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

lyon79

New Head-Fier
Bass is not everything
Pros: Bass (quantity), short cord (subjective), 18-wheeler looks (subjective)
Cons: Bass (quality), mids, clamping force, non-folding, non-detachable cord
They're good for bass and nothing else. They're not even comfortable, the clamping force resembles the M-Audio Q40's in my opinion (which would make them good for cycling, running and walking but not so good for stationary usage). The quality of bass is also not the best and you still need to give it a +6db or a higher boost for the subwoofer-on-your-head effect (which actually distorts the bass, +4db seems to be the upper limit). The mids are awful, making tracks like Simon Patterson - Always or Jon O'Bir feat. Fisher - Found A Way (Joint Operations Centre Remix) unlistenable - but that depends on the track. The highs are OK after equalization (a +4db boost, give or take).

Unless you can get them for free or almost for free, stay away from them. That's considering their current price, I got mine for 100 euro. The truth is that they're worth 5 to 10 euro at best. Buy some older Ultrasones instead (preferably the HFI-580's, or the DJ1's which are the same cans). They provide a bigger (you read that correctly) amount of much clearer bass (without the need of EQ) and they have much better mids, not to mention a longer cable if you need it.

EDIT: I'm lowering my rating after listening to them for ~10-15 more hours. They're really bad, possibly the worst headphones I've ever had. Aerofoil - Caress 2 Impress (Markus Schulz Big Room Reconstruction), Mike Shiver & Aruna - Everywhere You Are and probably a dozen more tracks join the list of unlistenable tracks on these.
Last edited:

12cc2

New Head-Fier
Pros: Bass, Comfort,durability
Cons: Non-folding,No hard case, non detachable cord
Ok we'll these were my first over ear headphones I fell in love with and there's plenty of reasons for that, I'll talk about the durability, comfort level and mind blowing bass first

- Durability
These have a plastic design so you might be saying durability ¿? Their plastic but! I have hauled these around as my daily drivers for almost two years now keeping them in my pack pack taking them on road trips and long bus rides and they have held up fine. They have taken a beating and lots of drops as I bought them when I was a freshman and am now a senior and I have to say it was the best buy because needless to say I wasn't carefully at all with them in the beginning and I'm sure I've stepped on them once or twice over their lifetime.

- Comfort
I have yet to see a pair of headphones that match these in comfort, the headband isn't super tight so a lot of movement will cause them to slide on your head but to me that's not at all a downfall because their over ear cans so most generally you won't be crazy active in these cans. I have ran with these on at cross country meets and they will stay on when running in them as long as you aren't thrashing your head around. The soft pads these sport are amazing, I've had multiple people tell me they are the most comfortable headphones they've tried on and I totally agree I can listen to these indefinitely and have no issues of ear soreness or head fatigue.
- Bass
Now if your not a bass lover you might think why would I want to get a pair of cans that are designed with bass as a key point we'll you wouldn't so theirs no argument there but IMHO these bass cans have a nice tuning to them so the bass doesn't over power the music, unless you tune it up with EQ's, so you still hear great music just with a bit more bass. The highs could be more crisp and the bass does bleed into the kids but no worries there for me. I claim to anyone that these headphones will make Beats by Dr. Dre look like little kids headphones and beat lovers always disagree until they put them on and see for the selfs that you can have good bass headphones without sacrificing good quality music, not to mention only half the cost.

Overall I give these headphones a 9/10 because of some key cons to the design. They don't have a detachable cord so if you rip out your cord your out of luck and they do not come with a hard case only a soft pouch so they could be damaged inside your bag moving around, and lastly they do not fold so they can become a big hassle to pack along on a road trip because they aren't very compact. In the end I love these headphones and even if your not a bass head I think you would too as they are superb in comfort level and I after all If you can't wear your headphones then they just are an expensive necklace.

SonyMDRer

New Head-Fier
Pros: Great headphone for those looking for ONLY bass
Cons: Mid / Treble is heavily drowned out, very veil sounding
This is my review for the Sony MDR-XB500 Extra-Bass Headphone.
 
My initial reaction to this headphone was just 'WOW' and not in a good way. I was amazed at how much bass a headphone can have! I should emphasis at the point that this headphone is not used / was not intended to be used for mixing and mastering, so you first have to understand that this headphone is made for those that love the fun sound signature of having a really bassy headphone and nothing else! However, I found this problematic as the headphone just provided too much bass and there was not much else to be enjoyed.
 
I made a note in my video review that this is still a headphone and therefore, it must be judged to be such. In other words, you cannot only judge only the bass region, but all the other regions must also be taken into consideration, and this is where the XB500 fell short of being a good headphone. All the other frequencies aside from the bass region was frankly.... not very good.
 
Therefore, I suggest to recommend a headphone for those that enjoy bass, but also at the same time wanted really good sound quality for the price, get the Logitech Ultimate Ears UE6000 ! What a great headphone that is for bass lovers and it even comes with an extra, which is the noise cancellation circuit! I hope I was not too hard on this review, but I really hope to share my thoughts on how I thoughts about this headphone!
 
