[d marc0]

My XBA-30's matched up with the C&C BH is the best sound I've heard to date.. On high gain with the LF switch on makes it a perfectly complete sound with a huge soundstage and amazing separation.. And the bass is just next level.. The E11 on the other hand made things too muddy and took some micro details away when I had it with the XBA-3.. So who knows =)

I didn't experience any sound degradation from the XBA3 + E11 combo. Maybe you associated smoothness to loss of detail?

 

[oneoseven]

I don't think so.. But maybe you're right =)

 

[d marc0]

I don't think so.. But maybe you're right =)

What's the output impedance of C&C BH? My source has a much higher value than the E11's <1. Plugged straight to the source my XBA3 sounds a lot brighter and borderline sibilant (seems to sound more detailed). The metallic tinge is also more apparent. With the E11, most of those issues are eliminated which makes the XBA3 seem to sound veiled in comparison.

 

[canikickit1]

DAMNIT!! Just received all my parts for the cmoybb!  

But agreed about the last part though. The soundstage and separation is out of the world though.

The cmoy is still a good amp, and I would still consider it to be better than plugging the it through the hp out of the iPod classic. I believe you'd still be happy with the cmoy considering you'd have constant power with your set up at work. I did not have the liberty of a constant current (only 9v batteries) and have read that the cmoys shine with dedicated power.

 

[canikickit1]

My XBA-30's matched up with the C&C BH is the best sound I've heard to date.. On high gain with the LF switch on makes it a perfectly complete sound with a huge soundstage and amazing separation.. And the bass is just next level.. The E11 on the other hand made things too muddy and took some micro details away when I had it with the XBA-3.. So who knows =)

Reading reviews, the c&c bh is touted to have better clarity than the e11. I might give the c&c bh once it drops down in price or the 1234X series comes to the states .

 

[canikickit1]

My XBA-30s are officially up for grabs on here and on eBay if anyone is interested.
 
I have never spent so much time trying to pair a good source/amp with an IEM but I feel like I made the right choice with the XBA40s + E11.
I did purchase the C&C BH from a fellow Head-Fi'er which I will be giving my comparisons with later in the week, but I will tout that as my last purchase for a while. For now my upgrade-itis is done. From HF5 to GR01 to ER4P to (S) to GR07 to XBA-3 to XBA-30 to XBA-40. My wallet thanks me haha

 
Final Verdict:
 
XBA-30-  Awesome IEM with unmatched balance, bass and timbre. Not source dependent and will shine with any DAP. Fixes all the errors of the XBA-3s (Metallic Sheen, slight sibilance, slight harsh highs)
 
XBA-40s - U-shaped IEM with an insane soundstage. Very source/output impedance/synergy dependant. Will shine with proper pairing and ampage, super-woofer kicks in when needed.

 

[Carlsan]

Quote:

My XBA-30s are officially up for grabs on here and on eBay if anyone is interested.
 
I have never spent so much time trying to pair a good source/amp with an IEM but I feel like I made the right choice with the XBA40s + E11.
I did purchase the C&C BH from a fellow Head-Fi'er which I will be giving my comparisons with later in the week, but I will tout that as my last purchase for a while. For now my upgrade-itis is done. From HF5 to GR01 to ER4P to (S) to GR07 to XBA-3 to XBA-30 to XBA-40. My wallet thanks me haha

 
Final Verdict:
 
XBA-30-  Awesome IEM with unmatched balance, bass and timbre. Not source dependent and will shine with any DAP. Fixes all the errors of the XBA-3s (Metallic Sheen, slight sibilance, slight harsh highs)
 
XBA-40s - U-shaped IEM with an insane soundstage. Very source/output impedance/synergy dependant. Will shine with proper pairing and ampage, super-woofer kicks in when needed.

 
xba-40'a when they kick in - kick ass - and are just plain magical in your ears...

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

xba-40'a when they kick in - kick ass - and are just plain magical in your ears...

 
This thread certainly has tweaked my interest in the 40's! But, it would cost me $220 shipped (amazon.jp/tenso), and that's too rich for me. So we wait patiently

 

[a_recording]

Great impressions :3
 
I'm glad that the penny is starting to drop with regards to differences between the XBA-4 and XBA-40.
 
