Sony MDR-XB50AP

Extra bass

Model Sony MDR XB50AP is aimed at young people. They use not quite ordinary neodymium drivers with a diameter of 12 mm, which have a significant margin of volume and reproduce an unusually wide frequency range for “earbuds” — from 4 to 24,000 Hz. What, in fact, says the XB marking (“extra bass”).

Balance shift

The bass here is really powerful and juicy, which will appeal to fans of dance music, hip-hop or metal. Moreover, thanks to the excellent sound insulation and volume reserve, low frequencies are clearly audible even in the subway. The bass had to make a small sacrifice in balance — behind the wall of low-frequency vibrations, the upper and middle frequencies are lost. They sound slightly muffled, they lack dynamics and details. Connoisseurs of jazz or rock will hardly appreciate such a character. At the same time, headphones are demanding on the quality of the sound source.

Robust housing and high-quality microphone

The headphone cases are slightly enlarged, elongated and narrowed downwards, which is why they periodically crawl out of the ears and even fall out during sudden movements. Therefore, the choice of ear pads is more important than ever. But otherwise, everything is in order — the cable looks reliable, with serious seals at the base of the plug, and the built-in microphone here is probably the best we've seen in models for $40.