Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-XB40EX High Sensitivity Driver Extra Bass EX Earbuds - 13.5mm

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Great sound, awesome bass. That's pretty standard for any Sony headphones for over $40.

The buds are also really good. Better than many of the other silicone buds out there, they won't "pop" off when you pull the cords out of your pocket. I had an older pair of sony "in-ear" earbuds that did that. But these silicone buds (which come in 3 sizes) will not come off unless you really want them to come off.

Fit is excellent--they don't actually stick very far out of my ears, which is what I was worried about in the pictures. In fact they fit very well. I originally thought the silver tab was a little tacky, but they're great for keeping the cord from bothering my ears. Also, they are basically a "sound reservoir"--they serve as a kind of speaker cabinet for that great sound.

The real kicker is the cord--it's actually tangle-free. I'm serious. I store it in my pocket after bunching it up into a ball, which would tangle up any other earbuds (including all the ones I've used before). But when I take them back out, instead of having to untangle anything, I just shake them out and they're ready to go. No knots, nothing looped or caught on anything. Simply awesome, and I don't think I could ever go back to the regular cords--even if the earbuds themselves were better and cheaper.

I had to chuckle when I read a reviewer said he was hearing things in music he used to listen to 30 years ago with these earbuds. I was listening to Steely Dan's "Aja" album when I started writing this review with these earbuds on, and it was like new music to me. And this from something I've listened to at least 100 times in my life.

-- Very comfortable. I have large ear canals, and these won't fall out, even during light exercise like treadmill or elliptical. Different sized buds.

-- Tangle-resistent cord, plenty long if you want to carry in your iPod in your front pants pocket and still reach your ears (and I'm 6-5). Includes clothing clip.

-- Very solid, tight bass, of course. Not too boomy, even for heavy bass music, although I think this could depend on production value and listener's choice to some extent.

-- Midrange passes the "stick on the drum skin" test. Provides solid performance throughout the full audio range.

-- Crisp highs. This is where I heard things I had never experienced before in a headphone, or home stereo for that matter.

-- Not noise-cancelling, but definitely noise-reducing. For example, I cannot hear my keystrokes as I type this.

Try these buds. The fit, bass response, and price were the key reasons I bought them. Guy at Best Buy could have sold me Bose buds for nearly twice the price, but claimed I would just be paying for the name. I will never know, nor care, since I love these so much.

UPDATE: For a hoot, I decided to switch over to my Sennheiser HD555 full-sized over-the-ear headphones. The Sonys win hands down. For the same kind of bass as I get from my Sonys, I would have to run the signal through my sound card's equalizer, which of course would distort the sound.

Truly amazing. I never believed earbuds could ever beat a full-set of cans. Oh well. Live and learn.

I'm a software engineer, so I spend a good portion of my day listening to music while working. I've been looking for headphones to replace the stock headphones that came with my 80GB iPod classic, and I was really looking for headphones with decent bass. To me, nearly all genres of music sound better with a nice solid low-end as long as it doesn't distort and overpower the highs.

I bought these MDR-XB40EX's for $59.99 and also the MDR-EX300LP "Superior Studio Sound" headphones for $79.99 at Best Buy so I could compare the two and keep the ones that sounded better. To me, the MDR-XB40EX's are more comfortable, sturdier and fuller sounding than the more expensive buds. These have excellent bass, without being ridiculous. I've actually adjusted the EQ on my iPod to the "Treble Booster" setting, which raises the high end without modifying the low end ... and they sound AWESOME! These are exactly what I was looking for, and well worth the price at $59.99.

Oh, and these do a great job of isolating talkative co-workers if you work in a cube environment.

I find the ear buds very uncomfortable! I'm a firm believer in earbuds rather than "over the head" or "behind the neck" because I think those are more uncomfortable styles. I've never had a problem with any ear buds being uncomfortable before so this truly is out of the ordinary. I have had good success with expensive Sony earbuds, and even those little $10 skullcandies. Normally I use the middle size of earbuds they give you...for this one I use the smallest. I think the problem is that the long silver part on the earbuds is too heavy for my ears to support for any length of time! I use them for listening to music at work and for running - they're more uncomfortable at work (probably because the longer they're in the more strain on your ears).

