Introduction:-
Hello everyone,this is my first post
and I will be doing a basic review of the XBA-3 with the popular Sennheiser IE 8 being my reference. Note that the IE 8 is just for reference purposes and i prefer to have a reference for a review. Reason i choose the IE 8 is I find the XBA-3 inappropriate to compare with full size headphones obviously because of the different sound signatures(I'm a headphone guy and prefer the signature of full size headphones anyday). Also having just recently started experimenting with in-ears I only have two *decent* in-ears and felt a reference point was necessary to express my opinion. The two *decent* in-ears in my possession are-
The Sennheiser IE 8 and
The Vsonic GR07 (have spent only about an hour with them,find them overly bright in the highs and too sibilant,as such they are in the drawer collecting dust).
Hence with my limited experience in quality earphones and having spent much more time with the IE 8 i'll be using it as a point of reference rather than the GR07 which i have hardly used.
Actual Review:-
Build quality- Build quality and packaging are above average,nothing to write home about. Cable length is a bit short for me. Comfort is decent. Some may the loathe the J-corded cable but i prefer it over the Y-corded ones.
Source- Ipod Classic 5.5G (rockboxed) lined-out to FiiO E11.
Earbud used- The included orange coloured hybrid silicon earbuds (Size=Small)
Note about amping-
I have found that the sound of the XBA-3 (rated at a low 12 Ohms) varies with different sources particularly in the highs,this is mostly due to the low impedance and sony mentions a list of its own walkman mp3 players which are not compatible with the XBA-3. Out of curiosity,i tried it with the so called incompatible walkman NWZ-B172 (which seems to be a popular Sony PMP) and the result was disappointing,with the overall sound sounding thin. For this reason I have used the Fiio E11 amp which has a nominal low output impedance of 0.05 Ohms that should rectify this issue and should be more than powerful enough to power the XBA-3 (sensitivity rated at 108 dB/mW at 1 kHz).
Sound quality-
1. Lows- Smooth,full bodied and punchy and decent in quality though slightly lacking in sub bass and doesn't extend as low as the IE 8. Impact is smooth and quite good though the overall bass output could still be cleaner and more refined. Also while listening to the live rendition of Hotel California,i felt the drums to be just a bit hollow but at this price I'm not complaining. Amount of bass (Quantity) is north of neutral for me. Hip-hop/r&b fans wouldn't be disappointed.
2. Mids- Mids sound laid back,the mid bass adds some lushness to the sound here. Vocals sound dark and a bit distanced even compared to the IE 8 yet details are still pretty good. However at times with some songs such as Maybe by Alison Krauss,I find the vocals lacking body and in general i find vocals slightly lacking in thickness and intimacy. They have a strange coloured metallic tinge to it,some may call it slightly shallow. People coming from higher tier phones may find the vocals unnatural/artificial. As such overall,mids are just about average and i just feel this quality of mids can be found even on cheaper earphones.
3. Highs- The highs are without a doubt emphasised and exudes energy. Detail retrievel is just in a different level compared to the IE 8 and beats the more expensive IE 8 hands down here. Highs are sparkly and extends well. However at high volumes,especially over extended listening of say an 1 hour,I find the highs to sound a bit too bright and on the harsher side & i find my ears hurting. Treble lovers and Grado fans will love the highs but again as with the vocals I just don't find the highs to be natural enough and I just can't help but feel that the much less energetic IE 8 feels more natural in the highs though detail levels,detail retrieval and treble liveliness/crispiness of the IE 8 are inferior to the XBA-3.
