BUILD & LOOKS
I personally thought the XB450 was a well designed headphone but its not for everyone, as some might find it too flashy for the taste.
The headphone was quite comfortable for a pair of On-Ears, but the non-replaceable ear pads are a huge let down. A redeeming feature of the headphones are the flat cables, which don't tangle easily.
Overall i feel the build quality is decent but nothing impressive.
SOUND
I expected the Sony XB450 to be an upgrade sound quality wise to the XB400, but that wasnt the case unfortunately. It still retains the bloated bass of the earlier model and lacks definition or detail.
Mids sound hollow and highs are very recessed compared to the Sennheiser HD202. The soundstange was also also poor and the isolation was average.
CONCLUSION
The XB450 is a good pair for casual use but personally i'd recommend the Sennheiser HD202 which sounds better, while sacrificing some of those flashy looks. The Superlux HD 681 is a better buy than both but a less popular brand in india. Also both these models come with replaceable earpads. The XB450 isn't unusable or anything but the Sennheiser HD202 and Superlux HD681 are better buys from audio quality perspective strictly.
I personally thought the XB450 was a well designed headphone but its not for everyone, as some might find it too flashy for the taste.
The headphone was quite comfortable for a pair of On-Ears, but the non-replaceable ear pads are a huge let down. A redeeming feature of the headphones are the flat cables, which don't tangle easily.
Overall i feel the build quality is decent but nothing impressive.
SOUND
I expected the Sony XB450 to be an upgrade sound quality wise to the XB400, but that wasnt the case unfortunately. It still retains the bloated bass of the earlier model and lacks definition or detail.
Mids sound hollow and highs are very recessed compared to the Sennheiser HD202. The soundstange was also also poor and the isolation was average.
CONCLUSION
The XB450 is a good pair for casual use but personally i'd recommend the Sennheiser HD202 which sounds better, while sacrificing some of those flashy looks. The Superlux HD 681 is a better buy than both but a less popular brand in india. Also both these models come with replaceable earpads. The XB450 isn't unusable or anything but the Sennheiser HD202 and Superlux HD681 are better buys from audio quality perspective strictly.
