Sony MDR-XD100 Stereo Headphones

Whenever I see a cheap pair of headphones at the Goodwill I pick them up if they look vaguely interesting. First I get a little audition from my iPhone then they go home. These are no longer sold but you can easily pick up a pair for 20 bucks on eBay. I just did a shoot out of these with a pair of PX 100s by sennheiser which are extremely well thought of headphones and surprisingly the Sony’s are so much more pleasant to listen to mainly because they have a fairly open sound and a nice clean signature. They are not bury you in warmth and coziness expensive Sennheiser or punch you in the gut shimmering grados what they are is a very nicely done inexpensive (I daresay cheap) headphone that will give you a nice pleasant open clean sound for almost no money. The build is cheap plastic but they are comfortable enough, even the pads. I was listening Frank Zappa‘s thing fish on the PX 100s and these and these are just so much better. My former experience in headphones is everything from the HD 600 to the grado GS 1000 and for 20 bucks if you need some slight weigght phones for yourself for your kids these are a nice buy.

Got these as a gift one christmas and the long cord was very impractical at that time. They were then kept in my closet unused for 3 years. Took them up again recently and immediately took note to how clear the treble sounds. Voices are very clear and quiet sounds in the upper register are heard. However the lower register is not great and the headband hurts more than I like. I use these as a second pair of headphones when I want to hear new parts of songs since a lot is often covered in the bass. 

These headphones are not for a true audiophile person. If you just want to watch movies on YouTube and talk with your friends on Skype - they will do the job for you. But if you want to enjoy your favorite music don't expect that you can get much out of 30$ peace of plastic. They look good from the distance, but all materials have that cheap feel when you hold them in your hands. Comfort is acceptable though, they fit nicely around the ears, the only think that can cause discomfort is plastic bent that is on top of your head, sometimes it can really hurts and if you use them for more than 10-15min you can feel the pain on your skull! There are no soft materials on top.
I think that most reviews about these pair of headphones are dishonest, they glorify something that is just not true. Firstly, they are not loud enough, you can maximize the volume and still don't hear as loud as it should be. Bass is bad, weak, distorted. Middles are below awerage, highs are the worst of all! Sound is leaking like they are open air headphones, which they are not, and it shouldn't leak as much.
I just can't recommend them because I don't like how do they sound.
If you are a person with a limited budget and just need cheap headphones to play games, watch the movies, talk on Skype and look somewhat ''cool'' while wearing them - buy them, they will serve good enough. But if you want to listen to your favourite music look further, these will just distort your favourite songs and make them sound like cr*p.

I've read a lot of diverging comments about these headphones and I think there is a problem. These are non-powered studio monitor headphones. They are not meant to have perfect sound quality, and especially not without a proper amplifier. Using them with a tube headphone amp the quality increases like crazy. Because they are studio monitor headphones, they are supposed to have very little influence on the signal themselves, and in a studio, you'll probably have at least a half-decent headphone amp. Used with an iPod, you do have to turn up the volume quite a bit to get a balanced and moderately full mix. At high volume levels, and particularly with loud bass, the sound will get very muddy and the bass is definitely not prominent in the mix. Which it shouldn't be in monitor headphones.

I realized these aren't even made or sold anymore, but I thought I would share my opinions based on what these headphones are actually meant for. Oddly enough, some headphones are meant for more than just your listening enjoyment.

I bought 2 pairs of this at Shoppers Drug mart in Canada for around $20.00 a pair.
I was immediately impressed with the sound quality and neutral balance. I have read many
reviews of people saying these lack bass. I disagree. I do not enjoy bass dominant mixes
and this is a statement made by the uneducated. Boosted sounds are created with
magic circuits and I banish those qualities from my products. I play music through
my Yamaha Natural Sound amplifier from 1980 so I value a neutral sound.
I do some rough mixing on these sometimes in the night or when I travel
and rarely have to re-do something when I check back with my monitor speakers.
These are not good for portable devices as they are large diameter non powered
drivers so they would just drain your device while trying to power them.
That should be fairly obvious though.
 If you need something to tide you over to the M50s or something for bashing around
like live DJ gigs , these are a great option. Lightweight and clear sound.
Oh they may not have noise cancellation but they are not bad - they do
isolate in a nice way but due to the fact they are pretty lightweight it's a
trade off which translates to some outside sound coming in if you are in
busy environment.

I listed all the pros and cons, but i will say this, these ARE NOT worth $20. Do yourself a favor and get the JVC Riptidz, and EQ the treble a little, and you got yourself a foldable Monster,
ready to destroy everything in its path for $20, If you listen to dubstep, techo, trance, drum and bass...... don't buy these, if you maybe just want to try it, get it from a store with a good return policy,
the soundstage of this headphones could have been amazing, if sony worked out the driver better... and people say its just $20 so why complain....... go try those JVCS i mentioned and then talk.
i just want the best bang for buck, Sound isolation is not too bad, Cable is so heavy, it drags the headphones of my head.....lol.
if you just want to add these to your collection, by all means, do. just know THERE ARE A LOT OF HEADPHONES, that will make these go back to the abandoned factory they were made in.
Even After 20-30 hours of burn in, the treble kills my ears, it screeches as i beg for mercy. Please message me if you want more details. GO, Make the Best Of your life, by drowning your sorrows in music, If you are a true music lover, just save up for good headphones. Im going to try the ATH-M50s this week, ($113) at the moment, and if they are good, ill buy it. You will be shocked at the level of good headphones in the 20 dollar range compared to this.  God Bless Everyone, or if your athiest, May the earth bless you with supplies.
 
Take care Everybody.