Sony MDRXB50AP Extra Bass Earbud Headphones/Headset with Mic for Phone Call, Black

I wanted a pair of new ear buds as a replacement for my daily driver Sennheiser CX300-II. As much as I love the CX300-II I wanted to try something with a bit more punchy bass (I’m no audiophile but for the price CX300-II delivers pretty accurate sound. But I felt I could do with bit more bass and let go a bit on accuracy). Sony MDR XB50AP is up front about it’s big on bass nature, as the pics of box show it clearly and in large letters say ‘EXTRA BASS’. So I thought this is what exactly I want! And I have good experience with Sony bass as years ago I had a SE ‘Walkman’ phone (for those of you still remember such) with Mega Bass earbuds. I loved those buds, great bass in small package. I was to buy off amazon but some reviewers mention there are knock-offs. So I went to BB and got a price match on the Amazon’s price. I’ve included few pics to show certain details on this pair (it says made in Thailand, the flat cables have tiny grooves and feels well made, there’s ‘THAILAND’ embossed on the place where earbuds divide…) all of which another reviewer tells are not seen in the knock-offs. So someone buying these on Amazon can check if those details are in fact there. So after few hours of burn-in (TBH I don’t know how much difference it made) I feel this is pretty good for me. I listen to all kinds of music and as mentioned before I like punchy bass and it delivers just that. Compared to my older CX300-II these feels a little less accurate, but I don’t really care. Quality wise I feel they are well made. Hopefully they’ll last a long time. I’ll update here if there’s anything to update. Only downside I could see is because they are large in size, there’s a bit more possibility of breaking easily by misuse (walking on them etc.) I’ve included pics along with my CX300-II for size comparison. The CX300-II are small made, so I’ve walked on them couple of times by mistake when they were on carpet floors and didn’t affect at all. But will with these I don’t think I can ever take that chance). So, in short: Pros: - Really punchy bass - Well made - Flat wires are easy to keep tangle-free Cons: - Slightly larger earpieces (drivers are 12 mm, so guess we can pardon the size) If my review helped you in some way, please click the ‘Yes’ button below. Thank you!

Full disclosure - I know nothing about headphones, at least in regards to technical specs. I cannot help with that but I'm sure there are many reviews that can. I simply wanted a decent set of backup earbuds (I own a pair of Bose wired earbuds purely for intense jams to music on occasion) that I could use daily, that weren't too incredibly pricey should I damage them. I prefer to use earbuds when watching TV as I have an enhanced Roku remote with a headphone jack for private listening. I wanted the sound to be clear and crisp enough for both TV dialogue and background music. I ordered these Sony earbuds after reading a review for them and I was not disappointed, so I feel I must give back and write my own review as well. These are excellent quality earbuds for this price point. Included with the earbuds is a set of different sized tips. The earbuds themselves fit a bit "wonky" by which I mean, its slightly different compared to others I've used. Some say the fit is uncomfortable, but I did not find this to be true. I believe its just the slightly odd angle that these fit which makes them possibly seem uncomfortable at first - but once you've worn them a few times, you will likely notice they aren't so much uncomfortable as just maybe a bit awkward to get used to at first. If you navigate to the provided photos of the earbuds, you will notice that the entire end where the earbud sits is larger than most other earbuds. While I admit that they felt a bit weird in the beginning, I now rather like the fit. It was necessary for me to change the tips to smaller ones, but once I did, it gave me a strong, sturdy, and comfortable fit. As far as the sound quality - amazing! Excellent with bass tones, very crisp and clear sound, and very little noise distortion from the cord. I absolutely love these and I highly recommend these earbuds for anyone out there who, like me, doesn't understand the technical aspect of what makes a quality earbud - but just wants a great pair. These are fantastic and the sound quality almost rivals my too-expensive Bose earbuds. Thanks to that reviewer who wrote such a convincing, truthful review - your thorough description is what made me decide to purchase these and I'm very glad I did!

