[Oaken]

Hi everyone at head-fi! Awesome thread this is... This is my first post. So a big hello to the folks in this great forum.

I just got my first IEMs ever, moving up from my trusty Sony EX500 that I've used for the past 3 years. I just bought the last piece of the XBA-40 at Sony Singapore at S$388 yesterday! I'm inexperienced in describing SQ but i'll give my first impressions as best I can. My source is the iPhone 5 and I'll be trying out different sources with different impedance to see how it affects SQ. I listen to most types of music, acoustic, rock, jazz, classical, pop (luv k-pop currently!) and vocals.

The XBA-40 floored me. Period. I've never heard my music open up like this. The level of detail retrieval and sound staging was just unbelievable. The highs can be a tad piercing for certain types of music but I think with more burn in, it'll only get better. I auditioned UE-900 a few weeks ago which was retailed at S$600, and it impressed me with detail retrieval but the overall sound signature was a bit too veiled for my liking. The 900's sound stage also didn't feel as 3D as the XBA-40. Like what dsnuts said in the first post, I'm sold on BAs. I felt like someone had stuffed hi-end speaker components into my ear canal because the sound separation and and imaging was just "out of my head"! Last night I listened to Jason Mraz, Stacey Kent, Coldplay, smashing pumpkins, k-pop, etc.... I was just so excited like a little toddler to find out what this awesome IEM would do to my music. Everything sounded so opened up omg! Timbre of the instruments was great. Sub bass was great too. An older Mraz track "Make it mine" had plenty of horns and trombone solo. Amazing was what the XBA did! I didn't need to EQ my iPhone at all.

One track especially floored me last night - "Isn't She Lovely" by Livingston Taylor which I'd listened on various presentations over the last 10 years. The singer starts with whistling the melody, then vocals, and then full instruments come in mid-way. When I heard it on the XBAs, I almost wanted to weep and curse at the same time. The imaging was unbelievable. There was just a tenderness and fragility to the vocals that I never heard before. Every breath, phrasing, pause, intonation, whisper, accent and most of all, the emotions of the vocals came out like never before. And when the instrumentation comes on mid-way, the vocals remain there... Right "in front" of me and so 3D!

There've been some criticisms of the XBAs, and I'm no expert. I wouldn't dare comment on coloring as I had been very used to colored phones previously. I have an impression that audiophiles want neutrality and at the least, do no harm. But as far as sound staging and imaging and transparency goes, I take my hat off to Sony for the XBA-40. I believe mugen3's experience with the XB-30 is also testimony to Sony's BA series. At this price point, it is extremely bang for buck.

Got the new XBA-30s. I never had the XBA-3s so I'm not sure if they sound any different. But the 30s are amazing. I can't pick any bones with them.


The build quality is fantastic. The earpieces feel more solid this time around, and not as plasticky as the original XBAs. The cable is now a 4' Y-cord instead of the old annoying 2' J-cord. It is light, very flexible, and strong. Same with the strain reliefs. Almost no microphonics here. Just one of the best IEM cables I've seen.


Sound quality is top-tier for sure. The bass comes out strong and powerful like a dynamic, but it never masks the rest of the sound. It's linear, goes deep, tight and well textured. There's no bleed into the mids, which are just sublime. Super liquid smooth and not recessed at all. I've heard people say that voices and highs sound a bit metallic on the XBA-3s, but I'm not hearing such a thing. Everything sounds natural to me. This might've been fixed in the XBA-30s. The highs are a bit soft, but there's a lot of extension. Its non-fatiguing but still very detailed, which is the perfect highs to me. Soundstage is huge, very 3D. The background is black and imaging is super precise.

This is the most satisfying purchase I've made at $200+. The XBA-30s have a very complete and enticing sound that somehow works well with all genres. They should easily please most listeners.

