[jonsim86]

Havean xba300ap for sale. Great iem. just that its time to let go. do pm me if u are keen!

 

[JustJoseph]

Here are my impressions:

Summary
The xba 300s are an extremely detailed and clear iem with a flat, analytical and somewhat dry sound signature. It's obvious that they were tuned for maximum detail retrieval, at the cost of sounding slightly unnatural compared to the competition. They are targeted specifically at the audiophile market compared to shure/westone and not for people who prefer natural, smooth, organic sounding iems.

Detail level/clarity - very very high level of detail and clarity. Sounds much clearer compared to shure se846 and westone w40. Shure and westones have the level of detail there, it's just that the sonys throw it in your face.

Soundstage - average I guess compared to shure and westone (when talking about iems in that price range)

Imaging/instrument separation - superb. I'm able to tell the position of instruments, and easily distinguish between layers of sound eg string instruments and vocals. I guess shure and westone are at the same level, but the added clarity and detail presentation in the sonys makes this even more obvious. It's like having iems of about the same technical capabilities, but one is tuned such that it sounds clearer than the others. If that makes any sense

Bass - Extremely extremely fast, can be felt on high bpm edm tracks. Very tight and controlled, quantity is a bit North of neutral, not reaching bass head levels but still a nice boost for edm tracks. It extends low enough. On lorde - royals, the extremely low bass guitar can be heard clearly, which not many iems can do. It's not just enough for an iem to reach the nether bass regions, it also has to be able to separate it clearly from all the mush below, which the Sonys do perfectly.

Mids - As said before, fantastic layering and detail level. Very clean. Vocals have amazing detail and feel like they're floating through your head. However vocals can sound a little dry compared to smoother iems like shure westone, this is done to squeeze out some detail. Coming from someone who enjoys his sennheiser HD 598s, I find the midrange not rich or smooth enough for my liking. It can sound a bit clinical sometimes. There are some tracks where I would like a more organic rich sound. Bear in mind that personal preferences may vary and this is written by someone who likes warm smooth sound.

Highs - Here is where they truly shine. The treble is of a very high quality, shimmery smooth and well extended. It may give these iems the impression of being bright because of how good (quality) the treble is compared to other frequencies.

Tonality - a little unnatural due to their focus on squeezing out every bit of detail. This is not a glaring issue, yet noticeable enough to make me crave for other iems.

Overview
I feel that xba 300 is a very underrated iem. It accomplishes what it was intended to do - perform as an extremely detailed and clear iem. It thrashes shure and westone in this regard, and at a much cheaper price. However it lacks the smoothness that they have. Imo you should only buy these if you are a fan of flat analytical signatures and are willing to forgo smoothness. For me they won't be my daily drivers, only used for the times where I crave detail. They can complement iems like jvc wood series nicely. I guess that these sonys aren't that popular because more people prefer the tuning of shures/westones.

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

Here are my impressions:

Summary
The xba 300s are an extremely detailed and clear iem with a flat, analytical and somewhat dry sound signature. It's obvious that they were tuned for maximum detail retrieval, at the cost of sounding slightly unnatural compared to the competition. They are targeted specifically at the audiophile market compared to shure/westone and not for people who prefer natural, smooth, organic sounding iems.

Detail level/clarity - very very high level of detail and clarity. Sounds much clearer compared to shure se846 and westone w40. Shure and westones have the level of detail there, it's just that the sonys throw it in your face.

Soundstage - average I guess compared to shure and westone (when talking about iems in that price range)

Imaging/instrument separation - superb. I'm able to tell the position of instruments, and easily distinguish between layers of sound eg string instruments and vocals. I guess shure and westone are at the same level, but the added clarity and detail presentation in the sonys makes this even more obvious. It's like having iems of about the same technical capabilities, but one is tuned such that it sounds clearer than the others. If that makes any sense

Bass - Extremely extremely fast, can be felt on high bpm edm tracks. Very tight and controlled, quantity is a bit North of neutral, not reaching bass head levels but still a nice boost for edm tracks. It extends low enough. On lorde - royals, the extremely low bass guitar can be heard clearly, which not many iems can do. It's not just enough for an iem to reach the nether bass regions, it also has to be able to separate it clearly from all the mush below, which the Sonys do perfectly.

Mids - As said before, fantastic layering and detail level. Very clean. Vocals have amazing detail and feel like they're floating through your head. However vocals can sound a little dry compared to warm iems like shure westone, this is done to squeeze out some detail. Coming from someone who enjoys his sennheiser HD 598s, I find the midrange not rich or warm enough for my liking. It can sound a bit clinical sometimes. There are some tracks where I would like a more organic rich sound. Bear in mind that personal preferences may vary and this is written by someone who likes warm smooth sound.

Highs - Here is where they truly shine. The treble is of a very high quality, shimmery smooth and well extended. It may give these iems the impression of being bright because of how good (quality) the treble is compared to other frequencies.

