Inks
An expert on his own opinion.
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2007
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XBA2:
- These reminded me much more of the SE315 (and price wise they're similar) with more emphasis on the midrange and the treble very rolled off compared to XBA3 and XBA4.
- However, its bass extends lower and/or is more forward than that of the SR315. For instance, I can't really feel the last heartbeat sample on se315 but it may be a touch firmer than the Sony.
- The SE315 feels like midrange only and dynamically compressed so the XBA2 (same price in Japan I believe) is a no brainer.
- Overall, I liked the XBA2 better than XBA3 as I thought its bass was more natural sounding to me (not as forward and not boomy). I wish Sony did not shelve down the highs as much but fortunately I can turn to the XBA4 for this.
- Very compact (but still sticks out a little bit compared to an angled driver like Shure's SE series), it fits perfectly in my (small) ears and I could get reasonable isolation.
Conclusion:
- It is a bit difficult to decide between the XBA2 (not as extended low / highs but very compact and most comfortable for my small ears) and XBA4 (much better listening experience but at the expense of bulkiness and somewhat poorer fit to my ears).
- I believe I will go with the XBA4 though as the price is still reasonable in light of the sound it delivers (does not replace my home rig but I could probably live happily with just that!).
Odd that the XBA3 was boomier than the XBA2 considering they seem to use the same exact bass driver. Wasn't expecting that, if anything I would think the XBA4 would be a tad too bassy compared to the other models.