Hey, glad to see these are picking up steam. I got these recently and they are truly fantastic, I agree with all the impressions here. However I need money for a new gaming rig so I'm letting go of mine for now. Please check out my listing if you're interested.   ​ 

I'm selling my IEMs, gonna venture into full-sized headphones. Someone give my XBA-30s a new home please. http://www.head-fi.org/t/664787/fs-sony-xba-30-audio-technica-ckn70-sony-mh1c

Disconnekt nice assessment of the CKN70s. I also felt the midbass was a bit excessive and the mids needed more clarity. TripleFi tips have solved these issues for me. Bass is more linear now, and the sub bass on these is amazing indeed. Fantastic extension texture and body. The highs are smooth...

Quote:   Nice to see you discovered the pure awesomeness that is the XBA-30s. I hastily said in the Discovery thread the CKN70s were my favorites, and that was rash. Admittedly I hadn't been listening to the XBA-30s much and was too focused on my new AT toy. But a member's PM got me to...

Quote:   The TripleFi tips are my favorite on the XBA-30s too. I am just loving these tips in general. They do a great job of unleashing the bass and taming the highs.

Quote:   Read your thoughts on the Kanens. Interesting how they change the sound in some of the same ways the TripleFi tips do for me. But for me, the bore size matters. Most of my tips don't change the sound much, and they are all small bore. Except my TripleFis.

Quote:   Great impressions, nice to see you finally got yourself some CKN70s. I knew you would like them.   I gotta say, now that I've burned mine in and found the right tips, these are hands down my favorite sounding IEMs. Guys you gotta make sure you experiment with tips on these. I...

Agreed, I think there are more changes than that. Sony said they slightly changed the tuning. The 30s also have a larger stage and better imaging than the 3s. And a nice Y-cord instead of a J-cord.

Yeah the tips are quite pricey but they are worth it. I remember Dsnuts saying you should look for wide bore tips to open up the sound and that reminded me of my TripleFi tips. These have a huge bore wider than the CKN70s nozzle and fit perfectly. And boy do they open up the sound. I just...

Quote:   http://www.amazon.com/Original-Ultimate-TripleFi-Silicone-replacement/dp/B00840NJSS/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_1

Guys with the CKN70s, you must try out UE TripleFi tips on these. They change the sound so much, for the better. I was using Sony Hybrids before, and while they were better than the stock tips, I felt that the CKN70s sounded a bit congested and could've used a little more clarity and better...

Quote:   Yep definitely. The XBA-30s have a very smooth and forgiving signature. Even at high volume they are hardly fatiguing and sibilance is rare. No part of the spectrum dominates the sound either, thanks to the carefully tuned balance.

Quote:   Never heard the R-50s but I know Joker gave it a 9.2, a score I would easily give the XBA-30s. I listen to a variety of music as well, including most of the genres you mentioned, and the XBA-30s play them effortlessly. They have a fun, balanced, spacious sound that just works...

Quote:   Agreed, the CKS77X won't be better than the CKS99, just right below it or on par (hoping for the latter as AT has been moving fast with their improvements). The old CKS77 needs an update to close the gap with the new solid bass and this is it.   Quote:   You know...

Quote:   +1 there are better choices these days.