mugen3
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Quote:
The XBA-3 is the XBA-3SL.
How does xba3, xba30 compare to xba3sl?
The XBA-3 is the XBA-3SL.
How does xba3, xba30 compare to xba3sl?
If anyone owns/owned both the TKD IE800 and the XBA-30, would you post a comparison? Please and thanks
Originally Posted by xProvidence /img/forum/go_quote.gif
If anyone owns/owned both the TKD IE800 and the XBA-30, would you post a comparison? Please and thanks
I'll soon be sending my XBA-30 to Rin & Inks to have measured.. they'll have an XBA-3 on hand as well so we should get some (objective-oriented) analysis & comparison from them.
Originally Posted by FlySweep /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I currently own the 30 & owned the IE800 (sold the later a few weeks ago)..
I prefer the 30 over the IE800. The IE800 is excellent.. it's got a bit more energy in the upper mids/lower treble vs the 30.. but the XBA-30's treble seems more refined & smooth to my ears. I'd put the 30's treble quantity somewhere north of the BA200 & south of the IE800's treble. In terms of quality, it sounds like a more energetic take on the BA200's (smooth, laid back) treble. I read quite a bit about the XBA-3 and the most common issues people had with the sound (namely, the sometimes sibilant, 'metallic' treble). I don't sense any of that with the XBA-30. It's detailed in the treble.. but pretty forgiving, too. It certainly won't spotlight harshness in the treble frequencies the way a more neutral IEM might.. but you'll still hear the grain and dullness that poorly recorded treble typically exhibits.. it just won't appear as obvious.
Midrange performance is a toss up between the IE800 & XBA-30 in that both are excellent and voiced similarly. The 30's mids (and whole fq response, in general) has more depth, leading to a more spacious soundstage vs the IE800 (who's stage is wide but comparatively shallow). The XBA-30's mids have a degree of smoothness and refinement that reminds me of the BA200 more than the IE800. The IE800's mids might be a tad faster, more neutral, & better separated.. but the 30 textures better and sounds have better weight & body. Mixing technicalities & personal preference, my order for midrange performance would got: BA200, XBA-30, then the IE800.
The XBA-30's bass is more punchy than the BA200 & IE800's bass. It's also very tight and well extended. The BA200's bass is more linear & neutral than the 30 & IE800's bass.. but the XBA-30's bass has slightly more midbass emphasis than either of the TDK phones (and it's faster than the BA200's bass/ on par with the IE800's bass speed). The XBA-30 has an excellent mix of speed and body in the bass (more body and impact than the IE800, better separation than the BA200).. it isn't as flat as the BA200's bass as the XBA-30's midbass is gently boosted.
The XBA-30 has the most "mass consumer"-oriented tuning of the three phones... but it's also got a surprising degree of refinement and possesses many qualities that would appeal to the 'mid-fi' audiophile who's in search of a balanced sound that's got a carefully added dash of warmth & fun. One thing that impressed me is how natural & cohesive the triple BA driver XBA-30 sounded.. it seemed quite"dynamic driver" like in it's ability to texture and decay naturally. It doesn't texture as well as something like the GR07 MKII or RE262.. but it certainly holds its own. Taking into account technical ability & personal preference, I'd put the XBA-30 near the top of my pile of favorite IEMs (next to the GR07 MKII, BA200, H-100). I got it mainly as a holdover until my custom IEMs arrived.. and despite one of my customs arriving, I've found myself still using the XBA-30 quite a bit lately.
I'll soon be sending my XBA-30 to Rin & Inks to have measured.. they'll have an XBA-3 on hand as well so we should get some (objective-oriented) analysis & comparison from them.
Originally Posted by canikickit1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I had the ie800 and the xba3 (actually bought both from amazon in the same order)
Compared to the xba3, the ie800 has better detail and mid extension. Soundstage and imaging were a bit better as well as instrument separation. I recall doing a/b/c tests between the er4p,ie800, and xba3 and would always mark the ie800s as havin very smooth vocals and mids. Highs are well controlled. However, even for dual dynamics, the bass was a bit anemic for my tastes. It definitely had detail, and more body than er4ps (who doesnt lol) but not the body I was looking for that the xba3s had.
I'd love to see this! I also wanna know how the XBA 30 compares to ATH CKN70.
Oh no! You've ruined the ending for me!!!
haha
I bought some CKN70s and I will write up a comparison with the XBA-30 when I get them.
I bought some CKN70s and I will write up a comparison with the XBA-30 when I get them.
I currently own the 30 & owned the IE800 (sold the later a few weeks ago)..
I prefer the 30 over the IE800. The IE800 is excellent.. it's got a bit more energy in the upper mids/lower treble vs the 30.. but the XBA-30's treble seems more refined & smooth to my ears. I'd put the 30's treble quantity somewhere north of the BA200 & south of the IE800's treble. In terms of quality, it sounds like a more energetic take on the BA200's (smooth, laid back) treble. I read quite a bit about the XBA-3 and the most common issues people had with the sound (namely, the sometimes sibilant, 'metallic' treble). I don't sense any of that with the XBA-30. It's detailed in the treble.. but pretty forgiving, too. It certainly won't spotlight harshness in the treble frequencies the way a more neutral IEM might.. but you'll still hear the grain and dullness that poorly recorded treble typically exhibits.. it just won't appear as obvious.
Midrange performance is a toss up between the IE800 & XBA-30 in that both are excellent and voiced similarly. The 30's mids (and whole fq response, in general) has more depth, leading to a more spacious soundstage vs the IE800 (who's stage is wide but comparatively shallow). The XBA-30's mids have a degree of smoothness and refinement that reminds me of the BA200 more than the IE800. The IE800's mids might be a tad faster, more neutral, & better separated.. but the 30 textures better and sounds have better weight & body. Mixing technicalities & personal preference, my order for midrange performance would got: BA200, XBA-30, then the IE800.
The XBA-30's bass is more punchy than the BA200 & IE800's bass. It's also very tight and well extended. The BA200's bass is more linear & neutral than the 30 & IE800's bass.. but the XBA-30's bass has slightly more midbass emphasis than either of the TDK phones (and it's faster than the BA200's bass/ on par with the IE800's bass speed). The XBA-30 has an excellent mix of speed and body in the bass (more body and impact than the IE800, better separation than the BA200).. it isn't as flat as the BA200's bass as the XBA-30's midbass is gently boosted.
The XBA-30 has the most "mass consumer"-oriented tuning of the three phones... but it's also got a surprising degree of refinement and possesses many qualities that would appeal to the 'mid-fi' audiophile who's in search of a balanced sound that's got a carefully added dash of warmth & fun. One thing that impressed me is how natural & cohesive the triple BA driver XBA-30 sounded.. it seemed quite"dynamic driver" like in it's ability to texture and decay naturally. It doesn't texture as well as something like the GR07 MKII or RE262.. but it certainly holds its own. Taking into account technical ability & personal preference, I'd put the XBA-30 near the top of my pile of favorite IEMs (next to the GR07 MKII, BA200, H-100). I got it mainly as a holdover until my custom IEMs arrived.. and despite one of my customs arriving, I've found myself still using the XBA-30 quite a bit lately.
I'll soon be sending my XBA-30 to Rin & Inks to have measured.. they'll have an XBA-3 on hand as well so we should get some (objective-oriented) analysis & comparison from them.
I bought some CKN70s and I will write up a comparison with the XBA-30 when I get them.
Excellent review. It seems like XBA-30s fixed all of XBA-3s issues. Overall I feel like they are BA version of Yamaha eph-100s. I'm certainly buying them once they come over to US.