[cricketbaby]

Hi guys, in strongly considering buying a pair of XBA-40s. What are people's thoughts on the sound signature?

I'll probably be purchasing from eBay to the UK which will be less hassle than Amazon.JP does anyone have experience of importing from Japan and can offer any comments on import tax?

Thanks

 

[cricketbaby]

I also see that the iP model is cheaper. Is a lower quality cable used or would there be no issue there? I do have an iPhone and the control would definitely be a bonus as long as there's no other drawbacks.

 

[Deeman]

I find the micro phonics at tid bit annoying. Sorry. Anyway, when you get them, and you find the sound sig a little dark, you can try a mod that I found somewhere around here...where you can pull out the foamies in the nozzle, it brightens the whole thing, raises the midrange a little. Other than that there ain't much change. On a good amp, the soundstaging is really good...keep in mind these are source dependent, so it will sound different if you're listening to it through an iPhone or an amp.

About the mod, be gentle when pulling out the foamies(they're glued in), just in case you don't like the sound sig after you pull them out, use the littlest amount of glue, and stick them back inside. Tweezers, use tweezers. And don't worry about the drivers getting damaged by particulates if you take out the foamies there's a thin paper film thingy at the back. Don't touch it with your tweezers when taking the foamies out.

Lol if you're concerned about looks, the jack's paint easily chips off so don't drop it or scratch it.

Well, that's all from me. I hope this was somehow useful...
Jun.

 

[Deeman]

I don't have the ip model so I can't say. It's probably just the lower quality cable...maybe they have product deal with apple there...I mean, why would they make an iPhone applicable one if they have their own line of phones right?

Jun.

 

[kookoo]

The XBA-40 is quite abit darker than the W4R, richer, fuller and more bass than the W4, still quite pleasant,it smooths out all the rest of the frequency range. You are paying quite a high price for them and you do in a sense get your money's worth if a very dark mellow sound signature is what you're after. Though I wouldn't quite put it up there as revealing as the W4.
What bugs me is the shape of the IEM is such taht you cannot listen to them while lying down.
 
In terms of import taxes it's all up to the individual country's laws. If you're not sure always err on the side of caution that you will have to fork out extra for VAT (unless another UK headfier can tell you otherwise).

 

[Deeman]

The XBA-40 is quite abit darker than the W4R, richer, fuller and more bass than the W4, still quite pleasant,it smooths out all the rest of the frequency range. You are paying quite a high price for them and you do in a sense get your money's worth if a very dark mellow sound signature is what you're after. Though I wouldn't quite put it up there as revealing as the W4.
What bugs me is the shape of the IEM is such taht you cannot listen to them while lying down.

In terms of import taxes it's all up to the individual country's laws. If you're not sure always err on the side of caution that you will have to fork out extra for VAT (unless another UK headfier can tell you otherwise).

Can you compare the xba 40's with the westone 4r in more detail?

 

[kookoo]

In terms of quality they are both up there, just that they do things differently. The XBA leans towards more bass (but not bloated) and  very mellow (more sub bass and abit less of the mid bass). This is different to the IE8/80 where it screams high energy. The W4R wins out in the mids due to being a little bit more balanced. While the W4 can have that one sibilant treble spike, the XBA 40's treble is smooth all the way but never really engaging. The treble on the XBA rolls off much sooner as well. The XBA is a very forgiving IEM, think HD650.
I personally would not be too bothered with the outcome of either, only if your preference is slightly more clarity in mids and treble vs better bass (quality, quantity and smoothness)
 
lastly yes the shape bothers me alot, quality wise, the same

 

[omastic]

Hi there!
 
I have been using the XBA40 for the last few weeks or so and I have been very pleased with them so far. The sound signature is on the dark side with a soft nature. Emphasis is more towards bass/sub-bass and mids, so the high frequencies can seem a bit recessed IMHO but not really lacking in terms of details or resolution. Overall sound is very smooth, to the point where it glosses over flaws and harshness present in the recording, thus giving a very forgiving sound. I find this to be a quite a pleasant attribute for just casual listening as this makes everything sound good.
 
