Sony MDR-XD200 Stereo Headphones

Other products by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.5 x 3 inches ; 14.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007N55NW
• Item model number: MDRXD200
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (126 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #2 in	Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Audio & Video Accessories > Home Audio Crossovers
  #5 in	Electronics > Accessories & Supplies > Headphones > Over-the-Head Headphones

• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 7, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The Sony MDR-XD200 Stereo Headphones are a great pair of headphones that deliver high-quality sound at an affordable price. With 40 millimeter diameter, dome-type driver units and long-stroke diaphragms, your music will sound great. The MDR-XD200 driver units reproduce surprisingly-clear sounds at a wide frequency range (10-22,000 Hz). These substantial headphones feature neodymium magnets for greater power handling and higher frequencies. Five times more powerful than standard earphone ferrite magnets of the same size, neodymium magnets mean that the Sony MDR-XD200 Stereo Headphones maximize energy, while keeping size to a minimum. With these advanced technological features, the MDR-XD200 provides great sound without placing too much strain on your pocketbook.

With the MDR-XD200 Sony has taken special care to please both the audiophile and cinema-geek. The MDR-XD200 features a sound mode switch (music or movie) to more adequately match the sound source. With a simple flip of a switch, you can focus the headphones' frequency range to make your music come to life or bring you that much closer to your favorite film star. Of course, Sony has not scrimped on comfort. The Sony MDR-XD200 Stereo Headphones feature an ear-conscious design with soft earpads for your long-lasting listening comfort.

What's in the Box
The Sony MDR-XD200 Stereo Headphones and unimatch plug adapter (gold).

Product Description

Everything sounds better when you use Sony MDR-XD200 Studio Monitor Series Headphones from digital media to discs to games. Designed for use at home, these over-the-ear headphones deliver robust, wide-range sound from 40mm drivers. Sony's Studio Monitor Series encompasses engineering technologies to deliver faithful audio performance from a wide variety of sources. The result is better sound with virtually no compromise on comfort. So, while earplugs may be great when you're running or riding outdoors, the Sony MDR-XD200 is the perfect fit at home Experience the comfortable fit of the MDR-XD200 Studio Monitor Series headphones. Dynamically tuned to provide movie quality sounds, these headphones will provide you with deep bass audio for a great listening experience. Tailor the headband to fit you comfortably. Features include high-energy neodymium magnets, a 2.5m extension cord and a convenient sound mode switch to match the sound source. Listen in style and comfort with the MDR-XD200 Studio Monitor Series headphones. Frequency Response - 10Hz - 22,000Hz Impedance - 70 ohms Sensitivity (db) - 102dB/mW Headband - Adjustable, Single, Music/Movie Sound Mode Switch 3.3 Feet (1m) Cord - Oxygen-Free Copper Lutz Accessories Supplied - Unimatch(R) plug adapter plug in type (gold); Sony Warranty card

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 83 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good sound quality, low price, get them, February 1, 2007

By	T. Woodard - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

COMFORT:
When I first put them on, wow, they fit very well and sealed very good. I rate comfort 9/10. -1 point because if I wear them for 6-8 hours, the top back part of my ear presses slightly against the hard inside part of the ear cups, not really a big problem. I can fix this somewhat by changing the position of the ear cups on my ears. That's the only bad part about the comfort. You won't notice it until after a few hours of use.

SOUND QUALITY:
Overall frequency response is about flat. And just enough bass that it doesn't sound lacking, but not too much, just the right amount. You can listen to these for a long time and fall asleep without being fatigued from the sound.

TREBLE:
I tested the headphones on my computer frequency generator. There was a very slight, hardly noticeable (1-2dB) peak at 2.5kHz (the driver resonance), and another peak of about the same amount at 7kHz (natural resonance of the ear canal). I used the equalizer in winamp for flattest sound, but later after listening to music while switching it on and off, decided that the difference in sound quality was so small that I didn't need to use an equalizer. The overall sound has a kind of mellow sound to the treble, like a low wide peak from 400-2000, it doesn't sound perfectly flat.