For a more detailed review, please see my video review located here:
0.jpg

Makiah S
Makiah S
What you no like the Fart Cannons ;3 
 
also here's the worst part... years ago when those where in production the XB 700 could be had for about $80 new and sounded better imo than the UE 6000, now fast forward to today and the XB 700 might run you $200 if you can find one and the UE 6000 is really just a better b ang for the buck! Sony biggest mistake was discountinuing these to make their new even numbered line :/ 
SonyMDRer
SonyMDRer
Lol thanks for the funny comment :p

You are absolutely right. I think the XB700 is quite a good headphone, so different compared to the XB500! But as far as current generation of headphones goes, I think the UE6000 is a hard headphone to beat!

KonKossKang

New Head-Fier
Pros: the sound is good for 80 bucks maximum.soft cushions will never hurt your ears ever.
Cons: headphones in the 60-100 price range sound better even when bassboosts are applied via an equalizer.
After being a basshead for like 4 years it dawned on me i didnt need to buy headphones like this because 2 years ago i discovered equalizers that actually does that.I was curious as to why the flat response fellows wanted flat response headphones, when i found that thing i understood.also the bass extensions comes directly from the cussions, i took those off(not recommended) and they sounded like a slightly watered down grado 80 dollar set.
 
these headphones are far from the worst option for mixing, but if not EQ'd they will be tricky to mix on :/
 
three years ago i would look at this review and say What, but i get it now.dudes you better off with dt660s.

jockhater2

Head-Fier
Pros: Bass and recessed highs
Cons: In my opinion. Could still use more bass.
Love these head phones. I own 2 pairs. One remains brand new in the box until my other pair breaks. The pair I am using I have had now for 2 years +. I take them everywhere and do everything in them. You would think they are a pair of earphones with how much I use them. I love how light they are. I get no head fatigue or ear fatigue. My ears only get hot when I run in them.
 
A lot of people complain that the bass is too overwhelming. Coming from a guy who has 2 12s in his car on a 8,000 real watts (2 alternators, 3 batteries). No these are not too much bass. I could definitely go for some more. But they are great the way they are. I love the recessed highs because I really dislike bright highs. Mids could be be better of course.
 
They may feel flimsy but they have lasted me 2 years + going everywhere with me. Even in my back. And I do not use a carrying case of any kind.
takato14
takato14
Nobody cares about your car setup. Stop bragging about how you spent thousands of dollars to make your car an annoying, rolling fart cannon. It lacks any sort of relevancy and makes you come off as a self-important ass.

derbigpr

Headphoneus Supremus
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 of the frequencies are much less recessed and much more detailed. 
 
Also, the extension and punch of the bass on the XB500 doesn't seem to be great.  For example, and this is going to sound crazy to some people,  AKG K701 has much better bass extension. Bass on XB500 noticeably rolls off, regardless of amplifier used, and especially when used unamped out of some portable device. If I were to test both headphones at lets say 80 hz, and volume match them, then playing a 30 hz tone on both headphones would reveal that K701 stayed pretty much at the same volume level, while the volume on the XB500 dropped considerably. 
 
Another thing is the punch of the bass. Again, even compared to so called "bass light" headphones such as K701, XB500 has less bass punch. It's just too slow and muddy to have any sharp and fast punchy impact.  Listening to Infected Mushroom albums, its clear the K701 is in a different league when it comes to bass punch, so, for an "extra bass" headphone, XB500 doesn't really do that well.  Well, it has a lot of bass quantity, but in a positive and negative way depending on the recording. Sometimes, the bass is ok, when the only thing in the track you're listening to is bass, and everything else is pushed back.  If you listen to a bassy track that has a lot of other sounds going on in the mids and highs, its going to be a muddy mess.
 
Going from HD212 to XB500 on certain more congested track feels like you've added some pillows between the drivers and your ears that block all the sound except the bass, and still, there's not that much more bass on the XB500.
 
All in all, it gets a good mark for portability, lightness, comfort and a lot of bass, which is good if that's what you're looking for.
If you want a bassy headphone that does all genres well, look elsewhere.  I mean, the clarity and detail of the mids and highs in the XB500 is on a level of earbuds that I got with my Samsung Galaxy phone.

noobyguy

New Head-Fier
Pros: good bass, comfortable
Cons: bad sound quality
It is very good for the price but the sound quality is not as good as i thought it would be but the bass is very good. i find the bass as good as the beyerdynamics dt 770 80 maybe even more so as it really gets in your face but the beyrdynamics are much clearer 

gientsosage

New Head-Fier
Pros: super soft pads, clear bass, good highs and lows.
Cons: Like taping hot hands to your ears. Headband could be softer. The mids are pretty tinny.
For the price these are the best headphones I have gotten or tried from a big box store. Other than the lack of band padding and how hot my ears get I don't have any complaints.
XxDobermanxX
XxDobermanxX
Pros: better than beats