# The best earbud/in-ear monitor I’ve found Like a lot of people, I’ve been fishing in cheap-‘bud waters for a long time, and it’s no surprise they’re crap: even the buds supplied with my phone are crap. In an effort to ‘rise up’ I splurged some years ago on a high-end Shure IEM, and the downside was massive: none of the ear adapters would stay in, none of them were comfortable - and the sound of the *cord* on my clothing was enough to drown out what I was trying to listen to. They were (and remain) unusable. I settled on a ‘solution’ of regular headphones and skullcandy buds...skullcandies are nice-ish and not terribly expensive, but they are easy to break, easy to lose, and replacing them gets costly. When I killed my last set of ‘Candies, I decided I’d had enough of it, went shopping for something better...and found these Sony buds. The difference is night-and-day: put them in straight from the pkg and they were easy to seat in my ear, the sound isolation was excellent immediately (a sign of an excellent seal), and I quickly got lost in music. The soundstage is clean but not ‘spacious’, and it was easy to hear every instrument (non-orchestral). Bass is well-defined and not overpowering. The mids are clean and defined, the highs clear and strong. Music used for this included Talking Heads, Black Panther (both cds), Hamilton, King Crimson among others. The best thing may be that I quickly forgot I had them in: these buds did nothing to remind me I had things in my ears. They’re lightweight, well-fitting...and let me forget. This is a first for me: despite spending as much as $200 on other sets, every other bud/IEM has made it impossible to forget. These were immediately comfortable, and not just for short intervals, either: I had them in for several hours on each of several occasions, and they stayed comfortable, by the end of the day my ears were not sore from the removals and reinsertions. I had none of the fatigue I associate with ‘canned sound’, even after a full days worth of constant use. The cord: it’s not as long as some complaints suggest, and it’s not flat. It does tangle, but it’s easier to untangle than other cords. There is some sound from cord movement, but it’s easily drowned out by the music at very modest levels. The bass: I’m not a bass freak, so I’m relieved to report that the bass is clear and defined, not punched-up but definitely a presence. Don’t be afraid. Bottom line, I’m as happy as I’d hoped to be. Durability is the only remaining question. Bravo to Sony - money well-spent!

If you're looking for affordable quality, these guys are it. Like most people I am on a budget. I try to buy the best product for the most affordable price. I bought the Skullcandy Ink'd 2 Earbud (Black/Red) a few years back in an effort to get quality for a price. I was disappointed. At first they seemed to be pretty good, but as I listened more and more, I found the treble was incredibly saturated. If you listen to rock, the cymbal work can come through sounding like shattering glass and distorted. The bass also seemed impressive at first, but over prolonged use I noticed it was just a false and under powered bass sound. I finally decided to grab some earbuds that would give me what I wanted, a balanced sound stage with crisp mids, clear highs and punchy bass. If that's what you're looking for, then these earbuds are the way to go. For 30 bucks, they are double the price of most 'okay' earbuds, but quadruple the quality. The bass is dynamic, able to deliver big sound without drowning everything else out on more electronic driven songs(2NE1 I Am The Best intro for example) while delivering punchy bass on rock and metal. The mid and high range comes through clearly without distortion and doesn't hurt your ears at higher volume. The design is cool, though the way they go into your ears is a bit weird at first. The microphone for phone calls comes through clearly as well. If you can only afford 10 dollar earphones, by all means, buy what you can. However, if you can afford a bit of a higher price, buy these, you will not regret it. Update 7-24-18 : I see some reviews about these breaking easily. That is unfortunate for those that has happened too, but that has not been my experience and I use these in all kinds of environments. Listening to music at my desk, mowing the grass in 100 degree weather up and down hills for 3 hours. They've fallen out of my ear while washing dishes into water(never totally submerged), used while pumping iron, they've been ripped out of my ears or from the headphone jack numerous times for different reasons They still work like the day I bought them and I am coming up on two years of owning them.

