Sep 20, 2018 05:13 PM
11067 Views
(Updated Sep 22, 2018 02:16 PM)
I recently picked up my second pair of wireless BT headphones this year. I was fortunate to get it as a great price during my travel to Germany. I paid around 7500/- for the MDR XB-950B1. The other pair I own is Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC(My review: https://mouthshut.com/review/Sennheiser-HD-4-50-BT-NC-Bluetooth-Wireless-Headpho
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So I'll compare the Sony MDR XB950B1 with that throughout my review.
What you get here is a great pair of Sony over ear headphones which excellent Bass. So if you love listening to EDM & fast songs, this will definitely please you a lot. However, if you consider yourself an audiophile - you will be disappointed.
Sound signature:
Each headphone is tuned to provide a certain type of listening experience. As the name implies, XB or Extra Bass, means this will always bias towards a heavier bass. The Bass-Effect toggle button on the earcup will pump it up to insane levels. You can feel the headphones thump & vibrate on your ears.
The thump is impressive to say the lease & these totally live up to the XB badge. Playing games takes you to a different level, watching action movies makes you wonder that these can sound better than PVR while listening to EDM music feels like every penny you spent was well worth it.
Its only when you listen to music with more instruments(not much bass) will you begin to see the limits of these headphones. Stereo separation is not a problem - its the separation in instrument notes on such tracks that it all sounds dull. It almost feels like - other than Bass, these are not meant for any other kind of music.
Compared to these, the Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC has a better mid-range & clarity on vocals. Treble is a weakness on both headphones. Don’t get me wrong, music sounds very vibrant on the MDR-XB950B1. All that heart thumping bass comes at the price of clarity on mids & highs. In my opinion, its a fair trade-off for bass lovers.
If you love the sound signature of say Bose headphones, then these might feel low on clarity & the bass might sound overwhelming. But if you find Bose sound to be less vibrant or lacking on Bass, then these should be right up your alley.
And yes these will get very loud. Much louder than the Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC.
Features:
No active noise cancellation - obviously. That said - passive noise isolation is fairly good. Not to mention how loud these get which basically overpowered all noises once you go over 70% on volume.
The controls are fairly intuitive. A smart multi-function toggle for track next/prev/pause/call receive etc. Volume rocker & a toggle for Extra Bass. The controls are better than the Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC for sure. Buttons are tactile to the press & placement is also pretty well thought out.
The wireless range is solid. And generally being 15 feet away from the device does not lead to sound breaking. The APTX is an added benefit.
A nifty phone app lets you control the Bass between the range of -10 to+10. Along with a few sound effects like Concert Hall, Arena etc. I never used the sound effects because they do not improve the experience in any way. More gimmicks I’d say. The bass level however is useful.
The NFC is very handy. I use it with my OnePlus-6 and it connects seamlessly with a gentle tap of the phone.
Battery backup has been a respectable 17 hrs on an average. While Sony claims 20hrs or so. Lets be honest here, we listen to 50-60% volume mostly. So 17hrs is not bad at all. That’s like a long trans-continental flight on a single charge & back.
Ergonomics & comfort:
Lets face it - this is one of the most important things to consider in an over-ear closed-back headphone pair. If this factor isn’t on your list the you are probably thinking it wrong. Happy to report that ergonomics have been pretty good on these headphones. To summarize the positives:
The ear cushions are soft & padding is enough to not give you sore or sweaty ears
There is just about enough space inside the cups for the ears not feel overtly stressed or cramped up
The gripping / clasping force is also on the lighter side. I usually don’t mind it over a 2-3 hr flight.
The negatives:
No enough ventilation for ears. Makes for a warm ears after a few hours of listening. That said, its miles better than my Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC
Leaving the headphones around the neck is just not possible. You will not be able to move you head around. The ear cups have limited movement around the hinges so that also restricts movement. You can basically have these on or take them off completely.
Unlike my Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC, these do not fold up. Means the box is just gigantic. Takes up way too much space in my bag. Which means when I travel, I prefer to carry the Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC over these. The ear cups merely turn inwards and not fold all the way. Making these nearly impossible to carry.
Built quality:
I dont have any complaints on this front. The hinges are plastic which do worry me a bit. The Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC feel better built than these. Although the steel band around the head feels much reassuring on these than the plastic on the Sennheiser HD 4.50BTNC.
Everything feels well put together. No creaking or squeaking so far. People have complained about these breaking at the hinges which will continue to haunt me.
Bottomline:
If you are a bass-head or consider yourself one, look no further. These will not disappoint. Even if you are a gamer and want o enjoy your games on HD audio.
But if your admire finer quality music with a lot of instruments except bass, then these are not for your. You might be able to tune down the bass by simply switching the bass-effect off. But that will not boost mids or treble a lot. This cannot replace a good studio monitor headphones.
Now if you happen to pick these up on a deal where the price is 10k or below - get them immediately. This is is undoubtedly a great pair of headphones without the wires & they work very well. If you fancy active noise cancellation then get the pricier MDR-XB950N1 . Yeah notice the N1 at the end instead of the B1. The difference is that the N1 has ANC and they fold in. If you can spend the 3-5k more then those might be better.
But for 90% of user, the first word once you crank up the volume up on the 950B1 would be “wow!” or “OMG"
