[stratosk21]

  It's a shame that sony is making me spend more money, only purchased the XBA300 awhile back, along with the ZX 2 a year ago, also have the EX600, EX800, XBA 3, and was thinking of getting the new WM1A  and the classic EX1000( complete my EX reference collect) on my next visit to japan, and now the N3.

 
 
Not sure if I missed anything, or if it has/hasn't been posted, for those who needs to know, the N3 has a much better cable than the N1, the N1 one is very similar to the 300, also for those who are truely interested in the IEM and have no intention of replacing the supplied cable at present, get the N3/N1 without the AP, and I think japan is they only place to get it, this is basically the IEM without the smartphone control.

Trust me, the N3 really beats out everything at its price point, and I would dare say some that are even above its price point. I was looking at a custom IEM from AAW (M20), but now I've shifted my sights from that to this, fits my ears quite well, and the soundstage and what it gives, is just pure amazingness.

 

[kms108]

 

  It's a shame that sony is making me spend more money, only purchased the XBA300 awhile back, along with the ZX 2 a year ago, also have the EX600, EX800, XBA 3, and was thinking of getting the new WM1A  and the classic EX1000( complete my EX reference collect) on my next visit to japan, and now the N3.

 
 
Not sure if I missed anything, or if it has/hasn't been posted, for those who needs to know, the N3 has a much better cable than the N1, the N1 one is very similar to the 300, also for those who are truely interested in the IEM and have no intention of replacing the supplied cable at present, get the N3/N1 without the AP, and I think japan is they only place to get it, this is basically the IEM without the smartphone control.

Trust me, the N3 really beats out everything at its price point, and I would dare say some that are even above its price point. I was looking at a custom IEM from AAW (M20), but now I've shifted my sights from that to this, fits my ears quite well, and the soundstage and what it gives, is just pure amazingness.

Yeh, I know, I'ved used many iem, but I have always gone back to sony, probably their soundstage fits me better, than what others IEM can offer me.
 
I will try to pick one from japan, or what are the chances of picking one up cheap in thailand, since they are made in thailand, I will be there tmr.

 

[cjs001]

Lol, so I gave these a try today at a local store and my first impression when I first laid eyes on it is that it looks rather... well... like an inverted ph****s.
 
Aesthetics aside, they do sound pretty balanced across the spectrum but do require something a bit stronger than your average smartphone to start sounding good.

 

[r3dx]

Pulled the trigger earlier today and got myself an N3AP. Coming from XBA-A3, so far so good..

 

[Brian Yu]

Hey guys I've been quite interest in there for sometime - especially this new design. Looks like someone has done an unboxing too.
 

 

[cstark27]

Pulled the trigger earlier today and got myself an N3AP. Coming from XBA-A3, so far so good..

Interested to hear what you think! I listen to a lot of fast paced metal so most IEM's get congested pretty quick. I am not sure if I want to try my luck with another dual driver. I love my A3, though.

 

[mochill]

N3ap should be good at speed

 

[r3dx]

Interested to hear what you think! I listen to a lot of fast paced metal so most IEM's get congested pretty quick. I am not sure if I want to try my luck with another dual driver. I love my A3, though.

Abit too early to conclude since its <50hrs still, past experience told me that hybrids like this will "tamed" down for a better PRAT as time goes by (either my brain burn-in or the the drivers for real). Can say quite a fan of XBA series, user of XBA-4, H3, A3 then this. The evolution is sure an interesting one!

 

[Ralphee]

Pulled the trigger earlier today and got myself an N3AP. Coming from XBA-A3, so far so good..

I am very happy with the sound signature of my A3, and was contemplating about getting the N3 as a (less clumsy) replacement/addition for mobile use with an iPhone, in the hope for a similar (or even better?) sound. As you own both, your input is very valuable to me:

—would you describe their sound signature as rather similar, or are they tuned to sound significantly different?
—is the bass as strong/deep as the A3 (I do like that deep extension! Yet I could live with a little less intensity)
—how are the trebles, compared? (I'd hope for a little less dominant and maybe even smoother trebles on the N3)

In a nutshell:
—do you see the N3 playing in the same league as the A3? Is the N3 a worthy replacement (or even an upgrade) to the A3?
—which one do YOU prefer, emotionally?

Hope you can help me in making my decision...

 

[jinrifan]

z5 is playing waymore good performance than N3 as all we know the price is way more higher than n3, but i hread that n3 is balanced better than z5 and fit perfect for most ears. but z5 doesn`t

 

[jinrifan]

XBA-N3 impression talking.
I don`t know where to link my photos so I just put few words here.
If anyone is interested in my photos please leave your email and I`ll share it to you guys.
 
   I just bought 2 sets in Korea for paying 370.000 Korean currency yesterday, one for my gf and another one is for myself.
I use the astell&kern player ak-100ii model to support xba-n3. to be honest, I was been thinking about buying IE800 to match my player and it all proves me wrong while I was listening all those earphones in the store. i was totally disappointed on IE800 which is the one I have been expected too much as a sound of the god. just may be cause of the seires line the more it goes on the worse sound it shows.
  akg-k3003 it has no bass at all but the middle and high part is awesome, the sound just like when you are tapping on metal tube with a hard stuff, and the xba-z5 has got a very wide sound space but some people probably hard to wear it on ears. Shure-535 is the best balanced one but it same as z5 hard to fit in ears properly.
 