I have tried many different brands of earbuds from Bose to Sony, Panasonic and even generic brands searching for that combination I desire. I am an earbud fan and prefer the angular buds like we have here that provide a more comfortable fit as will as a more secure fit that helps with noise isolation. I had a different style of Sony earbuds and they provided the best sound quality I had heard up to that point. But they only had volume control and I was in dire need of earbuds with a remote. When I saw these and read the many positive reviews I added in my already being a Sony earbud fan and gave them a shot. I can honestly say that there is nothing I had to settle on with these earbuds. The sound is amazing and the extra bass ROCKS. From extreme lows to extreme high there is no audio distortion at all. Looking at the pictures of these you may wonder if the big outer part on the buds themselves would make it difficult for these to stay in the ear and instead, the opposite is achieved. These stay in the ear better than any buds I have ever owned and they are so comfortable even after hours of wear to the point I can't tell they are in. They also do a perfect job of noise canceling. Just make sure you have the correct size buds in your ear and you will be alone with your music or calls. And the remote works great as well. Some are difficult to get to work properly but this remote easily skips music tracks, works with Siri and provides excellent quality when on calls. I have tried the Bose Noise Cancelling earbuds that go for $299 and like these better. The sound is far superior and the comfort also much better. The one thing to remember about these earbuds is that these are meant more as audiophile earbuds and are not meant for exercising or running etc. They will not stay in the ears with these types of activity. I have another brand I use for that sort of activity. Bottom line for me these are my favorite earbuds by far and at under $100 I am in awe of them. Lastly just wanted to note that the bass and all around audio quality was truly to my picky liking without having to do any adjustment to my Iphone equalizer. I can't give the earbuds enough praise about their comfort, performance, noise isolation and durability. I would give them as a gift and recommend them to anyone. If you like earbud style headphones you can't do better than these.

These are great sounding, versatile earbuds when adjusted properly. Allow me to explain. As you can see from the product description, Sony markets these as having "Extra Bass" and, boy, they're not kidding. Straight out of the box they are quite boomy. To the discerning listener at home, there's just there's too much of it in my opinion. However, if you have a decent cellphone (I use a Galaxy S8), you can adjust the tone controls to suit your taste and dial out the bass if you wish. There's the "Advanced" control where you can adjust bass/treble and instrument/vocals, or the basic 9-band equalizer reminiscent of the ones back in the 70's that we all had to have. . . . Dial out some of the boom and they sound just fine, good soundstage, vocals and details. Look in the Settings menu under Settings/Sound/Advanced Sound Settings On the other hand, let's say you're riding on an airplane, subway, bus, car, whatever. In that case, you're gonna love having all that bass because, if you haven't noticed, riding in such vehicles robs earbuds of low-end performance. I won't bother with the physics but basically the rumble generated by your mode of transportation washes out the bass your earbuds are trying to produce. So, basically, it comes down to this. If you're buying these to ride in some sort of transport, they're great. If you're a discerning listener at home, check your cellphone first to see if you can dial back the low end when you need to. If either scenario works for you, buy them. One more comment - these fit in my ears better than any other buds I've ever worn. They just seem to snap right in despite the lack of any fancy rubber thingys or doo-dads. Just a good, solid, aluminum piece with your standard rubber gaskets. They never move or fall out. I love them. If you're like me and want great sound at a reasonable price, get a set. I know the whole world is switching to wireless bluetooth earbuds but these are a lot less hassle if you can deal with the cord getting in the way on occasion. I don't have to charge or pair these things and if I lose them, oh well, I'm out $30. No big deal.

