[canikickit1]

I've actually paired the XBA40s with the C&C BH amp that has been receiving many praise here on Head-FI. Compared to the E11s, preference wise, I definitely would still go to the E11s. The C&C BH definitely brings out the clarity with the 40s, and ultimately makes the sound signature from a U shape, to more of a flat response. However, the main thing I didn't like about the BH was that it affected the soundstage of the 40s a bit. There was definitely an increased clarity and detail (especially microdetail) with the BH, also,the instrument seperation was more pronounced and audible. However, I would still deem the E11 + XBA40 the best. The zout of the BH, on outout1 is 2 ohms vs the E11s 0.5 ohm. With the 40s being an extremely picky IEM, there is a synergy with the E11 that makes the layering of the soundstage more seamless. The extra clarity given by the BH overall removes the smoothness of the sound, and makes it a bit analytical (which was the sound I was trying to move from when finding an upgrade to the HF5s and ER4Ps). Lastly, I believe the extra ohms of the zout on the BH skews the 40s soundstage a bit (similar to the effect I had pairing it with the Sansa Zip Clip with a zout of ~1.5). The best way I can describe it is with the E11, the 40s place you right in the middle of the stage, with a good 5-10 feet from the L and R guitars, and the center stage vocalist/drums. The BH reduces the distance from 5-10 feet, to almost directly next to you, while increasing the centerstage depth.
 
I will audition both for a week to see how it goes if anything changes.

 

[thegamer36]

Has anyone compared the XBA-30 to the Triple Fi 10 and have any thoughts about the two?
Thanks.

 

[audiobot]

Quote:

XB-40 + E11 (on high curent) = 

 .
Most enjoyable sound  I heard so far from an iem and I owned PF232, 4A.i, FX700, FXZ200, RE262, W3. Sadly, the ergonomic and cable are less than perfect.

Don't do this to me mann. Don't you mention my fx700s. I am about to throw my money at these. Just spent $250 on my Sennheiser hd 598. Gave up on finding a great iem with a remote mic and was content with the pleasing apple ear pods after my love affairs with the dba-02, ck10, fx700, and most recently re-400. If these iems are indeed in the $200+ range then they... are... mine!! 

 

[waynes world]

Anyone compared the xba40's with the gr07be's? I recently got the gr07be's and love them. But, I'm potentially interested in getting another set of great iem's that are not over the ear, and that have a sound that is different enough from the gr07be's to make switching between the two an interesting experience. Thanks!

 

[canikickit1]

Quote:

Don't do this to me mann. Don't you mention my fx700s. I am about to throw my money at these. Just spent $250 on my Sennheiser hd 598. Gave up on finding a great iem with a remote mic and was content with the pleasing apple ear pods after my love affairs with the dba-02, ck10, fx700, and most recently re-400. If these iems are indeed in the $200+ range then they... are... mine!! 

 
The 40s brand new from Amazon.jp and using shipping through tenso would be roughly around $199 USD.

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

 
The 40s brand new from Amazon.jp and using shipping through tenso would be roughly around $199 USD.

 
I am trying to resist your sway. I have the E11, and your saying how well the xba40's pair with it does not help. I also have the E12, and I suspect they would also pair well with it (although I should double check). Too bad they don't pair as well with only the clip zip... maybe I can use that as my good excuse for not getting them lol.
 
I might get them if I thought that I could sell them easily enough should I feel that they are not for me. Hmmm.

 

[canikickit1]

Quote:

 
I am trying to resist your sway. I have the E11, and your saying how well the xba40's pair with it does not help. I also have the E12, and I suspect they would also pair well with it (although I should double check). Too bad they don't pair as well with only the clip zip... maybe I can use that as my good excuse for not getting them lol.
 
I might get them if I thought that I could sell them easily enough should I feel that they are not for me. Hmmm.

 
I'm definitely interested in how the E12 would pair with the 40s. From the website, it maintains a low zout (similar to the E11) and has a bass boost feature as well.Alternatively, the C&C BH pairing didn't really work out for me and my ears. The increased clarity made it more analytical, reduced smoothness, and tampered with the soundstage with the SF switch. I also think the increased zout of the C&C BH skewed the sound a bit. Similar to a_recordings frequency graphs of the xba-3s he showed on this thread.
 
The only thing I'm iffy about is the E12's bass boost feature. The E11 has a two setting bass boost which compliments unleashing the XBA-40's super-woofer very, very well. The mids remain smooth, but not recessed, in addition to the soundstage being perfect.
 
Upon further reading, the upcoming mass production of the E12 will figure in a bass boost in the 50hz region instead of the original 30hz region. By comparison, the E11 increases the boost in the 70hz region.

 

[audiobot]

the ip models? I am looking at the 30 because it sounds better unampped and has smaller housings for a better fit. I don't use amps, especially on the go. Looks too cumbersome for me.
 
So all I have to do is sign up to tenso and follow basic instructions for the purchase? I was looking at the prices and $226 was the best deal I could find from an amazon (US) japanese seller.

 

[canikickit1]

Quote:

the ip models? I am looking at the 30 because it sounds better unampped and has smaller housings for a better fit. I don't use amps, especially on the go. Looks too cumbersome for me.
 
So all I have to do is sign up to tenso and follow basic instructions for the purchase? I was looking at the prices and $226 was the best deal I could find from an amazon (US) japanese seller.

http://www.amazon.co.jp/SONY-%E5%AF%86%E9%96%89%E5%9E%8B%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8A%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A4%E3%83%A4%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AC%E3%82%B7%E3%83%BC%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC-%E3%82%B7%E3%83%AB%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC-XBA-30-S/dp/B00931SBYO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363568385&sr=8-1
 
A white XBA-30 from amazon.jp + tenson would be $135.00usd + $19 tenso shipping costs = $154.00 usd. It's a great IEM and don't think you can get anything with the same bang-for-buck performance around the price range.
 
Note: These are not the ip models with the mic and controls.

 

[Phenony]

Thank you for comparing the two flagships of the XBA series.

 

[audiobot]

yea i would need the ip models. only thing holding me back from purchasing these is the lack of removable cable. i would be all over the vsonic vc02 were it not for lack of remote/mic controls. i just wish that all iems had the option of both by now. 

 

[virus12345]

canikickit,
 
how does the xba30 goes up against xba40+e11 in terms of sound ?
 
and does walkman z pair up well with xba40+e11 OR xba30 ???

 

[DannyBai]

Nice review man.  I'm really loving the 40's right now.  Looking forward to hearing the 30's.  Not sure if the 30 can stack up to this sound of the 40's.  

 

[audiobot]

hey quick ? for anyone who can answer on this soon to be mega thread...
 
the bass on the 30 model, where would you rank them alongside the jvc ha-fx700, vsonic gr07, jvc ha-fxt90? i have been swayed away from the 40 model because of it's dependency on amp/dac.

 

[audiobot]

Quote:

Nice review man.  I'm really loving the 40's right now.  Looking forward to hearing the 30's.  Not sure if the 30 can stack up to this sound of the 40's.  

hey both unamped, is there that big of a difference in sound.