[Donald North]

Tonight while shopping at the Beverly Center I stopped into the Sony Style store and gave a listen to the Sony XB extra bass series headphones. They make 3 models of the over-the-head style: A supra-aural MDR-XB300, a "smaller" circumaural MDR-XB500, and the big MDR-XB700. All 3 models have large, stuffed ear cushions. I brought along an iPod with familiar music.

Starting with the XB-300, it sounded to me all bass with not much mids and highs, reminding me of my brother's QC3 headphones. I normally don't care for supra-aural headphones, but these fit comfortably.

Next on to the XB-500, still strong bass but now the mids and highs were brought up some. The opening in the ear cushion was a bit small to fit comfortably around my ears. I'm sure they'll fit fine for someone with smaller ears.

Last was the XB-700. These have enormous cushions and fit comfortably for me. Sound quality in my opinion was the best of the three. Mids and especially the highs were much stronger, paired with plenty of bass. The tonal balance reminded me of an equalizer set to a smile: High in the bass, gradually decreasing into the mids, then increasing into the high treble. To me they could use another layer of damping over the transducer to reduce the top 2 octaves a few dB.

If I had to choose between the Bose Around the Ear headphones or the XB700s solely on listening, I'd pick the Sonys. Just don't plan on wearing them around town

 

[jacdan]

Might pick up a pair of the 700s, if only to hear how they compare to the DT 770s.

 

[Donald North]

I'm curious to compare the XB700s to the JVC DX1000s.

 

[silasfg]

would be great to see how they compare to the DT770's. I guess the advantage of the Sonys is that they dont need to be amplified

 

[tehblizz]

I have the XB300's, for 35$ I can't complain, but I'm thinking about upgrading to the XB700's. Is there that much of a difference to justify spending more money?

 

[Graphicism]

I've heard all 3 and kept the XB500s, the others sounded too mid-range boomy. I really like the 500s for anything calling bass, vocals take a back seat so they're not an all-rounder.

 

[Liver]

I bought the XB700 when I required more closed headphones than MDR-F1s. They are very comfortable headphones and sound good enough.

I am sure they can be modded to sound better, much like the JVCs here, but I personally have not tried to.

 

[chintimin]

...you're wanting to compare them to the DT770s or DX1000s? I've only owned the 770s and the XB700s, but I can tell you right now the 770s are MUCH better. That being said, the sonys are easier to drive, boom louder when driven harder, and generally are a lot of fun.

 

[tehblizz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chintimin /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...you're wanting to compare them to the DT770s or DX1000s? I've only owned the 770s and the XB700s, but I can tell you right now the 770s are MUCH better. That being said, the sonys are easier to drive, boom louder when driven harder, and generally are a lot of fun.

and they cost much less? Duh