Sony has segregated its headphone range targeting different consumers with different set of headphones. The EX series goes for the crowd seeking good sound quality with equal comfort, DJ Monitor for the audiophiles and XB series for those seeking the thumping bass effect at affordable prices. We recently tried out the XB300 from the bass-heavy XB series and this is what we think.
The MDR-XB300 sports a very simple design. The earpads are cushioned and have a faux-leather finish along with wide adjustable headband. The headbands are non-cushioned but are comfortable enough to wear it for hours. The earpads are big to cover your ears and the thick padding works as a passive noise cancelling solution since the headphones don’t come with any active solution.
Most consumers complain about the headphone’s cable length but Sony gives little reason to complain about XB300’s cable length, which is 1.2m, sufficient for most applications.
So how do the headphones perform? The XB300 features 30mm drivers with neodymium magnet and has a frequency range from 5-22,000Hz. As far as overall sound quality goes, we can say it’s pretty good if not excellent. Hardcore audiophiles won’t be thoroughly impressed but those who want decent sound quality at an affordable price, XB300 won’t disappoint them. The headphones pick low frequency pretty well but goes a bit weak on high. However, for a bass-specializing headphones, it does its job efficiently. There’s no way to turn off the bass so users yearning for a true, natural sound will be disappointed.
For the price at which Sony offers, you can’t really complain about it. XB300’s deep bass, comfortable earpads and overall good sound quality will suffice most consumers needs looking for a budget solution. It goes for Rs. 2,490 in India or you can get it from Amazon for $28 (US only).
Review looks good but I went to amazon like you said and the price is like $35. I found it on google products from expressbuy123.com for $22.95 plus about $3 for shipping, is this a price I should jump on? I normally use cheap headphones (like $8 to $13 range) but decided to get something a little better. Your review convinced me since I am looking for a good value headphone. Below is a link to what I found
http://www.expressbuy123.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1819