[jude]

 
Today a wide range of balanced armature in-ear headphones were announced by Sony Asia Pacific.  11 new models were announced, including several models that Sony is specifically targeting audiophiles with.  The following four models are audiophile-targeted:
 

1. Sony XBA-1, which use one single balanced armature driver per side.  (Single Balanced Armature Full Range)

 

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Sony XBA-1​

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1. Sony XBA-2, which uses two balanced armature drivers per side.  (Dual Balanced Armature Full Range + Woofer)

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Sony XBA-2​

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1. Sony XBA-3, which uses three balanced armature drivers per side.  (Triple Balanced Armature Full Range + Woofer + Tweeter)

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Sony XBA-3​

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1. Sony XBA-4, which uses four balanced armature drivers per side.  (Quad Balanced Armature Full Range + Woofer + Tweeter + Super Woofer)

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Sony XBA-4​

 
The number of drivers per side is easily identified by the number of dots on each earpiece.
 
All four of the above models are also available in 3-button mic/remote versions (for use with iPhones), and are called the XBA-1ip, XBA-2ip, XBA-3ip, XBA-4ip.
 
Also announced were the following models:
 

1. Sony XBA-BT75, which is a wireless (Bluetooth) model with a single balanced armature driver per side.  Playtime per charge is 3.5 hours, and the XBA-BT75 includes a smart charger in the included battery charging case.

 

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Sony XBA-BT75​

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1. Sony XBA-NC85D, which is an active noise-canceling, box-free design.  Sony bills the XBA-NC85D as the World’s Smallest and Lightest Digital Noise-Cancelling Headphones.  The XBA-NC85D has a smart charger with USB interface.

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Sony XBA-NC85D​

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1. Sony XBA-S65/B, which is an active sports in-ear headphone that's water-resistant, sweat-resistant, and washable.  For fit, the ear loops are adjustable.  The XBA-NC85D uses a single balanced armature driver per side.

 
 
Seven new balanced armature models (with 11 total SKUs, including the iPhone models) in one fell swoop is an ambitious move from Sony.  I'll be particularly interested in hearing how well they've pulled off the multi-armature designs, in terms of cohesiveness across the different drivers.
 
These new models are going to be available in the Asian markets beginning November 2011.  I haven't seen pricing information yet, nor have I seen any information indicating when these models will be available outside of Asia.  I'll report back when I find out more about pricing and availability.
 
To read Sony Asia Pacific's full press release on these models, please click here.
 
There's a discussion in the Head-Fi forums about these new models here.

 

[LizardKing1]

Great news! They are already known for being the company that has the best stock IEM - and from my experience I agree. This is a great step, since it's a major company releasing 4 good pair of IEMs and might the masses more into sound quality. Let's just hope they don't cost as much as a laptop

 

[WakiDabeast]

yeah honestly their iems are easy to find at an AMAZING value i got a pair of sony-ex300's for 30 bucks and they sound really good not as good as my se215 but they give my shures a run for there money. this will make them a lot more usefull for a lot more purposes, but they will lose some of their fun sound signature.

 

[cifani090]

Nice looking earbuds!

 

[mark2410]

want

 

[Niyologist]

Must....GEEEETTTTT!!!!!
 

 

[Sayajin]

Has anyone see my wallet? Can't find it.

Too bad the rest of the world have to wait.

 

[piotrus-g]

Can't wait to hear any of them.
Second quad driver universal in the world
 

 

[Jack Nicholson]

really nice design lets hope the sound is too

 

[JamesMcProgger]

^ omg Jack Nicholson is in headfi!!! 

 
the tripple and the quad looks interesting, not sure abotu the woofer and super woofer though.
 

 

[Deftone]

wow those iems are nice!

 

[NoKTurNal]

Very attractive IEMs
Would like to know more about the triple balance

 

[RudeWolf]

Looks great and good popular exposure to balanced arm tech. Could have used an unpluggable leash though, must be a bitch to resolder if it brakes near the driver. And to my experience Sony IEM wires have a nasty melted on isolation that is very hard to get off.

 

[drez]

Quote:

Great news! They are already known for being the company that has the best stock IEM - and from my experience I agree. This is a great step, since it's a major company releasing 4 good pair of IEMs and might the masses more into sound quality. Let's just hope they don't cost as much as a laptop

My last experience with Sony iem was the ex700 - I paid $500 for it which was a complete and utter waste of hard earned student allowance.  For $150 they are ok but not really as good as what HifiMan offers for the same or less money, although they certainly have a unique sound.
 
Would also be interesting to see if these come with more than 90 days warranty and don't start to disintegrate after 12 months...

 

[Skanda]

i wonder how low the "super woofer" goes in comparison to the standard woofer driver