Sony XBA-N3AP and XBA-N1AP — Impressions thread
Sep 5, 2016 at 6:56 PM Post #16 of 2,298
My thoughts, exactly, pedronet. First the XBA-2/3/4 vs. XBA-20/30/40, then the XBA-H vs. XBA-A series. It seems like a repeating pattern: all the noteworthy "upgrades" were merely available in Asia. Well, at least the N1AP and N3AP will be available in Europe. Let's guess what will happen to their successors...

I surely hope they will be available in Europe asap 
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Let's hope they don't mess up the bass too. Having the XB90EX, my ears were really spoiled by that glorious deep and extended bass.
 
Sep 6, 2016 at 7:27 PM Post #18 of 2,298
TBH, Sony needs better fit and finish than this...

 
Sep 6, 2016 at 7:56 PM Post #19 of 2,298
Have to agree, that picture does not fill me with confidence at all!
 
Sep 8, 2016 at 7:49 PM Post #22 of 2,298
Have been looking for a new set of in-ears for a while now having tried the 535's (lacking in bass for me) Was pretty much convinced and set on buying the XBA-300AP for £168 here in the UK when I came across these on the Sony website... hmm. £150 for the N1AP and £220 for N3AP. Maybe they are more comfortable, better overall? You guys reckon I should wait for more reviews before pulling the trigger? 
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Sep 11, 2016 at 12:09 PM Post #24 of 2,298
Amazon.co.uk has the N3AP & N1AP up for pre-order for a Oct 10 release.
 
The Sony website says they're in stock at the Sony Centre but the website won't load for me. http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/in-ear-headphones/xba-n3ap/buy#online-retailers-inner
 
https://centresdirect.co.uk/p-21406-xban3apce7.aspx
 
Sep 12, 2016 at 7:10 AM Post #25 of 2,298
id love to try these but i can imagine there being a lot of bass bloat.

i definitely prefer the speed and acuracy of full balanced armature iems.


Well, I guess, that's a matter of taste. If Sony doesn't screw up the tuning of their new XBA-N3 and N1, the hybrid driver concept doesn't necessarily mean slow or bloating bass.

In my book, the XBA-A3 do sport a fast and very accurate bass, despite their "huge" 16mm dynamic drivers, and no signs of bass bloat. Read my impressions here: http://www.head-fi.org/products/sony-xba-a3/reviews/15782

On a more comparable level, I feel that the bass presentation of the XBA-A1 (Hybrid-BA) vs. XBA-2 (dual BA) also swings in favor of the Hybrid-IEMs. To me, the addition of dynamic drivers make the bass sound a bit more natural and smoother than full-BA IEMs that I heard, without being sloppy. In the trebles, however, I definitely prefer the crisp precision and speed of BAs (if well-tuned) to dynamic drivers.
 
Sep 12, 2016 at 8:55 AM Post #26 of 2,298
These are currently available and shipping in Belgium/The Netherlands: http://www.hoofdtelefoonstore.be/product/734104/sony-xba-n3ap.html
 
I'm a bit scared of ordering them to replace my broken XBA-H3's...
 
Sep 12, 2016 at 10:20 AM Post #27 of 2,298
These are currently available and shipping in Belgium/The Netherlands: http://www.hoofdtelefoonstore.be/product/734104/sony-xba-n3ap.html

I'm a bit scared of ordering them to replace my broken XBA-H3's...


I'm thinking the N3AP may be a better long term investment than the N1AP for their LCP HD driver system which the 1 series doesn't seem to have...
Considering to just go for it. Least you're safeguarded by the manufacturer brand and customer service..

Was carefully considering the XBA-300 but after reading around the forums, I've read that they're abit light on the bass side...
 
Sep 13, 2016 at 3:39 PM Post #28 of 2,298
I received mine today, took a few pictures while unpacking and had a good listen to them (with both the regular and new triple comfort silicone foam tips).
 
Timeline / why I bought them
Yesterday morning: Heard back from service centre handling my XBA-H3 with a broken BA on one side, I got a full refund (yay 2y EU warranty)
Yesterday evening: Ordered the last pair of XBA-N3AP's available in any Belgian store. I was feeling wild.
This morning: Package received!
Unpacking: This packaging is pretty sweet. It definitely feels premium. The little gap that was visible in the photo earlier in this thread isn't really there. You can pull the plugs back half a millimeter which will cause you to see a tiny gap if you look carefully, but I don't think it's anything to worry about.
 
Sound
I'm always a medium when it comes to Sony's regular tips so I popped them right into my phone (Xperia Z5) and my ears (Belgian, 24, used to XBA-H3).
 
My first thought: these are very airy. It's hard to define, but they're very light, comfortable and there's something about the sound that makes it sound airy.
After a few seconds though I started to notice a suspicious lack of bass. Maybe it's just the XBA-H3's I'm used to, but I was a bit disappointed. I tried a few other tracks, but I couldn't make anything impress me.
 
I then tried the fancy new triple comfort (quiet/comfortable/washable) silicone foam tips, still medium. I am glad I can say they're a serious improvement.
 
