Review: Xiaomi Piston 3 in ear headphones - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2015, 10:33:29 pm
content: The Xiaomi Piston 3 seems to be hyped as being the "best headphones under $100" despite going for about $25 on well trusted sites like Amazon. At that price, why not give them a try?I have had them for about 2 weeks and I would definitely recommend them for a low cost audio upgrade.I tested them with my OpenDAC HD (https://github.com/NiHaoMike/OpenDAC-HD), the onboard audio of my (then) high end DX79SI motherboard, and my TF101 tablet. They are intended to represent the audiophile, casual PC user, and mobile use cases. The comparison was against the Klipsch S3.Pros:* Great sound on all three sources, with the OpenDAC doing the best for obvious reasons. The DX79SI and TF101 are about tied in quality when using the Xiaomi, as opposed to the Klipsch that sounded notably poor in comparison on the DX79SI. In other words, while the Xiaomi do not demand much from the output amplifier, they will take good advantage of a good DAC/amp. (And Intel did quite poor considering they were the ones to bring HD audio to the mainstream, but that's another story...)* Unlike the Klipsch, the built in microphone is pretty decent. Definitely more than good enough for VoIP and podcast recording.* Notably less wind induced noise than the Klipsch.* Much less cable handing noise than the Klipsch.* The low price is hard to beat.Cons:* Cable feels flimsier than that of the Klipsch. Only time will tell if that's actually an issue.* Cable is short for desktop use, but that's true of nearly all headphones designed for mobile use. Also needs an adapter to use the built in microphone with a PC. Both of those are easily solved with a DIY splitter cable.* Metal barrel of Y point is uncomfortable against bare skin.* Noise isolation slightly worse than that of the Klipsch. As with all in ear headphones, there's the option of wearing earmuffs over them for particularly noisy environments.* There seems to be a problem with fakes or factory rejects being sold as new. Just buy from a reputable source like direct from Amazon.* Often goes out of stock on Amazon, not surprising given their great value.In summary, the Xiaomi Piston 3 lives up to the hype. That's especially true for those using onboard audio.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2015, 11:12:53 pm
content: I need some new earphones. My last ones went through the wash and haven't sounded right since. Funny enough the sound is a bit cleanFor that price i will give them a go.This place has them for $24.90 and free worldwide shipping. They are also apparently a legit distributor and not fakes.http://penonaudio.com/xiaomi-piston-3.0?search=Xiaomi

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 12:38:36 am
content: Amazon has them on sale for $20, that is cheap enough I think I will pick up a pair.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 12:39:32 am
content: There are apparently fakes, which is why i went with penonaudio

author: nidlaX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 12:41:03 am
content: Quote from: PedroDaGr8 on October 25, 2015, 12:38:36 amhttp://www.tinydeal.com/simplified-package-xiaomi-piston-3rd-edition-earphone-mic-p-152006.html$13.59 with free shipping, without the fancy box. Boxed ones also go for less if you keep an eye out on SD.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 12:42:05 am
content: I repeat, lots of people are reporting fakes.

author: nidlaX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 12:44:15 am
content: Quote from: Psi on October 25, 2015, 12:42:05 amTinyDeal is reputedly legit based on what HeadFi users are saying. YMMV.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 02:00:35 am
content: Roger that, i just assumed fake because it was half the price.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 04:34:30 am
content: I have a pair of these that I purchased from coolicool.com. I am not impressed, but for the price they are not too bad. The frequency response is not anywhere near flat. There seems to be a big drop in the upper mid-range, followed by a big hump a bit higher up, then a big drop at higher frequencies. The construction quality is very good and they seem to be made of very good materials. With a bit of equalization they are acceptable but are no where near the high fidelity ear phones that some people seem to think they are.FYI, my reference headphones now are Audio Technica ATH-M40X. These are very close to flat and very neutral sounding. Compared to these the Xiaomi Piston 3 are not horrible but are nowhere close to hifi, at least without some correction.Are they worth the $19 I paid. Yeah, I guess.......