Tonality - a little unnatural due to their focus on squeezing out every bit of detail. This is not a glaring issue, yet noticeable enough to make me crave for other iems.

Overview
I feel that xba 300 is a very underrated iem. It accomplishes what it was intended to do - perform as an extremely detailed and clear iem. It thrashes shure and westone in this regard, and at a much cheaper price. However it lacks the warmth that they have. Imo you should only buy these if you are a fan of flat analytical signatures and are willing to forgo warmth. For me they won't be my daily drivers, only used for the times where I crave detail. They can complement iems like jvc wood series nicely. I guess that these sonys aren't that popular because more people prefer the tuning of shures/westones.

yup,agree.
I think it is not popular because sony didn't sell or promote  it in us?

 

[grownmansport]

I've owned mine for about a month and been enjoying them a lot. Very BA-sounding which is what I was looking for. There are not many choices when it comes to multiple BA models which don't have to be worn behind your ears.

I surprisingly prefer them over my ie800. The ie800 sounds muffled next to the xba-300.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

I'm going to have to get XBA-300 as I really like the XBA-3 with my QA360LE, one of the better BA iem's I've heard, I prefer it to westone W60 I had. Also if you find the Sony XBA-3 or 300 sounds "tinny" then try them with a good Class A amp, it rounds out their sound nicely and your left with amazing smooth detail from those BA's.

 

[audiofreakie]

Hi, Im curious how it compared with sony mdr ex1000? I love ex1000 even than my 334 or ie800, but the fitting is disaster :v
For XBA lineup, I had XBA4 few years ago, love it compared to TF10, then I had XBA H1, and it surprisingly good for it price.

 

[JustJoseph]

Hi, Im curious how it compared with sony mdr ex1000? I love ex1000 even than my 334 or ie800, but the fitting is disaster :v
For XBA lineup, I had XBA4 few years ago, love it compared to TF10, then I had XBA H1, and it surprisingly good for it price.

IMO here is no point comparing it to EX1000 because of how just how different they sound. EX1000 is a very dynamic sounding iem with super huge soundstage, huge bass and the loudspeaker feels, while XBA 300 is a very ba sounding iem which has crazy clarity, detail retrieval and super fast tight sounding ba bass. They are both at the top of their game. Because of how diferent they sound, if you like EX1000 you probably wont like xba 300 and vice versa

 

[JustJoseph]

Tried the shure se846s today and am surprised by how close the xba 300s are in sound quality. 
 
The shures have a wider soundstage, similar instrument separation but the sonys have better clarity due to the tuning. In fact the sonys clean and dry vocals make the shure's rich and organic vocals sound muddy. Sony has better treble, but it can be fautiguing to some compared to shures which has lesser treble. Shure has much better bass where you can actually feel the impact, rumble and is better differentiated from the other frequencies. 
 
Overall, I still feel shure is a better iem (and has more consumer friendly tuning), but the sonys do come very close in raw sound quality. At one quarter of the price, the sonys allow to experience the sound quality of totl iems without breaking the bank. At 250 usd they are unmatched in clarity, instrument seperation and detail retrieval. However to some they may be too ba-sounding and lack a more organic feel. 

 

[audiofreakie]

Finally pull the trigger.
Well after "burnin" few hours I feel it become more refine in sq, the treble become soften than 1st time I tried.
Maybe my brain has adjusted to the soundsig. Or just my feeling.

IMO here is no point comparing it to EX1000 because of how just how different they sound. EX1000 is a very dynamic sounding iem with super huge soundstage, huge bass and the loudspeaker feels, while XBA 300 is a very ba sounding iem which has crazy clarity, detail retrieval and super fast tight sounding ba bass. They are both at the top of their game. Because of how diferent they sound, if you like EX1000 you probably wont like xba 300 and vice versa

Thanks, guess what, I like it like I like my ex-ex1000. The detail, clarity, fast bass, and I think this IEM has bass, love it when play some edm track.

Tried the shure se846s today and am surprised by how close the xba 300s are in sound quality. 

The shures have a wider soundstage, similar instrument separation but the sonys have better clarity due to the tuning. In fact the sonys clean and dry vocals make the shure's rich and organic vocals sound muddy. Sony has better treble, but it can be fautiguing to some compared to shures which has lesser treble. Shure has much better bass where you can actually feel the impact, rumble and is better differentiated from the other frequencies. 

Overall, I still feel shure is a better iem (and has more consumer friendly tuning), but the sonys do come very close in raw sound quality. At one quarter of the price, the sonys allow to experience the sound quality of totl iems without breaking the bank. At 250 usd they are unmatched in clarity, instrument seperation and detail retrieval. However to some they may be too ba-sounding and lack a more organic feel. 

Lets see if this iem can sounding more "organic" when I try with copper cable.
I see the spec it using "silver plated cable".

 

[JustJoseph]

Glad to hear youre enjoying them! They are certainly very good with edm because of how fast the bass is. The awesome treble also gives the tracks energy. Would love to have more subbass rumble tho. They also kick ass on tracks with string orchestras because of how good the instrument separation and imaging is.

