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Sony's New 2014 flagship IEM - XBA Z5
Nov 15, 2016 at 1:30 PM Post #3,751 of 5,805
Nov 15, 2016 at 4:15 PM Post #3,752 of 5,805
gerelmx1986 said:
 
​WHAT?! why?
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They are great IEMs and sound fantastic. I will say that the Z5 is not as impressive if not with the PHA-3. The bass is a little loose and unclear.
 
Since I also sold my PHA-3, there was no point in me keeping the Z5.
 
marktwain said:
Haha... Sold mine a month ago as well. There are many better IEMs out there and you won't miss much of it.

It is a nice sounding IEM no doubt in its price range, but once you move out from this price range, there are a lot of much better ones to choose from.
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Yes, there are... but at a much higher $$$ lol. The Z5s sound very good for the price and would recommend it to anyone looking for a 600-700 IEM. One you go around 1k+ there are a lot of better options, for sure.
 
Nov 15, 2016 at 5:11 PM Post #3,753 of 5,805
xba3 said:
  You will love the sound from EX 800 ST :wink:.
 
Thế phải gọi là chị rồi ta , em sn 1996 :). Khi nào về Việt Nam! thì giao lưu ạ :)
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Bạn gái anh không có thích tai nghe đâu :)) OK hy vọng sẽ có dịp gặp em ở VN :wink:
 
cuiter23 said:
   
They are great IEMs and sound fantastic. I will say that the Z5 is not as impressive if not with the PHA-3. The bass is a little loose and unclear.
 
Since I also sold my PHA-3, there was no point in me keeping the Z5.
 
 
Yes, there are... but at a much higher $$$ lol. The Z5s sound very good for the price and would recommend it to anyone looking for a 600-700 IEM. One you go around 1k+ there are a lot of better options, for sure.
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Hi, I just saw your post in the W50 thread, how do you find the sound of the W50s in comparison to the Z5?
 
Nov 15, 2016 at 6:09 PM Post #3,755 of 5,805
I recently took a trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and Tien Giang. Does that count? 
beerchug.gif

 
So I am using my Z5 now after trying quite a few cables and have settled on the Mee Audio Pinnacle P1 cable ($50 or so from Amazon) which claims to be silver and copper. It sounds great and is much more comfortable for me than the memory foam. 
 
I tried a handful of copper and silver cables from AliExpress for much cheaper and they all were seriously lacking bass. I used to think cable choice made little difference, but they were quite drastic in making the IEMs bright. I guess with that said, I think different cables to change the sound quite a bit on the Z5 so if there is a slightly different sound signature you're after, I encourage you to try different cables (but also take the suggestion to not swap them hundreds of times due to the delicacy of the MMCX system). 
 
Cheers, 
 
-Collin-
 
Nov 15, 2016 at 11:17 PM Post #3,756 of 5,805
cuiter23 I agree with your post. I have several IEMS I grab before the Z5s, including both lesser Sony models. They are really good IEMS, that's for sure, but I feel there are many better IEMS out there.

Which way did you go? Do you have a direct replacement for your Z5?
 
Nov 16, 2016 at 7:07 PM Post #3,760 of 5,805
One of the better IEM for its price range, but there are many better ones out there.
 
Sound quality is good (in a quiet room), built quality is great. Isolation is average at best, and weak point at the mmcx connection.
 
Tried using it on a flight and could still hear engine whining and baby crying as the isolation is really average (tried spinfits, comply, hybrid tips).
 
Tried using it on a windy day for a walk and the design of the earphone seems to take in all the wind noise.
 
Thus, it is only good for listening in a quiet room, which is not better than just picking up a cheaper headphones which sounds better.
 
I also had the ASG2.5, which gives you similar bass but much better isolation and comfort.
 
Thus, it depends on your usage. For this price, it is one of the better IEMs, if it serves your purpose. 
 
Nov 17, 2016 at 4:05 AM Post #3,762 of 5,805
marktwain said:
  One of the better IEM for its price range, but there are many better ones out there.
 
Sound quality is good (in a quiet room), built quality is great. Isolation is average at best, and weak point at the mmcx connection.
 
Tried using it on a flight and could still hear engine whining and baby crying as the isolation is really average (tried spinfits, comply, hybrid tips).
 
Tried using it on a windy day for a walk and the design of the earphone seems to take in all the wind noise.
 
Thus, it is only good for listening in a quiet room, which is not better than just picking up a cheaper headphones which sounds better.
 
I also had the ASG2.5, which gives you similar bass but much better isolation and comfort.
 
Thus, it depends on your usage. For this price, it is one of the better IEMs, if it serves your purpose. 
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Hahaha these are the most expensive IEMS 4 me and i do not plan to spend more :) and i got them second hand at a good discount and with the upgrade cable ! i agree everything about it is great for me accept isolation and that wind noise esp when im cycling. 
 
Im impressed with the soundstage of these really combined with the bassline !
 
Does the sony 800/7550 isolate better ? 
 
Nov 17, 2016 at 9:30 AM Post #3,763 of 5,805
jerryberry said:
 
 
 
Hahaha these are the most expensive IEMS 4 me and i do not plan to spend more :) and i got them second hand at a good discount and with the upgrade cable ! i agree everything about it is great for me accept isolation and that wind noise esp when im cycling. 
 
Im impressed with the soundstage of these really combined with the bassline !
 
Does the sony 800/7550 isolate better ? 
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for me too :), love them
 
Nov 17, 2016 at 10:20 AM Post #3,764 of 5,805
jerryberry said:
   
 
Hahaha these are the most expensive IEMS 4 me and i do not plan to spend more :) and i got them second hand at a good discount and with the upgrade cable ! i agree everything about it is great for me accept isolation and that wind noise esp when im cycling. 
 
Im impressed with the soundstage of these really combined with the bassline !
 
Does the sony 800/7550 isolate better ? 
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IEMs and headphones provide the most obvious improvement in sound quality, and makes sense to invest in them. Still curious on people investing much more on DAP when most of us would not hear any differences in the DAPs when doing blind tests. Worst case - some invest in cables made of metals not from earth (at least the price) costing more than the IEMs when it is proven that there is no difference in sound quality.
 
Thus, if you leave out DAPs and cables in your equation and put your funds together, you can get a big improvements in sound quality just purely from top-end IEMs/Headphones (hint: Not Sony XBA-Z5)  and listening through your iPhone or Android phones.
 
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