[Review] Beyerdynamic XP3 – Clear Edition

First off, we did take a look at the Beyerdynamic XP2, which we also did a thorough review and went through all the pros and cons of the pair of earphones in terms of its performance, comfort and also the price and availability.  Of course, most parts of this review will be the same as the Beyerdynamic XP2, since it is from the same product line, just a small little variant between both earphones.

One more thing – this will be a comparison review between the XP2 and the XP3, so we will mention a lot about the XP2 in this review too.

Without further ado, let’s jump right to it.

As you can see from the image above, really has absolutely zero difference between the XP2 and the XP3 packaging, with only the difference of the model number. The quality of the box is the same, the colours are still as deceiving as ever with its simplistic orange on white box with minimal texts on it.

Even the back of the packaging is exactly the same – the technical specifications are duplicated, with zero difference.

Inside it? Still the same as ever.

[nextpage title=”In the package”]Just like its XP2 sibling, there is a green velvet pouch that has a five eartip sizes with the airplane audio jack inside, and also the earphones itself on the a piece of soft foam.

One thing to note though is that the Beyerdynamic XP-series actually has a colour option – black or chrome. The picture below will show the difference clearly.

I got the chrome XP2, whereas I was provided with the black XP3 for review.

This is basically identical with its XP2 counterpart, with the anti-tangle flat cable, gold plated audio jack, colour-coded left and right side of the earphone, a cable zipper built on the cable itself, and the lack of the in-line microphone or music controls. And again, the angled earpiece gives the ability for the earphone to be supported by the ear pinna, making it comfortable to be used even if walking.

[nextpage title=”Sound test”]So as for the test, we’ll test it the same way as we did for the Beyerdynamic XP2, thus creating a direct showdown between the XP2 and XP3.

Adventure Time – Rogue (Monster 010 – Conquest) [FLAC]

• Lows : Packs a small little punch, not much power into it
• Mids : Sounds muffled
• Highs : Not as high as it should be

Girls Just Want To Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper (Bioshock Infinite Soundtrack) [320kbps MP3]

• Lows : Has smooth bass that goes along with the song
• Mids : Vocals are crisp
• Highs : Higher pitched sounds are very clear

Orpheus Of The Underworld – Adya (Adya Classic 2) [215 kbps MP3]

• Lows : Can easily be neglected
• Mids : Sounds muffled
• Highs : Amazing when it reached the electric guitar part

An Accent Beyond – Aperture Science Psychoacoustics Laboratory (Portal 2: Songs to Test By) [320kbps MP3]

• Lows : Sounds like everything got mixed up together
• Mids : Okay in terms of distinction from lows and highs
• Highs : At the beginning part, the highs there, but muffled

Rosen aus dem Suden, op. 388 – Orchestra Of The Viennese Volksoper (Great Strauss Waltz, Polkas & Marches) [320kbps MP3]

• Lows : Not even a slight punch on the bass
• Mids : Crisp and distinctive
• Highs : Highs are great

Salome – The Johann Strauss Orchestra & Andre Rieu (Andre Rieu In Wonderland) [320kbps MP3]

• Lows : Blends in nicely to the song
• Mids : Clear and crisp
• Highs : Very distinctive but sounds muffled

The Entertainer – Scott Joplin (The Entertainer – The Very Best of Scott Joplin) [320kbps MP3]

• Lows : The tuba plays very excellently
• Mids : Very distinctive from the highs when both are played together
• Highs : Clear and crisp, goes very high

Skyliner – The BBC Big Band (The Age Of Swing, Volume 1) [FLAC]

• Lows : Sounds too soft
• Mids : Saxophone sounds excellent
• Highs : Distinctively clear, but muffled

After testing the XP3 for many hours, I can hear that the XP3 performs not much differently from the XP2, especially in the many genres of songs, including some which are not written above.

The comfort level is the same as the XP2, with the decent noise isolation alongside with the weight that is supported by the ear pinna, making it quite impossible to drop off the ear out of a sudden while walking or while moving your ear muscles (at least for me). It is still as comfortable as ever, as the design and build of the earphones are exactly the same as the XP2.

If I am to answer if this XP3 lives up to its name of being the “Clear Edition”, I would say that it is not really that clear at all, but everything sounds extremely muffled, as if there’s something encapsulating all the sound produced by the earphones.

[nextpage title=”Comparison with the Beyerdynamic XP2″]
I’ve been substituting my XP2 with the XP3 for quite some time so that I can get the gist of what I instantly felt the difference when I got back to the XP2. Here is the list of differences that I found out between the two :

• Volume on the XP2 is louder than the XP3
• Everything is sounds muffled on the XP3
• Bass on the XP3 is does not offer much distinction as it did on the XP2
• Treble on the XP3 has not much difference with the XP2

As listed above, the XP3 is actually worse than the XP2. I listen and test with all sorts of genres of music for both XP2 and XP3, and I found out that the XP2 performs a whole lot better than the XP3 in most of the genres, with the exception of classical, waltz and some of the jazz music, where the bass has less impact and blends well as a complementary part to the music itself as a whole.

[nextpage title=”Wrap up”]
The conclusion that this for the same price as the XP2, which is RM200, I think that I’ll go for the XP2 rather than the XP3. The distinction between the XP2 and XP3 in the classical, waltz and jazz music does not actually matter much, and I’m actually pretty satisfied with how the XP2 performed in the first place.

Again the same as the XP2, there are 5 ear tip sizes, with a special size that has double flanges that further improves noise isolation.

Rating :
A 7/10, with lower score due to the fact that the XP3 really doesn’t perform as well as the XP2 in an overall aspect. I’d still take the XP2 over the XP3, that’s for sure.

Thanks to Jaben Malaysia for letting us review the Beyerdynamic XP3!

---

Like our Facebook Page here at NasiLemakTech.com for more news and in-depth reviews! Also, join our Facebook Group for insightful information and memes!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel too!

---