[Tom22]

  can someone make a comparison between a3 or 300ap?

 
i saw that you messaged me on youtube as well, so i'll answer you here.
 
i found them quite different
 
i personally found the a3s to be very fun sounding,
 
a bit overly bassy for me. and bit too warm.  but i really enjoyed the treble which was shimmery and lively ( i didn't hear any harshness)
 
the 300ap was really nice, i found the seemed to have a bit of a gentle roll of in the subbass, the midbass was very tight and punchy for a multi BA set up. but its still on the leaner side
 
the mids was a bit dry though 
 
treble wise i didn't think the 300ap stood out all that much 
 
 
 
this was all a relatively short listen. but the question is do you want something more fun? or you want something more lean sounding?
 
if it was me i would get the 300ap just because of the small more "conventional" fit, its tinier and more form fitting. 
 
i want listen to them again, a bit longer listening session. 

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

Thanks for replying me. I prefer the fitting of 300 also. I feel the sealing of a3 with my ears is not that good as the bass Is almost the same of that of 300ap. I not so sure a3 will fit my ear or not. I like both a3 and 300 so much. I think the bass of a3 maybe I didn't hear clearly as the fitting in ear is not that good

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

I'm stuck between these and the A3. I've had the Sennheiser IE80 for a few months and find them very unsatisfying (I couldn't try before buying). When I tried the A3 they instantly brought a smile to my face, they had everything that the IE80 lacked. I initially had totally overlooked the 300, but after listening to them enjoyed their sound. I would probably take the A3 over the 300, BUT the fit of the A3 looks to be something that could really be a factor in ruining my listening experience as they are so large and sit out so far - the 300 , either down or over-ear work much better for me and are about $90 cheaper in my currency. My concern about the 300 is that it may get a bit fatiguing as it is a lot brighter that the A3, and as Cool posted about perhaps some slightly unnatural emphasised sound elements. Has anyone got some opinions or input they could please offer?

feel the same thing now...
prefer sound of a3 but the want the isolation and how 300 fit.
i feel a3 does not fit my ear properly

 

[gerelmx1986]

 

I'm stuck between these and the A3. I've had the Sennheiser IE80 for a few months and find them very unsatisfying (I couldn't try before buying). When I tried the A3 they instantly brought a smile to my face, they had everything that the IE80 lacked. I initially had totally overlooked the 300, but after listening to them enjoyed their sound. I would probably take the A3 over the 300, BUT the fit of the A3 looks to be something that could really be a factor in ruining my listening experience as they are so large and sit out so far - the 300 , either down or over-ear work much better for me and are about $90 cheaper in my currency. My concern about the 300 is that it may get a bit fatiguing as it is a lot brighter that the A3, and as Cool posted about perhaps some slightly unnatural emphasised sound elements. Has anyone got some opinions or input they could please offer?

feel the same thing now...
prefer sound of a3 but the want the isolation and how 300 fit.
i feel a3 does not fit my ear properly

My a3 fit me very well with stock tips...  A3 are for sure VENTED design so i can hear some of ambient sounds, but also the vent helps widening the sound stage and instrument separation

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

 
My a3 fit me very well with stock tips...  A3 are for sure VENTED design so i can hear some of ambient sounds, but also the vent helps widening the sound stage and instrument separation.
 hope there is sony hybrid with design like 300ap.300ap is the best looking iem IMO. I am quite happy with 300ap now.

i used it with fiio x3k.The only thing I am not quite happy with 300ap is the cable,it looks cheap...even my cable of cx3.00 is thicker than it

 

[Justice Strike]

how do these iem compare the the XBA-40? I'm seriously tempted to get the XBA-40 they are quite ok priced. But removable cables are a big plus for me. I can even turn them into bluetooth IEM if needed.
 
the frequency range on the low end is untill 5 hz withthe XBA-300 and 3 hz with the XBA-40, does that also translate in more defined base with the XBA-40. Also on the high end the XBA-300 goes up a lot more than the XBA-40 (making the xba-300 high res). Is that anything you will notice when listening?

 

[SoundTown]

Has anyone compared the XBA-300 to the Audio Technica IM03, IM04 and/or the new E70? I've tried the IM03 and IM04, both very briefly and was wondering how the XBA-300 would compare.
Since the XBA-300 seems like it's cheaper than the IM03 at street prices (if I'm not mistaken) then I might look into the XBA-300 if I'm going to consider jumping into multi-BAs some time soon. The IM03 sounded decent from my demo, but much too expensive at common retail for my taste.

 

[Joyce Tan]

XBA 300 has a warm touch of bass, not too overpowering must just enough to get you locked on the music with the detailed bass it produces. 

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

it is tight and not the "booom" type bass

 

[Joyce Tan]

  it is tight and not the "booom" type bass

Yep agreed ^^^

 

[SoundTown]

 

Yep agreed ^^^

Isn't tight bass a characteristic of BA IEMs though? Just thought that was a common theme in the description of a lot of BA IEM sounds.
The discussions on this thread are getting me interested though, will definitely at least try the XBA-300 some time soon. Summer sales are coming after all. :3

 

[Joyce Tan]

  Isn't tight bass a characteristic of BA IEMs though? Just thought that was a common theme in the description of a lot of BA IEM sounds.
The discussions on this thread are getting me interested though, will definitely at least try the XBA-300 some time soon. Summer sales are coming after all. :3

Not a characteristic, but with just the specifications and conditions it will vary. Just wait for Sony's Sale where they throw a 20% discount at almost everything they can throw at.

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

i think im03 is slightly better than xba300 as it sound more 'transparent '

 

[SoundTown]

 

Not a characteristic, but with just the specifications and conditions it will vary. Just wait for Sony's Sale where they throw a 20% discount at almost everything they can throw at.

Oh yup I guess characteristic isn't the right word. Now that I think about it the IM04 (based on memory of my demo) didn't exactly have a flat or neutral bass, in fact being on the surprisingly dark and warm side. So it does vary from model to model for BA IEMs. Trend I guess is a better word for what we're talking about, since I do notice most people describing BA IEMs to have leaner sound, tighter bass, etc than dynamics.
About the Sony sales, yes they totally throw around 20% sales every once in a while. But in Singapore, a bit more rarely, they go higher based on forum posts I've read before. Hoping for a great 50% sale like the clearance one they did for the H3 in early 2015. Perhaps this June they'll do one with more than 20% off for the XBA-300.
... One can only hope haha

 

[SoundTown]

  i think im03 is slightly better than xba300 as it sound more 'transparent '

Hmm ok I'll keep that in mind. I tried the Im03 briefly once and liked it enough, but didn't feel the need to have it because of its price and slight sibilance with vocals. Should note though that it was only one song I tried the IM03 with (that doesn't have the best mastering) and it was straight out of my iPhone 5S. I'll try the IM03 again and give the XBA-300 a shot too, now that I have a portable DAC to use.
Thanks for your thoughts though. No thoughts on the XBA-300 compared to the IM04? Price wise it's kinda of unfair but I remember the IM04 better than the IM03.