just saw the xba line up today. frankly speaking, i'm relieved to see their small sizes, especially the xba-4. very interesting design and pricing. too be honest, i think the price is comparable to most ba phones out there. the xba-1 is similarly priced as pl50 while the xba-2 (rm499) is cheaper than the brainwavz b2 (rm540). so, sony has made the pricing very competitive for the market (considering too, the sony hybrid tips that come with the 'phones). a good move for them.

regarding sony 'phones sound quality, well they have always make products for the masses. still, they do produce good quality headphones from time to time. they are no technics, mind but i used to own a v5 and love my time with it. very costly too at that time. silly money, true, but then again, how many have heard of audio technica back in 2001? senn and shure are pro equipment maker, same goes for beyer while the china made oems, well, let's not talk about them. so we have sony, aiwa, panasonic and a few other choices. all from the mass market manufacturers.

exposures (internet especially) made us realised there are tons of options out there, better ones too. but i have to agree with nordingh, without sony (and aiwa), i would not have fell in love with music as much as i am now. heck, those countless walkmans and discmans that i have used and destroyed. all served me well to the end of they life. =)

Agree with you... even all portable cassette player called walkman before... same goes to discman.

Does anybody know any sony stores where I can audition the xba-4?

Checked out Berjaya Times Square, for sale only no testing. Doesn't seem to be in their plan to eventually allow auditioning... just like their EX lineup.

Don't feel like dropping RM1200 without testing first.....

try sony style klcc. usually they have a test unit for each of the 'phones they sell. in fact, all the staffs are required to listen to each 'phones so they can actually know the difference between them (so they can they can sell them according to customer's need). well, that was how i was trained back when i do part time there.

Awesome. Will drop by someday to test power for the entire xba lineup.

This post has been edited by cyloh: Mar 4 2012, 09:34 PM

Tried xba-1 to 4 already using iphone, apple lossless quality.

xba-1 :
Bright mids and highs but not veiled nor sibilant. Detailed. Very airy, quite good soundstage for a 1 BA phone.
Bass is very weak, almost considered missing in action.
I think for the price of RM199 this is actually an OK buy.

xba-2 :
What the.... sounds like a cheap dynamic phone. bassy but totally flat and small/wrong soundstage.
5 seconds into auditioning this I nearly rage throw it.

xba-3 :
Couldn't get a good fit dunno why, so no impressions.

xba-4 :
Big soundstage, mids and highs similar to xba-1. Bass is very good but can over power the mids sometimes(not by too much though).

The only problem for xba series is I think they need to be amped for true potential. My iphone needs 90% volume for normal listening on these.
xba-4 hisses a bit, even the highs have some sort of distortion without amp.

If you don't mind , can tell me what apps you uses to get apple lossless?

If you're on a mac, use X Lossless Decoder.

If you're on windows, can use dbpoweramp music converter.

Get wav/flac quality and use the above software to convert to apple lossless.

Thank you very much bro asked at iPhone sections , no one replies

cos there they only learn how to use the phone... they not appreciate the music.

hmmm. based on cyloh impression, these don't sound that good at all. guess they're meant for the commercial market? still haven't had a chance to personally try them. would like to compare the xb2 to my b2, honestly.

cyloh, where did you go to test them? klcc? i need to go and have them in my ears. soon. ;D

closest?
try jaben audio at SS15, tried full range at there
http://jaben.com.my/shopping2/home.php?cat=376

Tested them in Jaben. They're definitely made for the mass market. But then again it depends on the listener in the end.
I quite like xba-1 and 4, 1 more than 4 unfortunately. The xba-4 sounds like an upgrade to my Triple Fi 10 but there is too much flaws and headaches.

Will go back to Jaben and test properly(was in a rush earlier...).

Can above rip song from CD?

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Added on March 7, 2012, 3:16 pmTdk also having their tdk BA 200 same price RM 499

This post has been edited by wkkm007: Mar 7 2012, 03:16 PM

could you pls pm me the details where selling the ba200 for 499?
interested to get one

Dot life @ pikom cap square

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Added on March 8, 2012, 6:54 pmhttp://dot-life.com.my/site/index.php?cat=4

This post has been edited by wkkm007: Mar 8 2012, 06:54 PM

thanks!

sadly no chain in Penang >_<
do they carry many others brands of IEMs ?

BEAT
http://www.facebook.com/myDotLife

Sudah try Sony xba whole lineup
2 paling teruk

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Added on March 11, 2012, 4:36 pmFor those who plan to buy xba are recommend to try tdk ba 200 1st.

This post has been edited by wkkm007: Mar 11 2012, 04:36 PM