4. Soundstage,imaging and seperation- Soundstaging is spacious and large enough. I say this even with my limited experience in IEMs because the SS is not much smaller than the IE 8 which is known to have one of the most massive soundstage in the world of universal IEMs. There is enough sense of space and instruments are very clearly/distinctly seperated. Despite a smaller space compared to the IE 8,seperation and layering are still far superior in the XBA-3 as it shows a distinct sense of seperation easily noticeable even in simple tracks. This is because it makes more use of the available height,depth and width of the total space than the IE 8. In my opinion this makes the music more engaging and at times especially with some dance and techno tracks one may feel that some sounds are coming from different points of the soundstage. Overall with the XBA-3 I'm quite impressed with the layering and seperation. As a result of this,after spending time with the XBA-3,one may feel instruments and certain sounds feeling congested in the IE 8 though the IE 8 still has a larger soundstage.
5. Attack,decay and timbre- As mentioned above,with the unnatural vocals and highs,overall timbre just doesn't have that natural vibe to them. However,attack and decay are lightning fast compared to the IE 8 but I'm sure this is because of the inherent nature of balance armatures compared to dynamic earphones. Still,with the added clarity and faster attacks/decays compared to the IE 8,songs especially making use of acoustic guitars such as the acoustic version of Honestly by Harem Scarem sounds much more engaging and lively.
VaLue and conclusion- The XBA-3's can be had for 6K in the streets and at this price range i currently see little competition(atleast here in India),for the overall sound,in my opinion,Sony has managed to price it well. Granted,critical listeners and audiophiles will be disappointed with the overall sound package but apart from that the XBA-3 can be a fun,engaging earphone worth looking into for the general people or for people who are about to step into the serious audio journey. Genres like modern pop,electronica/dance/trance,hip-hop/r&b songs and top 40 songs etc would work well with it where accuracy is not of much importance. Also detailing being one of the XBA-3's strong points,people coming from cheaper earphones/headphones are bound too find new sounds and nuances with their music provided source and files used are decent.
(+)Pros- Detail retrieval
Lively detailed highs
Decent bass
Above average soundstage
Good seperation/layering
(-)Cons- Not neutral by any means
Sibilance at high volumes
Average mids
Overall timbre just feels unnatural and artificial
Despite being an in-ear/portable,sounds sterile with some portable sources.
Overall ratings :-
Sound-7/10
Value-8/10
Overall-7.5/10
Hello everyone,this is my first post
and I will be doing a basic review of the XBA-3 with the popular Sennheiser IE 8 being my reference. Note that the IE 8 is just for reference purposes and i prefer to have a reference for a review. Reason i choose the IE 8 is I find the XBA-3 inappropriate to compare with full size headphones obviously because of the different sound signatures(I'm a headphone guy and prefer the signature of full size headphones anyday). Also having just recently started experimenting with in-ears I only have two *decent* in-ears and felt a reference point was necessary to express my opinion. The two *decent* in-ears in my possession are-The Sennheiser IE 8 and
The Vsonic GR07 (have spent only about an hour with them,find them overly bright in the highs and too sibilant,as such they are in the drawer collecting dust).
Hence with my limited experience in quality earphones and having spent much more time with the IE 8 i'll be using it as a point of reference rather than the GR07 which i have hardly used.
Actual Review:-
Build quality- Build quality and packaging are above average,nothing to write home about. Cable length is a bit short for me. Comfort is decent. Some may the loathe the J-corded cable but i prefer it over the Y-corded ones.
Source- Ipod Classic 5.5G (rockboxed) lined-out to FiiO E11.
Earbud used- The included orange coloured hybrid silicon earbuds (Size=Small)
Note about amping-
I have found that the sound of the XBA-3 (rated at a low 12 Ohms) varies with different sources particularly in the highs,this is mostly due to the low impedance and sony mentions a list of its own walkman mp3 players which are not compatible with the XBA-3. Out of curiosity,i tried it with the so called incompatible walkman NWZ-B172 (which seems to be a popular Sony PMP) and the result was disappointing,with the overall sound sounding thin. For this reason I have used the Fiio E11 amp which has a nominal low output impedance of 0.05 Ohms that should rectify this issue and should be more than powerful enough to power the XBA-3 (sensitivity rated at 108 dB/mW at 1 kHz).