Soundstage has quite a large width and an impressive depth with lots of air around instruments. Presentation can be highly spacious and 3D with the right recordings. The overall presentation actually reminds me a lot about the sm3 without the excessive lower mid presence and more sub-bass. Sub-bass performance is one of the best I have heard. It goes very deep with good texture. In fact, the whole bass region has a nice, pleasant roundness to it. 
 
They are very source dependent though. I use an old sony walkman for on the go listening and hippo cri cri+ at my laptop. They sound fine from both.

 

[xybe]

Hi, newbie here. I have been listening to these for a week and so far they are the most fun headphones I've tried: punchy bass, forward mids and nice sounding highs. They present the instruments in a very immersive way and it's really easy to find subtleties in the music that I hadn't noticed before, it's like looking at a picture through a magnifying glass.
 
After looking at the XBA-4s (easier to find than the XBA-40s) FR graphs I tried recreating the XBA-4's hump at 3.6kHz through an EQ and I think that is what does it for me, I actually like that weird sound.
 
I am already amassing a small collection of HPs in the lower and mid-fi ranges such as the Grado SR80i, PX 100s (hence the avatar), Koss KSC75, HA-FXT90, HA-S500 and others on the <$200 range searching for the sound that is just right for me (there aren't a great many places to audition sub $1k cans where I live). So far the XBA-40s are the only to hit the mark.

 

[Complex89]

Hi guys, in strongly considering buying a pair of XBA-40s. What are people's thoughts on the sound signature?

I'll probably be purchasing from eBay to the UK which will be less hassle than Amazon.JP does anyone have experience of importing from Japan and can offer any comments on import tax?

Thanks

Hey OP, just wondering how it worked out for you because I can't get them anywhere in the UK.

 

[cricketbaby]

I managed to get them from eBay - no problems, though I had to pay VAT on import.
 
My cable has recently started to distort... I took a risk by not going for earphones with a removable cable.

 

[Tr1ppy]

Hi,
Since they are BA drivers, what is their power handling like? Do they distort easily at above average volumes?

Also does anyone know if a Fiio E18 will drive them well without impedance issues?

Thanks

 

[omastic]

Hi,
Since they are BA drivers, what is their power handling like? Do they distort easily at above average volumes?

Also does anyone know if a Fiio E18 will drive them well without impedance issues?

Thanks

Fiio E18 will be more than adequate for the XBA 40. They require a low output impedance source which the E18 is. 
 
No they dont distort at normal or above average listening volumes. I am not sure what you mean by power handling though. 

 

[Tr1ppy]

  Fiio E18 will be more than adequate for the XBA 40. They require a low output impedance source which the E18 is. 
 
No they dont distort at normal or above average listening volumes. I am not sure what you mean by power handling though. 

Thanks omastic! That's good news
 
Basically I was just getting at if the BA drivers distort easily when driven from a high power source; something I found out to my dismay with my Klipsch X10s which are okay at handling power at average to low volumes but crank it up a little and they distort easily, primarily in the bass regions.
 
I'm no expert but I think that was due to the single BA driver in the X10 being pushed beyond its limits. But from what you have said, it seems the XBA40 with its quad drivers seems much more capable.
 
Cheers

 

[omastic]

 
Thanks omastic! That's good news
 
Basically I was just getting at if the BA drivers distort easily when driven from a high power source; something I found out to my dismay with my Klipsch X10s which are okay at handling power at average to low volumes but crank it up a little and they distort easily, primarily in the bass regions.
 
I'm no expert but I think that was due to the single BA driver in the X10 being pushed beyond its limits. But from what you have said, it seems the XBA40 with its quad drivers seems much more capable.
 
Cheers

No problems. The XBA 40 can handle a lot more power input before they start to distort compared to the X10. The X10 is know to distort very easily. The XBA 40 has way more headroom in terms of bass power.