Sony's New 2014 flagship IEM - XBA Z5
Oct 24, 2014 at 2:53 PM Post #256 of 5,804
Measurements. Looks pretty bad, sibilant, bass bloated, limited bandwidth and high distortion. Z7 measures a lot better, though it lacks some treble extension. Maybe it measures better with a more shallow fit and vent mod, but I don't see it dethroning the EX1000 as the best Sony IEM. Or maybe the real gems are the A3 and or the A2. 
 
 

 
Oct 24, 2014 at 4:56 PM Post #259 of 5,804
  Measurements. Looks pretty bad, sibilant, bass bloated, limited bandwidth and high distortion. Z7 measures a lot better, though it lacks some treble extension. Maybe it measures better with a more shallow fit and vent mod, but I don't see it dethroning the EX1000 as the best Sony IEM. Or maybe the real gems are the A3 and or the A2. 
 

Thanks Rin.
 
Sorry guys, but my listening experience matches Rin's measurements fairly well. Unless they require some montrous power source to drive, but out from my Ipod touch 4 the bass is heavily bloated, it's like hearing someone punching on a pillow with your face underneath. Treble sure is there, quite present, but dont get me talk about their detail retreval. The only nice thing about the Z5 is their midrange, which is quite smooth and has a bit sweetness in it, definitely better than the peaked upper midrange of the A3. Other than that, I can't see why you have to pay the premium for the Z5 while the A3 already has more than enough bass. 
 
Oct 24, 2014 at 5:01 PM Post #260 of 5,804
Thanks Rin.

Sorry guys, but my listening experience matches Rin's measurements fairly well. Unless they require some montrous power source to drive, but out from my Ipod touch 4 the bass is heavily bloated, it's like hearing someone punching on a pillow with your face underneath. Treble sure is there, quite present, but dont get me talk about their detail retreval. The only nice thing about the Z5 is their midrange, which is quite smooth and has a bit sweetness in it, definitely better than the peaked upper midrange of the A3. Other than that, I can't see why you have to pay the premium for the Z5 while the A3 already has more than enough bass. 


Your impressions is very similar to my impressions with H3.
But after some time they sounded much, much better. Hope this is case with Z5 too. From bad start to hopefull future. :D
 
Oct 24, 2014 at 6:50 PM Post #261 of 5,804
Huh, the woo audio guy was hyping these to the moon. I think we'll need additional views to really help settle things. In the meantime, I'm glad I got an ie800 rather than waiting for the z5 as my universal fit set.
 
Oct 24, 2014 at 7:05 PM Post #262 of 5,804
   
Nowhere near as funny as a pair of Beats™ and half the planet is walking around with those... I don't think anyone will notice them. 
etysmile.gif


Because half the people walk around with a banana on their head is no reason for me to walk around with 2 zucchinis in my ears - the one thing I couldn't handle with my H3s' was the fit and how they felt like ailerons - I felt that if they had a sharper leading edge, I could achieve liftoff.
 
Oct 24, 2014 at 7:35 PM Post #263 of 5,804
Huh, the woo audio guy was hyping these to the moon. I think we'll need additional views to really help settle things. In the meantime, I'm glad I got an ie800 rather than waiting for the z5 as my universal fit set.

 
Not to go off topic, but you should also seriously give the ASG-2.5 a listen... I like it better than anything I've heard in the 1,000-1,800 range (which comprises of the Ref.1, Parterre, SE846, and LAB 1). More than anything to date, it's the one IEM I could live with for a long, long time. It is significantly improved over what I heard a while back with the ASG-2 (which I was not terribly impressed with). 
 
So to go back on topic, I have been hoping the Z5 will work at the same level of satisfaction... Agreed that we need some more observations to really get a concrete picture of the sound. I remain cautiously hopeful...
 
Oct 25, 2014 at 3:46 AM Post #266 of 5,804
Huh, the woo audio guy was hyping these to the moon. I think we'll need additional views to really help settle things. In the meantime, I'm glad I got an ie800 rather than waiting for the z5 as my universal fit set.

 
Current IEMs in my collection.  Let's start with the Sonys since this is a Sony Z5 thread.
 
- MDR-EX1000, EX700SL, MDR-7550, MDR-EX800st, XBA-4, XBA-40, XBA-3, XBA-2, XBA-1, XBA-H3, XBA-H2, XBA-H1, and a bunch of XB models
 
Etymotic:
every model
 
Sennheiser:
IE-800
 
AKG:
K3003
 
Klipsch X11i, x10, x7i
 
Beats:
every model and color
 
Noble Audio:
Noble 4 & 6
 
RHA:
T10i
 
Logitech:
UE900
 
Sony XBA-Z5 left a solid impression when I used it at CanJam.  Will have it here in a week along with Z7.  I need the PHA-3 now :frowning2:
 
Oct 25, 2014 at 4:43 AM Post #267 of 5,804
I just tried z5 at the local sony store last week. The bass is quite impressive (much better than my ex1000); however, treble and mid range are quite a let down for an iem at this price range.
In comparison to xba h3, z5's sound is more balanced and z5's bass is better controlled.
 
I will try it again next week since the demo may need more time to finish the burn-in.
 
Oct 25, 2014 at 7:46 AM Post #269 of 5,804
Maybe stop looking at measurements and start listening earphones, and then tell if they are bad?

Well, measurements do tell some story. I agree it does not say the whole story and you should not base your opinion without first listening to an earphone, but It does not make any sense to completely disregard it. Even IEM manufacturer goes by measurements when designing their IEMs. See, it is not some kind of voodoo magic that goes behind designing this earphones. It is science and engineering. So there is nothing wrong with measurements. In fact, so far my listening experiences have been pretty well matched with the frequency response graphs of all the IEMs I have owned thus far, which is quite a few to be honest.  
 
I am still looking for an opportunity to audition the Z5, A3 and A2. I absolutely love my H3. If the Z5 is significant upgrade I think I am am sold........
 
Oct 25, 2014 at 8:26 AM Post #270 of 5,804
Well, measurements do tell some story. I agree it does not say the whole story and you should not base your opinion without first listening to an earphone, but It does not make any sense to completely disregard it. Even IEM manufacturer goes by measurements when designing their IEMs. See, it is not some kind of voodoo magic that goes behind designing this earphones. It is science and engineering. So there is nothing wrong with measurements. In fact, so far my listening experiences have been pretty well matched with the frequency response graphs of all the IEMs I have owned thus far, which is quite a few to be honest.  

I am still looking for an opportunity to audition the Z5, A3 and A2. I absolutely love my H3. If the Z5 is significant upgrade I think I am am sold........


I completly agree with you, but Inks bash anything if he doesn't like measurements without listening actual thing.
I realy loved H3 sound, but hated looks and fit. So Z5 or A3 is no go for me.
 

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