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Sony XB950N1 Noise-Canceling Wireless Headphones
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Sony XB950N1 Noise-Canceling Wireless Headphones
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Product Description
Lose the cords and listen to your music wirelessly with the Sony XB950N1 noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones. Featuring the company’s Digital Noise Canceling technology, these headphones reduce ambient noise so you can hear your music clearly Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downPanther6834
13
Dec 24, 2018
I know this might sound strange, but I've had the XB950N1s since before they were released (I do unpaid product reviews...technically unpaid, although I do very to keep the products I've reviewed), and I'll tell you, in short, these are excellent Bluetooth headphones. While not equal to the Sony 1000X in terms of noise cancellation, the sound quality is virtually identical, as they have identical drivers. In regards to noise cancellation, if the original 1000X was a 9 out of 10, and the newest 3rd-Gen 1000X is a 10 out of 10, then the XB950N1 would be approximately an 8.5 out of 10.
I've used these on planes for two round-trip flight from the SF Bay Area, one to Seattle, and the other to Hawai'i, and I'll tell you this... I couldn't hear ANYONE talking, and I could barely hear the plane's engines. Even on one flight, where I had the window seat closest to the plane's starboard engine, the most I head the entire flight was a very soft "purr" of engine noise...VERY soft. As for sound quality, I've listened to music, watched movies, and even watched a handful of YouTube videos, and all sounded extremely good. While the X1000s might have slightly-better noise cancellation, I prefer the physical buttons of the XB950s over the "touch sensitivity" of the X1000s...less chance of having problems.
For those questioning the sound quality and/or the effectiveness of the noise cancellation, do yourself a favor, and read the professional reviews you can easily find online. I'm not asking, or expecting, you to take my word on how great these headphones are...once you read the reviews, you'll know. Even better, at this Massdrop price, finding a better deal could be difficult. Whether, it not, you read those reviews before ordering, you won't be disappointed once you order, and receive, them.
Spoiler: Yes, Sony is close to releasing the 2nd-Gen version of the XB950, and, yes, they will have the same noise cancellation found in the 3rd-Gen X1000, but, would you rather pay $250-275 for those, or $110 for these (which were originally $250)? Personally, if I didn't already have them, and was looking to buy, is prefer saving money.
Quezicotl
32
Jul 22, 2018
Paid $180 for these a year ago on Amazon, so that's a great deal.
Heads up, you'll want to replace the pads with the Brainwavz Angled Memory Foam Earpads. Worth the price, trust me. Deep cushion to keep the hard plastic off of your ears. You'll be getting some for your other head sets once you try them, especially if you have big ears like me and want to wear them comfortably for long periods.
(Yes they heat up like every other pad on the planet, clean your ears well before use to reduce the issue).
Invest in an EQ, everyone who complains about sound stages and muddy bass are people who haven't got a clue. These sound great, especially if you're a bass head. But they also have a button to kill the bass boost as well for normal listening.
Personally I have been using a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro for the past 4 years simply because the EQ is just spot on. You really learn to make the most of the music instead of whining about it. I use it with the optical output going to a blue tooth transmitter now for this BT set. Get the latest BT version they are compatible with to assure there are no latency issues.
Personally with this pair I have a boost to only one frequency in the bass range (depends what you're listening to), mostly flat in the mids, and a moderate boost to all of the highs. This clears up the muddy bass/highs you get with any single driver setups. From there you can adjust the bass to your liking, really reminds me of being in the car with my 15" sub on 1700 W.
Things to know going in:
Long battery life, but they will not charge and play at the same time, so put them on charge when you go to bed every other night.
When adjusting the volume level to maximum, NC on/off, and Bass Boost on/off a female voice interrupts the sound momentarily to tell you what is being changed. Honestly the volume max is the only annoying one, would prefer a single beep.
Heads up, you'll want to replace the pads with the Brainwavz Angled Memory Foam Earpads. Worth the price, trust me. Deep cushion to keep the hard plastic off of your ears. You'll be getting some for your other head sets once you try them, especially if you have big ears like me and want to wear them comfortably for long periods.
(Yes they heat up like every other pad on the planet, clean your ears well before use to reduce the issue).
Invest in an EQ, everyone who complains about sound stages and muddy bass are people who haven't got a clue. These sound great, especially if you're a bass head. But they also have a button to kill the bass boost as well for normal listening.
Personally I have been using a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro for the past 4 years simply because the EQ is just spot on. You really learn to make the most of the music instead of whining about it. I use it with the optical output going to a blue tooth transmitter now for this BT set. Get the latest BT version they are compatible with to assure there are no latency issues.
