Sony Updates Its Bass-Fanatic XB Headphones Line With Three New Models
MDR-XB800
There isn’t anyone with a model catalog quite like Sony (how the hell do they keep track of these things?). The company has just refreshed their line of midpriced, bass-heavy MDR-XB headphones with three new models, replacing four previous ones.
The three new models, the XB800 ($150), XB600 ($100) and XB400 ($60), all follow Sony’s headphone design template: soup-bowl sized, perfectly circular cups attached to massive headbands (the headband on the XB800 is so formidable it looks like it could maybe double as a helicopter landing strut).
We haven’t tried them yet, so can’t say much about the sound. But the series employs neodynium magnets throught the line, with the big differentiation being the size of the drivers: 30mm, 40mm and 50mm for the XB400, XB600 and XB800 respectively. About the only other immediatey noticeable difference is that the 400 is mostly plastic, while the other two are largely metal.
With such a tight spread, I’d be curious to see if Sony has a bargain winner on their hands with the XB400.
MDR-XB400
MDR-XB600
When he was eight, Eli Milchman came home from frolicking in the Veld one day and was given an Atari 400. Since then, his fascination with technology has made him an intrepid early adopter of whatever charming new contraption crosses his path — which explains why he's Cult of Android's test editor-at-large. He calls San Francisco home, where he works as a journalist and photographer. Eli has contributed to the pages of 