Sony MDR-XB950B1 Extra Bass Wireless Bluetooth Headphones Review

5/07/2017 04:42:00 PM Unknown 0 Comments

At CES 2017, Sony announced four new pairs of headphones in its Extra Bass line - including the wireless MDR-XB950B1. This NFC-enabled Bluetooth headset promises a bass-led sound, with aptX for clearer wireless audio, and a companion app that lets you choose between different EQ settings to personalise the sound.

At the time, Sony also released the MDR-XB950N1, which is pretty much the same thing, but with one additional feature: active noise cancellation. Unfortunately, we haven't had a chance to get our hands on those cans yet, but we did get to try out the XB950B1, and used it for just under a week. According to the packaging, this headset is designed to be used with smartphones, and that’s how we used it the most, paired wirelessly.

The headset is bulky, but fairly comfortable, and the first impression it made was that the bass was overpowering everything else - which is something that more than a few cans in the XB family are guilty - or proud, depending on your perspective - of. We used it for a couple of days, finding the sweet spot, and after some time, we've formed a detailed impression of it. Read on to know more about whether or not the Sony MDR-XB950B1 is worth your time and money.

Sony MDR-XB950B1 design and features
As we stated above, this headset is pretty big and bulky. The MDR-XB line has some models that can be folded into a fairly small size, while others can only be laid flat. This one falls into the latter category. The earcups are huge and heavily padded, with a rubbery finish that looks like it could get really sweaty. However, the headset is actually fairly comfortable to wear when in use.

Wearing it around your neck while on the move is hugely uncomfortable though - either put it on, or slip it into your bag, if you know what's good for you.

The rest of the design is very typical of Sony's XB family, with the power and bass effect buttons on the left cup (along with the Micro-USB charging port and 3.5mm input), while volume and playback controls are on the right cup. There's also a mic on the left cup for hands-free calls, if you want.

The Sony MDR-XB950B1 promises 18 hours of runtime after a 4-hour charge. There's also an included audio cable that you can use if the battery runs out. Each driver is 40mm in size, and the frequency range is rated at 3Hz to 28,000Hz. Weighing in at 281g, this isn’t the lightest pair of headphones, but as we stated above, it feels comfortable enough. How it sounds is, well, a little more complicated.

Sony MDR-XB950B1 performance
Our first impression was that there's way too much bass, and the sound isn’t very clear either. If you're listening to pop tracks that have some amount of bass - think something by Arctic Monkeys, for example - then you're definitely going to agree. Vocal-led tracks, such as songs by the Beatles, suffered greatly as well. But when we switched to hip-hop, things started to get better. We listened to a few Ludacris songs, and enjoyed the percussion, though other low notes were not very satisfying. Kanye West's Black Skinhead on the other hand sounded great, which was unexpected.

The MDR-XB950B1 has a very specific sound. After listening to more Kanye and then some electronic music, we started to find a groove that works. We tend to overuse the phrase "it's not for everyone," but this is one place where it really applies. You get a ridiculous amount of bass, especially after you press the Bass Effect button, but although that's important, you really do need to use your smartphone to drive these headphones, as we soon discovered.