[DeTinux]

Are the N3AP any good with classical?

 

[kidfortoday]

Hey there, I've been interested for a while in trying something in the XBA line, since from what I read they are very good with electronic music, with huge bass, somewhat spiky treble and great imaging. I was really interested in the H3 and was waiting to come by some kind of deal. Would you say the N1 have a comparable signature? I guess the tightness and power of the bass is out of the question, but do they have the clearness in the highs as well?

 

[MetalDaryl]

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[Micticmumus]

@BobbyCrook
There is a new set of wire that is made to work with the new N1AP and N3AP (also A3, Z5 and others)
This is the name MUC-M12SM2. I don't think there is any difference except the part near the MMCX head.
They did some redesign and make the MMCX head straight instead of curve in but it is only aesthetic change to my understanding.
Also they discontinued the old one in Japan.

 

[deafdoorknob]

picked up a pair out of curiosity, alongside a pair of ex1000s. these are possibly the most physically comfortable uiems i have tried, and possibly the best eartips (triple comfort tips) ever.

like many hybrids i have auditioned, running them in and cable swapping helped heaps with coherence and smoothing the slightly bitey upper mids

more compact sounding than the A or Z series, there are good details and satisfying weight.

good all rounder and against higher than top marks for comfort (i wear them over ears when commuting and down indoors)

swapped the standard cables for the Linum BAX which appear to also make them more controlled.

vs MDR EX1000
the EX still have superior bass detail/balance ratio, N3's upper mids and treble are more superficially detailed but not to an unacceptable degree. EX is less fun afterall and more about subtleties. having said that i detest the ergonomics of the EX and find the N3's to be far superior.

vs CA Andromeda
CA is rather more subtle, much more detailed but in a naturalistic way but again N3's comfort level is much better.

vs CA Orion
i sold my Orions the next day. Orions are more specialised in their strengths. The dense vibrant mids are much closer to the Andros but their presentation of lower/sub bass made them less suited to public space listening. And yet again,ergonomics of the N3 are streets ahead for these ears at least.

cooler in tone and presentation from the previous sony hybrids, it's a sound signature similar to high quality stand mounted speakers. melikes

 

[Ralphee]

Well, I couldn't resist the temptation anymore and finally bought a pair of XBA-N3AP. Initial impressions are very good, even if these aren't necessarily perfect IEMs. Here are some observations:

—as the N3AP are tuned to be very smooth, they play at the verge of sounding unexciting. Previous Sony high-end IEMs had a little bit more "edge" to them, which contributed to that characteristic Sony Sound Signature.

—the aural impression (especially the bass) depends very much on the right choice of eartips. In this regard the N3AP aren't forgiving at all! I found the Triple-Comfort eartips bordering on a flat and lifeless presentation. The same with the silicone foam eartips of previous Sony IEMs. If you want a solid bass fundament, then the standard silicone earbuds seem to be the best option. In my case, the green M-size tips showed most of the "musical", extended bassline that is such a strong point with both the XBA-A3 and Z5. Already changing to the smaller S-size buds resulted in a less articulate bass that peaks in a narrower frequency range and thus sounds more "boom-boom", just like I remember it from the A2. It was surprising to hear such difference just by varying the eartip size. Occasionally, the bass sounds a bit "processed" as if the dynamic drivers are tuned to their absolute maximum and don't have many reserves. It's a very nice and smooth bass, though.

—the M-size tips sound best for me with most extended bass and treble, but very annoyingly, the skin at the tragus gets pinched between eartips and the black housing whenever you insert the earphones. That is painful and very uncomfortable. I wonder if other head-fiers experienced this as well..?

—nice looking semi-transparent cable is more tangly because of its circular section. Unfortunately, Sony omitted the pill-shaped section of their previous cables.

While that all sounds probably pretty critical, it is rather meant to give you a clearer sense of the strengths and weaknesses of the N3AP. Overall these are definitely keepers, capable of replacing my beloved XBA-A3. More impressions of their sound coming soon...

 

[deafdoorknob]

yes it's very tip dependent, not to mention insertion depth and sonic preferences as i found the stock silicone tips a tad too "v shaped" for want of a better word, as well as having the least amount of isolation to me... i ended up preferring wax guardless complys, shallow insertion most, followed by triple comfort for SQ and isolation.

 

[overthebars]

Why are these so hard to find?
 
Can't find the N3 online anywhere in the states.
 
I can find the N1 on Amazon from Japan with no "AP" for almost three hundred bills.... thoughts?
 
 
** Edit ** Found the N1AP on Amazon through "Buy Wise Corp"?.... but they are in stock with Prime shipping and although $50 more than the guys are paying in the UK, at least I have Amazon's return policy... BOUGHT EM!

 

[konstructa]

I have the XBA-N3's and I must say they are really amazing. Does anyone know where we can buy extra triple comfort tips? The new bag comes with an elastic band on the pouch and I ejected one medium comfort out the window of my car by mistake.

 

[lomenhk]

The N3AP will be even more amazing after approximately 230 hours of burn-in, all the mids and highs stand out and the whole sound stage has become wider, bass still very powerful and extremely punchy. Also I start to hear the depth of each songs, instrument separation is now very obvious. The highs will become silky smooth and very detailed. I had XBA-Z5 before, if to compare, I reckon the N3AP is now very very close to Z5 in terms of sound quality, and I like it more than Z5.
 
I can say the N3AP is the most satisfied model of the XBA series that I have. Smooth sound, very coherent, perform very well on many aspects. I strongly advise to give it sometime on the burn-in.

 

[audionewbi]

XBA-N3 sound has gotten my by a surprise. I was not expecting much but I was very wrong. N3 has excellent clarity with great impactful bass. Not the widest sound but still trying to burn them.
 
 Very happy with them so far. 

 

[mcmurray]

Any differences between the XBA-N3AP and the Japanese XBA-N3 model?

 

[audionewbi]

No, just the naming. 

 

[458302]

What materials are used in N3AP? According to pics,"golden" nozzle is metal, and "barrel" fat thing is also metal.
The question is about housing, where L/R markers, Thailand and xba-n3 printed.
And also I found size comparition photo:

                XBA-A3              XBA-N3
                XBA-A2              XBA-N1

 

[deafdoorknob]

brass nozzle
magnesium body
^ N3