Review: Sony MDR-XB400 stereo headphones

I'm not a audiophile but I use headphones on my laptop. I had a Logitech ClearChat Premium PC Headset w/ a microphone (the left speakers died out). So I started to look for a replacement by going online, but decided to sound test headphones in stores instead. I ended up with the Sony MDR-XB400 which promise "extra bass" and here are my impressions.

Build and design
This pair looks nice, and it comes with 7 color variants. I got the all black version with a silver trim in the speakers which made it look a bit premium; however, the materials used are all plastic. The headband does not have metal parts and feels thin and might break. Also, the surface of the speakers are shiny and as it is made of plastic the surface is quick to scratch. The cables are flat which help prevent tangles. And the plug is raised to accommodate Apple devices with a casing, but it's not raised by much so this might only work for Apple devices with a thin case on.

The 30mm ear pieces can be turned with the help of hinges specially designed for that purpose. This allows the headphones to be laid down flat. The ear pads are exceptionally soft and comfortable, I feel absolutely no discomfort while wearing the headphones. The ear pads can get warm overtime because the cushion is covered in soft elastic synthetic leather. My work area is cold so these headphones serve well as an ear warmer too. Do note that the elastic synthetic leather looks like it would peel off after a few years and the Sony staff tells me that they do not have replacement ear pads for the MDR-XB400 yet. (UPDATE: February 4, 2016, after 3 years of normal use in the office, the synthetic leather finally peeled of on the left can.)

Sound quality
Coming from the Logitech headset, the sound quality of the Sony headphones are leaps and bounds better. The quality of bass sound reproduction is a 10 fold improvement; while watching the same video there were a lot of low level sounds that I never heard with my dead headphones. Noise cancellation was noticeably better; before I could discern the conversation of the people in the room while listening to music, now I can still hear them but I can't understand what they (4 feet away) are talking about without taking off my Sony. I also noticed a side effect of the noise canceling, after using this for some hours and taking it off, everything will sound loud for a while...hehe.

Specifications
Here are some specifications from the Sony website: link.

Comparison
My brother-in-law owns a pair of Marshall Major headphones and thought it would be a good baseline for comparison. The quality of midrange sound reproduction were very similar between the two but the Sony's extra bass really stands out. The build quality of the Marshall headphones remain superior but I find that the ear pads of the Sony's are more comfortable because of its softness. Ambient sound were reduced at more or less the same levels, with a slight edge to the Sony MDR-XB400.

The Marshall is more expensive than the Sony pair; about 1,500PHP more expensive. With that, I feel that the Sony pair was a better choice because of the better sound quality brought about by the extra bass.

Conclusion
To tell you the truth, this set was not my first choice. I liked the MDR-XB600 better but it was out of stock. The MDR-XB600 had bigger ear pieces which envelope my ears better. Moreover, the ear pieces had an extra set of hinges that allowed it to fold inward to the headband for a more compact frame when stowed away. I thank fate because it was more expensive than the MDR-XB400 despite similar sound qualities.

The MDR-XB400 sells for 2,900PHP and that is not cheap or affordable by my standards. This would be my first major spending on a pair of headphones. These are actually cheaper in the US which is selling for about $40 in Amazon now, but the local warranty and shipping cost offset the savings. If you've got someone coming home from the US, then you might want to order there instead to save some money. I don't know if I got the best value for my money but I am very pleased with the comfort and sound quality of my new headphones.