Personally with this pair I have a boost to only one frequency in the bass range (depends what you're listening to), mostly flat in the mids, and a moderate boost to all of the highs. This clears up the muddy bass/highs you get with any single driver setups. From there you can adjust the bass to your liking, really reminds me of being in the car with my 15" sub on 1700 W.
Things to know going in:
Long battery life, but they will not charge and play at the same time, so put them on charge when you go to bed every other night.
When adjusting the volume level to maximum, NC on/off, and Bass Boost on/off a female voice interrupts the sound momentarily to tell you what is being changed. Honestly the volume max is the only annoying one, would prefer a single beep.
unclemilktea
13
Jul 22, 2018
QuezicotlI am sorry but for the BT headphone like this, you just want to simply grab and use it with normal phone. Investing in the pads is okay but EQ is too much hassle to bring it on the go. I do like the extra bass line of Sony, and my mdr xb70bt is still my favorite on the go compare to my jaybird freedom2 which is an EQ beast.
For the cost for new pads and EQ + for this headphone, you can simply buy a much better headphone. Just my 2 cents.
Also, if you want to save money or really like the characteristic of this headphone. Get the B1 version instead, because it is lighter on your head, same bass response, and cheaper. The noise cancellation in the N1 is totally suck (still hearing low noise from the fridge , air- con, etc.)
For the cost for new pads and EQ + for this headphone, you can simply buy a much better headphone. Just my 2 cents.
Also, if you want to save money or really like the characteristic of this headphone. Get the B1 version instead, because it is lighter on your head, same bass response, and cheaper. The noise cancellation in the N1 is totally suck (still hearing low noise from the fridge , air- con, etc.)
Tex-Arozzi
5852
Arozzi
Mar 31, 2018
WubbaLubbaDubDubI think you missed the big green note section explaining about MAP pricing and discounts at checkout so I will put it here for you, WubbaLubbaDubDub.
Note: The drop price listed is the Minimum Advertised Price set by the manufacturer. Massdrop is not allowed to advertise a lower price than the MAP price. At checkout you will be able to activate a discount depending on which models you choose. Available are the Sony XB950N1 headphones in black (- $120), or the Sony XB950B1 headphones in black or blue (- $160).
Note: The drop price listed is the Minimum Advertised Price set by the manufacturer. Massdrop is not allowed to advertise a lower price than the MAP price. At checkout you will be able to activate a discount depending on which models you choose. Available are the Sony XB950N1 headphones in black (- $120), or the Sony XB950B1 headphones in black or blue (- $160).
Duffers
5
Dec 24, 2018
118 bucks on amazon including prime, or 110 dollars plus 6 months shipping. yet another fantastic deal from massdrop...
ferretallica
919
Dec 24, 2018
"This is one of the most requested options from the Sennheiser HD 800 S or HD 800 poll created by Kailen. Thanks to everyone who voted for making this drop possible"
with a massive 40 out of 5872 votes
That's right. Thank you to the less than 1% of you who voted for this. You really made it happen!
Classic Massdrop.
PhatFree
10
Sep 18, 2018
I bought these for $250 at Best buy and returned them the next day. For $100 I'd say they'd be more compelling. It's very base heavy with lackluster terrible. If you change the EQ it's better, but these are definitely not balanced headphones. I'd rate 4/10 at $250, 6-8/10 at $100 (depending if you want balanced or base heavy headphones)
Oddfellow
19
Jul 22, 2018
how would you rate the noise cancelling on this (if possible, comparing to bose/AT/Senns)? thanks.
Panther6834
13
Dec 24, 2018
OddfellowDon't listen to "unclemilktea"...the noise cancellation on these is extremely good. I won't go into complete details here, but they are fairly on-par with Bose. To find out more, read my comment elsewhere in this discussion.
(Edited)
Kev.L
2
Apr 8, 2018
Just received this drop yesterday. Love them. Great sound and good noise cancelling. I'm flying tomorrow and will get the airplane noise experience tomorrow, but as a precursor I vacuumed to see how good it filtered out loud ambient noise. For pure noise canceling it took out a LOT of the vacuum noise and dulled it way down. But when I put some music along with the NC.... It was like the vacuum wasn't even on. Pretty slick. Messes with the head a little to feel the rumble but not hear the sound.
Kev.L
2
Sep 18, 2018
MyCatBanditThey were excellent on the plane. If you have any kind of music or video on you really don't hear the hum of the plane at all. If you use the noise cancellation only you greatly reduce the ambient noise and just barely hear the hum of the plane.
chuck_ster
18
Mar 31, 2018
Sony doesn't allow Massdrop to advertise a lower price than the MAP price. So you have to go to checkout and select the version/color to see the discount.
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