[TheFragileOne]

I'm in Japan right now and had the opportunity to listen to both these and the Z5's. I feel the A3 is very comparable to the Z5's but I don't think the price difference is worth it. But to me, it almost seems like the A2's are a better deal than the A3's. I felt the highs were louder but a bit more sibilant (almost harsh at points, maybe just me) on the A2's, but the bass quantity on both was the same. I felt like the A3's had better separation between sounds which I enjoyed, but I felt they were laid back on mids/highs compared to the A2's, but they didn't sound bad by any means.
 
I was just wondering if you guys think the $100 price difference is worth it? Or should I go full out and buy the Z5's for an extra $100 on top of the A3's? I want to buy some STAX 3170's, they sounded so amazing I didn't want to stop listening until my girlfriend was getting tired so I stopped. I'll have to get them when I go back to college if I have room on my desk for the giant AMP.
 
I listen to primarily hip-hop/rap, alternative, pop, etc. but I listen to literally anything, just depends on my mood.
 
Any comparison would be great, thanks guys! Also, if you have the A2's, do you wear them over-the-ear or cable down? I kind of prefer the over-the-ear design of the A3's.

 

[TheFragileOne]

bump

 

[cstark27]

If I could, I would wear my XBA-A3's down. The stock memory part is a little awkward and rather large, plus it makes storage a bit of a task.

From what I've read, the Z5's would lose even a little more detail which wouldn't be to my liking. I am getting used to my A3's now and sometimes wish for a little more detail, but then I don't because Sony's BA's are the main reason I have fallen in love with the A3. They are very forgiving, yet the detail is there. I personally wouldn't go with the set that sounds sibilant. But I listen for extended periods so that wears on you after a while, I feel.

If the housing around the dynamic driver on the A2 is smaller than the A3, that would be another benefit. The first couple of weeks, the A3's hurt the lower inside of my ear. I am used to it now, though, and there is no longer any pain.

I have a custom cable on the way that has a 3-button remote and I'm hoping it fixes my nag about the cable I listed above.

Edit: actually, gave a listen to Hotel California. I personally wouldn't want anything brighter. It was pretty perfect.

 

[TheFragileOne]

From what I've read, the Z5's would lose even a little more detail which wouldn't be to my liking. I am getting used to my A3's now and sometimes wish for a little more detail, but then I don't because Sony's BA's are the main reason I have fallen in love with the A3. They are very forgiving, yet the detail is there. I personally wouldn't go with the set that sounds sibilant. But I listen for extended periods so that wears on you after a while, I feel.

If the housing around the dynamic driver on the A2 is smaller than the A3, that would be another benefit. The first couple of weeks, the A3's hurt the lower inside of my ear. I am used to it now, though, and there is no longer any pain.

Edit: actually, gave a listen to Hotel California. I personally wouldn't want anything brighter. It was pretty perfect.

Yeah the Z5's didn't seem worth it to me, although they did sound nice. Really? But then you have microphonics when wearing them down. I listen for a while usually but sometimes I take them out like for class or I'll wear only one in and one out of the ear. The A3's are also ported while the A2's are not but it isn't a big deal to me since I only use them at college and I don't live in a super noisy area. When I move to Tokyo the port may be an issue on the subway or whatever but for now it's fine.

Yeah the A2's did sound a little sibilant and harsh, while the A3's were a lot easier for me to listen to at the same volume, which is a plus for the A3's. But I felt I didn't hear certain high sounds with the A3's when I had the A2's in one ear and the A3's in the other. But the A3's had better separation I believe.

I'll go back to try them out some more before I buy them and I'll give higher sibilant songs like Hotel California more of a listen to, since I mainly listened to hip-hop/rap bangers when I tested both of them. They both have the same slam, maybe A2's had a bit more feel, but they sounded a bit more messy and bled into the mids. But since the mids and highs were more prominent in the A2's I felt the bass didn't convolute it honestly. But I'm going to go back to Akihabara and listen some more before deciding.

 

[cstark27]

I mainly listen at my desk, and even fumbling with the cord trying to find pause, I have no cable noise. I think I'm going to swap the cables L-R tomorrow and try down cable. I think it will work...

Maybe I listen too loud, but I've had coworkers almost yelling to get my attention when I'm plugged in and I still don't hear them. But even just a bit of music and a good seal erases most of their talking and music, for me.

 

[TheFragileOne]

I mainly listen at my desk, and even fumbling with the cord trying to find pause, I have no cable noise. I think I'm going to swap the cables L-R tomorrow and try down cable. I think it will work...

Maybe I listen too loud, but I've had coworkers almost yelling to get my attention when I'm plugged in and I still don't hear them. But even just a bit of music and a good seal erases most of their talking and music, for me.

Gotcha, let me know how that goes. I can't test the feel of the cables because they're attached with like thick tape to the headphone so people don't steal them, but even with the big tape the A3's don't bother me too much honestly. I wore the A2's over the ears because I didn't realize they were down facing at first haha.

Yeah, my ATH-IM70's are ported and I've never had a trouble blocking out sound, but I also listen a little loud maybe (I like to feel my bass).