Hello Guys,
This past week I found myself at the Sony Style Store at Woodfield Mall in Chicago last Sunday.
I was simply messing around with netbooks and checking things out.
Well, of course I found myself gravitating towards the headphones and DAP's.
Most were well....all... of the headphones sounded pretty bad comming out of the Sony DAP's Headphone Jack. Well, I decided to try out them all on my iPod Touch Headphone output, all still sounded bad. Then, tried them out on my amped system. Going through the rounds, I was expecting the same results this time and it was true....But WAIT!
The last headphone in the lot, the Sony MDR-XB700 sounded good - REALLY Good! Nice large soundstage, excelent midrange and the bass emphasis was gone. The highs were still a bit more recessed than I personally like, but dang these were nice sounding headphones.
They isolate very well, are extremely comfortable and well made. They look ugly as sin on your head or in public. Heh, that is to be expected and perhaps manditory of full sized headphones.
Did they sound as detailed as my modded ESW9's?
No. Considering that the MDR-XB700's can be had for $99 shipped and the Stock ESW9's are $299 + the cost of Mods/Cable, that isn't fair. However, the sound of the XB700's was much more enveloping and was like being in a Plush leather chair, just sinking in.
The sound reminds me very much of the Denon D2000, only with less bloat and a bigger soundstage.
The construction on the XB700's is better and much more durable with the comfort being about the same.
Without a basic amp, these do not really sound good and ALL of the other headphones in the XB series are AWEFUL and the Bass in those is beyond ridiculous. I would avoid the rest of the series as much as is possible.
If you already own a portable and use it as double duty for at home as well, these may just be your home cans. Heck, even the output of a receiver or bigger power output player like a Zune or iRiver could be enough. My in-store evaulation was just that and
Why didn't I buy a set? I need another pair of headphones like a hole in my head - it was still hard to leave empty handed.
I do hope that this is a step for Sony going into the right direction again and hopefully we will see a portable equivalent from Sony since the V6 and subsequent studio monitors have left a lot to be desired (not including the high end).
For less than $100, you get a solid headphone with performance beating its price tag and comfy to boot.
Cheers!
This past week I found myself at the Sony Style Store at Woodfield Mall in Chicago last Sunday.
I was simply messing around with netbooks and checking things out.
Well, of course I found myself gravitating towards the headphones and DAP's.
Most were well....all... of the headphones sounded pretty bad comming out of the Sony DAP's Headphone Jack. Well, I decided to try out them all on my iPod Touch Headphone output, all still sounded bad. Then, tried them out on my amped system. Going through the rounds, I was expecting the same results this time and it was true....But WAIT!
The last headphone in the lot, the Sony MDR-XB700 sounded good - REALLY Good! Nice large soundstage, excelent midrange and the bass emphasis was gone. The highs were still a bit more recessed than I personally like, but dang these were nice sounding headphones.
They isolate very well, are extremely comfortable and well made. They look ugly as sin on your head or in public. Heh, that is to be expected and perhaps manditory of full sized headphones.
Did they sound as detailed as my modded ESW9's?
No. Considering that the MDR-XB700's can be had for $99 shipped and the Stock ESW9's are $299 + the cost of Mods/Cable, that isn't fair. However, the sound of the XB700's was much more enveloping and was like being in a Plush leather chair, just sinking in.
The sound reminds me very much of the Denon D2000, only with less bloat and a bigger soundstage.
The construction on the XB700's is better and much more durable with the comfort being about the same.
Without a basic amp, these do not really sound good and ALL of the other headphones in the XB series are AWEFUL and the Bass in those is beyond ridiculous. I would avoid the rest of the series as much as is possible.
If you already own a portable and use it as double duty for at home as well, these may just be your home cans. Heck, even the output of a receiver or bigger power output player like a Zune or iRiver could be enough. My in-store evaulation was just that and
Why didn't I buy a set? I need another pair of headphones like a hole in my head - it was still hard to leave empty handed.
I do hope that this is a step for Sony going into the right direction again and hopefully we will see a portable equivalent from Sony since the V6 and subsequent studio monitors have left a lot to be desired (not including the high end).
For less than $100, you get a solid headphone with performance beating its price tag and comfy to boot.
Cheers!