 

[thinh4u2]

Hey guys, I just received my xba 3ip and I think it sounds nice but there is this slight tinny sound to it that I am not very fond of. I guess some have described it as a metallic sound. Is there a fix or mod for this? If not I will probably have to return my xba 3ip

 

[thinh4u2]

Hey guys, I just received my xba 3ip and I think it sounds nice but there is this slight tinny sound to it that I am not very fond of. I guess some have described it as a metallic sound. Is there a fix or mod for this? If not I will probably have to return my xba 3ip

 

[tquickbrownfox]

Hey.
Relatively new headfi-er here. Anyways, I've been using the Sony XBA3s for about a month now. They are my first balanced armature earphones, after a bunch of dynamic ones (Creative EP630, Skullcandy Ink'd (i know), Soundmagic PL30, Soundmagic E30). 
The sound of the XBA3's is very detailed in my opinion, but I'm not too fond of the sound signature. It does have a 'tinny' feel to them, and there is some sibilance. 
The main issue I had with these was about their comfort. The housings are quite large. I found them uncomfortable. Moreover, the J-cord is annoying. It causes more microphonics as the cable rubs against the back of my neck. With their design and large housings, it is also quite impossible to wear these over the ear. 
 
I regret buying these. Not because they're a bad pair of IEMs (they're most definitely not), but it has some small issues that make it a dealbreaker for me. Also, now that the XBA-30/40 are coming out, these are probably about to lose their resale value too. I am looking to find a good sale/trade for them, because unlike others, I did not buy them at a heavy discount. It was a more serious investment for me)

 

[Dsnuts]

Quote:

Hey guys, I just received my xba 3ip and I think it sounds nice but there is this slight tinny sound to it that I am not very fond of. I guess some have described it as a metallic sound. Is there a fix or mod for this? If not I will probably have to return my xba 3ip

Try just throwing them in a source for a couple days and nights. Burn in doesnt do much for armatures but the highs seem to straighten up for me with burn in. Especially since they are new. That was the one area that cleaned up for me and also try wider bore tips than the Sony hybrids. The stock tips really restrain the sounds on these. 

 

[d marc0]

Quote:

Try just throwing them in a source for a couple days and nights. Burn in doesnt do much for armatures but the highs seem to straighten up for me with burn in. Especially since they are new. That was the one area that cleaned up for me and also try wider bore tips than the Sony hybrids. The stock tips really restrain the sounds on these. 

^this... changing the tips did wonders for me!

 

[mugen3]

Glad to see you're enjoying those XBA-40s Oaken.
 
tquickbrownfox, I think your fit issue is the source of your problems. A bad fit with BAs will make them sound tinny and sibilant. I would never use the words tiny or sibilant to describe my XBA-30s. They are full and smooth to me.

 

[xProvidence]

Is there a difference between the XBA-3 and the XBA-30 soundwise? Apologies if this has been asked before but i'm holding off buying the 3ip's cause of the 30ip's. 

 

[Inks]

likely no as it's been proven xba1-10 are the same. 

 

[sinquito]

likely no as it's been proven xba1-10 are the same. 

Could you provide a link please?

 

[Inks]

here. 

 

[xProvidence]

Quote:

here. 

Awesome, thanks. I really should learn how to read these graphs... 

 

[Carlsan]

Quote:

Awesome, thanks. I really should learn how to read these graphs... 

 
Not so fast, comparison here between an xba-4 and xba-40.
Person seems to think that there is a very positive improved sound difference between the two, and compares the 40's to an upgraded Westone 4.

 

[xProvidence]

Quote:

 
Not so fast, comparison here between an xba-4 and xba-40.
Person seems to think that there is a very positive improved sound difference between the two, and compares the 40's to an upgraded Westone 4.

Yep, i've also read rudi's post. Wish more people could review both. I don't nearly have the money nor the descriptive ability. 

 

[Dsnuts]

I would like to know if there is a difference between the XBA-3 and the XBA-30 myself...I am gonna guess yes.  I am thinking Sony might have tweaked the sound tuning to be a bit more traditional Sony in that they will have lesser highs and more forward mids on the XBA-30 perhaps very similar bass end. But if so I might have to get me a pair.