Sony WH-XB900N wireless noise canceling headphones review

28 July 2019
We test Sony's latest Extra Bass headphones with active noise canceling.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • uya
  • 05 Aug 2021

Pantos, 09 Nov 2020Hey! I really want to buy these headphones and I dont have ... morethe wired connection has better sound quality than wireless connection, so you don't have to worry.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • pHk
    • 06 Dec 2020

    I also noticed a hissing sound when connecting the headphones via cable which is very disappointing and doesn't make any sense. It's not quiet at all, it's really prominent when on pause or playing at really quiet volumes. Other than that it's a great purchase at 77€ which I was really lucky to find.

      just_to_help_3kN!, 23 Jun 2020yes, the change in sound quality with wired functioning and... moreHey! I really want to buy these headphones and I dont have a bluetooth capable PC. Are you sure that the sound quality will be the same using the cable (when the headphones are turned on?) as when using bluetooth?

        • P
        • Pantos
        • S4b
        • 09 Nov 2020

        just_to_help_3kN!, 23 Jun 2020yes, the change in sound quality with wired functioning and... moreHey! So i really want to buy these headphones, but i have a pc with no built in bluetooth
        Are you sure that the audio quality with the jack will be the same as bluetooth (with the headpones turned on)

          • j
          • just_to_help_3kN!
          • X%k
          • 23 Jun 2020

          Anonymous, 06 Feb 2020When using the cable with the headphones turned off, do you... moreyes, the change in sound quality with wired functioning and headphones turned off is normal for everybody...as soon as you turn them on, the sound becomes better as then it loads up the sound profile you had chosen for it in the app...

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • 3kN
            • 06 Feb 2020

            prasad-gsma, 29 Jul 2019The K20 Pro has advertised audio features, including a HiFi... moreSo it does not work well without the cable powered on, is it the same situation for WH-H900N ? please let me know, thanks.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • 3kN
              • 06 Feb 2020

              When using the cable with the headphones turned off, do you notice any change in the sound quality ? or is it just my headphones are broken ?

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • YTY
                • 26 Jan 2020

                It does not need 7 hours to charge but only 4 hours. It has quick charge which means 10 mins of charge equals 1 hour of usage. Total Usage time is 30 hours if noise cancellation is active, and 35 hours if noise cancellation is turned off. I use this device, which is why i say all of these more accurate.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • 6wN
                  • 30 Jul 2019

                  I'm using Sony MDR-ZX110 which is cheap model but works really good until now. It's more than three years old. Overall sound quality is great for me. And volume is enough too for enjoying your lovely music. Go for Sony and you won't regret. Don't matter cheaper model or expensive ones.

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                    • AnonD-558092
                    • 45}
                    • 29 Jul 2019

                    prasad-gsma, 29 Jul 2019The problem with aptX LL is not support in headphones; I me... moreOh you're right sorry about that

                      AnonD-558092, 29 Jul 2019Thank you for your reply Prasad. You're making a good po... moreThe problem with aptX LL is not support in headphones; I mean, not a lot of headphones support it but there are quite a few (this one doesn't). The problem with aptX LL is finding a source that supports it. There currently isn't a single smartphone that supports aptX LL and the only source devices are a couple of audio players and other such niche devices. So even if we get an aptX LL pair of headphones we won't be able to test the codec.

                      Also the 1000XM3 don't support aptX LL either. Neither is the support mentioned on Sony's website nor on Qualcomm's. Even the packaging didn't mention support for it. Products with aptX LL have the aptX LL badge on them just like aptX or aptX HD.

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                        • AnonD-558092
                        • 45}
                        • 29 Jul 2019

                        prasad-gsma, 29 Jul 2019The K20 Pro has advertised audio features, including a HiFi... moreThank you for your reply Prasad.

                        You're making a good point actually.
                        Well, that noise is certainly strange. That's quite an oversight by Sony. I hope that's the kind of thing they can fix with an update to the headphones' firmware.

