Review: Sony MDR-XB500 Headphones
I’m not a fan of Sony headphones and I think the last time I bought a pair I was still listening to music from my discman. But while I was in New York killing time as after midnight at a Best Buy I spotted these on display and since I had my iPhone with music with me I figured I would try them out. I played the Tron: Legacy Reconfigured album and was blown away by how good the headphones sounded. Right away I wanted to purchase a pair but they were out of stock so I loaded up my Amazon app on my iPhone and bought it on the spot. It was an impulse buy but it should give you an idea of how good they sounded.
They’re not the most accurate headphones but they’re definitely the most fun. I count the Monster Beats Studio as fun as well but these cost a lot less and actually sound better. You’ve got the deep powerful bass but the mids and the highs are prominent as well. While the Beats can sound muffled with bass sometimes overpowering everything else, I have yet to face a similar problem with these cheap Sony’s. They also don’t need any batteries or a portable amp to power them.
And yes, these headphones look hideous. I own a bunch of headphones from entry level in-ears to 600ohms overheads and these Sony’s the ugliest pair I own but they’re also the cheapest. I can’t believe these headphones cost just $49 and sound this good. I’m not sure if they’re sold locally but you can check them out on Amazon. I love them. [Amazon Link]
That is pretty cheap. even cheaper than Urbanears headphones
and they sound a lot better than the urbanears. But the urbanears look a lot cooler.
Thanks Mark, because of your Headphones review i discovered a new COOL music album “Tron: Legacy Reconfigured” i actually didn’t even know if it exists ! its awesome… i bought it right away and i am enjoying it on my BOSE ;D
Hi mark i tried to order the headphones from Amazon but i get a message when i check out it says this item cannot be shipped to this address. last month i had ordered jbl headphone and they did deliver to the same adress. Can you figure out what can be the problem
Mark have you tried the B&O Form 2? they seem a good buy for a 100 dollars; and if they’re like the A8 Earphones its great.
http://amzn.com/B000QW70AK
I have the A8′s and they’re horrible. I stopped using them ages ago.
oops this is the link for the Form 2
http://amzn.com/B000RE7RS2
Please Mark I have a question. Do the ones that are sold at amazon work with the iPhone or iPod?
Yup
Mark, price is up to $63. What’s up with that?
u need to ask amazon
is KOSS better than Sony?
I am finding these.. http://goo.gl/UWnbh
From the pictures, i think sony’s look more easy and comfy on my ears. I cant wear these types for long as my ears ache. Which one do you recommend, O’ Audioguru? ;p
Its not about the brand. Sonys dont usually sound good but these do.
what about Sennheiser RS 120 ?
Let me know if I can get this anywhere. What do you recommend for gym? Currently I have the SkullCandy earbuds i got from US.
these are my gym headphones
http://www.248am.com/mark/personal/review-sennheiser-adidas-pmx-680i/
not sure what you’re looking for, brand, price, look? i haven’t tried all the headphones in the world so can’t tell you how the rs 120 sound like. But i have tried a whole bunch of headphones and i think you should be able to find most of them by searching for “headphones” on the blog. that would probably be the easiest way for you to see what i’ve tried.
Yea thats what I just did :)
How was the bass when you played “01 – Daft Punk – Derezzed (The Glitch Mob Remix)” ? was it Incredible or Very Good or Good or OK or -_- . lol i am currently using Bose AE2 and should i stick with my Bose or are these better than my Bose ?? Thanks Mark.
Dude if you’ve got bose then you might as well just close your eyes and randomly choose another pair of headphones and they’ll sound better.
http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2006/03/what-about-bose-part-1/
http://www.head-fi.org/t/14948/why-exactly-does-bose-suck
http://www.intellexual.net/bose.html
“BOSE is considered an acronym for “Buy Other Sound Equipment”"