[daniel_hokkaido]

 
 
On a whim I gave the ALO Tinsel's a listen on the Z5.  Very noticeable improvement.

 
Assuming your comparison was with original sony stock balanced? What were improvements? 

 

[TennRed]

Assuming your comparison was with original sony stock balanced? What were improvements? 

Yes they were compared with the original Sony balanced cables. Improvements top to bottom. Biggest benefit was improvement in clarity and soundstage.

 

[dweaver]

That cable looks interesting but having experienced one failed Z5 when using a generic MMX connector versus the Sony version which stops the IEM from being able to spin I would be reluctant to try this cable. If they can get the proper Sony connector I would be willing to give them a try.

I bought a pair of connectors off eBay with the intention of having a friend swap them out on a cable for me. Then bought a Pono and never bothered. If I was to get this cable I think I would talk to the manufacturer and see if I could get them to use the Sony connectors I bought. But budget constraints will make this a fall project.

 

[lloop9]

Hey guys, I was hunting for Z5 measurements & came across this Korean site. I think you will be interested in the comparative differences of the Z5 to the A3 & A2, as well as the old H series. It is in Korean but the measurement charts are in English.
 
XBA-Z5 - https://www.seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=cool_review&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&category=5&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=436
 
XBA-A3 - https://www.seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=cool_review&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&category=5&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=448
 
XBA-A2 - https://www.seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=cool_review&page=1&sn1=&divpage=1&category=5&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=446
 
XBA-H3 - https://www.seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=cool_review&page=3&sn1=&divpage=1&category=5&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=385
 
XBA-H2 - https://www.seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=cool_review&page=3&sn1=&divpage=1&category=5&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=383
 
XBA-H1 - https://www.seeko.co.kr/zboard4/zboard.php?id=cool_review&page=3&sn1=&divpage=1&category=5&sn=off&ss=on&sc=off&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=381

 

[johnwamp55]

So what does the graph tell you about the Z5, A3 and H3?

 

[DAVIDUGLY]

I bought a couple sets at Yodabashi, one to keep in the mobile go bag I bring to Tokyo one week per month 
and another for home use and to add on the "better" balanced sony wires, which as already mentioned here
don't have the ear wrap arounds, sadly. 
Any idea why Sony would leave out the ear wraps on the upgraded balanced wire?
( which sounds great with PhA-3 , wow ) 

 

[RedJohn456]

  I bought a couple sets at Yodabashi, one to keep in the mobile go bag I bring to Tokyo one week per month 
and another for home use and to add on the "better" balanced sony wires, which as already mentioned here
don't have the ear wrap arounds, sadly. 
Any idea why Sony would leave out the ear wraps on the upgraded balanced wire?
( which sounds great with PhA-3 , wow ) 

Damn, now thats what you call a Z5 fan! Would love to read your impressions on differences with the PHA3 and Balanced cable

 

[RedJohn456]

 
 
On a whim I gave the ALO Tinsel's a listen on the Z5.  Very noticeable improvement.

 
Nice combo. How much battery life do you generally get with the PHA3? I would love to get one but at 1k usd, its hard for me to justify it

 

[oxygen1]

Do we have any news of next Sony IEM update this fall?

 

[DAVIDUGLY]

 
Damn, now thats what you call a Z5 fan! Would love to read your impressions on differences with the PHA3 and Balanced cable

I think I must be extremely sensitive as I can barely handle a fraction of the volume I read of here,
but still the PHA-3 is brilliant no matter used with Z7 or Z5s. Only hang up is no ear hook on the  MUC-M20BL1 cables,
although I didn't know you could do Kimble on the Z5? I only have the Kimber balanced for the Z7 headphones.
But the MUC-M20BL1 set by Sony for the Z5 + PHA-3 is well worth it in my opinion, as long as they are used
at a desk etc... hard for me to keep in ear while moving around. I switch between these and the Z7 with much OCD. 

 

[giovvanie]

Cayin C5 + Ibasso dx90 ( fw 2.3.0 Lurker mod) + Z5 with ForzaAudioworks Hybrid Iem cable upgrade = something amazing , I can't describe how sound good is , is just perfect . For me this setup is not unbeatable by any headphones which I have got. Tried listen my JH Roxxanes AKR03 they sound like pair of crapy hp while comparison, even my full size hp Sennhesier HD700 are worse , xba are on the same level with treble presence and resolution , mids are better with z5 , z5 much more air in sound , better separation and bigger soundstage however is close in your head but is bigger . Just z5 have sometimes too much bass overal but I can sacrifice this for overal sound quality . So z5 are the best from any hp I ever heard !! Truly excite your ears with good amp and source !! ps. I'm using hybrid foam silicone tips with z5 are better as normal because soundstage is bigger .

 

[johnwamp55]

I love the bass from the z5 and more is welcomed.

 

[jlingo]

The bluetooth aptX cable is interesting. I hope this catches on. Compatible with all the xba detachable models (XBA-Z5/A3/A2/H3/H2)

Spec: http://www.sony.jp/headphone/products/MUC-M1BT1/spec.html

Z5 with bluetooth cable sounded really really amazing powerful Dynamic punchy. Very fun sounding. I am driving them with my Ak240ss.

 

[SimpleHuman]

Does the Z5 currently have any cable upgrades with a mic?

 

[dweaver]

I horse traded for an H3 iPhone cable and it worked. You can also buy 3rd party MCX cables but I had one Z5 fail while I used one such cable and I think the free spinning action May have cause the failure so do recommend a cable with the proper Sony edge design to keep the cable from being able to spin freely.