Sony - XB950B1 Extra Bass Wireless Over-the-Ear Headphones - Black

Let’s face it; there are a ton of choices in the “over the ear” headphone category. If you’re looking in this category of headphones, you already know that this style of headphones provides the deepest lows, highest highs, and the best option to drown out ambient noise. Although the ever-so-popular Beats may be the leader in this category, its colors are god- awful tacky and caters to the younger “look-at-me” crowds. The end user of the Sony MDR-XB950B1 is a minimalist and a bit more sophisticated without all the branding. These headphones will satisfy the casual pop/hip hop listener, as the bass can get pretty low driven by the huge 40mm drivers. The onboard processor does a good job of balancing out dynamic range without being too bass heavy. Audiophiles will need to look elsewhere. It does come standard with a mini-USB charging cable, but you will need to supply the wall plug or use your computer’s USB port to charge. A nice addition is a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable for listening to devices that aren’t equipped with Bluetooth. The dynamic range does increase a bit listening to it wired, but nothing earth shaking. Even at the upper end of pricing, it still doesn’t come with a carrying case or bag of any sort. They do however fold flat for storage. I do recommend these to anyone with a long train/bus commute or listening to music as a getaway since the battery life is rated for 18hours of continuous use. Pros: Great dynamic range with respectable bass, battery life, low key aesthetics Cons: No carrying bag, app is lackluster, buttons needs a bit more tactile distinction

I pulled the XB950B1's out of the box and was immediately impressed with their heft. They felt well made and sturdy. However, that heft and the fact they don't fold makes transporting them a bit of a chore. The fact that no case is included only makes that issue worse. I knocked off a star due to this. However, the impressive sound quality and battery life make up for the bulk of this shortfall. After an initial charge (the instructions say 4 hours, in real-life it was more like 2-1/2), I turned them on and started the pairing process. It was seamless and nearly instantaneous with my iOS device. The connection has remained strong and I have noticed no dropouts or disconnection issues as of yet, which is more than I can say for other Bluetooth headphones I use. Once paired, the phone prompted me to download a couple of Sony's apps to help the headphones work "better". I only downloaded the "Headphones Connect" app which allows you to adjust the bass boost between -10 and +10. The headphones themselves have a manual switch for toggling the bass effect but the app adds another layer of boost or reduction. The app also includes some DSP effects, all of which seem to render the sound quality subpar to my ears so I leave that setting in the Off position. The fit of this set is very nice, although it does seem to be a little tight for extended periods of wear. As I wear glasses, the extra pressure can be slightly uncomfortable but there is definitely no chance these are going to slip off or shift while in use, so that's a trade-off I'm willing to have. Even without music playing, the thick foam earcups block a good bit of external noise, and although these are not noise-cancelling headphones, they are about as close as you can get without paying for that feature. The sound quality is great but it takes a little tweaking of the settings to keep it from being too bass-heavy. An increase in the bass boost muddles the highs some, but these headphones definitely weren't designed as studio monitors. They pump out sufficient volume from the 40mm drivers that I cannot imagine cranking them all the way up, and I like my music loud. Even at higher volumes, the sound doesn't seem to "leak" out where it can be heard by people around you. The battery is rated at 18 hours, and while I haven't tried stretching the battery life nearly that far, I can say that after 4 hours of moderate volume listening, the app shows the battery at about 75% charge. I tend to try to keep my batteries topped up in case I need to grab them on a moment's notice for an out-of-town trip, so that's as far down as I've let the battery drain so far. Sony includes a 3.5mm audio cable for attaching these headphones directly to the device which is supposed to extend the audio reproduction range but I have yet to try it out. For my device it would require the use of a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter which I genuinely dislike using. While having this ability is a nice added feature, I don't foresee me ever really using the cord since I bought a set of wireless headphones for a reason. If you're looking for audiophile quality sound, look elsewhere. But if you want a set of wireless cans that will pump a lot of volume (and bass you can practically feel), these Sony's are an excellent place to start.

What's in the box ----------------- 1. Headphones (MDRXB950B1) 2. charging cable 3. 3.5mm audio cable 4. Instruction Manual Fitting ------- i have a large head, it fits me very well and it has a good adjustable band just like any other headphones and you can adjust it as fits the best. I have worn this for hours without any strain on my ears (i watched Narcos on Netflix on a marathon stretch, no fatigue or strain, good fit!!) Sound ------ i tested this on a variety of conditions, lets divide the listening into broadly 2 categories Music - i listened to the following songs on Youtube 1. Cavin Harris - This is what you came here for 2.Charie PUTH - we dont talk anymore 3. The chain smokers - Closer just to make sure i listen to a variety of songs with different beats in it. The Bass is really really good. I also have a SONY MDRZX770BT and this things blows the 770BT out of water. However, i do feel that the treble or high frequency response on 770BT is a Tad better than 950B1 but overall the 950B1 sounded better. There is also a BASS EFFECT button, which on activation says "BASS EFFECT IS ON" , i think i rather have a tone than someone saying that the bass boost is on, but i did not find it annoying. I also tested it by activating the BASS EFFECT button on the songs and wow what a difference, i felt like i was in a dance club. Tremendous amount of BASS, so much that i had to reduce the volume from the level at which i was listening without having the BASS EFFECT ON. Also, with the BASS EFFECT ON, the bass is not muddy but a nice thumping one, you will enjoy RAP/Dance numbers well with the BASS EFFECT Being on. Movies - As i was saying earlier, i was watching NARCOS on my Fire tablet paired with the MDRXB950B1 and i also compared it with the SONY MDRZX770BT, i enjoyed the effects much more on the MDRXB950B1 Range -------- I also tested the range on the headphones, i could walk away 30 feet and could still hear the sound without any interruptions or did not have the sound cutting out, this was done only for testing purpose, but you would not really walk too far away from the source Bluetooth Calling ---------------- I checked out the MIC feature of the headphones but i did not find it much useful, the other person could not hear me properly , not sure if i was talking too slow but i would not use it for calling Noise Cancellation ------------------ Note, this headphone does not have an active noise cancellation feature, it only passively blocks the noise, but the padding on the headphones are really heavy and does a very nice job in blocking the noise, so much that my family members had to talk in sign language when i am watching or listening to songs using this headphones. Battery ------- I did not get an opportunity to fully run out the battery yet, it is rated at 18 Hours of battery, i had used it for about 10 hours and still going strong, so i assume it should satisfy the 18 hour rated life for battery, you can charge it with any compatible charger that is a micro USB. although the packaging comes with the cable, there is no power adapter and i did not think it is needed because every house must have about 10 micro USB chargers at the least with so many devices such as tablets, phones which require charging. this also comes with the audio cable, so you can connect it to your device just in case you run out of battery