AHorseNamedJeff

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: FANTASTIC comfort, Clear sound, Flat cable, Headband bends nicely
Cons: Cables aren't detachable, Cables feel a bit loose, Not as closed as you'd like to believe
I got these used from my friend because I wanted a closed back can for walking around school with, and he was selling them like-new (2 hours max) for $20
eek.gif

 

Sound

I absolutely love these headphones, and their warm luscious sound was a nice change from my Sennheiser HD518s. These can be run clearly and cleanly out of almost any source, although if you REALLY want brain mashing bass, a FiiO e7/E17 with bass boost will smash your skull.
Signature:
Don't get me wrong if you think that these are just a basshead's cans, these have clear sound throughout the spectrum, the highs sparkle, the mids come through clear and present, and the bass, well, the bass is thumpy, and just sounds fun.
Nit-picks:
Their soundstage isn't as wide as my HD518's, it is still quite good, especially for a closed can. It has a very IMMERSIVE sound, and vocals can sound as close as up to your ear, or sound like they're a mile away. It has more of a fun than a critical sound.
 

Design

The design has some flaws, but not many, or any deal-breakers.
Pros:
1.) The flat cord is a lot more useful than you'd expect, it really does keep it from tangelling, but with that comes a downside (mostly for me and other OCD people) in that the cord becomes 'wavey' when you lay it flat.
2.) The ultra-light headband is awesome, and really trims down on the weight.
3.) The sliding motion of the headband is smooth, and easy to pick notches, while not slipping while you're wearing it
4.) Earpads get warm within an hour, but usually a quick lift off of your head will cool it down.
Cons:
1.) It seems to me that either 1. the Y split is too far down the cable, or 2. the cable is just too short
2.) where the black rubber connects to the silver plastic on the earcup, they separate, and feel really loose.
3.) Although the vents on the earcups do help with overall sound, it makes them leak noticeably, and it doesn't isolate as well as it could.
4.) Earpads are very squishy, people in the hallway come up and squish them sometimes XD.
 

Final Notes

I love these cans, and would definitely recommend these if you can find them for less than $75 USD. A basshead would love these, and so would the average person. If you're looking for a set of critical listening cans, these are not it. These have a very warm and fun sound. Great for rap/hip-hop/pop/ALL electric music, or other bass heavy music. Decent with rock/metal, but not very good for classical, or jazz. These are great headphones, and if you end up buying these, I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
  • Like
Reactions: jb2unique

DanSRX

New Head-Fier
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 subtle improvement.
   Other types of music like acoustic, mellow genres, and Pop/ electronic sound great. The clarity is there and the sound remains 'full' and 'round'. You hear sounds that were never there before on cheaper headphones, the way club tracks were ment to be heard. If your after a true Hi-fi sound then these may seem a few steps away from what your after, but for the value and comfort, these easy to drive cans offer a fun way to explore the low end sound.
 
Style/Build
 
   I gave the design 3 stars. But that doesnt reflect anything. I only did this to be fair as i know people will either love it or hate it. The Japanese designer was inspired by comfy old leather sofas when putting these together and each ear cushion is hand stiched soft leather.
   My personal opinion is that they are great. The leather really is amazingly soft you have to feel to believe. They fit perfectly around the ear and can stay there for hours with no aggitation. Your ears sometimes can become hot though, but not often.
   I wear these out and about. Call me crazy or whatever but they are not that big. Some style concious people would not wear these out but would happily pay for a fake pair of Dre Beats. (Thats Crazy). But this is why i gave 3 stars.
   The build quality on the other hand is very nice although some metal could be used. They are a luxuary to have and even come with a nice bag to store them in. The flat cables means little to no time wasted on annoying tangles and more time with the music. My only wish is that there could have been some nice aluminum finishing etc.  
   If your after a decent pair of cans for a fair price, or are looking to move slightly up the ladder, then i couldnt be happier in reccomending these. Style, Comfort, Sound & Price should give you more than enough reason to waste away hours with your music collection.
  
pro1137
pro1137
I don't understand how you like the sound of these.

pro1137

500+ Head-Fier
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 punchy or tight, but instead, it's more sloppy. Sub-bass is only average, in my opinion. What I hear is basically everything I was initially trying to AVOID in a headphone.

Mids are quite recessed in the spectrum. As a result, vocals sound a bit distant. The mids are just overall unnatural sounding.

Normally, I like treble, even harsh treble, but the treble of the XB500 is just purely annoying to my ears. I can't stand it. It's got pretty good clarity, honestly, but has a peak that makes some music less-than-enjoyable. I also find it to be pretty grainy and non-transparent.

Soundstage is bland. Width and depth are just 'okay'


As for everything other than sound, these are a nice pair of headphones.

The build on the XB500 is quite good. It's lightweight and durable. The headband is made out of plastic, but doesn't feel like it would easily break.
Cable can be a bit iffy. It's got that 'tangle-free' cord that makes me question just how much protection the cable really has.

Comfort of the XB500 is just incredible. The pads are thick, soft, and squishy. It really feels like I'm wearing a pillow on my head. Absolutely incredible comfort.


