  X-ray binaries are excellent laboratories to study collapsed objects. On the
one hand, transient X-ray binaries contain the best examples of stellar-mass
black holes while persistent X-ray binaries mostly harbour accreting neutron
stars. The determination of stellar masses in persistent X-ray binaries is
usually hampered by the overwhelming luminosity of the X-ray heated accretion
disc. However, the discovery of high-excitation emission lines from the
irradiated companion star has opened new routes in the study of compact
objects. This paper presents novel techniques which exploits these irradiated
lines and summarises the dynamical masses obtained for the two populations of
collapsed stars: neutron stars and black holes.
