Sony MDRXB950N1/B Extra Bass Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones - Black

Product Information

If the headset detects a problem while charging due to following causes, the indicator (red) may turn off, although charging is not complete. In this case, charge again within the charging temperature range. If the problem persists, consult your nearest Sony dealer. Sony estimates the battery life to be roughly 22 hours, but your results will vary with your volume levels, as well as your usage of the Bass Effect button and the noise-canceling circuitry. Performance Once BLUETOOTH devices are paired, there is no need to pair them again, except in the following cases: You can use the app that lets you customize the bass only on Android and iOS devices, but not on PCs with Windows or OS X If you store the headset for a long time, charge the battery to its full capacity once every 6 months to avoid over discharge.

MDR-XB950N1 | Sony USA Drivers and Software updates for MDR-XB950N1 | Sony USA

If you really love bass, you’ll love the Sony MDR-XB950N1. The adjustable bass means you can dial in the headphone’s bass response just the way you like. We would have liked to see a multi-band EQ but Sony kept it simple with just a bass slider. The remaining battery charge of the headset is not displayed on the screen of an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The Sony MDR-XB950N1 wireless headphones can also work as a headset, meaning that they also have a built-in microphone. We tried it in a few phone calls, and we can say that it does a good job. The people to whom we have spoken over the phone said that they could hear us well and clear.

Price comparison

If the headset is not used for a long time, the indicator (red) may not light up when you connect the micro-USB cable to charge the headset. In this case, do not disconnect the micro-USB cable from the headset: wait a few minutes until the indicator (red) lights up. When pairing with a BLUETOOTH device that cannot display a list of detected devices or that has no display, you may pair the device by setting both the headset and the BLUETOOTH device to pairing mode. At this time, if passkey is set other than “0000” on the BLUETOOTH device, pairing cannot be done with the headset. Sony's MDR-XB950N1 headphones deliver a sound signature that's less crisp and bright than many we test, but avoid sounding muddy when the bass is tamped down. When the effect is engaged, all bets are off. The noise cancellation is quite good for this price range, especially given that the headphones are also wireless. So, bass lovers looking for noise cancelling wireless headphones, look no further.

MDR-XB950N1 | Help Guide | Charging the headset - Sony MDR-XB950N1 | Help Guide | Charging the headset - Sony

If what you’re seeking is skull-rattling bass, the Sony MDR-XB950N1 have you covered. Even without the bass effect EQ turned on, the Sonys have a bass-heavy sound that makes listening to rap, electronic and trap music fun. The mic offers reasonably good intelligibility. Using the Voice Memos app on an iPhone 6s, we could understand every word we recorded, however, we occasionally heard artifacts that are pretty common when using wireless mics (as opposed to inline mics on audio cables). But as mentioned earlier, the included audio cable doesn't have an inline mic or remote, which is disappointing. A free app called Sony Headphones Connect is available, and it allows you to switch the Noise Cancellation on or off without touching the headphones, as well as apply various (ill-advised) filters to the audio—presets like Arena and Outdoor Stage that use EQ and reverb to approximate various settings. You can also adjust the levels for the bass effect, which is almost essential (more on this in the next section). Pressing the Bass Effect button on the headphones pushes it to the levels you set in the app. The headset can be paired with up to 8 devices. If a new device is paired after 8 devices are already paired, the paired device with the oldest connection time is replaced by the new one. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test.

Too much love for the low-end

While some headphone companies try to minimize the number of buttons on their headphones, Sony crammed as many buttons and controls onto the headphone as possible. If pairing is not established within about 5 minutes, pairing mode will be canceled and the headset will turn off. In this case, start over from step 1. If the life of the built-in rechargeable battery drops significantly, the battery should be replaced. Consult your nearest Sony dealer for replacement of the rechargeable battery. The noise canceling function cannot be used while charging or if kept connected to the computer after charging is complete.