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Member Reviews: Sony MDR-XB500 40mm XB Diaphragm Driver Extra Bass Headphones

MalVeauX

Sony MDR-XB500, Affordable Pulsing Throbbing Gobs of Bass

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By MalVeauX

Pros: BASS, comfortable, inexpensive

Cons: A little flimsy, recessed highs & mids, short cable

Sony MDR-XB500 Affordable Pulsing Throbbing Gobs of Bass   The XB500 is pretty well known to all at this point, however there's more to this little headphone that the immediate and obvious, which is the extra bass that they market the XB line towards and deliver with authority. They are some of the best basshead cans for the cost. But there's actually a gem out of the line and that's the XB500 because it's actually quite capable of more than just pulsing throbbing gobs of bass. It's an interesting little headphone, so let's get to know it if you're interested in a bassy headphone that can be altered a tad through equalization to be so much more.   I received my XB500...
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pocketrocket

Comfy and nice bass on the cheap

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By pocketrocket

Pros: Cheap, good lows, extremely comfortable, sort of isolating, short wire, tiny plug

Cons: Headband and joints feel flimsy, veiled and uninvolving mids could use more definition

It's an unfair comparison, but I'll compare them to AKG K 272 HD, source being FiiO E7 USB DAC for both. (I equalize the AKG by +3dB through 20-80Hz)   Build: The soft, pillow like earpads are a godsend. The leatherette feels comfortable, and doesn't cause sweating. The joints and headband aren't as assuring, and feel prone to breakage. Since they're a gift for my gf I won't break them just to try it out. Oh well, atleast they're very light and you just forget about them in five minutes. The short cord has a cute tiny 1/8" plug that won't get in the way with portable use. Sound: First time playing Ayreon on them, which has plenty of beautiful female and male vocals,...
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derbigpr

Be careful what you wish for

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By derbigpr

Pros: A lot of bass, lightweight, very comfortable, cheap, easy to power.

Cons: Very recessed mids and highs relative to the bass, muddy sound, low overall sound quality with very little detail, short cable.

I bought these headphones just for the fun of it, to see how they sound with all that apparently amazing bass.   Well, for $50, they're ok sounding for extra bass headphones.  They do have a lot of bass, but its not a high quality detailed bass, its that one-note boomy mess that makes a boomy muddy messy veil over the rest of the sound frequencies.   Compared to my 6 year old Sennheiser HD212pro, which was a headphone in the same price range back then as the XB500 is today, I'd say the HD212pro is considerably better in about every single way. While it doesn't have quite as much bass, it has about 90% of the bass quantity and higher bass quality, while the rest...
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DanSRX

Quality & Comfort

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By DanSRX

Pros: Deep Bass, Comfort, Flat Cable, Style, Sound Quality, Build Quality, Solid Bass, Clear Definition.

Cons: Style, Short Lead, Material

Having used these cans on a daily basis I feel a review is in order.   Sound      The most important aspect, above everything else! I have used these phones for listning to music across all genres and they do not dissapoint. The bass is obviously the main design for these cans and it can take pretty much anything you throw at it without any muddy distortion. From fast, powerful, punchy drum and bass tunes to deep dubstep the low end remains clear and defined loosing no power. The Mid range can tend to be a bit lost though, due to the bass being quite overpowering. After a bit of 'burn in' they seem to come out a bit more which is nice but is a...
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pro1137

More like Extra 'Bloat' headphones

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By pro1137

Pros: Comfort, bass, portability

Cons: The rest of the frequency spectrum, isolation

I've heard the XB500 many times before actually being able to give a good review on it. Each time I put it on, I'm always very disappointed. Back before I was into higher quality audio like I am now, I had always judged a headphone on how clean sounding it was. Mid bass bloat was what I tried to stay away from most. I am SO glad I didn't purchase these before then. I would have been upset with how they sound. When the term 'bass' comes to mind, I think of earth-shaking lows at or under 80Hz. To my ears, these are warm bloat cans that don't have those resonating lows. To be blunt, I can't stand the XB500's signature. At the low end, we have a very very warm presentation. The bass is not...
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LazBro123

Budget Bass Heads, Look No Further. Non-Budget Bass Heads, Stay Far, Far Away. As Far As Possible.

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By LazBro123

Pros: Bass, Look nice, Value, Comfort.

Cons: Everything Else.

I am not a hater of this headphone, even though I am a pure bass head, but want excellent clarity and detail retrieval. These fail at anything that is not bass. Highs and mids clarity is pretty bad. It just sounds so plasticky and echoey, I cannot explain it. The overpowering bass, maybe too overpowering for my taste, takes over the entire spectrum. The soundstage is pretty dang tiny, which means that these are the WORST CHOICE for gaming. If you want a great headphone, buy the Panasonic HTF 600, which is cheaper than the Sonys by a bit, and demolish them in detail retrieval, clarity and soundstage by a mile, and can satisfy any bass lover. Bass on the Sonys are pretty muddy IMO, but...
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GabeyGabe

Sony MDR XB 500 a bit of heaven and hell

Posted
By GabeyGabe

Pros: Drivers deliver the extra bass promised, can handle a lot of input

Cons: cheaply constructed, not great for some genres

On christmas 2011 I opened a gift from my mom that not only surprised me, but made me grin with anticipation. The sony mdr XB500, dynamic open backed headphones, where not exactly what I expected. I have to say that as much as I expected a lot of extra bass, I thought it was almost pointless how internally eq'd they were, even if I turned on a bass reducer, or put them through a headphone amp, they wouldn't do what I wanted them to do. All that aside though lets get into a formal review. The XB-500 are made almost 100% of plastic, which would be okay, if it wasn't the same cheap plastic you find on their 10 dollar ear buds. Considering the plastic their made of however, they have held...
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Oeufdepoire

After half an hour...

Posted
By Oeufdepoire

Pros: Very flexible cable, very comfortable pads

Cons: Y-cable, don't isolate well, pads get sweaty pretty quickly, uncomfortable headband

I've listened to them about half an hour.   They are sold as extra bassy, and so they are, indeed.
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SanjiWatsuki

If All You Need is Bass...

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By SanjiWatsuki

Pros: Tons of tight bass, responds well to EQ, comfortable pads, easy to drive.

Cons: Iffy build quality, still veiled after EQ, lacks detail.

When I first put on the XB500s, I have to say, I was rather impressed by how they felt. The giant pillow pads gave a unique feeling that was far different than typical pleather pads in this price range. My main issue came when I began to actually listen to them. I did notice that the overall build quality felt a little spotty and I worried that I would break them with a relatively minor mistake. The volume was high coming even out of a portable source, so amps are unnecessary.   In their field of expertise, bass-heavy music, I felt like they did an acceptable job. The bass was incredibly overpowering, but it felt fitting. I had never had a pair of headphones produce that kind...
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