[Damz87]

I think I saw recently in a translated (Japanese) interview with some Sony designers the XBA stood for something like 'extra balanced armature' but you wouldn't be blamed for thinking it was xtra bass.
After XBA fit issues, even with the N3, the M7 and M9 finally looked like the ideal design but after demoing them for a month while I was in Japan I just couldn't walk away from a dynamic driver bass. They didn't lack in bass, nor in quality bass but when comparing to the Z5's dynamic bass I just couldn't make the purchase. So while I praised Sony for finally making a better design I cursed them for making the IER-Z1R the hybrid, until a combination of secondhand pricing coming down and my budget going up allowed me to finally own them, ticking all the boxes, and finding complete satisfaction for fit and sound.

Yes the XBA moniker refers to their Balanced Armature series, first being XBA-2/3/4's which were the first Sony IEM's to feature their proprietary BA drivers.

 

[hoofman]

I think I saw recently in a translated (Japanese) interview with some Sony designers the XBA stood for something like 'extra balanced armature' but you wouldn't be blamed for thinking it was xtra bass.
After XBA fit issues, even with the N3, the M7 and M9 finally looked like the ideal design but after demoing them for a month while I was in Japan I just couldn't walk away from a dynamic driver bass. They didn't lack in bass, nor in quality bass but when comparing to the Z5's dynamic bass I just couldn't make the purchase. So while I praised Sony for finally making a better design I cursed them for making the IER-Z1R the hybrid, until a combination of secondhand pricing coming down and my budget going up allowed me to finally own them, ticking all the boxes, and finding complete satisfaction for fit and sound.

Yes you are absolutely right. I assumed it to be the same as my other extra bass headcan MDR-XB920 like @nc8000 said. I found a very old launching slide and it is "Experience Balanced Armature".

Gosh, I remember listening to those at my very first Head-Fi meet in 2009. I though the extra bass would be good? The problem was the rest of the signature.........not enough detail. IMO

I did buy a used pair of Denon AH-D7000s that day though!

I think so too. The bass is good but often drown out mid and treble, also the lack of detail in mid and treble.

 

[hoofman]

Fukushima was crazy! I had some intellectual friends at the time that either I would go to their house or they would come over to mine, and spend 4 or 5 hours taking about that situation. It’s actually nice that I don’t think about Fukushima (anymore) and the strange plant mutations photographed! And...the plants were the least of there worries!

Yes, I have heard the AH-D7000 is different from the AH-D7200.

That was horrible disaster. I remembered many big firms in Japan were hit hard by the incident like Sony and Panasonic etc. I went to the 5-year memorial of the loss from the tsunami in Sendai in 2016 and learnt from the accident. Witnessing how people trying their best to put the pain behind and rebuild everything was a deeply moving experience for me.

 

[gerelmx1986]

Yes you are absolutely right. I assumed it to be the same as my other extra bass headcan MDR-XB920 like @nc8000 said. I found a very old launching slide and it is "Experience Balanced Armature".


I think so too. The bass is good but often drown out mid and treble, also the lack of detail in mid and treble.

I had the XBA-1 lasts me two years before right bud died. So i got XBA-H3 in 2014. Sold it and got XBA-A3 in 2015 and 2017 got Z5. I sold thwm to get IER-Z1R and IER-M7

 

[nc8000]

I had the Z5 but could never get a good fit no matter what tips I tried (and I tried a lot) so sold it after getting the IER-Z1R

 

[n00b]

uh oh

 

[hoofman]

Let's the hype train begin

 

[SlothRock]

Oh lawd he comin

 

[Redcarmoose]

 

[musicinmymind]

Two days back, Mojo 2 released with SQ may be inches away from thrice priced Hugo 2, I have.
Not sure what surprises Feb 9 has, holding on to my ZIR and WM1Z no matter what.

 

[hoofman]

Two days back, Mojo 2 released with SQ may be inches away from thrice priced Hugo 2, I have.
Not sure what surprises Feb 9 has, holding on to my ZIR and WM1Z no matter what.

Black Friday 2022

 

[MatW]

So, what's cooking? I see various Sony stuff in that picture.

Edit: so I understand it's most likely a DAP. If so, not interesting for me.

 

[hoofman]

So, what's cooking? I see various Sony stuff in that picture.

Edit: so I understand it's most likely a DAP. Not interested.

Nobody really know but my conspiracy theory is an Android-based 1A/1Z successor. Let's see.

 

[kadinh]

uh oh

IER-Z2R?????

LOL JK

 

[Damz87]

Nobody really know but my conspiracy theory is an Android-based 1A/1Z successor. Let's see.

No need to conspire too much, It’s most likely exactly that

https://thewalkmanblog.blogspot.com/2021/11/new-sony-walman-icx-1298-spottede-on.html?m=1