NEW! Sony - MDR-X10 & MDR-X05
Oct 13, 2012 at 3:34 PM Post #16 of 36
Well then, the time has come for someone to do all these negative comments on celebrity endorsed cans some justice. I have a pair of silver X10s on my head right now as I type!
 
First Impressions
My god these things are comfortable, much more comfortable than any crappy Dr. Dre, Ludacris, 50 Cent or celebrity endorsed cans I've ever tried. They're essentially the XB800 in terms of comfort, so that's definitely a huge plus. Build quality is superb, very strong headband and everything just feels top tier. 
 
Initial Sound Impressions
I listened to these while connected onto an unknown audio source from Best Buy's demo headphone shelf area, with a variety of music choices, so my impressions are totally subjective and I'm guessing these would sound totally different when connected to my iPhone or another source. One can presume what kind of music these cans are intended for, so I shuffled through a variety of mainstream hip hop and pop/rock music. The signature Sony timbre is present, with slightly recessed mids (with a focus on the higher end of the mid spectrum), smooth highs and slightly boomy bass with a lack of sub-bass. One thing that really surprised me was the depth of sound I was presented with while listening to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". The background piano was astoundingly clear and it seemed like I was standing in a room flooded with rich piano. With that being said, there seemed to be more of a focus on the actual instrumental separation than the quality of the mids and the bass, but once again, it could be that Best Buy is simply using a ****ty audio source. I compared it side-by-side to Luda's Soul cans and these things absolutely blasted those things out of the water, no comparison at all. I then compared it to Klipsch's Image ONE cans just for kicks, and I felt they offered a much flatter frequency response than the Image ONE, which had somewhat harsh, almost screechy mids. Best Buy is probably using a weak audio source, so I'm sure these X10s would sound really great with the proper audio source. 
 
Final Verdict
Do these sound good? Yes, quite good. 
Are they worth $300? From what I deduced from my listening experience, probably not, but for the build quality alone, I'd be willing to pay $200. With the proper audio source they could potentially sound absolutely amazing, tightening up the bass a little and adding a little more sparkle to the highs. 
 
Dec 12, 2012 at 7:33 PM Post #17 of 36
I got a chance to spend roughly 4-5 hours with these cans using my own source and amp.
 
I can 100% tell you that these things are engineered to be powered by weak portable devices (i.e. iPods) and compensate for the lack of Bass and Treble inherent in lossy music (i.e. Streaming, iTunes, etc).
 
Listening to my FLAC collection for several hours left me nearly sick. These cans produce horrifically bad mid-range clarity and thrashing high's - all to power what I call a "thumping bass gimmick".
 
And don't get me wrong, the bass thumping was very impressive and indeed entertaining for certain types of music. Turning up the volume on Daft Punk was a treat.
 
Yet I'd turn around and playback some lovely Rodrigo & Gabriella covers and nearly pull the X's off of my head in disgust (total lack of clarity and a soundstage you could fit in a shoebox).
 
Just my 2 cents.   
 
Apr 13, 2013 at 6:20 PM Post #19 of 36
I just got these for the kicks.  ...heck they're only $200 at Best Buy.  These feed my need for BassHead tools.  ...but the bass is such that it does affect the mids.  I would not want these to be my only cans but these are a nice addition to my stable and can be entertaining...just not for critical listening.  The DT770 and A900X offer a more balanced sound and the DT770 has enough bass for just about anyone.
 
These are worth the $200...but they shouldn't be anyone only set of cans for sure.
 
Apr 21, 2013 at 12:55 AM Post #21 of 36
Here's my unboxing on the new MDR-X05.
 

 
May 8, 2013 at 8:56 AM Post #22 of 36
Get this info from the product manager at Sony.  Hope it helps you guys overseas.
 