These are the best you’ll get for your money, hands down. Great sound, solid bass, good mic built in, and have a great build. Why three stars? I’ll tell you, it’s because of the biggest flaw, the worst oversight, possibly the worst case of planned obsolescence you can ever imagine: The actual connector. Who in their right mind would EVER intentionally design them like that! Let me explain why this is such a bad oversight. The bit where the cable meets the phone WILL bend. Constantly. When you put it in your pocket it’ll constantly be bending at a sharp 90 degree angle. If you use it for a nifty gaming mic, it will always be bending at a sharp 90 degree angle. Even if you’re just holding your phone in your hand, it’ll bend 90 degrees downwards. After awhile of the constant bending the cord WILL fray. Not IF, not even if you take very good care of it, WHEN it WILL fray because they designed the end bit so poorly. Logically you wouldn’t have it be a 90 degree connector because logically the cord will always be bending back against the plug. Logically you’d just have it come STRAIGHT out, like an Apple cord or any other cord, not with a BEND in it that will cause the cord to always be bent at an angle, slowly destroying it. Hell you can see the cord has a permanent curve to it now in my picture! There’s only two reason why they’d make it this way. Either they’re stupid, or they planned it so you eventually buy another. Me? The microphone just broke on my pair, only a matter of time before the entire thing fails. They lasted maybe 5 months at most.

Short summary for people who don't want to read detailed review: Great IEMs with punchy and powerful bass, clear mids and okayish highs. The build quality is great and they look awesome (I got the one in red color). How comfortable they are will depend on person to person, but I felt they I could wear them for extended periods of time without any problems. The sound isolation is decent, but its not enough to isolate the noise of a subway train when you are traveling. If you are looking for cheap IEMs that wont break your bank but at the same time can be your daily driver and sound outstanding, these will be the right fit. If you are looking for critical listening, then maybe its worth looking into more high end IEMs. **************************************************************************************** Detailed review: Let me get the secondary stuff out of the way first. I've had these for about two years now and I don't have any complaints so far. The build quality is superb - I like that these wires dont tangle and are strong enough to withstand fairly rough use over these two years. The cable noise is noticeable. The microphone is okayish - I prefer not to use it to take calls. The color on the housing of these IEMs has started coming off (as you can see in the picture). The quality of silicone ear tips is great - I never had to replace them and they feel comfortable sitting in my ears for extended period of time (8 hours+). The sound isolation is fine but not enough to fully isolate the noise of engines when taking a flight or the sound of a subway train when traveling for work. Maybe it would be worth investing in foam ear tips that conform to your ear canal for better seal. Now coming to the important part - the sound quality. This is where these IEMs excel. You wont believe how good they sound for the price. I mean I open the packing, take these IEMs out, put them on and start listening and I am immediately impressed by how detailed the sound was. The bass on these things is amazing. Its punchy and powerful, but it doesn't overpower. I am not a bass head - I try like to listen to music exactly the way it was intended by the recording artist. The mids are clear but the highs are a bit lacking. For example, it is sometimes hard to hear piano or cymbal sounds when there's a lot going on in the music (listen to 'The Fire Within' by Jennifer Thomas and you'll know what I mean). I mean you can imagine - I am reviewing these earphones as if they are priced at $300, they are that good. So I looked up the frequency response curve for these IEMs online and I notice that obviously they are tuned to produce enhanced bass. But at higher frequency (5000 - 24000 hz), their response is lacking considerably which means its sometimes harder to distinguish sharper sounding instruments like cymbals or crisp sound claps. If you have critical ears, you will always feel that they are very good but something is lacking... I recently got the 1more Triple Driver for $80 (more than 2.5 times the price of the XB50AP) and when I compared the XB50AP to the triple drivers, I found that the sound from XB50AP is comparatively a bit muddied and shallower but only after I had to really sit down in a quiet environment and listen carefully. The 1More triple drivers are THX certified for its Hi Res sound and are usually compared to the likes of Shure, Sennheiser, and other high end earphones - and the XB50AP comes very close to the triple drivers for 2.5 times less the price. Honestly, you wont even notice all this unless you are listening very critically. If you are the kind of person who just wants really great sounding IEMs without breaking your bank, then go for these without any doubt. They look stylish, sound really amazing, feel comfortable, and are very durable. For about $30, these things are a steal.