Lol, I will try to write a level-headed review of the XBA-3's if I have time.
Come on guys, Sony invented the IEM, right? Let alone the earphone, portable headphone, cassette tape walkman, the Compact Disc, the MiniDisc.
I think they have some kind of idea what they're doing. The issue in the XBA series is it sounds like it was made in the 90's, Sony reinvented the IEM here.
The XBA-3 has a dirty sound like a cassette tape, it has limited soundspace, it has limited precision, it has fuzzy imaging... haha...
Wait, let me rewind. My previous Sony experiences have been the best earbuds ever, especially for their low prices, I listened to the MDR-EX300 / EX500 which sounded okay, then I ended up with Audio Technica CK10 and Sony MDR-EX700, I used them side by side for a long time, eventually got rid of the CK10. Then I (with hesitation) bought the Sony MDR-E888, I was so close to not buying it, head-fi reviews having me convinced "Yuin" earbuds and the like are the way to go. No way... the E888 wasn't a temporary fad like Yuin, it was in production for over 10 years, it used bio-cellulose technology, it was built in three different countries and sounded great. After all, Sony invented the earbud, recap.
Anyway, back to the EX700. After my CK10 vanished in a trade, the EX700 became my standard IEM for a while. I've demoed Final Audio Heaven's, Sennheiser IE8's and Shure SE425 / SE535's, list goes on, and often lost interest in my auditions of them... versus EX700.
Still, it was famously harsh and a bit expensive, the EX300 / EX500 were a little bass / consumer type sound. Sony seemed to have lost traction in IEM's and headphones, the MDR-V6 had been out for what, 25 years? The CD900ST, the SA-5000... sure, the SA-5000 is a top-tier headphone, even by current standards, but their newer technology seemed to be mostly XtraBass, 7.1 surround, Noise-Cancelling IEM's, unattractive clock-radios and not very impressive Discmans, compared to their flagship Discmans years prior!
So, Sony is failing, falling... in the portable audiophile market... which they invented...
Then all of a sudden... BOOM... here comes SONY (the one and only!), they release the ZX series and XB series headphones, at different price points to cater to everyone. The pillow-head (most comfortable HP ever) XB's are a success, the ZX's perhaps even more so, ZX300's all over the place, ZX700 a new ~$120 standard to consider... then there's the $700 Z1000, What is happening?
Along comes the announcement of a new IEM... looks like some kind of polished black heaven metal... the Sony MDR-EX1000.
RRP $750... ... what!!
Failure alarm is going off, initial frequency response graph's look like the ever unpopular / harsh EX700. Expectations are not much higher than a revamped EX700 with replaceable cables.
Luckily, intial listening impressions of the EX1000 are very good, angelic accolades. What did they do to the EX700? The EX1000 sounds totally different. Authority, romantic, fresh, unintrusive, atmospheric soundspace. People are throwing pink roses all over the place.
Then there is the Sony MDR-EX600... looks like Sony is catering to all price points as per the ZX and XB series.
ZX300, ZX500, ZX700, Z1000
XB300, XB500, XB700, XB1000
EX300, EX500, EX700, EX310, EX510, EX600, EX800ST, EX1000
So... the Made in Japan EX1000 looks like it was exported to Thailand, cheaper looking housing, no magnesium on the inside, different specs... same sound? Not quite, but the EX600 and EX1000 are close.
The EX600 is neutral and edgy, fresh and atmospheric like the EX1000. The EX1000 is more refined, the EX600 has more edge.
At street prices falling to ~$150 for the EX600, all of a sudden the higher-end Sony IEM's are very accessible (compare ~$150 to the previous ~$300 for the EX700 and ~$400 for the EX1000).
The EX600 becomes more popular in Japan, Sony has succeeded in yet another sector, the IEM.
Likewise, they released the MDR-EX800ST as a stage monitor for studio use, no warranty and limited accessories, long cable, slightly mid-centric sound for vocalists. This one uses magnesium alloy on the inside like the EX700 and EX1000, it's made in Japan and error-checked by Sony Music Communications.
Another success, for studios to accompany their MDR-CD900ST with (standard-issue in Japan).
So what's next? Sony releases the XBA series. They've reinvented the balanced-armature driver, making it themselves, something no other IEM company has done. So, this fact alone gives the new XBA series credit. The price points look extremely reasonable considering the new drivers MIJ and the relative competition of what other universal balanced-armature IEM's cost.
However, the new BA driver doesn't sound like the Etymotic ER-4 driver. It sounds closer to a dynamic driver, it seems more transparent and less visceral. There is a very hazy landscape without a specific source to the sounds, like an illusory TV screen which moves around.
It's really difficult to assess the XBA-3 coming from the Sony classic earbuds, E888, EX700 & EX600.
Aside from these, I've liked the Audio Technica CK10, Ultimate Ears UE700, Hifiman RE252, RE272 and various other IEM's a lot.
The XBA-3 just sounds too different to me and too lacking in precision for me to like. I can't personally get past it's 90's sound like it was supposed to compliment a MiniDisc, Walkman or cater to average mobile phone users, perhaps not far from the truth.
I just want to get back in the stainless steel kitchen of precision, and pretend I never heard the XBA-3.
The XBA-4 is better, but not a success story either.
Synergy with these is paramount above any other IEM I've heard, but you can't save a dying horse.
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