing. Tone and timbre is very exceptional. Now the upper mids have a potential of being shouty. New new Orleans by Christian Scott, is my test track for upper mids shoutiness. While the trumpet on this track is still bearable on JH3, it is near borderline of making me grin. If the mids have been a bit forward, the upper mids would have been unbearable. So treble sensitives, watch out for this one.
Conclusively, the mids are recessed here which I think compensates for the shoutiness in the upper mids region. Making the JH3 a pair to bring fatigue in long listening sessions.
TREBLES:
Now the treble, surprisingly, is not the culprit if we are talking in terms of sibilance. I find the trebles very open and exhibit a lot of energy. Air is average. Details are very commendable and a lot of micro details are presented nicely. I did not find the treble fatiguing, rather it is the upper mids that gets too hot on some tracks. Live albums are still very bearable to listen to, as live tracks are much RAW and did not have the processes of studio tracks, they tend to be more sibilant. Yet JH3 passed with flying colors in terms of treble.
Conclusively, trebles are very well presented here and I must say, almost on par with my Seeaudio Midnight, that I commended my favorite IEM when it comes to treble.
FIT & ISOLATION
Fitting is very nice and acceptable. Did not exhibit physical fatigue on the ears. Once inserted, JH3 will not fall. Though I did not try this review on stage with me while performing. I must say still, fitting is on the shallow side of things. Isolation is average as I can still hear someone talking to me if I'm listening on low volume. Nonetheless, nothing to complain here.
TECHNICALITIES:
JH3 is average in terms of technicalities. Let me elaborate.
Separation is average. I did not sense anything spectacular. Yet nothing comes to mind for me to complain about.
Imaging is very decent. As I can easily follow the panning of elements.
Stage is somewhat above average. Not wide enough to "wow" me. And not kramp or narrow to disappoint.
Speed is the one thing that I notice lacking for a hybrid configuration. Stress by Pain of Salvation bass guitar and drum kicks struggled to be portrayed cleanly. I can safely say that JH3's relaxed manner will not benefit your busy and congested tracks.
SOURCES AND GEARS:
LG V30 hifi dac (high impedance mode)
Hiby Music player
UAPP app (USB Audio Player Pro)
Tidal Masters subscription
offline FLACS
Hidizs AP80 pro
Deezer Hifi subscription
Here are some tracks I usually listen to when reviewing:
That’s the way of the World by EWF
Africa by TOTO
The Girl in the Other Room by Diana Kral
Balmorhea album All is wild, All is Silent
Sila by Sud
Smooth Escape by D’Sound
Never too Much by Luther Vandross
P.Y.T by Michael Jackson
Ain’t no Sunshine by Eva Cassidy
Shoot to Thrill by AC/DC
Another one bites the Dust by Queen
Good times bad times by Edie Brickell
Alice in Wonderland by Bill Evans
Ain’t it Fun by Paramore
Redefine by Incubus
Far Away by Nickelback
Lovesong by Adele
Lingus by Snarky Puppy
Harvest for the World by Vanessa Williams
Love Bites by Def Leppard
No Such Thing by John Mayer
As by Stevie Wonder
Whip Appeal by Babyface
Ain’t Nobody by Chaka Khan
Futures by Prep
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
Every Summertime by NIKI
SADE tracks
AC/DC tracks
Queen tracks
And many more… I always listen to High resolution format, being the least quality 16bit/44khz FLACS be it offline or online.
VERDICT:
This is my first FiiO product for review. And even though this set suffers from a technical point of view, its tone and timbre shined through. It is a well-tuned set in my honest opinion. As my title suggests, it sits nicely in the middle of everything. This can be a good start if you are trying to enter balanced and mature tuned IEMs. I cannot see any serious flaws in this set aside from the speed of the drivers. Which I was honestly expecting from a hybrid setup. For 60usd, the JH3 has a lot of competition. Still it is an easy recommendation from me, especially if you aim to purely enjoy your music. If you are willing to overlook the technical side, get the JH3. Cheers, and catch you on the next one!!
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