Overall, if you're into the sound signature given by the XB500, by all means, I would recommend these. They would be a very good pair for someone that enjoys this kind of sound.
They're just not for me.
H20Fidelity
H20Fidelity
100% agree with your review. You have helped make the world a better place informing people. I felt exactly the same, once the initial mid bass pounding sensation wears thin you're left with one average headphone in mids and highs. The're only good for bassing out, and mid bass at that.
h4mm3r 0f th0r
h4mm3r 0f th0r
they are 50$ extra bass headphones... and you can eq them for a very good and balanced sound... certainly the best in their price range.... and bass is more powerful(including both mid bass and sub bass) than anything out there... a great deal i would say... if you did a little research then ultrasone hfi 580 would be better for you...
pro1137
pro1137
Best in their price range? Not even a bit. Like I said, the Monoprice 8323 outperform the XB500 in every way, except bass quantity. Quality is much better on the 8323. Plus, those are half the price of the XB500

LazBro123

500+ Head-Fier
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 for consumer bass heads (not audiophile bass heads like me), this is the best choice in the whole entire world. On a positive note, they look awesome and are extremely comfortable. 
XxDobermanxX
XxDobermanxX
Good review, the panasonic you recommended is a good option or the Panasonic RP-DJS400-D, but i here sony stop producing these
ayaflo
ayaflo
they are extremely comfortable and purely for easy listening and low bits.... any audiophile term except for "bass heavy"do not apply to them... they are muffled but not boring...
if you want some bass heavy headphones with outrageous detail try beyerdynamics ..
LazBro123
LazBro123
@XxDobermanxX really? wow, never knew these would go out of production. Those Panasonics seem good too, have to try them. :) @turgid agreed! Was about to get DT990 PRO (I saw you have those), but ended up not buying them because of the fact that they are open. Then I heard the dt770s needed an amp. So I bought the HFI 580. Great headphone! If you want, read my review! :)

biggbenn74

500+ Head-Fier
Pros: Bass, Super Plushy Earpillows, Lightweight.
Cons: No Padding On Headband, Earpillows Get Very Hot Very Quick, Bass Sometimes Overwhelms Everything Else.
So, a few months ago, I set off to find the most eardrum shattering bass I could buy under 100 bucks, and I struck gold. Behold, the Sony MDR-XB500. Simply put, the most punchy bass you can buy in a set of headphones. On to the review.
 
Value: A perfect 10 out of 10. These headphones can easily compete with those that are 3 or 4 times their price, and still end up winning. If you are on a budget, and you want bass, here is your set of headphones, sir or madame. 
 
Audio Quality: 8 out of 10. Right out of the box, not only will you hear the bass, you will FEEL the bass. And it's not held back either. The bass is like an angry dog , it will bite you given the chance. In some cases, such as dubstep and hip hop, this is a good kind of bite. However, when playing Beethoven's 9th Symphony, the bass is a little too over-emphasized. Be sure you have a good equalizer if you want to get the most out of these headphones.
 
Design: 6 out of 10. Well, these headphones, let's be honest, are not very fashionable. Pillows for earpads? A little bit much, even for myself. The Y cable gets annoying sometimes. And the adjusters on the headphones will slip out of place constantly. There is even a specific way you have to hold them if you don't want them falling down all the time. That being said, Sony has still managed to somewhat pull off a halfway decent looking pair of headphones. IMO, they still look a bit funky.
 
Comfort: 8 out of 10. There are only 2 reasons why this is not a 10. 1, the earpads are like sponges for sweat, and they get very, very hot very, very quickly. So super-sweaters be warned. And 2, the headband itself has near to no padding on it whatsoever. It is actually very hard. But, because the headphones are more lightweight, this really doesn't become an issue considering that you have the headband properly adjusted.
 
Overall: 8 out of 10. I am very satisfied with this pair of Sony headphones. Listening to anything from Dubstep to Classical, these headphones will deliver excellent sound and incredible bass. And at a pricepoint of around 50 bucks... Bassheads, these headphones are definitely not to be missed. If you don't already have yourself a pair, go get yourself one right now! Thank you for reading.
 
 
biggbenn74
biggbenn74
A bit, yes. But not to the point where the headphones are un-listenable.

GabeyGabe

New Head-Fier
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 up very well, and I take them everywhere, including to snowboard once. So the build isn't top notch. One thing about these headphones that is top notch, however, is the comfort. These headphones have two insanely plush, and thick, leather pads. Its literally like putting two pillows on either side of your head, if the pillows were blasting dubstep in your ears. Its almost worth having them to just put on your head every now and then. Another thing I was pleased with was the cable. Its a flat cable, which doesn't tangle, but it still can get into knots, and it also has very minimal noise. If you turn of your music completely and rub the cable, sure you'll hear some noise. If you have your music at 50 even 25% you won't notice. The only problems with this cable is 1: It goes into both cans, and 2: its not removable, even though it has a design that makes it look like it is. The sound quality is not bad by any respects. The Highs are very clear, and the mids are pronounced, which would be great if the bass wasn't overshadowing them... completely. I have come so close to getting them to a flat enough tone that they sound amazing, but have never quite pulled it off. That being said, these headphones have a amazing soundstage for the price, so plug in some Bon Iver and close your eyes, and he might as well be playing a personal concert for you. The instrument separation is fine, not to go crazy over but no tracks get muddy, and you can always tell everything apart. Overall these headphones are a great buy, but only if your a bass head. Overall I would give them a 7/10, because their definitely not audiophile grade, but they totally kick the beats by dre's sorry ass.

