A couple of weeks ago I was approached about doing a review on the Sony MDR-XB920R Headphones, being a bit of a Basshead (Ok, that’s a slight understatement) it made sense for me to review a product that boasts having insane levels of bass.
Straight out of the box the first thing I noticed was the hard carry case and how compact the Sony MDR-XB920R is when folded down into said carry case. I didn’t take much time to check what else came with them to be honest and went straight to my favourite part, listening to some music!
I’m going to be honest here and say I usually don’t like silver on my electronic audio goods. A good example of this is a set of bookshelf speakers that I own and I happily paid an extra $100 just to have them in black, I’ve had people tell me I am touched in the head because of this but the truth is they had to be black!
After actually owning a set of the Sony MDR-XB920R for about a week now the silver and red design is starting to grow on me but what I really like about the design is they feel tough, to the point that I am not worried about breaking them or even letting my kids use them (which usually doesn’t happen since they break everything they touch). This sturdy design will make it easier when travelling since I wont be so obsessed with having them in a carry case giving me that much more room in my carry-on-bag.
Ok, lets get to the important part… How do they sound?
I took home the Sony MDR-XB920R and spent a few night listening a good range of music genres, when I say a good range I pretty much played everything from Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Siskiyou Pink Floyd, Dethklok to Bassotronics, Deiko and bass boosted music like Decaf and DJSNT.
First thing I noticed was how clear they sounded, yes the bass is very dominate but we will get to that! I also took the time to listen to some higher priced headphones and compare the two, even though the “other” headphones were double the price I would still pick the Sony’s over them. My reason for this is the clarity was so close between the two that I could not justify the $300 more for the “other” headphones.
Right, the bass! This is where they destroy the competition, not only is the bass dominate but it is also very clinical and precise. When in the car I listen (And feel depending on volume) to music with solid bassline down to 30-34Hz daily with the occasional note or sine-wave dropping to 17Hz and below, to the everyday music lover this is stupidly low and the fact the Sony MDR-XB920R can play that low and even lower is insanely impressive!
Specifications:
General
Type: Dynamic
Driver Unit: 50mm
Sensitivity: 106dB/mW
Power Handling Capacity: 3000mW
Impedance: 24 ohm(1kHz)
Frequency Response: 3Hz-28000Hz
Diaphragm: PET
Magnet: Neodymium
Cord: LITZ CODE
Plug: Gold-plated L-shaped Stereo Mini
Dimensions (W x H x D): 176 x 107 x 220mm
Weight (Without Cord): 305g
Microphone
Unit/Type: Electret Condenser Microphone
Directivity: All Directions
Open circuit voltage level: -42dB(0dB=1V/Pa)
Pro’s/Con’s
Pros: Very clear, big bass stage, a lot of value for the price
Cons: Prob to much bass for people that aren’t a fan of bass
Overall the Sony MDR-XB920R are very good value for the price point, very comfortable and sound amazing! So much I actually went and brought a pair for myself! The only downside I can see is some people will not like how dominate the bass, in saying that I would question why said person would buy Extra Bass Headphones in the first place! If you like your music clear, loud and bassy I would suggest you go have a listen to the Sony MDR-XB920R’s as soon as humanly possible!
Lance ‘Captain Z’ Wilson