Sony MDR-XB950AP Premium Xtra Bass Overhead Headphones - Black

Product Information

I have a new Sennheiser Urbanite on-ear here that is roughly the same price, it doesn’t compare on the top end to the Sony’s clarity, nor does it compare to how well the top end is portrayed in a physical sense. The weightiness of the treble is stellar for the price, firm and solid, yet not at all sibilant or harsh. I want a revision of this headphone that doesn’t have Bluetooth, instead of taking the saved costs and investing them into an audio quality improvement on the bass and treble. Starting off with a very potent bass, to begin with, the Booster function ups it to silly levels…too much actually…but damned if it isn’t extremely fun. I had no idea Bass like this was even possible in a Bluetooth headphone, compare and contrast for yourselves if you get the chance. The earpads are excellent imitation leather indeed, but are also yummy in plushness and sink in a great deal. Clamp factor is a non-issue and the headphone offers plenty of support. Detailed: I gave up after months of trying to figure out how to do it. Went as far as calling Sony and seeking someone who actually knows what they are doing in product sales. The dude said it can’t be done because of the type of Bluetooth Sony designed into the headphone. The 950BT cannot output to anything but Cellular phones and tablets apparently and the codec of the PS4 is not compatible with the 950BT output for the microphone. They said shortly after this review went up that they would seek to fix this, but they never made good on any promises for it.

But also the Xbox (or the phone, or the PC, or anything else which you will use to listen to music or watch videos or play games) must have Aptx. As mentioned previously, Sony utilise their unique Beat Response Control technology to provide a tight, deep bass response, making it perfect for low-end focused music styles. Cleverly designed air vents maximise airflow within the low frequency range. This in turn optimises the efficiency of the diaphragm to enable more accurate reproduction of bass rhythms. I am a former long time DJ, I know the Pro MK2 very well and have used many headphones similar to it in my time. While I don’t own them anymore and would have to work off memory, my first gut instinct was to smile and say to myself that would be an unfair comparison. The new Sony 950bt is cleaner, more focused all around, smaller and more comfortable with a wider genre selection. So to my dismay it didn’t work on the Playstation 4 because it didn’t turn up on the bluetooth devices. It worked good with my iphone but couldn’t be discovered by MacBook Pro or iPad mini. Right now, Bluetooth audio and consoles like the Xbox do not work well together. You may be able to get only the game sound and others speaking to you to be heard through the headphones, but you will not be able to talk to others with it. The only way to get Bluetooth sound with the Xbox ( or any other console ) is to buy some type of Bluetooth audio transmitter. There may be some home theater Receivers that do this, I know there is something from a Company called Saturn that has a device that broadcasts Bluetooth audio, however I’ve not used it.he first time I heard this headphone, I’d booted this song up, jaw dropped, eyes widened…this is a small closed headphone with a great sense of air between instruments, yet also retained excellent solidity as mentioned before. There are sets out there that are much more recessed in the midrange, ones that offer that damned U-shape sound signature that is god awful, so it feels weird to me to hear the XB950BT’s mids and treble walk hand in hand behind the powerful bass. Staging Sony didn’t just hit one out of the park, the ball crossed the highway and landed in a field somewhere that is going to force most other audio companies to hire some workers to go find it, just so they can study it and try to improve on it.

Looks certainly aren't everything for a headphone, but they are an area where the XB950AP/H does well. While quite a few of the XB series sport garish colour combinations, the XB950AP/H is a mixture of gunmetal and matte grey, and has a fairly refined sensibility. It's not eye-catching, which is, in my opinion, for the best. It's not a fashion statement, and it won't clash with anything one wants to pair it with, but the smooth lines, fairly low-profile fit, and well-matched colours leave it pretty easy on the eyes. With respect to specs, Sony has a frequency range of 3 – 28,000 Hz, while the Audio-Technica offers 15 – 22,000 Hz. So, in theory, you’d expect lower lows and higher highs from the Sony. But specifications can be deceiving. So, let’s talk sound. SOUND Overall Impressions: Sony’s massive bass vs Audio-Technica’s clarity. LowsThe deviants over at Sony have been up to no good lately. After a string of new headphones released in 2014, Sony has shelled out another for us in the form of a Bluetooth portable called the XB950BT. Frequency Response changes drastically when running off BT alone, reaching only 20-20,000hz, whereas the wired connection dips down to a gut-wrenching and inhumane 3-28,000hz. The problem is that with SBC there is lot of delay between audio and video. They are not in sync. So if you watch a movie the lips move before you hear the sound.

These are some very tempting headphones, especially after reading this statement: “Sony remembered that music is supposed to be fun, that you don’t have to be critical all the time and that epic bass can still be amazing”. I could not agree more! The XB950BT is very comfortable and light at only 280g. Gotta’ admit it is so very refreshing to have a headphone that not only sounds this good but also one that is very comfortable and intelligently designed from an exterior point of view. I did experience the typical cut-out now and then which occurred every few minutes, just as I did with the recent Koss BT headphone that I’d reviewed. However, it isn’t at all a problem. The midrange is perfectly fine, the treble needs to be boosted just a bit to make me happy and the bass quality could use a little cleaning up. Sony RnD, please with a cherry on top find a way to make any future Bluetooth headphones pair with Wasapi and 24bit output via Foobar2000. We need a BT dongle that handles this, as well as a headphone capable of actually doing it justice. Our Verdict There aren’t any Flagships like that except Sony’s older R-10 Bass heavy. So many portable sets lately in this price tier offer a dry, monitor tone that is boring, boosted treble to the point of it being fatiguing or overly bright.These Sony have Aptx (which must be activated, it is not active as default, and the manual does NOT say this. But I can explain you how to do it). I am so tired of this sound and I don’t want it on the go, so I am incredibly happy that Sony remembered that music is supposed to be fun, that you don’t have to be critical all the time, and that epic bass can still be amazing and not grossly booming, grainy or muddy.

Which version of the Xbox? Do you know if it has got Bluetooth? If not just tell me which Xbox and I’ll investigate. That sounds like a game issue and not the headphone or dongle. If music and YouTube videos sound and look in sync, but the game doesn’t, then the game has audio output lag and there isn’t anything you can do to stop that but attempt a reinstall. Pinpointing sounds are good, but not great and I consider it more than acceptable for FPS Gaming like Call of Duty or Battlefield binges. The bass is so delicious in gaming soundscape that I am not interested in using anything else, as it is a “Thing” in my gaming that I’ve neglected for years.

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The XB950BT is one of the best gaming headphones I’ve ever used. While not amazing with pinpoint accuracy that is best suited for FPS gaming, the overall experience is so vivid and fun that I have discontinued usage of all other headphones for gaming needs in most cases. The audio mutes for an instant and is only just noticeable, no calls dropped out of the 15 or so that I’ve taken with the Sony XB950BT, but that very brief muting that is common in Bluetooth headsets during phone calls reared its ugly head throughout. Don’t let that bother you, it doesn’t affect the call itself at all. It says anyway “Low Audio Coding Delay – Minimizes latency and ‘lip-sync’ issues – very important for gaming and HD video”