Oeufdepoire

Head-Fier
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.
  • Like
Reactions: jb2unique
reddragon
reddragon
well undetachable cable is expected at this price range, mids and highs overwhelmed by bass is also expected for an "extra bass" headphone that costs 50 dollars, too much bass? well its extra bass series, so that is also expected. take those away, not that many cons at all...
Oeufdepoire
Oeufdepoire
I would have expected an unilateral cable, even at this price range.
I'm taking away the cons about the sound, you're right, I'm expectinf too much from a set of $50 headphones.

alvincapalad

Head-Fier
Pros: Punchy bass great for bassheads, top-notch comfort, affordable price, high quality build
Cons: mids and highs are overwhelmed by bass, low volume
The first time I unboxed these cans, the first impression were whoa that is some big cushions as Sony would refer to them as "king-sized" cushions.
 
Sound Quality: These are true basshead cans, these cans are best among the Sony XB series (XB1000, XB700, XB300) because of their balance. The other XBs produces unnatural bass sounds. While it is better than its other brothers, this is still no match to Audio-Technica PRO700MK2s when it comes to bass quality and volume. The mids and highs feel distant, yet they are very clear.
 
Build Quality: I've tested the XB300s before bent them all the way 360 degrees and the band won't break. The only weakness I see in these XB series cans are the hinges that holds the cups. But, you have to totally abuse them in order for them to break. It is entirely made out of high quality plastics and they are very good.
 
Design: When you bring these cans out in the open, people will immediately recognize you as an audiophile due to the size of those cushions; however, girls may see you as a geek lol. In my personal preference, I wouldn't use them as portables as they are too big. I will instead go for the XB300s. I also love the flat spaghetti like cables. These cans is better to stay in homes.
 
Isolation: Unlike the XB300s, the isolation of XB500s are terrible. They don't block outside noise, and they leak massively which is entirely the opposite of the 300s. I find them very good when playing movies, they feel real because of their massive sub-woofer sound.
 
Comfort: Nothing comes close to this when it comes to comfort; although, they may cause your ears to be warm in the summer since they put a seal around your ears. The cushions hugs to your ears like marshmallows.
 
Value: the price is a steal, you won't find a headphone with this quality.
Supertoaster
Supertoaster
I'm certain they will get the joj done.

SanjiWatsuki

500+ Head-Fier
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 of rumble before, the sub-bass was excellent and the bass was all around very tight and well done. My main problem was that they sounded mediocre at best in genres out of their comfort zone. For much more lighter acoustic music or classical the bass shows up all over the place in areas it shouldn't and simply distorts the sound to no longer being fun to listen to. For an idea of how much bass and rumble these things bring, I can EQ down the bass 10dB and they still slam harder than some of my headphones. The mids and highs on these headphones really are not there.
 
That said, they do respond well to equalization. I feel like the reason they respond so well to equalization isn't some innate characteristic of the headphone driver being very adaptable as much as the headphones are already so imbalanced that balancing them out improves them all-around. The sound really clears up if the 100hz range is brought down compared to the mids and highs. Even after this improvement, however, the mids and highs still felt like they were veiled.
 
I feel like the XB500s could be a competitive headphone in the $30-40 range, fighting against cans like the JVC HARX700 and HTF600, but they are a bit outclassed in the $50 range for most general usage. For someone who is a total basshead and wants bass at the sacrifice of all else, I suggest the XB500s. Otherwise, I feel like many other less headphones in the price range offer a greater amount of clarity, sound quality, and build quality. 

MegaMind

New Head-Fier
Pros: Very comfy, Good soundstage, Deep bass, Make u feel the beat, Highs n Mids are good with EQ tweak.
Cons: Needs EQ tweak(not really a con), Might make some ears sweat during prolonged usage.
THE best for bassheads, worth every penny...
Pros: Deep well extended bass, rather clear sound, comfort
Cons: Rolled off highs and upper mids
 
 

 
Pros: Deep well extended bass, rather clear sound, comfort
Cons: Rolled off highs and upper mids.
 
Unfortunately I do not have the packaging or accessories for the XB. I am borrowing these from a friend and the box has been since thrown away.
 
Design and Build Quality
 





 
The first thing you'll notice is how huge the pleather pads are. They look rather silly to be honest, but actually provide a nice seal around the ears and help provide decent isolation. The pads are also very comfortable, though they get warm during extended listening. The headphones themselves are made of plastic, there's nothing special here but they feel solid enough. On either side of the headband where it adjusts Sony is written. Below that on the cups the model number and side indicator is given. 
 
