NICEHCK DB3

The NICEHCK DB3 have given me a refreshing ride. Clearly, this product was aimed at an audience that is frustrated from the influx of excessively bright-sounding earphones, an audience that is tired of all the pierce and sibilance that is so common with today's well-received earphones.

Despite having a somewhat outdated build and design, the DB3 provided a relaxing and non-intrusive listening experience, along with great ergonomics. Sure, the included ear tips are somewhat useless for these fat nozzles, and might interfere with getting a proper seal, but given their budget-friendly price, that can be easily remedied with some decent tips you might want to spare a dollar or two to acquire along with the earphones.

Those audiophiles among us will probably not be budged by how these sound, given the relatively mild and unsaturated treble, but those among us who just want to sit and enjoy the sound without having to play with the volume knob and worry about your hearing, this one is a blessing.

Generally speaking, the earphones are shaped in a standard, well-tested fashion. Nothing exceptional about that, and doesn't have to be, as I could wear these for several hours straight without feeling any pressure or soreness. The main issue is with the included ear tips. They just don't fit quite well with this humongous nozzles. I can't take it against these earphones as much as I would with highly-priced earphones, as you can easily apply any wide-bore tips to get an instant improvement in regards to proper seal and comfort. Take into account that if your ear canals are narrower than usual, you might need to play a bit with a tips (maybe some longer tips?).

Warm and slightly bumped bass with more emphasis on mid-bass and slightly underrepresented sub-bass, but not to the extent of disappointing the bassheads among us. In fact, the bass is rather universal and can fit most music genres easily without adding unwanted moodiness/bloat.

The mids are surprisingly tonally accurate, neutral and not edgy, making them an excellent fit for voice-oriented music and also audiobooks, podcasts, and the like. They also don't disappoint when it comes to more complex music genres, like rock and metal, and the non-edgy upper-mids contribute to making these genres more tolerable in higher volumes, unlike some higher priced earphones out there that rather put the vocals right in your face. Still, when compared to those mid/treble-emphasized earphones, the DB3 can't quite match in detail and clarity, and for me that's completely understandable.

The highs are surprisingly toned down, quite unlike what I would have expected from earphones with balanced armatures to sound. The highs are detailed enough, despite the former fact, but also considerably softer than what you would hear with many of the BA-inclusive earphones at a similar and even higher price. That means that the treble is very tolerable for those among us who are sensitive to pierce and sibilance, but also will not impress those who like some brilliance and microdetail. Still, these offer some of the most comfortable long-term daily-usage listening experiences without causing any hearing fatigue, all that without sacrificing the tonal accuracy below what I would consider as acceptable, and that fact alone is worth of applause.