[gerelmx1986]

XBA-Z5 remained king for 4 years, pretty long for sony update cycle

 

[barondla]

Just don't see how ba can give the bass power of the big dynamic driver in XBA-Z5.

 

[gerelmx1986]

Just don't see how ba can give the bass power of the big dynamic driver in XBA-Z5.

me neither, i have a DSD album of Bach four toccatas and fugues with E. Power Biggs, Holy cow! the bass hits super low a kind of low i never heard before (native DSD from analogue masters). hell super low wow (no i don't mean big bass, but the frequency i think the lowest on an organ).

If these models are BA only, i'd buy a 2nd pair of XBA-Z5 new and keep these home and use my current as to go mobile IEM

 

[SoundTown]

I have not tried them but as they were not available when I was trying the Spin Fit but maybe give their Double Fiange version a try?

I don't think the XZ300 have shake shuffle play but you can download a copy of the manual here so you can go through all their functions.

https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/support/digital-music-players-nw-nwz-zx-series/nw-zx300

I haven't tried the double flange SpinFits, and not sure Jaben has them, but I'll keep that in mind next time I go to the store.
Thanks for the link to the ZX300 manual! Will have to remember to bring the Z5 to the store when I try out the player.
Help on this thread has been much appreciated.

 

[SoundTown]

Just don't see how ba can give the bass power of the big dynamic driver in XBA-Z5.

The Audio-Technica ATH-E70 has excellent bass, and it's a triple BA IEM. Mids/highs were not that spectacular on the E70, but just based on that one example I do see BA technology having promise to deliver better bass. The Etymotic ER4XR shows good bass extension for a single-BA as well, though I personally did not like the sound.
From Sony, I've never tried the XBA-4 and 40, which supposedly had good bass. But the XBA-300 did have decent bass reproduction too, though not the decay on the Z5 that I'd consider more fun.
In any case, I think it's possible for BA to catch up to dynamics with solid, resonant bass under $1,000, and I'm hoping Sony can deliver at least one of these IEMs to live up to this expectation.

 

[SoundTown]

Personally, doesn’t seem like the new IEMs would replace the Z5. The Z5 are marketed as personal audiophile products, while the new IEMs are positioned as professional stage monitors. More so seems to compete with the Westone, Shure, and Audio-Technica E-xx series.

This, however, doesn’t mean the Z5 may or may not be phased out…

 

[daveyostrow]

Would be upgrade enough if they keep the current driver's/sound and create a more user-friendly housing.

 

[nc8000]

Is two-pin connector better, for me it seems so

I really like the connector that Jays use on the qJays V2. It’s kind of a mini mmcx but one that screws into the iem housing. I think Final have also used it but there don’t seem to be any connectors available for cable builders

 

[SoundTown]

Would be upgrade enough if they keep the current driver's/sound and create a more user-friendly housing.

As fussy as the housing is on the EX1000, H3, A3, Z5, etc is, I think there's probably a good reason why they are that way. Looking at the N3 and how much narrower the sound is than its predecessors, I think that hanger ear-guide and earpiece design Sony has that sticks out of the ears is responsible for its wider sound stage. Without that design, the N3 sounds much more like other earphones.
That said, I can definitely see how the design still could be tweaked to make it fit better without potentially getting rid of the good qualities of the engineering.

 

[benchan2]

Wow, first the release of JustEar and now this? It seems Sony really emphasize HK market. Can't wait to try them on Sunday!

 

[gerelmx1986]

Personally, doesn’t seem like the new IEMs would replace the Z5. The Z5 are marketed as personal audiophile products, while the new IEMs are positioned as professional stage monitors. More so seems to compete with the Westone, Shure, and Audio-Technica E-xx series.

This, however, doesn’t mean the Z5 may or may not be phased out…

Exactly what I was thinking about, different market segment

 

[SoundTown]

Wow, first the release of JustEar and now this? It seems Sony really emphasize HK market. Can't wait to try them on Sunday!

I'm not surprised. Richer Asian countries like HK, Singapore, Taiwan, and now China are becoming increasingly important markets for international brands. Especially ones that have historically done well in Asia like Sony. Here in Singapore I know a good handful of regular consumers who are none the wiser of Sony's current woes and still think extremely highly of the company, so no surprise Asia is an important market.

Enjoy your weekend trying the new gear.

 

[cfc7]

Just don't see how ba can give the bass power of the big dynamic driver in XBA-Z5.

Agree...even if I listened to IEMs with amazing bass for a BA, I still prefer the DD bass.
But I'm not sure whether any of the new IEMs are supposed to replace the Z5.

 

[6PANDEMONIUM6]

I owned the Z5s for a year.
I found them to be muddy and the bass to be extremely over-exaggerated.

(What? Terrible bass from Sony? Never saw that coming right?)

Not to mention that they were criminally uncomfortable and hard to drive. I really wanted to love them; just had to hate them though.

 

[6PANDEMONIUM6]

Definitely stay away from these if you like an airy, neutral sound.

They're for closed-back bass-heads.