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Music. We all listen to it. We all love it. But, some of us get more out of it than others. It’s all about what you’re listening with.

If you’re like me, you love good music. And more importantly, good sound. And if you’re like me, you’re a little disturbed at the youth’s take on Beats headphones. There are alternatives, and they’re considerably better priced and offer a more balanced listening experience for different genre’s of music.

Sony’s MDR-XB920 is a quality headphone with support for heavy bass. If you listen to Rock, Rap, R&B or other chunky music then these headphones are definitely worth considering.

When you remove them from the box, you instantly get a feel for the build quality and understand they’re a serious piece of equipment. The headphones have a side plate of alloy which looks really neat! Unfortunately, much of the rest of the headphones is plastic which means it gets small scratches after a while. That said, for the price range, it’s more than acceptable.

Sony are good enough to offer two separate detachable audio cables in the box, one straight through and one with a 90 degree right turn. Very handy depending on how and where you need to plug your headphones in. In addition, the audio cables are not round but are tape. So they’re effectively tangle-free, which I really welcome. I didn’t believe at first that they would be tangle-free, even using a tape cable, but they truly are.

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The headphones fold away quite nicely too making them extremely portable. You don’t get a pouch to place them in which is a little crummy, but their portability is instantly recognisable. While they’re quite a thick pair of headphones on, they’re worth it for the sound they provide.

You can hear every detail of sound through your Sony MDR-XB920 headphones making it feel like you’re almost there when listening to a live recording. I have to mention the bass again as these headphones eat it up and chew it out. They’re a real treat listening to Eminem or even Metallica as an example. The MDR’s come with a whopping 50mm driver unit and put out a whopping 106db which place them in a class all of their own in the middle range.

Audiophiles will agree that delicate audio balance is something which many manufacturers find challenging to deliver. While these headphones are made to push out quality bass, I also tested them with entirely different genre’s such as Billy Joel and even The Beatles. Again, they gobbled it up! I was extremely surprised that something which offers such a deep bass sound can also deliver the harmony of Yesterday by the Beatles.

The MDR’s come in two colour tones, black/grey and grey/red. I have the grey/red ones and they’re quite funky and appealing to look at. While Sony have done a considerable amount of work on the audio, they’ve not slacked off in the aesthetics or design department either.

At a recommended retail price of $199.95 the Sony MDR-XB920’s are class leading in the mid-range headphone market. If you’re fortunate to pick them up for $99-$150 on special then consider it a no-brainer decision, I did.

9/10 as a mid-range headphone.

See you next time!
Andrew.

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