About a year or so ago, I bought a pair of UE700s and I love those tiny sound beans to bits! A couple of weeks back, the wiring on the right side got ripped (right after the warranty expired) and I’m left with a mono UE700. Listening to Led Zeppelin in forced mono is like being force-fucked – feels good but oh so wrong.
Enter the Sony XBA-3. Sony’s latest offering and the new kid on the balanced armature IEM block. Sony actually has a full range of these BA earpieces, from the single BA model to quad BA, noise cancelling and wireless. I chose the triple driver XBA-3 and at RM899, it’s the cheapest triple armature IEM in Malaysia. In comparison, I purchased the UE700 for RM999 which has seen a price reduction to RM689 while the Q-jays are still going strong at RM999 in some retail stores. Would other manufactures start lowering their prices to compete? I certainly hope so! Would Sony pose threat as a solid competitor in terms of sound quality? Maybe. Continue reading
