Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › [REVIEW] XBA-3 VS XBA-30 VS XBA-40
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

[REVIEW] XBA-3 VS XBA-30 VS XBA-40 - Page 2

post #16 of 181
3/7/13 at 11:40am
Thread Starter 

Well my XBA-40s are up for sale, I posted them on eBay if any one is interested. All-in-all, I prefer the XBA-30s sound signature over the 40s. The 40s definitely do shine with a lower output impedance source (i.e the Sansa Zip Clip). They are hardly used and come with everything included. 

Reply

Head-Fi's Best Sellers

post #17 of 181
3/7/13 at 10:19pm

So..if portability was not an issue (office use in my case), does the combo of cmoyBB and 40 trump anything else you've heard?

 

I'm trying to source the best possible source for the 40's as I believe these IEMs are set it for me for a long while. 

Reply
post #18 of 181
3/8/13 at 2:00am

Really impressed with the review. GJ man..

i especially like what u said about that song.. hotel california.

i hope that all my metal/rock/punk songs would sound as good when tuned in with the xba30  . .

Reply
post #19 of 181
3/8/13 at 7:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by canikickit1 View Post

Some more tests proved that the super-woofer kicks in with a lower impedance source (CmoyBB and Iphone 4s bolster a <1 zout and ~1.97 zout respectively.) I find my Ipod classic 5.5g zout of 5ohms has considerably less bass punch then the other two. Does anyone have a cheap (<$100) DAP or portable amp recommendation that has proved succesful with their Xba-4s?

I have a Fiio E11 and it has amazing results with the XBA3. I have no doubts it'll do the same with the 40s.
Reply
post #20 of 181
3/8/13 at 1:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by virus12345 View Post

Really impressed with the review. GJ man..

i especially like what u said about that song.. hotel california.

i hope that all my metal/rock/punk songs would sound as good when tuned in with the xba30  . .

 

Thanks! The soundstage and balance will definitely fit your tastes. I listen to all and every type of music, from Kendrick Lamar to Eagles and Bassnectar to Cream, the 30s are a great all rounder IMO.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JiggaD369 View Post

So..if portability was not an issue (office use in my case), does the combo of cmoyBB and 40 trump anything else you've heard?

 

I'm trying to source the best possible source for the 40's as I believe these IEMs are set it for me for a long while. 

 

I would definitely have to say yes. My IEM listening is pretty limited, and the hobby overall is purely subjective, but my tastes did change overtime from the cold and analytical to warm and musical. The 40s do sound very well when sourced appropriately. Which brings me to my update .

The main complaint I had about the 40s when paired with my Ipod 5.5g Classic -> Fiio L9  JDSLabs CmoyBB v2.03 amb was that the bass distorted into the mids and the overall sound didn't mesh. I couldn't raise the volume past -20 or -15db without distortion. Ultimately that led me to believe the synergy of the amp + 40s suck despite an extremely low zout of the Cmoy. 

 

And then I changed to a fresh new battery.. immediate improvement in sound and the bass bleed into the mids and distortion is all but gone...unless i take it past -5 db, then the distortion occurs again. I am definitely seeing how far I can go with this, and will look to see if I can get a dedicated AC Adapter for the Cmoy for a more constant power supply. I too would use the same set-up at work:


Ipod classic 5.5g --> FiiO L9 LOD --> CmoyBB 2.03 --> XBA-40s. 

 

I'll try this set up for a week to see how it goes

Reply
post #21 of 181
3/8/13 at 1:21pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by d marc0 View Post


I have a Fiio E11 and it has amazing results with the XBA3. I have no doubts it'll do the same with the 40s.

 

 

Can you describe the improvements when amped? Very intriguing indeed...

Reply
post #22 of 181
3/8/13 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by canikickit1 View Post


Can you describe the improvements when amped? Very intriguing indeed...

The most drastic is soundstage and imaging. Its a lot wider but then it still sounds intimate. Instrument separation is much more distinct. What i'm really happy about it is that E11 got rid of the sibilance and treble artifacts. The metalic tinge of hi-hats is greatly reduced. The bass now has more impact but doesn't bleed at all. Altogether, a lot cleaner and engaging sound.
Reply
post #23 of 181
3/9/13 at 12:19am

XB-40 + E11 (on high curent) = ksc75smile.gif .

Most enjoyable sound  I heard so far from an iem and I owned PF232, 4A.i, FX700, FXZ200, RE262, W3. Sadly, the ergonomic and cable are less than perfect.

Reply
post #24 of 181
3/9/13 at 8:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by canikickit1 View Post

 

Thanks! The soundstage and balance will definitely fit your tastes. I listen to all and every type of music, from Kendrick Lamar to Eagles and Bassnectar to Cream, the 30s are a great all rounder IMO.

 

I would definitely have to say yes. My IEM listening is pretty limited, and the hobby overall is purely subjective, but my tastes did change overtime from the cold and analytical to warm and musical. The 40s do sound very well when sourced appropriately. Which brings me to my update .

The main complaint I had about the 40s when paired with my Ipod 5.5g Classic -> Fiio L9  JDSLabs CmoyBB v2.03 amb was that the bass distorted into the mids and the overall sound didn't mesh. I couldn't raise the volume past -20 or -15db without distortion. Ultimately that led me to believe the synergy of the amp + 40s suck despite an extremely low zout of the Cmoy. 

 

And then I changed to a fresh new battery.. immediate improvement in sound and the bass bleed into the mids and distortion is all but gone...unless i take it past -5 db, then the distortion occurs again. I am definitely seeing how far I can go with this, and will look to see if I can get a dedicated AC Adapter for the Cmoy for a more constant power supply. I too would use the same set-up at work:


Ipod classic 5.5g --> FiiO L9 LOD --> CmoyBB 2.03 --> XBA-40s. 