                        And yes even I noticed that in wired with the headphones turned off, the sound is downgraded. I have the 1000XM3.

                        May I have a suggestion for next reviews? Could you please test for the presence of AptX LL? They don't actively advertise it but on the 1000XM3 I know there's LL. As you know, latency is the weakness of wireless headphones and AptX LL does a fairly decent job at this.

                          AnonD-558092, 28 Jul 2019Sure. Which DAC? And is the port good quality? Because that... moreThe K20 Pro has advertised audio features, including a HiFi DAC and Hi-Res Audio certification, which is why it was chosen for the cable test. Besides, we don't just have all devices from all manufacturers lying around at all times and we can only choose from what we currently have at our disposal.

                          Also, the point of the cable test with these headphones was just to see if everything works and if it's usable as it's not the typical use case for a wireless headphones. Turns out, everything doesn't work well and there is an audible hiss, which has nothing to do with the phone as the hiss occurs with all sources and is a function of the electronics built into the headphones.

                          Of course, like on every other wireless headphones you can use the cable and keep the headphone switched off, in which case the electronics will be switched off and there will be no hiss but then the headphones will also sound terrible as the drivers aren't tuned to work without the internal DAC/amp.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • mCq
                            • 28 Jul 2019

                            Anonymous, 28 Jul 2019Because K20 Pro has a DAC, so its appropriate to test using itevery device capable of analogue audio output has a DAC
                            unless that was exactly your point, in which case, whoosh, nvm me

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                              • AnonD-558092
                              • 45}
                              • 28 Jul 2019

                              Anonymous, 28 Jul 2019Because K20 Pro has a DAC, so its appropriate to test using itSure. Which DAC? And is the port good quality? Because that "hiss" in wired mode is not normal. All my hybrid headphones never have such behavior in wired mode, only wireless on a select few ones. And I had multiple types of such headphones from multiple brands, including Sony.

                              They really should have tested all this on the same device and absolutely not a "flagship killer" or a hypocritical flagship killer gone rogue.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • LQv
                                • 28 Jul 2019

                                AnonD-558092, 28 Jul 2019"We also tested the headphones by connecting the supplied a... moreBecause DAC only works with headphone jack or usb.
                                It has no effect for wireless headset.

                                They should have tested with flagship amdroid to achieve full potential.
                                Months ago Phone Arena did review of 1000XM3, but instead of using android to take advqntage of LDAC they paired with iphone, so they complained in the end that was not that good.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • vG@
                                  • 28 Jul 2019

                                  AnonD-558092, 28 Jul 2019"We also tested the headphones by connecting the supplied a... moreBecause K20 Pro has a DAC, so its appropriate to test using it

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                                    • AnonD-558092
                                    • 45}
                                    • 28 Jul 2019

                                    "We also tested the headphones by connecting the supplied audio cable and plugging it into a Redmi K20 Pro."

                                    Hmm. Why wasn't this tested on a device that has dedicated audiophile features such as quad-DACs from a certain Korean company in decline instead of a "flagship killer" that would certainly cut corners in invisible areas like the headphone jack? Or just tested on the same device? There are phones with headphone plugs and all the codecs supported.

                                      Anonymous, 28 Jul 2019As an owner of Sony's XB550's, the EXTRA BASS series is rea... moreIf it wasn't already clear from the review, I would like to add that while there's nothing wrong with having more bass or a dynamic sound, the sound profile of the XB900N, much like other Sony Extra Bass headphones, only favors bass at the cost of mids and highs. It's just a one-note, one trick sound. On top of that's there's nothing special about them in terms of detail retrieval, soundstage and overall dynamics. There are plenty of headphones that do all of that and also have a fun sound. The M50xBT is a good example of that.

                                        Kinda feel sorry for Sony..if what GSMA said is true,how horrible these phones must be if even that Beats plastic crap sounds better??
                                        Tried Solo 2 and Studio 2,after 30+ years of trying hundreds of headphones those must be The most horrible $300+(!?) cans ever made..

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