XBA-3/ XBA-30..The Appreciation thread. - Page 33

Originally Posted by mugen3 

I heard from several sources that the bass is improved on all the new XBA. The 30s are more full and robust than the 3s. The low end sounds dynamic-like to me.

I noticed that, too.. and not just with the bass.. this triple BA sounds impressively non-"BA" like as far as texturing, decay, and cohesion.  It's got quite the natural decay that good dynamics possess.. bass has excellent punch & speed, there's a slight bit of midbass emphasis that's adds a dash of fun, but it's not offensive or 'cheap' sounding at all.  I'm very critical of midbass, too.. so if it's hastily boosted & bleeds, I'll be the first to point it out.  The mids are smooth, slightly warm, liquid, and airy, reminds me a lot of the BA200's lovely mids.. but the XBA's mids seem a little more mainstream/consumer oriented in that they're a little more lively.  Treble is crisp and well delineated, but lacks any kind of overt brightness.  It compliments the mids really well.. but doesn't take a backseat to the other 2/3rds of the FQ range (bass & mids).  As you said, the tuning is certainly a nice mix of coloration & neutrality.  The build is quite nice, too.

Well said! I completely agree with everything you wrote. Seems like you and I hear them the same. The XBA-30 are amazing, aren't they? Sony definitely squeezed out all of the potential in each driver. I've never heard a BA set quite like these. They have the fullness and decay of a dynamic but the detail and precision of a BA. The sound is definitely favorable for the mainstream consumer like you said. Perfect for anyone who just wants an IEM that makes their music sound fantastic with top-tier quality and refinement. Can't really imagine anyone picking a bone with these.

so, are the xba30 just as source dependent?

Rin did some tests of the XBA-3 and found that the frequency response resembles that of the MH1c.

Source

they do sound similar, but there is an obvious difference between them.

Cool find. I'm not surprised at all. I've been saying the XBA-30 sound like a high-end MH1C.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mugen3 

Cool find. I'm not surprised at all. I've been saying the XBA-30 sound like a high-end MH1C.

I felt the same way! The MH1c didn't have the speed to play metal tho... so I gave it as a present to friend and he's loving it!

I can't remember if I got around to posting it here, but I did confirm with Sony that the XBA-30s have had their sound tweaked and an OFC cable added. I have only tried them briefly in-store however. Unfortunately stores here are very noisy so it was impossible to concentrate. I'll see if can compare them sometime.

So I ended up getting the XBA-40 as well.

Once I get all of them I'll do a compare contrast between xba-3,xba-30 and xba-40. Which ever one I don't keep I will end up selling here.

I vowed to have the XBA-40s as my last iem purchase 

Quote:

Originally Posted by canikickit1 

So I ended up getting the XBA-40 as well.

 

Once I get all of them I'll do a compare contrast between xba-3,xba-30 and xba-40. Which ever one I don't keep I will end up selling here.

 

I vowed to have the XBA-40s as my last iem purchase 

Look forward to your comparisons. 

The silver XBA-30 at Amazon.jp is at an all-time low price (￥12,603 or roughly $140 USD) but not in stock ("Usually ships within 1 to 2 months"). I doubt it would go much lower but who knows...

$140. That is a steal. There's never been a better time to buy some 30s.

How does xba3, xba30 compare to xba3sl?

Discovery of the day, the XBA-3 pairs brilliantly with the Topping D1.