[size=medium]Difference between X10 and XB920[/size][size=medium][/size]
[size=medium]-Case (X10:Y, XB920:N)[/size][size=medium][/size]
[size=medium]-Cosmetic design[/size][size=medium][/size]
[size=medium]-Cord (X10: Regular + Remote/Mic cable for Apple devices, XB920: Regular + universal Remote/Mic cable)[/size][size=medium][/size]
[size=medium][/size]
[size=medium]Deference between X05 and XB610 [/size][size=medium][/size]
[size=medium]-Pouch (X10:Y, XB920:N)[/size][size=medium][/size]
[size=medium]-Cosmetic design[/size][size=medium][/size]
[size=medium]-Cord (X05: Remote/Mic cable for Apple devices, XB920: Regular only)[/size]
 
Aug 24, 2013 at 11:08 AM Post #26 of 36
Quote:
I just got these for the kicks.  ...heck they're only $200 at Best Buy.  These feed my need for BassHead tools.  ...but the bass is such that it does affect the mids.  I would not want these to be my only cans but these are a nice addition to my stable and can be entertaining...just not for critical listening.  The DT770 and A900X offer a more balanced sound and the DT770 has enough bass for just about anyone.
 
These are worth the $200...but they shouldn't be anyone only set of cans for sure.

These guys are truly amazing , now ... if u have a good setup the sound stage is awsome . You can drive them with a phone or ipod but you dont really get much out of them they are a little muddy and lose but some power tightens that up nicely. You can hook up two Kicker Solo Baric 12s to the factory radio in your car but they sound quite different with a 2000watt amp now dont they . My point being they are amazing (and they are my main set of cans with a Fiio e12 to push them off a ipod with lod cable) when properly powered , yes you can play them with a portable devise and I say play not push with a portable devise. To me being an audiophile , but a bass head they give you the best of all worlds in the audio spectrum. To me the DT770 & A900X dont play well straight off a Sony walkman tape player from 1986 they lack in sound quality and they have no sound pressure LOL
 
Nov 1, 2013 at 11:23 PM Post #28 of 36
Well then, the time has come for someone to do all these negative comments on celebrity endorsed cans some justice. I have a pair of silver X10s on my head right now as I type!

First Impressions
My god these things are comfortable, much more comfortable than any crappy Dr. Dre, Ludacris, 50 Cent or celebrity endorsed cans I've ever tried. They're essentially the XB800 in terms of comfort, so that's definitely a huge plus. Build quality is superb, very strong headband and everything just feels top tier. 

Initial Sound Impressions
I listened to these while connected onto an unknown audio source from Best Buy's demo headphone shelf area, with a variety of music choices, so my impressions are totally subjective and I'm guessing these would sound totally different when connected to my iPhone or another source. One can presume what kind of music these cans are intended for, so I shuffled through a variety of mainstream hip hop and pop/rock music. The signature Sony timbre is present, with slightly recessed mids (with a focus on the higher end of the mid spectrum), smooth highs and slightly boomy bass with a lack of sub-bass. One thing that really surprised me was the depth of sound I was presented with while listening to Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". The background piano was astoundingly clear and it seemed like I was standing in a room flooded with rich piano. With that being said, there seemed to be more of a focus on the actual instrumental separation than the quality of the mids and the bass, but once again, it could be that Best Buy is simply using a ****ty audio source. I compared it side-by-side to Luda's Soul cans and these things absolutely blasted those things out of the water, no comparison at all. I then compared it to Klipsch's Image ONE cans just for kicks, and I felt they offered a much flatter frequency response than the Image ONE, which had somewhat harsh, almost screechy mids. Best Buy is probably using a weak audio source, so I'm sure these X10s would sound really great with the proper audio source. 

Final Verdict
Do these sound good? Yes, quite good. 
Are they worth $300? From what I deduced from my listening experience, probably not, but for the build quality alone, I'd be willing to pay $200. With the proper audio source they could potentially sound absolutely amazing, tightening up the bass a little and adding a little more sparkle to the highs. 

What focus on the higher end of the mid range are you talking about? Based on the frequency response graph of these headphones the only boosted frequencies are below 200hz, near 800hz and near 9000hz. The upper mid range around 2000hz is not boosted whatsoever. 800hz is more like the middle mids, not the upper mids if you were referring to 800 hertz having a peak. The lower mids are between 300 and 600 hertz, the middle mids are from 600 to 1500 hertz, and the upper mids are between 1500 hertz to 3000 hertz. The mdr x10s are recessed the most starting from the upper mids and the lower highs
 
Nov 26, 2013 at 6:50 PM Post #29 of 36
Sony's website has these on special for $99. Get 'em while you can.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top