[Modeux]

I am seeing some people say that the 300s were made for audiophiles and that they are a niche product in a niche market. Did I made a mistake in making these my first high end earbuds? The only reason I choose these over other earbuds is I've been using Sony earbuds for years so I've wanted my first expensive ones to be Sony and I liked the idea of being able to easily replace the cable if these broke, and I didn't like the wear style of the other buds that can do that like the a3.

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love these things jumping from $10- $30 earbuds right into $250 earbuds I am blown away by these. My concern is since these are apparently unique sounding made for a niche crowd in a niche market did I screw myself over in that other earbuds that's tuned for a more common crowd is going to sound off putting to me? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

 

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

 
I did not find one pair of IEMs on GoldenEars that had a more reference-like graph than these.

 
Here is XBA-3 vs XBA-30. I have XBA-3, they are imo the best triple BA iem ever made bar none, and one of the best iem's in general, the extension and neutrality is unmatched, the only fault is the 4khz peak, but when I pair it correctly it is not a problem for me.
 

 

[Raketen]

I am seeing some people say that the 300s were made for audiophiles and that they are a niche product in a niche market. Did I made a mistake in making these my first high end earbuds? The only reason I choose these over other earbuds is I've been using Sony earbuds for years so I've wanted my first expensive ones to be Sony and I liked the idea of being able to easily replace the cable if these broke, and I didn't like the wear style of the other buds that can do that like the a3.

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love these things jumping from $10- $30 earbuds right into $250 earbuds I am blown away by these. My concern is since these are apparently unique sounding made for a niche crowd in a niche market did I screw myself over in that other earbuds that's tuned for a more common crowd is going to sound off putting to me? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Sound is in some ways super subjective/relativistic and in general brains are highly adaptive to different sound profiles- if you spend long enough with any single headphone, switching to another will almost inevitably sound weird and vis a versa- though some of the more blatant flaws in lower end headphones might become more apparent. There is also the possibility your own sonic inclinations/preferences will change over time thanks in part to the headphones you're using.

Bottom line I'd say you got a really nice set of earphones (personally preferred them to the A3) for an appropriate price, and that there are good headphones at any price point depending on what compromises you will accept.

 

[JustJoseph]

I am seeing some people say that the 300s were made for audiophiles and that they are a niche product in a niche market. Did I made a mistake in making these my first high end earbuds? The only reason I choose these over other earbuds is I've been using Sony earbuds for years so I've wanted my first expensive ones to be Sony and I liked the idea of being able to easily replace the cable if these broke, and I didn't like the wear style of the other buds that can do that like the a3.

Don't get me wrong I absolutely love these things jumping from $10- $30 earbuds right into $250 earbuds I am blown away by these. My concern is since these are apparently unique sounding made for a niche crowd in a niche market did I screw myself over in that other earbuds that's tuned for a more common crowd is going to sound off putting to me? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Nope. Like what Raketen said, sound is subjective. This product is made for those who prioritise clarity and detail retrieval in their iems. Usually this consumer Base largely consists of audiophiles, however this does not mean non audiophiles cannot enjoy it too. If you enjoy it, then it is a worthy purchase for you. As he said, you will slowly become accustomed to the highly detailed and clear sound such that when you try other "consumer" iems, like shure, you may find them quite muddy veiled. Its all a matter of preference. Furthermore these are a pretty good deal for the price, imo they are the most detailed and clear in their price range. They can have almost the same detail retrieval, and sound clearer (due to tuning) then shure se 846 and sennheiser ie800 which cost more than 4 times their price.

 

[Cool]

Here is XBA-3 vs XBA-30. I have XBA-3, they are imo the best triple BA iem ever made bar none, and one of the best iem's in general, the extension and neutrality is unmatched, the only fault is the 4khz peak, but when I pair it correctly it is not a problem for me.

I agree completely the XBA-30's are actually probably some of the best headphones ever made, period. I am waiting on the 1more triples to arrive, and hopefully they are close, as some reviews would suggest.

I think with the XBA-30's, Sony demonstrated that what's objectively the best pair of headphones can be made and sold to consumers for under $150. Probably less. I think it sucks that they failed to receive the attention they deserved, in part due to them being very picky with impedance sources. For now we are back to buying what are basically $300 Instagram filters for our ears. I will be trying to procure an extra pair from China this year.

Have you found other headphones that you can get a similar experience out of?

 

[gerelmx1986]

seems these weren't as popular as the XBA-Ax and XBA-Hx and Z5

 

[jinxie]

Okay, so I was stupid enough to lose one of my silicone rubber earbuds (cyan? I think it's size L), and I have a very long flight to Paris tomorrow afternoon, and I utterly dread the prospect of going out without XBAs. If you have any idea where or how I can find a replacement (Vienna downtown), I'd appreciate it very much.
 
I hope those earbuds are interchangeable between models, but Sony Asia support size is pretty mum about it.

 

[israikc]

Maybe buy some cheap Sony IEMs and just use the tips on your XBA. As far as I've experienced all Sony IEMs use the same sillicone tips.

 

[Sesameopen]

Woo just purchased a pair. These would be my 2nd large purchase (over $200).
 
Really missed the sound of BA's

 

[audiofreakie]

Few people complaining about hars treble.
I feel it too, but now I find out why it happen.
The source is the point, use better music file, dedicated player, and you in heaven .

 

[audiofreakie]

seems these weren't as popular as the XBA-Ax and XBA-Hx and Z5

It caused by availability of this item. This item only available in few country in asia. Even made in Thailand, XBA300 not sell in Thailand.
Funny, what Sony thinking about?

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

Few people complaining about hars treble.
I feel it too, but now I find out why it happen.
The source is the point, use better music file, dedicated player, and you in heaven .

not really...for female vocal ,the 's' "ci‘ sound is so irritating..I ended up using this iem to listen to some anime bgm or piano only

 

[jinxie]

My cable is about to go bust. When I bought the pair, I heard from the sales rep that these use some sort of standard connectors, so a replacement cable might come from different vendors. Do any of you fellow XBA owners use custom cables (that don't cost another $200)? Maybe you found a cable that has volume controls?

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

  My cable is about to go bust. When I bought the pair, I heard from the sales rep that these use some sort of standard connectors, so a replacement cable might come from different vendors. Do any of you fellow XBA owners use custom cables (that don't cost another $200)? Maybe you found a cable that has volume controls?

I bought mee p1 for 200 usd and yeah both cable(with and without mic) fit perfectly with xba300

 

[MildBelmont]

My cable is about to go bust. When I bought the pair, I heard from the sales rep that these use some sort of standard connectors, so a replacement cable might come from different vendors. Do any of you fellow XBA owners use custom cables (that don't cost another $200)? Maybe you found a cable that has volume controls?

The connectors are standard mmcx connectors, but the Sony connectors have two grooves that act as anti rotation for the cables.

My Shure cables work with the xba-300 but without the anti rotation grooves, the sound will intermittently cut in and out due to the cable rotation.

I believe the other cables in the xba series will work with the xba-300.

There are also diy options available if you're into that sort of thing.