  Now I`m gonna cut the words short and talk about the new xba-n3, I actually didn`t listen to n1 and went straight to the n3, it has got a very fine balance sound in low to high part although it doesn`t show the extremely high part sound well, and the middle part sound remains to be aged for few hours, but I think if you change the wire and match a amplifier with it, it`ll may be show finely.
 
   Firstly, N3 has got enough strong bass for pop music, it suit almost every kind of pop music, but make sure your music file is lossless and in high quality.
   Secondly, N3 fits my ears very well, it defends the sound from outside pretty well unless it`s too noisy to listen to music, if so thers is no earphone can defeat that I think.
   It has two kinds of units inside which is called hybrid-tech as all you guys already known.
   It keeps giving you surprises from time to time while you`re listening to some tracks, especially those well-made ones.
   Overall, It`s a good  ear phone for a pop music fan, but if you are a classic or rock fan you probably have to move your eyes to those high leveled one.
   Thanks for reading my N3 review, I`ll see you guys later.
                                                                                     jincanyu@126.com  JIN

 

[JustJoseph]

Went to Sony store and tried these alongside the A series, and all I can say is WOW.

At first, I was sceptical about the sound qualify compared to the A series because of their smaller driver size (16 to 9mm is a big size downgrade) and 1 less driver. My doubts melted away once I listened to them. The sound stage of th N series is just as wide, the bass just as powerful (I've no idea how they do it with just 9mm). The bass is tighter and faster compared with A3 which is boomy. There are more mids, mids are less transparent but sound more warm and dynamic driver ish, the details are better, highs are smoother and lesser. And most importantly, they are MUCH smaller amore comfortable. Will post more impressions when Igo home

 

[Ting Tiew Yik]

Went to Sony store and tried these alongside the A series, and all I can say is WOW.

At first, I was sceptical about the sound qualify compared to the A series because of their smaller driver size (16 to 9mm is a big size downgrade) and 1 less driver. My doubts melted away once I listened to them. The sound stage of th N series is just as wide, the bass just as powerful (I've no idea how they do it with just 9mm). The bass is tighter and faster compared with A3 which is boomy. There are more mids, mids are less transparent but sound more warm and dynamic driver ish, the details are better, highs are smoother and lesser. And most importantly, they are MUCH smaller amore comfortable. Will post more impressions when Igo home

 
did you try xba 300?

 

[JustJoseph]

   
did you try xba 300?

I own the 300s. Do you need any comparison with it?

 

[JustJoseph]

Heres a more detailed impressions of the N series
 
IMO they are a very unique breed of hybrids never seen before in the market. Usually hybrids use a dynamic for the bass and BA for mids and highs, so it would sound like a BA iem with dynamic bass. But these use the dynamic for the lows and mids, and BA for the highs, so its a dynamic iem with BA highs, which is quite unique. As a result, it sounds more natural and organic then your typical hybrid. They are quite a substantial improvement from the A series in terms of sound and comfort. 
 
This is for N1
Sound signature - L shaped, which means a somewhat flat signature with largely boosted bass. Compared to A series, bass quantity is the same, but vocals are more prominent, highs are more rolled off.
 
Bass - Copious amounts of bass that is similar in quantity to the A series. Bass is powerful, having a visceral slam and impact. It is thick and tight at the same time, having good texture and speed. It does not bleed into the mids at all like the jvc woodies do. Vocals and be heard quite clearly. I'm amazed that this can be produced even with the decrease in driver size from 16 to 9mm. On the other hand, A3's bass is boomy with a slower decay. 
 
Mids - The mids do not take a back seat despite the huge bass quantities, they are in the middle of the mix. This is opposed to A3 which is more v shaped and vocals can sound distant. The mids are less transparent compared to A3, instead they sound thicker and more flavorful. (to me it sounds better and more musical) They have a very natural and slightly warm feel to them with nice timbre, as they are produced by the dynamic driver as opposed to BA driver in typical hybrids. Vocals sound husky and organic and can be heard clearly at the front of the presentation (they are placed in front by a bit). Acoustics sound gorgeous, especially strings in orchestra, which sound majestic and rich. The level of detail is quite high, even higher than A3 in some parts. But A3s are more transparent and clear.
 
Highs - They are rolled off as compared to A3, which is good for people who don't like fatiguing highs. 
 
Soundstage - Large. As large as the A3s. Positioning is very good, I can hear the strings in orchestra soaring above the vocals.
 
Instrument Separation - Good too. There is a sense of air even with thumping bass going on. 
 
Level of comfort - Quite comfortable and easy to wear unlike the big ass A3. The detachable cable housing is very small for an in ear.
 
N3s vs N1
The difference is very small, like the difference between A3 and Z5. They are on the same tier, the onl-y difference is the dynamic driver and the diaphragm. N1 has more bass than N3 (N3 is still quite bassy). N3 has a little more micro detail. Im sure there are more differences, but i didnt pick them up in the short listening session. 
 
Conclusion
These are a solid upgrade from the A series. N1 itself is cheaper than A2 but imo better than A3. They somehow managed to keep the huge bassy sound in a much more compact form. They are a very very uniquely natural sounding hybrid in a market full of metallic peaky twfk hybrids. The best hybrids in the 200-300 usd range ive heard so far, and I've heard most of them.