Each cup has a flat sturdy feeling cable coming from it that meets at the Y-split. The cables feel flexible and well made. The Y-split is simply a blank plastic almost rectangle that combines the two sides. The cable terminates into a gold plated 3.5mm L shaped plug which feels well made.
 
The XB500 won't bat any eyes with it's plastic build but it feels well made regardless. The comfort provided by the enormous pleather pads is fantastic and the XB500 sit light on the head while feeling secure. For the $50 these can be had for I haven't found another full-sized headphone that has the comfort the XB500 have. Above average build quality here.
 
Sound Quality
 
These have had at least 50 hours of use from my friend so I jumped right in to listening.
 
The model is called the XB500, which stands for Xtra Bass. The XB500 do not fail on that department. These are certainly basshead headphones and are capable of pumping out some serious bass that's not only well extended, but surprisingly well controlled with good speed for the quantity. The bass is certainly the focus here and it gives the headphones a warm sound. On bass heavy tracks I find my ears vibrating, though the bass isn't as overwhelming as I would expect out of a headphone marketing itself as "Xtra Bass." The mids are surprisingly rather clear, but the upper mids are rather recessed causing them to feel as if they're towards the back. The highs are the weakest point of the XB500, there's really nothing special here. The highs are rolled off and don't make much of an impression.
 
The soundstage of the XB500 is rather intimate with decent separation and air to it. The XB500 have a nice balance of aggressiveness and finesse to them which is surprising. During live album listening I feel as if I'm in a nicely tuned venue and I'm rather close to the stage. Most of the crowds sound as if they're behind me. The XB500 have nice punch and energy to them making music very fun to listen to.
 
Music time!
 
Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name
Rage's first album has long since been praised for it's excellent production qualities of it. The XB500 give this song a nice punchy feel to it with nice aggression. The vocals are definitely a bit behind the punchy kick drum and bass. The guitars have a nice crunch to them, but are a tad too laid back. The hi-hats of the drums are able to be heard but I have to actively listen for them, even the cymbals are really lacking. The XB500 have good energy despite their downfalls and I am nodding my head listening to this.
 
The Beatles - Rocky Racoon
I absolutely love this song due to it's beautifully clear guitars and lively tempo changes. The guitar right away sound a bit too warm for this song unfortunately, the vocals are nice and intimate though. Once the bass comes in though the XB500 focus on that slightly drowning out the hi-hat hits, the snare drum is lacking as well. The harmonica in the right ear sounds clean and clear though, but only because the bass is panned to the left. Thankfully most of the other instruments are in the right ear, including the olde time piano which has nice clarity to it. The XB500 are a bit too bass heavy for this song to really shine, but it doesn't sound horrible on them.
 
Bob Marley & The Wailers - Is This Love
Fantastic production quality is found here along with some minor details make this a fun song to listen to. The bass is strong, but not overbearing as Marley's voice sounds clear and smooth. The background vocals during the chorus even sound clear. The guitar is easily heard clearly in the left ear, while the drums are overall drowned out, but the percussion fills are nice and intimate sounding. The little guitar fills unfortunately are barely audible and it's hard to hear them. This takes away a lot of intricacies of the song as the guitar has plenty of little fills throughout the song. The XB500 though sound good with reggae, which generally focuses on bass as it is.
 
Kanye West - Power
Since these are focused on bass I feel it necessary to pick a song with heavy bass. The kick drum has a massive amount of authority here rattling my ears every few seconds. The minor details in the song are lost, but the vocals and background vocal samples sound clear. The song has a lot of energy with the XB500 and is very fun to listen to hip-hop on these. Thumbs up.
 
Rubblebucket - Came Out of a Lady
This is a highly energetic song with a lot going on from various instruments. Unfortunately the percussion is almost drowned out by the too prominent bassline. The vocals are a bit recessed, but the whistling is heard clearly. The guitar is a bit recessed as well, but it works for this song as the guitar isn't the focus here. The horns sound energetic though despite being slightly recessed. The song is just too bass heavy through the XB500 though to fully enjoy it.
 
Conclusion
 
The Sony XB500 are surprisingly clean sounding with good bass control. The upper mids and highs are certainly the weakest part of the sound from the XB500, but they produce a nice lively sound that almost makes up for it. The intimate soundstage has a nice feel to it and I'm really enjoying certain genres through these. The XB500 have a good build quality for the price and fantastic comfort thanks to the huge pads. Most cheap bass oriented headphones tend to have slow and bloated bass. The XB500 manage to have decently controlled bass with great texture and extension on it. Bass heads looking for a budget option would surely be happy with these.

MalVeauX

Headphoneus Supremus
Pros: BASS, comfortable, inexpensive
Cons: A little flimsy, recessed highs & mids, short cable
[size=28.0pt]Sony MDR-XB500[/size] 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 second hand, so I cannot go into detail about the packaging, but I do know that you can get it for $49 shipped from Amazon and other stores, and it comes with a carry bag that is not that impressive, but it's an accessory so why not mention it.
 