Sound quality-
1. Lows- Smooth,full bodied and punchy and decent in quality though slightly lacking in sub bass and doesn't extend as low as the IE 8. Impact is smooth and quite good though the overall bass output could still be cleaner and more refined. Also while listening to the live rendition of Hotel California,i felt the drums to be just a bit hollow but at this price I'm not complaining. Amount of bass (Quantity) is north of neutral for me. Hip-hop/r&b fans wouldn't be disappointed.
2. Mids- Mids sound laid back,the mid bass adds some lushness to the sound here. Vocals sound dark and a bit distanced even compared to the IE 8 yet details are still pretty good. However at times with some songs such as Maybe by Alison Krauss,I find the vocals lacking body and in general i find vocals slightly lacking in thickness and intimacy. They have a strange coloured metallic tinge to it,some may call it slightly shallow. People coming from higher tier phones may find the vocals unnatural/artificial. As such overall,mids are just about average and i just feel this quality of mids can be found even on cheaper earphones.
3. Highs- The highs are without a doubt emphasised and exudes energy. Detail retrievel is just in a different level compared to the IE 8 and beats the more expensive IE 8 hands down here. Highs are sparkly and extends well. However at high volumes,especially over extended listening of say an 1 hour,I find the highs to sound a bit too bright and on the harsher side & i find my ears hurting. Treble lovers and Grado fans will love the highs but again as with the vocals I just don't find the highs to be natural enough and I just can't help but feel that the much less energetic IE 8 feels more natural in the highs though detail levels,detail retrieval and treble liveliness/crispiness of the IE 8 are inferior to the XBA-3.
4. Soundstage,imaging and seperation- Soundstaging is spacious and large enough. I say this even with my limited experience in IEMs because the SS is not much smaller than the IE 8 which is known to have one of the most massive soundstage in the world of universal IEMs. There is enough sense of space and instruments are very clearly/distinctly seperated. Despite a smaller space compared to the IE 8,seperation and layering are still far superior in the XBA-3 as it shows a distinct sense of seperation easily noticeable even in simple tracks. This is because it makes more use of the available height,depth and width of the total space than the IE 8. In my opinion this makes the music more engaging and at times especially with some dance and techno tracks one may feel that some sounds are coming from different points of the soundstage. Overall with the XBA-3 I'm quite impressed with the layering and seperation. As a result of this,after spending time with the XBA-3,one may feel instruments and certain sounds feeling congested in the IE 8 though the IE 8 still has a larger soundstage.
5. Attack,decay and timbre- As mentioned above,with the unnatural vocals and highs,overall timbre just doesn't have that natural vibe to them. However,attack and decay are lightning fast compared to the IE 8 but I'm sure this is because of the inherent nature of balance armatures compared to dynamic earphones. Still,with the added clarity and faster attacks/decays compared to the IE 8,songs especially making use of acoustic guitars such as the acoustic version of Honestly by Harem Scarem sounds much more engaging and lively.
VaLue and conclusion- The XBA-3's can be had for 6K in the streets and at this price range i currently see little competition(atleast here in India),for the overall sound,in my opinion,Sony has managed to price it well. Granted,critical listeners and audiophiles will be disappointed with the overall sound package but apart from that the XBA-3 can be a fun,engaging earphone worth looking into for the general people or for people who are about to step into the serious audio journey. Genres like modern pop,electronica/dance/trance,hip-hop/r&b songs and top 40 songs etc would work well with it where accuracy is not of much importance. Also detailing being one of the XBA-3's strong points,people coming from cheaper earphones/headphones are bound too find new sounds and nuances with their music provided source and files used are decent.
(+)Pros- Detail retrieval
Lively detailed highs
Decent bass
Above average soundstage
Good seperation/layering
(-)Cons- Not neutral by any means
Sibilance at high volumes
Average mids
Overall timbre just feels unnatural and artificial
Despite being an in-ear/portable,sounds sterile with some portable sources.
Overall ratings :-
Sound-7/10
Value-8/10
Overall-7.5/10