 

I'll try this set up for a week to see how it goes

 

I decided to go with the cmoybb because of the cost of building it. I will use a AC adaptor all the time since I'm using it for work anyways. This should pair well I believe. If that doesn't work out then I might go ahead and build a O2+ODAC combo and call it a day.

Reply
post #25 of 181
3/9/13 at 1:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zenpunk View Post

XB-40 + E11 (on high curent) = ksc75smile.gif .

Most enjoyable sound  I heard so far from an iem and I owned PF232, 4A.i, FX700, FXZ200, RE262, W3. Sadly, the ergonomic and cable are less than perfect.

 

I wonder how the XBA-30 would sound to your ears. The ergonomics seem better with the smaller housing and I've read here before that the cable is also less microphonic on the XBA-30 (perhaps also due to the smaller housing).

 

Though if it's not the microphonics but the actual quality of the cable that concerns you, it's probably the same.

Reply
post #26 of 181
3/9/13 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterDLai View Post

I wonder how the XBA-30 would sound to your ears. The ergonomics seem better with the smaller housing and I've read here before that the cable is also less microphonic on the XBA-30 (perhaps also due to the smaller housing).

Though if it's not the microphonics but the actual quality of the cable that concerns you, it's probably the same.

Due to the huge housing of the 40s, micro phonics is a bit greater than the 30s slimmer build.

Cable wise, I see (hear) no difference. The 30s cable is definitely serrated and provides better build quality than the 3s smooth cord.
Reply
post #27 of 181
3/9/13 at 11:26pm

Yes,  microphonic are pretty bad on the XBA-40. I 've been thinking about giving a go to the 30 but I am waiting to hear the IE800 at the UK meet. wink.gif 

But it will have to be seriously good...

Reply
post #28 of 181
3/11/13 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by d marc0 View Post


The most drastic is soundstage and imaging. Its a lot wider but then it still sounds intimate. Instrument separation is much more distinct. What i'm really happy about it is that E11 got rid of the sibilance and treble artifacts. The metalic tinge of hi-hats is greatly reduced. The bass now has more impact but doesn't bleed at all. Altogether, a lot cleaner and engaging sound.

 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by zenpunk View Post

XB-40 + E11 (on high curent) = ksc75smile.gif .

Most enjoyable sound  I heard so far from an iem and I owned PF232, 4A.i, FX700, FXZ200, RE262, W3. Sadly, the ergonomic and cable are less than perfect.

 

So I was curious on how the 40s ultimately paired with the E11. Thankfully, I have a friend that has the E11 and tried out the pairing. I pulled my eBay listing of the 40s for more comparisons and was astonished at the results..

 

Remarkable.

 

High Current - High Gain - EQ (Bass) settings really make the super woofer shine. The perfect pairing in my opinion, even better than the CMoyBB. The CmoyBB colors the mid a bit and bass boost bleeds a tad when the volume is increased. The E11 does not and overall gives a more clear/transparent sound. 

 

All in all, I may put up the XBA-30s for sale and purchase an E11 for myself. When I would like the extra bass kick, I set the EQ to 2 and enjoy the rumble, when not needed, I set it to 0 and enjoy the clarity and soundstage.

 

Nevertheless, I would recommend the 30s as the better allrounder that doesn't need an amp to shine. It has a more balanced sound signature and handles mids a bit better. I would only recommend the 40s if you have a low-output impredance amp (E11, CMoy) or source, and don't mind the slightly U-ish shaped sound sig.Ultimately the 40s soundstage is much bigger than the 30s and give more of a 3d effect.

Reply
post #29 of 181
3/11/13 at 7:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by canikickit1 View Post

 

 

 

So I was curious on how the 40s ultimately paired with the E11. Thankfully, I have a friend that has the E11 and tried out the pairing. I pulled my eBay listing of the 40s for more comparisons and was astonished at the results..

 

Remarkable.

 

High Current - High Gain - EQ (Bass) settings really make the super woofer shine. The perfect pairing in my opinion, even better than the CMoyBB. The CmoyBB colors the mid a bit and bass boost bleeds a tad when the volume is increased. The E11 does not and overall gives a more clear/transparent sound. 

 

All in all, I may put up the XBA-30s for sale and purchase an E11 for myself. When I would like the extra bass kick, I set the EQ to 2 and enjoy the rumble, when not needed, I set it to 0 and enjoy the clarity and soundstage.

 

Nevertheless, I would recommend the 30s as the better allrounder that doesn't need an amp to shine. It has a more balanced sound signature and handles mids a bit better. I would only recommend the 40s if you have a low-output impredance amp (E11, CMoy) or source, and don't mind the slightly U-ish shaped sound sig.Ultimately the 40s soundstage is much bigger than the 30s and give more of a 3d effect.

DAMNIT!! Just received all my parts for the cmoybb!  frown.gif

 

But agreed about the last part though. The soundstage and separation is out of the world though.

Reply
post #30 of 181
3/11/13 at 7:26pm

My XBA-30's matched up with the C&C BH is the best sound I've heard to date.. On high gain with the LF switch on makes it a perfectly complete sound with a huge soundstage and amazing separation.. And the bass is just next level.. The E11 on the other hand made things too muddy and took some micro details away when I had it with the XBA-3.. So who knows =)

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home

Head-Fi's Best Sellers

Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors › [REVIEW] XBA-3 VS XBA-30 VS XBA-40