audionewbi
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2010
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For those who are interested to try I am selling my XBA-4.
I see that you dislike them ... hope you find a better IEM for your taste, for me I only hope that they are better than the TF-10, with a better fit and a good isolation. I know they are not the best quad BA but they are cheap and I'm curious to listen how it pair with the Sony F807.
I cross my finger hoping that the F807 drive it well![]()
I received this week the Sony F807 and the XBA-4, here my fist impression on this combo. Both are the top line from Sony, the creator of the Walkman and I was thinking he have to pair well, and I will be short this is the case.
The XBA-4 are now less than 300$, the cheaper 4 drivers in the market if I'm not wrong.
I'm not an audiophile or audio engineer, just an amateur of music and English is not my first language, be gentle with me
Source : FLAC
Settings : Clear Bass at 1
I started with a well know song of Metallica "Enter Sandman", the soundstage is large, better than my TF10 and equal to my IE-80. Bass humm great, the drums feel so plain at the same level of the IE-80 if not more, a bassy IEM ! The TF10 are just blown away, nothing to compare.
Following sound was "Nothing Else Matters", the mids are very detailed, more than my IE-80 and similar to the TF-10, a little bit recessed compared to the IE-80. The bass are very well controlled, they never bloated the mids with a very strong presence !
Switching to Muse "2nd Law" album, I started with the sound "Follow me" and god the bass are awesome, with "Save me" I'm focusing on the high, they are crispy and pronounced.
The signature is definitely V shaped, the instrument separation is good and the sense of speed also, less than expected in balanced armature.
The fitting was so easy and perfect for me, they are very comfortable and you forget it quickly, isolation is very good and they look pretty, build quality is very good for this price range.
For me this IEM is a mix between dynamic IEM and BA, the best of both world ? I have to listen more albums and take more time, but at the moment I'm not disappointed at all with this combo and now I'm a Sony fan boy
This is probably not the best IEM, I will keep my IE-80 for sure, but for an amateur like me looking for a change in the signature, in this category of price, they are good and I do not regret my choice.
Merry Christmas to all music lover !
The XBA-3s are 16 Ohm, so are a safer bet out of a DAP or Phone and are less bulky too.
Good review though. Can't believe I didn't see it earlier.