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 05:31:42 am
content: How well does the M40X do with onboard audio? The Xiaomi's strong point is that they work reasonably well with onboard.What looks interesting about the M40X is that they accept an ordinary 3.5mm cable meaning you can use one of whatever length that fits your needs or maybe even make a module that directly plugs into the headphones to add Bluetooth or Wifi capabilities. They also fold up for better portability, though obviously nowhere near what the Xiaomi or Klipsch S3/S4 do.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 08:22:03 pm
content: Just did some semi-critical checking. The ATH-M40X headphones don't seem to be hard to drive at all. I didn't mean to imply that they were to be used in place of in ear monitors. They aren't easy to carry around. They run very well on my onboard sound on my MSI GT70, my Samsung Galaxy S3, and my Jiayu S3. Of course they work better with an amp.The Xiaomi Piston 3 need to be equalized to sound even close to right. I played with equalization on my computer in VLC and they need a broad hump around 1kHz and a big boost at 16kHz to sound right. On my Jiayu S3 I have a boost again at 910Hz of around 5db, a small cut at 4kHz at around -3db and a big boost of close to 12db at 14kHz. That is how far these are out. Maybe I got counterfeit phones, but I doubt it.IMHO, they are OK for the price but..I have used Creative EP630 earphones for a long time. They are better than the Xiaomi Piston 3 IMHO but they need to be equalized a bit too but not nearly as much. A bit of cut in the 7kHz range is needed.So if you want some well built earphones that sound OK with equalization (not a big deal) and you want sound isolation and a microphone, then the Xiaomi Piston 3 are not a bad buy.If you want pretty natural sound and can live with over the ear real headphones, then I can't speak highly enough of the Audio Technica ATH-M40X. The connection at the headphone is not 3.5mm, but rather 2.5 with a bayonet on the housing to lock it in.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2015, 11:22:05 pm
content: I don't think anyone expects to get $300 Sennheiser headphone quality audio from $20 earphones.For one thing they're earphones so never going to be as good as headphones.But from what i've been reading there's 2 common themes with regard to the Xiaomi Piston 3- They sound way better than other earphones even double/triple the price.- You need to buy a known legit one due to so many fakesSo, i will report back when mine arrives and compare to my Sennheisers

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2015, 11:28:43 pm
content: Quote from: Lightages on October 25, 2015, 08:22:03 pmFWIW, I have the M50x and am also really happy with them. Haven't had a chance to compare them to the M40x. They use the same bayonet 2.5mm jack. eBay is full of third party replacement cords, including ones with microphone/buttons, which the original doesn't include.If you really want headphones with 3.5mm inputs, then look at the Beats lineup (except the Solo, which truly full and well suck). They're controversial, but their cords are nice.As for in-ear earbuds, the Apple In-Ear is incredible bang for the buck. They're around $80 and sound better than the $350 Shure SE310 they replaced. (Not that I would have paid that for the Shures, very glad I got those as a freebie!)

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2016, 12:58:28 am
content: Just a heads up, I have been using the Xiaomi Piston 3's for the past several months. I purchased them from Amazon (to make sure I didn't get fakes) and I have to say that I absolute love them. For the price, they are awesome. They have a very flat response, with reasonable to good response. I am quite happy with the quality. Additionally, they don't fall out my ears when I run (the only in-ear buds that i have used that don't) and the microphone works well.Also, Xiaomi has opened their store in the USA. They are listing thePiston 3's at $15but haven't started selling them yet.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2016, 07:37:25 am
content: Im listening to mine right now on the bus.Only gripes i have with them are- the vol/play buttons are small and hard to locate on the cylinder by 'feel'- the plug is a little to small for my LG G3 socket. It plugs in fine and doesnt fall out but the connection for the buttons is a bit intermittent. Tried two them, both the same.If i put a tiny bit of force on the plug it works again. The L R connections are all fine. Its just the connection for the mic/buttons

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2016, 03:14:41 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on April 07, 2016, 07:37:25 amI have an LG G3 as well, though I never use the buttons. I should test them out and see if I experience the same issues.EDIT: Yep, same issue as you. The vol/play buttons only work if I press on the plug it works. The mic and the ear pieces work perfectly but it doesn't fit quite right for the buttons to work.