Quote:

ericp10 said:

How much are the 4s in USD, takoyaki7?


 

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On rakuten/amazon.co.jp
 
 I know at least rakuten does global shipping.
 
XBA-4
you can get them around 20,000yen which is about $250
 
XBA-3 around $200
 
 
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/dcc/item/sony_xba-4sl/

How much does shipping with Tenso/Rakuten generally cost? Quite interested in these!

For rakuten it depends on weight, but generally shipping for smaller items is about $20 or a bit less to the US...

kiteki said:

I still don't know what you're talking about, firstly I think you have me confused with someone else since I've said several times I almost always use the HO, depending on IEM synergy, why am I in "bad shape regardless of IEM used" ?

Second, I can't see your point, if a 21 ohm single driver IEM can fluctuate 6dB why wouldn't a 4-driver 8 ohm be even worse? I'm writing this as precautionary advice to reviews, and not "looking at specs", do a search and you'll find the dScope measurments I'm referencing in this example.

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what's more, from the charts I've looked at the higher the source impedance when used with low impedance HP, the more non-linear FR becomes (starts with a bass roll-off and then spreads to the mids/highs)

Quote:

takoyaki7 said:

Also, it might be worth noting that they come with a VERY short flat cable (.6m) and extension. The cable is actually made even shorter by the fact it is a large
J-cord. Personally I sort of like this, as it is ideal for wearing in a breast pocket. They lack a chin-slider though, so with the extension could get a bit cumbersome...

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Thanks for your insightful impressions, takoyaki7   I also like a short cable for the same reason and actually I'm tempted to try out a wireless aptX rig (receiver on my collar or breast pocket), so the Sonys look quite suited for that. What worries me is the J-cord in an over-ear scenario, this hasn't worked well for me in the past.

Quote:

takoyaki7 said:

For rakuten it depends on weight, but generally shipping for smaller items is about $20 or a bit less to the US...

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Thanks for that, so it'll basically be $200+shipping+custom/import tax?

If you get caught

Quote:

aevum said:

If you get caught

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I bought a TF10 from the Amazon Black Friday deal and then had to pay ~$48 to comgateway for fowarding services and then another ~$19 for import charges (20% VAT). In the end I paid almost £110 for my TF110 ~$170, not so much of a good deal anymore.
 
That's why I'm quite weary with using Rakuten but if it's really only shipping+item cost with a low possibility of  paying duties then I'm willing to take the risk!
 

Would you guys reshell the XBA-4? Isolation is very important to me but it'll cost $180 from Kozee to reshell, putting it the total at about $400. Would that be "worth it"?

 
Quote:

kiteki said:

 
 
I still don't know what you're talking about, firstly I think you have me confused with someone else since I've said several times I almost always use the HO, depending on IEM synergy, why am I in "bad shape regardless of IEM used" ?
 
 

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Becuase I can't imagine a 200 or higher impedance IEM that's also effecient enough to use this way? I think it was a 16 ohm MDR Ex700 that you were using at the time.

Anyway, that's great. You post a lot and too much to follow everything without seeming creepy LOL. At one time you were all about the line out but I guess it was less universal that I assumed and for some specific IEMs you had at the time. I still can't imagine there being 200 ohm, very effecient IEMs. I think I mentioned the output impedance at that time. 'Nothing to see here' isn't exactly the appropriate response since you did use this mismatch but if it worked for you, all is good.
 People that read these forums need to know this when they've read pro direct connection line out stuff in the past. Line out impedance is rarely low enough for this purpose and generally different than HO output.
 
Back to Sony BAs. It's nice to here that somebody favored the 4 to the 3. Can't wait to here one.

Does anyone know how the isolation is on the XBA-4; are we talking poor dynamic isolation (EX1000/FX700) or great armature isolation (SM3/W4/SE535)?

These are armatures, so yes good isolation.

Quote:

ulti said:

Would you guys reshell the XBA-4? Isolation is very important to me but it'll cost $180 from Kozee to reshell, putting it the total at about $400. Would that be "worth it"?

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Firstly you can't use the new side-firing wide-diametre design of these BA's in a traditional custom IEM design.
 

 
 
The resheller will have to "invent" a new design which will vary from Sony's and run a high risk of sounding worse.
 
Secondly I'd think twice about reshelling the XBA-4's with a company that currently has 10 paragraphs of negative feedback.
 
 
You can be a pioneer if you want, but if you're feeling conservative I'd recommend going with a custom tip sleeve thing.
 
 

Quote:

goodvibes said:

I think it was a 16 ohm MDR Ex700 that you were using at the time.

'Nothing to see here' isn't exactly the appropriate response since you did use this mismatch

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Righteo, for some reason the Sony MDR-EX700 sounds really good from the T51 line-out, with EQ set to 1kHz -4 and decored Shure Olives applied, also it takes a while to acclimatise to it's sound, what a complete nightmare, but all things considered in the end it's my favorite IEM.
 

I did another listening today, driving the sony's straight from my iphone 4 (listening to the same lossless tunes as last time). Unfortunately the xba-4 were sold out down to the demo unit (they're selling like hot cakes apparently) so I could only compare the 1,2 and 3s. 
 
On purpose, I haven't reread the impressions I posted from the last 2 listening sessions so as not to influence my mind. If I remember correctly though, it appears my impressions were different today from last time at sony store yet closer to those I had at the fujiya festival, in particular in regards to the bass. Since I used my iphone at fujiya and today while I used an amp at the sony store, I can only suppose that impressions are highly dependent on the source/amplification (thus reflecting the concerns from some in regards to the very low impedance of these iems).
 
Anyhow, to make it short:
- the xba-1 live in the midrange, typical single full range driver, not sure it sounded very different from my se315. Rolled off up top, rolled off down below but reasonably present while not boomy. I wasn't particularly excited by the xba-1 but at the price, they surely sound good.
- the xba-2 didn't sound too good to me this time (i thought i liked them better than the 3's at the sony store). It was similar in the highs to the 1's but the bass was quite boomy / overblown. 
- the xba-3 are different ball game, the highs extend so much farther and have really nice sparkle without sounding edgy or strained. The bass was clearly cleaner than the 2's which is the opposite of what I thought at the sony booth i believe. 
- I really wished the 4's were there, I will go yet again to finalize my choice. The 4's appear to be the most popular at this store though so they must be doing something right...
 
Last, in terms of comfort, I am still a bit concerned if these won't hurt after a while. Really, only the xba-1 fit nicely (I have only used the standard plugs, I believe there's a foam alternative?). The 3's felt bulky and the 4's are even bigger. I have very small ears compared to most so this probably isn't any issue for others.