At this point I've been listening to them for about 45 minutes. I'm not sure if they loosened up a bit at both ends or if my ears loosened up a bit by now, but I like them. They're very different to the XBA-H3, much more neutral. The H3 could easily get too muddy with some (warmer, more jazzy) tracks, flooding the bass and mids a bit much. The N3's handle them a bit better.
 
I'm not sure if I like them more or less than the XBA-H3. My H3's were broken slightly (less treble on one side) and I haven't used them for about two weeks at this point, so it's hard to compare. The massive bass from the H3's is something I'll probably keep missing, it was a lot of fun. But maybe it's good to reset my ears and get used to a flatter sound again. When I just got my H3's to replace my MDR-7550's I found them too bassy too, but I guess you really just get used to these things.
 
In general: they're good, I think. Maybe a bit boring. Nothing really stands out. They don't have the bass or highs you get in the H3, or the mids of the 7550's. But they don't have any of the H3's or 7550's defects either, on average they sound better. If there's one thing I miss it's the more textured mids of the H3's. With them it felt like I could hear every single vibration in every vocal, the N3's fail to achieve that. They sound smooth and clean, but brighter. If you really like a V-like sound signature I think these are not the IEM for you.
 
If I'm completely honest, I think I preferred the H3's. Maybe. A song just came on that makes me really like the N3's. Maybe I should've waited a few days before writing this? Probably.
I'll see if I can find my MDR-7550's. They had some issues with cracks and pops in the highs but still sounded good at lower volumes. Might be an interesting comparison.
 
Comfort (and looks)
Very good. They're really light, and their weird shape helps them stay in my ears surprisingly well. The new foam tips are a success if you ask me. I always found the hybrid foam-filled Sony tips either too tight or too loose, but these seem to be a tiny bit softer and fit better. I like the look of the cable too, they're ribbed semi-transparent dark-brown-copper-ish.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
All images are pretty high-res, so you can click through to the originals for more detail.
 
Sep 13, 2016 at 4:21 PM Post #29 of 2,298
  I received mine today, took a few pictures while unpacking and had a good listen to them (with both the regular and new triple comfort silicone foam tips).
 
Timeline / why I bought them
Yesterday morning: Heard back from service centre handling my XBA-H3 with a broken BA on one side, I got a full refund (yay 2y EU warranty)
Yesterday evening: Ordered the last pair of XBA-N3AP's available in any Belgian store. I was feeling wild.
This morning: Package received!
Unpacking: This packaging is pretty sweet. It definitely feels premium. The little gap that was visible in the photo earlier in this thread isn't really there. You can pull the plugs back half a millimeter which will cause you to see a tiny gap if you look carefully, but I don't think it's anything to worry about.
 
Sound
I'm always a medium when it comes to Sony's regular tips so I popped them right into my phone (Xperia Z5) and my ears (Belgian, 24, used to XBA-H3).
 
My first thought: these are very airy. It's hard to define, but they're very light, comfortable and there's something about the sound that makes it sound airy.
After a few seconds though I started to notice a suspicious lack of bass. Maybe it's just the XBA-H3's I'm used to, but I was a bit disappointed. I tried a few other tracks, but I couldn't make anything impress me.
 
I then tried the fancy new triple comfort (quiet/comfortable/washable) silicone foam tips, still medium. I am glad I can say they're a serious improvement.
 
At this point I've been listening to them for about 45 minutes. I'm not sure if they loosened up a bit at both ends or if my ears loosened up a bit by now, but I like them. They're very different to the XBA-H3, much more neutral. The H3 could easily get too muddy with some (warmer, more jazzy) tracks, flooding the bass and mids a bit much. The N3's handle them a bit better.
 
I'm not sure if I like them more or less than the XBA-H3. My H3's were broken slightly (less treble on one side) and I haven't used them for about two weeks at this point, so it's hard to compare. The massive bass from the H3's is something I'll probably keep missing, it was a lot of fun. But maybe it's good to reset my ears and get used to a flatter sound again. When I just got my H3's to replace my MDR-7550's I found them too bassy too, but I guess you really just get used to these things.
 
In general: they're good, I think. Maybe a bit boring. Nothing really stands out. They don't have the bass or highs you get in the H3, or the mids of the 7550's. But they don't have any of the H3's or 7550's defects either, on average they sound better. If there's one thing I miss it's the more textured mids of the H3's. With them it felt like I could hear every single vibration in every vocal, the N3's fail to achieve that. They sound smooth and clean, but brighter. If you really like a V-like sound signature I think these are not the IEM for you.
 
If I'm completely honest, I think I preferred the H3's. Maybe. A song just came on that makes me really like the N3's. Maybe I should've waited a few days before writing this? Probably.
I'll see if I can find my MDR-7550's. They had some issues with cracks and pops in the highs but still sounded good at lower volumes. Might be an interesting comparison.
 
Comfort (and looks)
Very good. They're really light, and their weird shape helps them stay in my ears surprisingly well. The new foam tips are a success if you ask me. I always found the hybrid foam-filled Sony tips either too tight or too loose, but these seem to be a tiny bit softer and fit better. I like the look of the cable too, they're ribbed semi-transparent dark-brown-copper-ish.

 
Thank you so much for your impressions. I was hoping to avoid something completely flat.
Can they be worn over the ear? And, if i'm not abusing of the questions, how are they in the vocals region?

Thanks again 
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