Member Reviews: Sony XBA-1 Balanced Armature Headphones-1 Driver

Along with the summary below, I have posted a Youtube review of the Sony XBA-1. If you like the video, please check out my channel for more reviews     Summary   BUILD   The XBA-1 is very practically designed, with a narrow nozzle and a thoughtful selection of tip sizes with Sony's great hybrid tips. They are very lightweight and feel comfortable in the ear, but because they stick out they are not suitable for sleeping on your side with. Whether or not you like the J-cable is a preference thing.   SOUND   The XBA-1 have a nice bell tone clarity in the mids for female vocals. However they lack a little extension in terms of both bass and treble,...

I got a set of XBA-3s a few months ago and I liked them a lot, but I had been wary with them because of the somewhat steep price. Then I found at a local audio-store super discounted XBA-1s and I though those would be a really nice gift for my friend who still used crappy earbuds. I got them but I was very curious about how they sounded so I ended up opening them and what a pleasant surprise that was.   They retain the looks from Sony's XBA line, with sober colors and glossy paint. These come with the standard XBA ear-tip kit: 4 sizes of standard universal tips, and 3 sizes of "hybrid" tips (they have a ring of foam inside the flap of the tip to privide more isolation), a cord...