Performance

The performance of earphones is always hard to judge objectively because there are lot of variables to consider and personal tastes. In order to do a fair comparison I used the same sources as in the previous reviews. These include: Cowon iAudio i7 with and without a Go-Vibe V6 amp, and an Ocatavart "The One" DAC & Amp which is a pure class A headphone amp combined with a good DAC. Like with all the other earphones I have tested I had them burning in for almost 100 hours in total with various types of noise just to be sure that their sound would be optimal. With all dynamic based headphones you need at least 100 hours on them before they have settled, sometimes much more depending on the headphones.

To start off with I plugged them straight into the headphone out on my Cowon iAudio player and it worked really well, good synergy and the sound was surprisingly good. My initial impression turned out to match the end result of my listening tests surprisingly well. The bass is a little more present on the OK3s than on the OK2s, but in return it does not have the same extension or precision. Where the OK2s is almost as detailed as the OK1s being run straight out of a DAP the OK3s are far behind in terms of detailing. The sound stage is a bit squashed compared to the other OK-series earphones, but still in the respectable end in comparison to my other earbuds. The OK3s are the warmest of the bunch and have a more fun sound with more bass and midbass, they are not analytical in any way and resemble the sound signature found in most of the more common earbuds and earphones on the market. The sound quality of the OK3s is extremely good for a reasonable priced pair of earphones, compared to earbuds such as the JVC FX-130s and Sennheiser MX500 these win hands down.

The midrange is quite good although not as airy and detailed as that of the bigger earphones in the OK-lineup. It is more articulate than most normal earbuds, but again can not begin to compete with the OK2s. The midrange is a bit grainier and is less smooth than what I heard while using the OK2s and it is not as detailed either. Overall the sound of the OK3s is a bit muddier and has less punch than the other OK-series earbuds.

The bass was pretty tight and controlled for a pair of earbuds and in terms of amount it is a bit above that of the OK1s and OK2s, but not boomy or bloated in anyway. If you want tight and analytical bass look elsewhere because the bass bottoms out pretty fast and does not offer the same level of detail as its two bigger brothers do.

One of my major concerns with the OK3s is the fact that they do not ship with the long and medium long sound tube since this makes it nearly impossible to get a good fit with them in canalphone mode. When used as earphones none of the OK in-ears offer good noise attenuation or comfort for that matter because they are far from anatomically correct. They sit awkwardly in your ear and are quite uncomfortable to wear for an extended period of time.

Durability

The durability of the OK3s is on par with that of all the other Yuin earphones. The external design and material choice is exactly the same. The design of the OK3s is quite good and it will withstand a lot of abuse before giving way. Like all earbuds you have to watch the cable because it is the most volatile part of the design. Just a couple of sharp bends at the same location can ruin a cable. The OK3s are no exception.