Sony mdr xb 1000

After several reviews and comparisons, I decided to purchase these bad boys basically cause I love deep bass and loved the looks.
 
I have them as the exclusive laptop audio output, since the day I received them, my 5.1 speakers burned . So I have been using them for all kinds of uses, from youtube videos, 1080p movies and lots of flac audio.
 
My impressions are not 100% realistic as I think lenovo soundcard must be really crappy. (On 100% laptop volume and 50% external amp bass is horrible, on 60% laptop - 75-80% amp, bass is super clear). I use as an amp a SONY DP-IF5100. I tested them in the beautiful Scarlet 2i2 (http://us.focusrite.com/usb-audio-interfaces/scarlett-2i2) and the difference is day and night. So keep a note that a good dac & amp is demanded to drive them as they were intended.
 
So!, Sound is very good, bass is intense, clarity could be better (you don't clearly identify all frequencies - musical organs as much as I, at least, would like) (again keep in mind the crappy laptop soundcard). 
This thing likes big volumes. It comes alive when amped and volume rises. More frequencies and the bass is really felt in your skull. 
 
At last, Comfortableness is extreme!. I never get tired wearing them for 6-8 straight. The pads come in a very soft leather that you just want to ....er.....love it and touch it all the time???....weird....
Perhaps a llliiiiitttttleeee more softness on the headband, but nothing to worry ...as i said i get 6-8 hours straight with no pain, discomfort.
 
So...I am glad I got them and saving money for a good dac/amp. 
 
UPDATE after 6 months of everyday use:
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Finally chipped in and got a proper dac/amp: Aune T1 ........
 
WOW! If you read the above, all complaints about clarity and bass were due to the really bad (as it proved) Lenovo Y500 soundcard.
Now, sound has presence, bass is really felt to my skull and it's clean warm bass. You can actually feel the whole headphone vibrating intensely!
Volume of course increased so much that I cannot put amp to 100% at 0dB Gain (only 60%).
Listening to favorite songs for comparizations, it is night and day change. 
So keep in mind that if you are considering buying these headphones, you will have to save some extra for amp!

This headphone delivers exacly what master engineers was planning on their tracks, giving you a good punch and balance between all frequencys range for any kind of genre.

With a low impedance configuration all SNR can be easy noted from the system used, easy fixed with a good AMP/OP AMP avoiding max level outputs. And like a magik trick all punch's still there giving you a studio or a good tuned night club sound feeling even with this low impedance setup.

Perfect for who wants to listen clear LF's, one masterpiece for all users and a rarity nowdays.

If you want ultra punchs or just mid range ...., XB 1000 will disappoint you.. If your search goes to a clear punch and clarity, monitoring and a good balance audio pleasure, then XB 1000 are perfect for you!

An unique masterpiece for audiophiles.


 

This is just a short review for the monstrous XB1000 if anybody wants some opinions on it. I realize I'm a little late to the party, but hopefully this thread can go onto Google caches so future people can make an informed decision.
 
 
I received the headphones about a month ago and have had enough time to thoroughly gain a (somewhat) accurate opinion on these. Previously, I had owned the MDR-XB700s which are the 1000's not so little cousins, and being quite satisfied with them, I decided I might as well go ahead and step up the game with the huge 70mm drivers that the 1000's are famous for. Well let me tell you this much, when you receive them in the mail, pictures really cannot do you justice to explain how tremendously huge they are. They are bigger than the width of my palm, and the dictator-sized cushions that Sony lavishes you with are initially extremely comfortable, and are sure to give you lots of strange looks, should you go around town with them (which you probably shouldn't in the first place).
 
Amp: Fiio E09K desktop amplifier
Source: Android HTC Rezound (with radio turned off to prevent RF interference) @ 320 KBPS MP3. I know I know, get over the fact that I don't have a DAC people.
 
