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The noise cancelling performance on the 950N1 is certainly their weakest attribute. They pale in comparison to the Bose QC35 and Sony MDR-1000x, but the NC does work to reduce moderate external noise like a dishwasher or refrigerator. I haven’t tried them on an airplane but because they still let a lot of my air conditioning unit’s noise in, as compared to the MDR-1000x and QC35s, they’re just not as good. So if high quality NC is a critical component to your headphone requirement then the 950N1 may not be right for you. They actually make another much more expensive model, the Freq 9, surround sound, noise cancelling. No idea how good they sound for music. But for that money I would rather buy the Plantronics. Once people use Bluetooth headphones they do not want anymore cables. However, all of that changed when I tried these on. At first, I was skeptical of the build quality, comfort, versatility, and overall sound quality for the price these were being sold at. To say the least, I was blown away. They exceeded my expectations in every single department.
Sony MDRXB950BT/B Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones (Black) Sony MDRXB950BT/B Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones (Black)
The 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. 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.
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This was the first major misstep. It's not easy to make a comfortable supra-aural, and unfortunately Sony didn't quite hit the mark on this one. While the earpads are quite deep and well-padded, they're also quite small, which leaves ones' ears squeezed in and claustrophobic. The thin padding on the headband isn't really sufficient for the weight of the unit, either, and it doesn't do much to distribute force, leading to a sore spot on the top of my head when I wear it for more than a few minutes. The clamp is the real comfort killer, however, as the XB950AP/H hugs extremely hard to the head. These actually gave me a mild headache after less than an hour on my head.
MDR-XB950B1 | Sony UK Manuals for MDR-XB950B1 | Sony UK
Skullcandy Crusher Wireless: technically has heavier bass at its max bass setting, but if you crank it up it does so at the expense of bleeding into the mids and suffocating the highs to the point that it sounds like you're in the bathroom of a concert rather than out on the stage. The headset sounds great with the bass slider at around 50%, but also is the most uncomfortable headset I have ever in my life worn. It felt like putting a steel bear trap on my head from how much it clenched into my jaw muscles. I'm 160 pounds, 5'10", so pretty average body, pretty normal head I'd say. Not sure why it hurt so dang much but wow. The Microphone as I am told sounded like it was my house phone to the rest of my family, which isn’t really great, but not nearly as bad as my iPhone 5s for example that I’ve used to compare with. Not as good as my Samsung S3, but certainly better than Apple’s cellphones in outgoing audio quality. This means that the sound quality of my voice as appearing to others is only a bit better than average cell phone audio quality. Bonus But 99% of the time no issue, so I am not sure if it is my laptop or the headphone. While listening on my phone Samsung A8 I did not see the issue.Not much padding on the underside, but it isn’t needed at all. What little padding that is there is more than justified for the excellent fit and comfort this headphone offers. I admit to feeling a bit saddened over the imitation leatherette pads not being authentic, but that sentiment is a worthless one due to the materials used being very good for what they are. The 950N1 features a power light that flashes every few seconds to let you know they’re powered on. This was a feature I really missed when trying the HD 4.40. I currently own the Sony XB500’s. I don’t have a massive repertoire with headphones like yourself but I know that the Sony XB500’s for me have been stellar. For 2+ years now, I’ve yet to try any headphone in its price range (and even some above like Beats) which are as satisfying to listen to and wear.
Support for MDR-XB950BT | Sony UK
The audio is very nice, rich bass, audio cancellation is fine, I have Bose QC20 to compare to, maybe not as good as QC20 but very reasonable. 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. It says anyway “Low Audio Coding Delay – Minimizes latency and ‘lip-sync’ issues – very important for gaming and HD video” I listen to all kind of musics, classical to electronic, so far this headphone is my goto headphone. Despite being very comfortable, my ears do sweat a bit after about an hour of usage. I am also not fond of the included cable, it is very cheap but I am very thankful it isn’t a proprietary cable that nothing else can be used to replace it. I’d have preferred a better cable than this and will probably try to upgrade soon. I’ve found the included cable to be too thin, also too prone to cold weather.
Sony wins in this department. It has a wider and more multidimensional soundstage than the Audio-Technica and is more accurate in its placement of instruments SUMMARY
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