First, these headphones are super comfortable. The muffs are very soft and fit well. Although not noise cancelling, they do block out ambient noise well. The battery life is impressive at 18hrs. The 3.5mm (1/8th inch) audio patch cable provided by Sony lets you plug these headphones in "the old fashioned way" if you need to. These headphones were designed for listening to hip hop/rap/pop/EDM -- anything with a strong, complex bass mix. Those genres don't even need the bass boost, but once you turn the boost on the bass is transformed to a new level. On the other hand, these are not really the best headphones for the rock enthusiast--or anything that focuses more on guitars or loud/soulful vocals. The mid-range is a bit muddied and is noticeable the moment you cross over to grunge, 80s alt, or classic rock. Bass boost helps draw out the drums and bass guitar, but the vocals and other mid-/hi- range instruments can seem distant and slightly muffled.. These flaws can be corrected with tweaks to an equalizer if you have that option on your device. My paired device, however, does not push EQ settings when paired via bluetooth. [Note: When using the 3.5mm wire to connect the headphones my Android phone would allow me to configure the EQ on the fly. I recommend setting your device EQ to "balanced" or "vocals" before connecting via bluetooth to get a broader range of audio. Setting a "vocal focused" EQ then clicking the Bass Boost on the headphones made for a much more satisfying listening experience across all genres of music.] Overall, a much better than average pair of headphones that don't break the bank. With a bit more tweaking, these could become my new favorite headphones.

I’m recording some videos with my camara, que i use my headphone to edit it....

A very powerful, comfortable and compact pair of headphones!

I won't claim to be an audiophile or sound expert by any means, but after almost 40 years of listening to music I know what sounds good. The Sony XB950B1 Wireless Headphones certainly allow one to enjoy the sounds that they love. I have tried these out on several different avenues and I think the overall performance is worth the price. The first endeavor was listening to heavy and fast music via the Bluetooth connection. I didn't run into any hiccups in playback like you experience with some regardless of how close the source is to you. The music was crisp and clean. I also turned the Bass Effect on and off a few times to truly picture what the addition brings to the table. I thought the music sounded good both ways, but I feel like there could be a happy medium between them. The second avenue was actually through a phone call. Since I discovered it had a mic, I figured it's something that might occur if I am connected to my phone and I better be prepared. My friend was in the car and said he could hear my just fine. It felt a little strange to me, but the quality appeared to above average on both sides. i could clearly hear him and he could clearly hear me. The third test was utilizing the wired connection to my PC. As a parent who likes to game, there's nothing worse than having to kill the volume when everyone's sleeping. With that being said, I thought these did an excellent job of picking up the main sounds as well as the ambient sounds of the environments that I encountered. The final test was wired to my phone. I thought the music quality was good, but no where near as good as the Bluetooth streaming that I did earlier. I wish you could still control the Bass Effect on the headphones without turning it on, but that's not an option. In general, these headphones are top notch. Are they the best? No, but it's really hard to bash them if you aren't paying attention. Even though they are noise cancelling, I think they do an excellent job of covering the ear and eliminating everything around you. I know that I was unable to hear other things with them on. I do wish there were two other things. The first is the ability to fold them up and the second is a carrying case/bag. Without those, traveling is made more difficult. Lastly, here is what's in the box: -the headphones -20" Micro-USB Cable -47" Headphone Cable -the instructions and how-to guide

Honestly, I did not care for the Sony XB950B1 Extra Bass Wireless Headphones. You can use them either wireless or you can use the included 4' wired cable to listed to them "hard wired". I tried them both ways and the sound seemed muffled. There were not any nice mid's or any high end signals, just muddy all around. I listen to classic rock, jazz and music from bands such as Within Temptation, Nightwish, and Sirenia. Perhaps something from Rihanna, Drake or Iggy Azalea would sound better on the Sony Extra Bass Wireless headphones. You could also download the Sony Headphones Connect app that lets you adjust the bass levels and gives you presets for club, hall, arena or outdoor style sound. I did not try this app out, as the headphones will work without the app. These headphones are also very big, but they are also very light and comfortable for something this size. It took quite awhile to initially fully charge the Sony's using the supplied USB cable on my PC, but you can get up to 18 hours of listening wireless music playback. The Sony's also come with a one foot long charging cable that you plug into a USB port to charge the headphones and a 4' long cable to "hard wire" your headphones to your phone, iPod or what ever you wish as long as it has a 3.5 mm jack. A nice soft black bag is also included to protect the Sony's when you're not listening to them. It includes a big pouch on the inside to carry the charging cable and 4' long cable with room to spare. Honestly, these were not the headphones for me. For the price of $199.95, you can do a lot better.