XB500_1.jpg
 
Summary for those who are not already familiar with the XB500:
 
  1. Full size circumaural closed back headphone
  2. Enhanced, emphasized and delivered bass response (basshead class)
  3. Comfortable big soft pillow pads
  4. Style is relative, you either like them, or think they look silly
  5. Short cord, terminates into 3.5mm
  6. Easy to drive, no amp required
  7. Massively benefits from equalization (EQ)
  8. Ideal for electronic bass musics (and others, with EQ)
  9. Recessed mids, recessed highs (this can be corrected with EQ, big time)
  10. Did I mention bass? Gobs of throbbing pulsing bass?
 
Construction, Materials & Comfort:
 
The XB500 is made entirely of plastic, with a short flat cord that terminates in 3.5mm and has big soft pillows that are very deep. At first they look too big, too silly, but that's if you see the XB700 and higher versions which do have larger pillows, the XB500 is actually not too big, it's pretty normal and I'll show comparisons of it's size to other headphones backings to sort of drive that home. They're actually quite normal, so not silly, which was a surprise to me when I took the dive (I expected them to be a little too silly, but they were not I found).
 
XB500_4.jpg
 
The framing is pretty slim and skinny and does feel a little flimsy. The headband is padded, but not very much. It is however pretty broad so it doesn't cut or anything. It leaves a proper headphone dent in your hair. Deal with it. It adjusts to good sizes, so should fit any head basically unlike other headphones that I've tried.
 
XB500_2.jpg
 
Wearing it is pretty comfy. It's a very soft, pillowy pad and it doesn't clamp. It does however get warm, as those pads are pleather and sit on your skin, get a little oily and then get warm. So you sweat a little unless it's already really cool and not humid where you are.
 
XB500_3.jpg
 
XB500_5.jpg
 
Overall, decent build, but don't sit on them, or you'll be ordering new headphones.
 
Here's some size comparisons:
 
M50_xb500.jpg
 
PRO900_XB500.jpg
 
DT990_XB500.jpg
 
580_xb500.jpg
 
SRH940_XB500.jpg
 
K701_XB500.jpg
 
AD500_xb500.jpg
 
Sound Characteristics:
 
What really matters about the XB500 is the sound, and there's one reason you're looking at this headphone. Someone told you it was bassy as all get out, and they are right. Alternatively, you may have noticed them on the bottom shelf at Best Buy or something, right below the Beats. Har har. So let's get into the sound more and more specifically into the interesting behavior of the XB500 and what you can do with it.
 
Quick summary for the impatient:
 
  1. Recessed mids, recessed highs (very damp sounding, not harsh at all, dull even)
  2. Throbbing, pulsing, gobs of bass
  3. Impactful with bass, it slams you, it's not just reverb
  4. Below average isolation
  5. Normal sound stage for a closed headphone
 
[size=11.0pt]Music tested, from my trusty test-group that I tend to use on all headphones (all lossless), included: Ani Difranco (Acoustic, Female Vocals), Regina Spektor (Folk, Pop, Female Vocals), Sierra Hull (Folk, Blue Grass, Female Vocals), Euge Groove (Jazz, Bassy), Ludovico Einaudi (Classical, Piano), Keith Jarrett (Classical, Piano, Live Concert), Bach Cello Suites (Classical), The Cranberries (Pop, Female Vocals), Elton John (Classic Rock),  Avantasia (Metal, Fantasy), Buckethead (Alt. Metal), Rusko (DubStep), JesusDied4DubStep (DubStep), Bay Area Dub (BAD) (DubStep), DJ Fresh (DubStep), Foreign Beggars (DubStep), Stinkahbell (DubStep), DeadMau5 (DubStep), Skrillex (DubStep), Robyn (EDM), BT (Trance, Techno), OceanLab (Trance, Techno). Lots of bass heavy muscis.[/size]
 
[size=11.0pt]Hardware used, Sansa Fuze, Vivid V1 Technologies DAC/AMP, Matrix Cube DAC/AMP, Schiit Lyr, Auzentech Forte Soundcard and my Droid Incredible.[/size]
 
Treble (Highs):
 
Right away, you'll notice the highs out of the box are low. They're diminished. Recessed. You feel like it's damp. The bass is slamming and humming around, but the highs are just distant sounding like they were turned down. That's because they were turned down. This is not a detail headphone. This is not a headphone for airy instrument listening. You're not getting the XB500 for the treble though. This is known, and expected, but we have a solution for this that is simple and highly effective, more on that later.
 
Mids:
 
Mids are also recessed, diminished. You feel like vocals are wet and distant. Everything for that matter is. It's all in the background, takes a step back, for the bass to come forward and just own the floor. There's not really much you can really do here, except notice they're not detailed, there's not a lot of congestion thankfully, but out of the box, the mids are just not doing work. You can however of course correct this, which is again, going to be focused on in a minute.
 
The idea here to take home is that there's nothing special about the Highs & Mids stock, other than they're really recessed and diminished. But they're actually just a sleeping giant waiting to be awaken. Move on to the Equalization section for more information.
 