20 hours of pure white noise applied
 
Build: These headphones are built very sturdy and have an almost complete metal construction, unlike the 700s which consist of a plastic backing to the actual speakers, while still maintaining a metal band. The complete black look with this odd cube(ish) design on the 1000s is very visually impressive, and it gives them a very urban feel. I haven't really felt like any part of the phones was designed poorly, in such that something might break. They feel very robust and sturdy, which is something I think is a big plus for these.
 
Comfort: While the huge pillows that rest on the side of your face was initially a very good idea, I think Sony might have really done too much with this one. While they are very comfy for a while, the sheer weight of these monsters start to become extremely noticeable when you wear them for any length of time. The headband has very little padding at all, which is slightly disappointing. I've played games with them before, and after about 2 hours of wear, it becomes almost a burden to see these things in your peripheral vision all of the time. If you try to sleep with them on, forget it. You can't turn your head anywhere except for a straight on 90 degree position (to your actual pillow).
 
Sound: This is really what you all have come here for, isn't it? Well this is a little bit complicated to explain, and it's probably best to just break it down step by step in accordance to the appropriate frequency ranges as most reviews seem to do.
 
 
The lows on this thing are some of the deepest and most lush sound lows I have ever experienced. It can almost be compared to having two huge subwoofers placed directly next to your head. That is how crazy it is. I looked up a bass test on YouTube and did one of those, and holy mother of God, it is so extreme that these headphones were successful in *literally* shaking my head. The drivers on these things are so ridiculously huge that they were almost jumping off my head. It could handle deep sweeps very well (and with ease, might I add), and seemed to handle rough tracks to play very well. It really is just to leave it at this: just think of a really good set of subwoofers in someone's car. That's what these are like. I think that this is the most refined bass in the entire XB series, and it is most certainly noticeable once you first try these out. It manages to be very tight, and is very good with any song that has lots of bass.
 
 
This is where we begin to lose it a little bit. I'm not the best at explaining mids, so just bear with me. Since such a disproportionately huge amount of emphasis is placed on the bass, I think the mids are kind of lost in the shuffle and seems like they are almost forgotten about. Voices are sometimes extremely hard to hear, even with the best equalizing, and really aren't that good at describing a tracks more "feel-good" tones. While it is still possible to equalize a song so that you can hear more of your favorite ranges in the mids, it always seems kind of off and not exactly right. For example, when a guitar player is shredding out a really sick solo (think Still Got the Blues by Gary Moore), you can't really feel that crunchy, spine-tingling resonance that Gibson Les Pauls are trademarked for making. It's like you're always thinking about the bass on these headphones, because it's always present and noticeable. Not good.
 
 
This is where I have by biggest gripes. I think that the highs are almost completely washed out by all of the other frequencies. Sibilance (the sound produced by pronouncing an "s;" live around the 2-4K range) is a huge problem with these. No amount of vain contesting with the EQ is able to get rid of this problem and it leaves you always cringing whenever the singer sings just the wrong words, or the drummer hits just the wrong symbol. This is something I've noticed almost directly out of the gate, and is probably one of the single most outstanding acoustic design flaws with this set. If highs are what you crave, you might as well be better off buying some Bose QC 3's *gasp*.
 
Overall impression: I don't know if it was intentionally designed this way or what, but it seems as if this set is produced solely for dubstep, house, rap etc (the stuff with bass). In no way, shape or form are these good for anything like classical, rock, country, pop, Lady Gaga (I consider her to be a completely separate *terrible* genre), or anything of the like. If dubstep or rap is all you listen to, these headphones are great! However, anything else and you will be left in want. Just a word of advice, it is imperative that you use an amp with these because even though they have a relatively low impedance, the 70mm drivers command lots of energy flow to be able to move all of that air.
 
So, what did I eventually do with these? Sold them.
 
I hope you all have an excellent morning, noon, afternoon, day, night, midnight, or double sun set if you so happen to live on Tatooine.