I'm going to be updating my own comparison with the XBA-40 soon but I can agree with what's been said; the XBA-40 is still as picky as ever but gets rid of that disjointed metallic ring of the XBA-4. Easily one of my favourites now. The bass is quite astounding. When I want balance of course I'd go for the EX1000 / 7550 but the
 
It sounds great out of my iP5 - 3ohm impedance, similar to what people have been reporting as a good pairing with the Walkman series DAPs. Out of the O2 with 0.1 impedance it actually sounds a little too muffled. Like the Sonove graph for the XBA-3 seems to suggest, the higher the output impedance the more treble returns to the sound. 
 
I think its quite possible that the shimmery sound of the XBA-4 was the high frequency tweeter being too present in the mix. It sounds to me as if they tuned down the tweeter about 3db in the XBA-40 which is enough to take the metallic edge out. 

 

[canikickit1]

Quote:

Great impressions :3
 
I'm glad that the penny is starting to drop with regards to differences between the XBA-4 and XBA-40.
 
I'm going to be updating my own comparison with the XBA-40 soon but I can agree with what's been said; the XBA-40 is still as picky as ever but gets rid of that disjointed metallic ring of the XBA-4. Easily one of my favourites now. The bass is quite astounding. When I want balance of course I'd go for the EX1000 / 7550 but the
 
It sounds great out of my iP5 - 3ohm impedance, similar to what people have been reporting as a good pairing with the Walkman series DAPs. Out of the O2 with 0.1 impedance it actually sounds a little too muffled. Like the Sonove graph for the XBA-3 seems to suggest, the higher the output impedance the more treble returns to the sound. 
 
I think its quite possible that the shimmery sound of the XBA-4 was the high frequency tweeter being too present in the mix. It sounds to me as if they tuned down the tweeter about 3db in the XBA-40 which is enough to take the metallic edge out. 

 
 
Thanks!
 
Also, that explains why the mids would sound more forward out of the HP jack of my iPod classic 5.5g (~5 ohms (?)) than with the CMoy and E11. With the Zip Clip, the 40s ultimately sound more balanced than forward (a result of the shorter soundstage of the zip?)
 
In addition to the zout of a source,  do you know how a source's current plays a role in this?

 

[a_recording]

Quote:

Thanks!
 
Also, that explains why the mids would sound more forward out of the HP jack of my iPod classic 5.5g (~5 ohms (?)) than with the CMoy and E11. With the Zip Clip, the 40s ultimately sound more balanced than forward (a result of the shorter soundstage of the zip?)
 
In addition to the zout of a source,  do you know how a source's current plays a role in this?

 
In my comparison of the EX1000 and XBA4 I referenced / linked some sources for output impedance info. The E11 has an output impedance of something like 0.1 ohms. The Clip+ has something like 1ohm. I don't know about the Zip but I would assume it is similarly well designed. I'm not sure output impedance is making a terrible difference here; the difference in soundstage might be due to other factors? THD, etc.
 
Definitely the 5ohm on the iPod would sound different though.
 
Regarding current - I'm no electrical engineer, but isn't current just a product of the output impedance? Ohms law,  V = IR and all that jazz. A source just provides whatever current is the result of a given voltage / impedance. It would be hard to find a source that could not suppply enough current to the XBA (or any BA) because they are high -sensitivity / low impedance. It would be more likely that you could turn the voltage (volume) up too high and blow the drivers!
 
The XBA-4 quotes a maximum input current of 100mW. For comparison the MDR-1R quotes a max figure of 1500mW. (I doubt it but hey). The Clip+ supposedly has a max output of 15mW. So hey, no danger there.

 

[JiggaD369]

Good feedback guys!
 
So I finally built my Cmoybb yesterday (with good quality parts) and the sound does pickup a lot. I still want to give the E11 a try though.

 

[mugen3]

Great review. The new XBA deserve a lot of attention as Sony really stepped their game up. Now I'm wondering whether I should've gotten the XBA-40s instead of the 30s..

 

[canikickit1]

Great review. The new XBA deserve a lot of attention as Sony really stepped their game up. Now I'm wondering whether I should've gotten the XBA-40s instead of the 30s..

Thanks!

If you have a good amp+DAP pairing, and are willing to have a more U shaped signature with low zout source, like Carlsan said, the super-woofer will kick your . Soundstage is truly amazing on these.

 

[JiggaD369]

Couldn't agree more.