Bass (Lows):
 
This is what it's about. The bass of the XB500 slams, it has impact, it hits hard and low. It's a complete basshead can where everything goes out of the window in favor of bass, hence the complete lack of anything to talk about for highs & mids. The bass is absolutely monumental. I can't even express it other than to say you've got hear it. You've probably heard some bassy headphones. Probably heard a nice subwhoofer. When you feel the XB500's slamming bass reverb tones into your skull, you'll either love it as it really rustles your jimmies, or you will think it's just too much and you will scuttle back to your non-basshead headphones a little traumatized and wonder why people like this headphone. This is a basshead headphone. You only get it, if you really like heavy gobs of throbbing, pulsating, bass. The bass quality is actually great, it's not just quantity, the quality of this bass is also nice. The impact is good, the control is good, the tightness is good and recovery is good. Absolutely nothing wrong with the bass here, it has it all, it was built for it.
 
Equalization:
 
Out of the box, the XB500 is a bassy basshead headphone, and nothing more. But there's a sleeping giant in there. I've yet to find a single headphone that equalizes as well as the XB500 does. A few bumps in the mids and highs bring the mids and highs out of the fog and into the sound stage and it's a totally new headphone. Suddenly other genres can be played, with lots of bass, but still sound right thanks to now having adequate mids and treble. It doesn't distort out either. That's why it's so special. It's like it was purposefully dropped, which leaves all that room to bring it back up should you want to. I did, and man, what a good headphone with this small easy everyone-can-do-tweak. I tested acoustic, with the highs & mids increased, and it did it rather well considering it was awful for that kind of music prior to equalization. I used FooBar2000, so here's my quick equalization settings to bring out the highs and mids to a level that makes it sound more balanced, and when done, to me, sounds like a much better and far more expensive mid-tier headphone does, yet it's only $49 for this thing, and retains all the throbbing good slamming bass that you got it for. Literally, a sleeping giant in this regard.
 
EQ_XB500_Acoustic.jpg
 
Isolation:
 
There's actually less than average isolation for a closed headphone here. Those pads let a lot of sound through. It doesn't do it in a way that is degrading to the sound, but be aware of it, because if you plan on using these around other people or in a quiet place around people, they will hear what you're listening to pretty easily. It doesn't dump out like a Grado. But it's definitely not isolating the way some other closed headphones do.
 
Soundstage:
 
Sound stage is pretty normal. It's not cramped, but it's ok. It has a lot to do with the depth of the pads. Sound stage seems to go up with space on headphones in general. So big cups and deep cups tend to have better sound stages. It sounds good. Especially when you equalize the mids and highs up to make it a more balanced, yet bassy, sound.
 
Conclusion & Closing:
 
The XB500 really is a basshead headphone that will deliver the gobs of throbbing pulsating bass that you crave if you're a total basshead. It can become quite a bit more if you equalize it and it can suddenly handle all genres of music pretty well. The quality of the bass is very good as well as the quantity, which is pretty distinct about the headphone, as it also has impact as well as just good bass sound and low tones. Very few headphones, especially in the price range and even in the mid-tier price ranges can get that kind of bass. It does it at a price of course, the highs & mids, but again, this headphone benefits from equalizing like no other. All headphones can benefit a bit from tweaking for your own personal sound signature. But the XB500 takes it without distorting and really just comes to life. It's an ideal headphone for someone looking for an inexpensive way to get into Dance, Trance and Dubstep for example where it's all about the bass. Equalized, it can do anything pretty well. Not perfectly of course, but very well, which is opposite of what it was out of the box, stock.
 
XB500_Worn_3.jpg
 
XB500_Worn_2.jpg
 
Quite a while after reviewing this headphone, I stumbled upon a headphone that covers the same bases as the XB500, it does the bass, it does the slam, and it actually sounds so similar that it's scary, but already has increased mids & highs, unlike the XB500, so it doesn't need to be equalized to make it balance out for all music genres. And it happens to be $20 cheaper, so it's only $30 shipped. It's the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S. Plus it looks nicer, is constructed better, and sounds better out of the box with all the bass. All for less. So if you're interested in the XB500, please, take a look at the RP-HTF600. I consider it the replacement of the budget-bass-head-king from Sony.
 
Basshead Approved.
 
basshead_logo.jpg
 
Very best,
MalVeauX
MalVeauX
LukEM22: No, not the same quality. The XB500's do not need an amp. They can get bassier with an amp that has bass enhancement (like Fiio E6, E11, CMOY, etc) as a hardware method of equalization basically. But the sound quality is not better. I would suggest you look into something like an Ultrasone HFI 580 or a Beyer DT770 or Custom One Pro or an AKG K167.
lukEM22
lukEM22
I was looking for a comfy, bass heavy pair that folds. I liked the M50's but really couldn't decide. The Q40's look a little too big for me (I've been reading your reviews, very helpful!)
Most comments on the HFI 580's comfort are in a negative aspect, it seems.
shahkhan
shahkhan
hi, can you compare this can to new sony mdr xb950s??
Back
Top