You don’t know anything of headphones, so I explain: when the audio is transmitted over Bluetooth, it much be encoded. The traditional SBC codec does not give a very good audio quality, although very good (and more expensive) bluetooth headphones use a better kind of SBC which sounds good. These headphones are very good, however they just fall short of getting a 5 star from me for several key reasons. These are some very tempting headphones, especially after reading this statement: “Sony remembered that music is supposed to be fun, that you don’t have to be critical all the time and that epic bass can still be amazing”. I could not agree more!

Sony XB950N1 Extra Bass Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones Sony XB950N1 Extra Bass Wireless Noise Canceling Headphones

NOISE CANCELLATION: not the best, but it works to some extent. I can still hear outside noise, like during bus rides or walking down the street. Works best in librarys where only light sounds are made (good for studying)! 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.Staging properties, in general, are not lost between wired and Bluetooth enabled listening, however, the treble seems more solid and clean via the wired connection with a good source quality. While the MDR-XB950BT will win no points for style, the headphones are a dream when it comes to control. Buttons for volume, Bluetooth, bass boosting and answering the phone are all within easy reach on the earcups, without any learning curve. I had no trouble bumping the bass for some Kanye or answering a call from work while navigating busy city streets. Now, if you want to give him the best possible option, I would suggest you headphones and adapter which have the new Low Latency Aptx codec, which completely eliminate any sync problem between audio and video. Starting off with a very potent bass, to begin with, the Booster function ups it to silly levels…too much actually…but damned if it isn’t extremely fun. I had no idea Bass like this was even possible in a Bluetooth headphone, compare and contrast for yourselves if you get the chance.

Sony MDR-XB950BT Review — Headfonics

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. 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. I am a former long time DJ, I know the Pro MK2 very well and have used many headphones similar to it in my time. While I don’t own them anymore and would have to work off memory, my first gut instinct was to smile and say to myself that would be an unfair comparison. The new Sony 950bt is cleaner, more focused all around, smaller and more comfortable with a wider genre selection. Thankfully, the XB950BT’s treble and midrange are fairly linear; it is only the bass that is significantly more powerful, more forward, and lively. I am not sure I can consider the midrange and treble truly recessed, due solely to the fact that the bass is just so vividly upfront and omnipresent.

Sony didn’t just hit one out of the park, the ball crossed the highway and landed in a field somewhere that is going to force most other audio companies to hire some workers to go find it, just so they can study it and try to improve on it. Connectivity is simply wonderful, i do occasionally get small skips in the music mainly when i'm on my phone doing something that takes up a lot of power, like gaming. the NFC is a nice added touch, as it connects to my phone crazy fast (galaxy S7). Pinpointing sounds are good, but not great and I consider it more than acceptable for FPS Gaming like Call of Duty or Battlefield binges. The bass is so delicious in gaming soundscape that I am not interested in using anything else, as it is a “Thing” in my gaming that I’ve neglected for years. 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.

MDR-XB950BT | Sony USA - Sony Group Portal Manuals for MDR-XB950BT | Sony USA - Sony Group Portal

It says anyway “Low Audio Coding Delay – Minimizes latency and ‘lip-sync’ issues – very important for gaming and HD video” he first time I heard this headphone, I’d booted this song up, jaw dropped, eyes widened…this is a small closed headphone with a great sense of air between instruments, yet also retained excellent solidity as mentioned before.

Too much love for the low-end

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. 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.