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If you want a thump, you’ll get a thump. Sony has made sure of that with its recently launched Extra Bass headphones series, of which we checked out the MDR-XB950B1. These big, chunky over-ear headphones are aimed right at those who want bass above all. And plenty of Indian listeners want just that, as evidenced by the number of cars that go by with pounding and vibrating music.
The MDR-XB950B1 headphones are not designed to be diminutive. Huge hard plastic ear-cups are held together with a broad metal and plastic band. The headset is neither heavy nor light — just sort of medium weight. There’s quite a bit of padding on the cushions of the ear-cups. While this increases the comfort, it also means that the sweatier among us may feel hot and uncomfortable after a bit. If you rarely leave air conditioned spaces, you’re ok, of course.
Not bad looking despite their size, the MDR-XB950B1 have some adjustability to the centre band but like most headphones, stop short of being able to sit firmly on smaller heads — like mine. The ear-cups swivel a bit on their own axis to allow some flexibility but not enough to totally fold inward for easier portability.
The MDR-XB950B1 is a wireless headset, but there’s a cable provided for when you finish through the 18 hours of battery life. Not that such long hours of thumping bass is recommended. Pairing with a device presented no problem and mostly happened independently of any intervention on my part. Turn the headphones on, press play and there comes the bass. I found the sound to be somewhat narrow, confined and constrained to that bass rather than being warm and detailed. If the bass isn’t enough, you can boost it some more using the dedicated button on the headset, or you can use the Sony Headphones Connect app to adjust it a little more fine. The app also allows some equaliser presets, though I found most unusable.
While these headphones are loud and bassy, the lack of refinement in sound quality may disappoint those who want a little more from their music. Raw thump enthusiasts should have no problem with it except for the slight over-pricing.
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