I have had many other ear buds in the past and this one is the BEST ever, it's built really well - it does have a bulk to it but I don't mind because that's where it creates this amazing audio! (Although it's bulky to use while lying in bed)

I am using this with my iPod classic, there is definitely to much bass on these for default use so I went and set the EQ to "treble booster" (as opposed to bass reduces) and I WAS BLOWN AWAY - WOW it kicks my klipsh s4 and bose in the butt

I rarely review products, but I feel this one deserves a quick word.
I'll just go by amazons standards of quality:
Ease of use - 3 tip sizes to suit most people, non tangle cord really works, very similar to the cord on Beats Tours.
Sound Quality - Bass heavy, but the rest of the spectrum sounds fine. Adjust your EQ if you want to change that around some. If you like hip-hop/rap/rock, you'll love these.
Comfort - a little less comfortable than my now-deceased Klipsch image S4s, but barely, I really have no complaints here.
Durability - Only had them for a short time, but I'm VERY impressed with the build quality. When I think of Sony I primarily think of cheap buds with cheap builds. The cord connections are solid (thats a big one), the cord itself feels solid, and the buds feel sturdy.
Value for Price - Let me just say this, if you have $80 to spend, buy a pair of Klipsch image S4s. They are a little less durable, but they sound absolutely incredible. However if you have closer to 40 or 50 to spend, DEFINITELY go for these, you wont be sorry. They are sturdy, the bass is incredible, and the rest of the sound is well above your standard earbud.

Final Note: If you're thinking about spending $150 on a pair of Beats Tours, try these out first. I'm pretty sure the sound on these is pretty comparable, and you get the nice flat anti-tangle cable. With these you're paying for sound, not the name.

Happy shopping!

Have never heard of these before, but gave them a try since I was drawn in by it's unique design. They are definitely worth the money. The sound quality is above average and even though it says "extra bass" I honestly don't believe it is in anyway 'too overpowering.' You definitely hear the bass and it sounds rich. The build quality looks and feels quality and I absolutely love the metal design with the flat cabling. Only downside I see is the earbud may be too long for people with small ear canals, but I haven't had any problems with it.

These blew me away....

I use to own the Bose in ear headphones, but they do not last at all. I went through 3 pairs in less than 2 years, and they randomly stopped supporting them. So instead of paying 50 bucks for a refurbished pair of those, I picked these up. My god they are friggin awesome.

I wasn't expecting a whole lot, as cheap headphones generally suck. However these are brilliant. The Bass isn't overpowering, which is great. The highs are a little off, but its nothing horrible. They sound so friggin clear, and the noise cancellation works way better than that of the Bose headphones. I have my surround sound turned up with the TV on right now, cant hear it AT ALL.

I honestly wasn't expecting this type of quality at this price. They sound like over the ear headphones by most companies. They could be a little better, but I am not complaining at all. So comfortable, sound amazing, and sound cancellation works great. 40 bucks is a steal for these.....Id honestly expect them to be upwards of 100 bucks.

First of all I love music and headphones I loved my sony EX85 but I wanted more bass and I got it with these headphones as I look back on them the xb40s give you more clear highs as well as that booming bass it advertises.I Iove the flat cord on them it helps a lot when u stuff them in ur pocket like I do, the most impressive thing on these is the y-cord on them I thought Sony had forgotten how to make these cuzz any high end buds are only offered in a weird neckchain thing that I hate. Overall these headphones are very good and worth every penny if you love bass and wanna keep good highs then these are for you.

These Sony MDR-XB40EX have the quality of $100+ sets! I let my college-age son listen to them - first he couldn't believe the sound, second, he couldn't believe the good price, and last by not least, he said they sound so much better than his $120 Bose earbuds! Go SONY! Keep up the good job!
Stop your search right now, and just get these!