About the organic thing, it's more of the iems being too analytical because they are tuned for maxium clarity and detail retrieval. On instrumental tracks I find myself preferring other iems, especially my senn 598 which sound so natural warm and smooth.

Overall this iem is more of a niche for me, I use occasionally if I want to be impressed by its clarity, detail retrieval, separation and imaging. But for my daily use I prefer something more organic.

 

[audiofreakie]

Glad to hear youre enjoying them! They are certainly very good with edm because of how fast the bass is. The awesome treble also gives the tracks energy. Would love to have more subbass rumble tho. They also kick ass on tracks with string orchestras because of how good the instrument separation and imaging is.

About the organic thing, it's more of the iems being too analytical because they are tuned for maxium clarity and detail retrieval. On instrumental tracks I find myself preferring other iems, especially my senn 598 which sound so natural warm and smooth.

Overall this iem is more of a niche for me, I use occasionally if I want to be impressed by its clarity, detail retrieval, separation and imaging. But for my daily use I prefer something more organic.

You should try "warmer" cable, my silver plated copper (which has warmer than alo sxc) give it some subbas and more "wet" mid. Its sound more thicker than standard cable, without killing the treble and clarity. Love it. Will try with copper cable soon, maybe 6n or 7n.

 

[SeeSax]

Just wanted to drop in and say hello and that I will have mine tomorrow. After going back and forth for six entire months, here I am I recently sold my Sony A3s and while I loved the sound, I couldn't tolerate the fit, I know these will be VERY different, but I have a soft spot for Sony and I too have the EX1000s. 
 
-Collin-

 

[gerelmx1986]

Finally pull the trigger.
Well after "burnin" few hours I feel it become more refine in sq, the treble become soften than 1st time I tried.
Maybe my brain has adjusted to the soundsig. Or just my feeling.

Thanks, guess what, I like it like I like my ex-ex1000. The detail, clarity, fast bass, and I think this IEM has bass, love it when play some edm track.
Lets see if this iem can sounding more "organic" when I try with copper cable.
I see the spec it using "silver plated cable".

Cool keyboard backlight I never saw it green, dual fan

 double the noise level hahaha, i have a Vaio with 4th gen i5 and the fan blows souds like a jet LOL "prepare for take off"
 
" I like it like I like my ex-ex1000" sounded like  a like tongue twister

 
Wonder how these would comprae to the XBA-A3 which is hybrid DD and dual BA

 

[JustJoseph]

Difference between 300 and A3:

They both use the same ba full range and tweeter drivers, only difference is that A3 uses a 16 mm dynamic for bass instead of 300's subwoofer. So sound quality for some aspects are similar.

A3 is a bassy earphone with slightly recessed mids, giving fun and excitement for the consumers. On the other hand, 300s are fairly flat with little bass boost, are super analytical and more suitable for the audiophile audience who like analytical.

Bass - A3s bass dig very deep, have lots of rumble and bass impact. 300s have much lesser impact (but still a little more than neutral), is much quicker and has lesser sub bass extension. It's like a thumping sledgehammer vs a quick snappy stick. Basically a comparison between ba and dynamic bass.
Mids - A3 has more recessed mids while 300s have neutral mids. Both have the same level of transparency and detail sounding very similar in this regard (same driver) but 300s are drier, cleaner making them sound slightly more detailed and less musical than A3. 300s are very analytical while A3 find the right balance between the analytical and musicality.
Treble - Both have similar awesome extension and smoothness and shimmery quality (se driver). However for A3, the sound presentation is focused on the awesome bass, while 300s have a fairly flat signature which causes the treble to be the star of the show. As a result 300s can sound brighter (tho frequencies wise it's not considered as bright).

Comfort - 300s are much more comfortable than the gigantic A3s which may have fit issues for some, but ymmv.

In conclusion both are great products tuned for different markets, with the same signature transparency and awesome treble. However I don't think they'll be successful like how shure or westone are. A3 has a really awesome bassy sound with transparency that shure/westone doesn't have, however fit issues will cause them to not sit well with the average consumer. 300s are way too analytical, they serve as a niche product in a niche market.

 

[audiofreakie]

Cool keyboard backlight I never saw it green, dual fan  double the noise level hahaha, i have a Vaio with 4th gen i5 and the fan blows souds like a jet LOL "prepare for take off"

" I like it like I like my ex-ex1000" sounded like  a like tongue twister

Wonder how these would comprae to the XBA-A3 which is hybrid DD and dual BA

Its RGB keyboards, so the backlit adjustable
About the fan its adjustable too, for hard gaming its sound like jet, just crank volume up to make it not noticeable during gaming, LOL.

Yeah, I like it like my ex-ex1000 (I owned it 2, and sell it twice, the problem just the fitting, I cant used it outside when walk around, except in quite area .

Just ever owned XBA H1,now the dynamic driver dead, have no time to repair it. So far I love this XBA300.