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Sony's new balanced-armature earphone lineup goes to 11

Sony is set to release a huge lineup of balanced-armature in-ear headphones at CES, including a funky new $500 noise-canceling model, as well as Bluetooth and sports models.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
  • Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
David Carnoy
2 min read
Sony is introducing several new balanced armature in-ear headphone models, including (from left) the XBA-4, XBA-3, XBA-2, and XBA-1. (Click to enlarge.) David Carnoy/CBS Interactive

Sony is getting into the balanced-armature in-ear headphone market in a big way this year, with, count 'em, 11 new models ranging in price from $79.99 to $499.99.

Sony brought the new XBA line by our offices in advance of CES and I, along with editor Justin Yu and CNET contributor Steve Guttenberg, were impressed with what we heard, even from the entry-level $79.99 XBA-1. The models with an "iP" at the end of their names are designed for use with the iPhone (and iPod Touch) and feature three-button controls, adding a microphone, track, and volume control functionality.

 
The new earphones are due out in February. (Click to enlarge chart.) Sony

Some of the higher-end models have multiple drivers, and the lineup is punctuated by the $499.99 "boxless" XBA-NC85D noise-canceling model, which features no "external" battery box/dongle on the headphone cord. All the noise canceling is done from within the earphones themselves (yes, there's a battery in there), and Sony's calling them "the smallest and lightest in-ear digital noise-cancelling headphones in the market today."

 
The $499.99 'boxless' XBA-NC85D noise-canceling model recharges via USB. (Click to enlarge.) David Carnoy/CNET

The lineup also includes a wireless Bluetooth model, the XBA-BT75, which charges in a special dock (see photo below) and retails for a lofty $299.99.

 
The XBA-BT75 is a $299.99 wireless Bluetooth model. (Click to enlarge.) David Carnoy/CNET

Sony is also serving up a new sports model, the $89.99 XBA-S65, which is waterproof and has an intriguing new loop design that's supposed to keep the earphones securely in your ear. I tried them out and they seemed to work well, though I can't say I was able to do any serious jogging in the conference room we were in.

 
Last but not least, Sony has a new sports model, the $89.99 XBA-S65, that's waterproof and features a special loop design. (Click to enlarge.) David Carnoy/CNET

The new XBA models start rolling out in February, and we'll hopefully have reviews of many, if not most, of them as we get review samples.