BASS:
The bass extends to about 30Hz (-3dB point), while sounding more full and effortless at 40Hz. If they're played below 40Hz, the bass has some odd harmonic distortion starting from 35Hz and a lot more below that. (This is because the Sound Mode valve does not completely cover the bass port inside the ear cups). The bass below 32Hz can still be heard, but with little of the fundamental frequency and most of the odd order harmonics. The lowest audible frequency these can play is 27Hz. (My Koss EarPlug earphones can audibly play to 10Hz.) This is the only bad thing about the bass extension, but only for people that play super loud, super deep bass. When some bass is played at low volume, you can't hear much below 60Hz. This is how it's been with every hedphone i've had. It's normal.

OTHER:
The headphones have a switch at the bottom of the ear cups labeled 'Sound Mode'. All this switch does is cover (not completely) or uncover the bass port inside the ear cups. Music Mode covers the bass port for less bass boost, and Movie Mode uncovers it, adding only a slight about of bass, hardly noticeable. If you're using these as studio monitors, you'll want to have the switch set to Music Mode. One more thing is about the cord. It's very long (11.66 feet long!! I measured it :D ). Longest headphone cord I've ever known. You'll have no problem walking from one side of the room to the other without unplugging or taking off the headphones. Being so long, it does get tangled when you put away the headphones. The simple solution is to just wrap the wire into a coil and tie it with a twisty tie, simple. These are ok at blocking outside noise, while still being able to hear someone talk to you. These headphones have a rated power handling capacity of 1500mW. With a sensitivity of 102dB/mW and a maximum power handling of 1500mW, these can get up to 135dB in you ears. These headphones have Long Stroke drivers. All my other headphones distort when i turn them up very loud with a lot of bass, but these headphones can take a lot of bass without distorting (clicking sound of the driver diaphragm hitting the plastic).

OVERALL RATING:
I rate these headphones 9/10, excellent, but not perfect.
I recommend these to anyone, even professionals.
These are professional quality studio monitor headphones.
You can't go wrong with these. Super value.
Get them, you will not be disappointed.

56 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best earphones for eyeglass wearers, January 12, 2007

By	Barn - See all my reviews

This review is aimed at those with eyeglasses and whose ears get pinched between the eyeglass arms and the earphones. I do not like to block up my ears with ear plugs all day for health concerns. I have bought and used these:
Sony MDR-CD230
Sony MDR-V6
Sony MDR-XD200
My ears are not real fussy on quality, nearly all headphones give my ears a problem by pressing them against my eyeglass arms and this hurts, usually after 10-20 minutes of listening. My hatsize if about 7.25,
my ears are pretty normal in size, I am middle aged. All three of these headphones I own are the best I have tried on or read reviews by eyeglass wearers over past 2 years. Headphones have a left and right side - the cord typically is attached to the left side, and the ear spaces, or cups, are oriented accordingly, to that the back of the ear lobe has more space to sit in than the front of the ear lobe. The sideways pressure (how hard they clamp onto your head) also is a secondary factor in whether my ears hurt. I wear wireframe glasses, and my use for headphones is background music while I program.

$30 The CD230 is no longer available, that I could find (Fall 2006), and I've used them for 5 years. They hurt my ears after 3-4 hours of continual use, but are good before that. They have cloth covered ear cushions, and relatively deep ear lobe spaces. This feature in all earphone seems to be the primary feature that determines whether my ears hurt or not. If you can find these, and like cloth covered headphones, you won't be unhappy. The sideways pressure is light for me.

$64 The V6 stands out for 2 things - richness and accuracy of the sound and blocking out outside office noises. Listening to classical music, not real loud, a co-worker can speak to my face and his voice is muffled pretty well. (Women's voices too). Overheard conversations are not overheard.
I have used these occaisionally for a couple months and my ears/head get sore after 1-2 hours. The sideways pressure is noticeably more than the other two, but not excessive. They are well cushioned, with soft fake thin leather-like vinyl which I did not find causes sweating at all. But there is not a large space for the ear lobes to sit, and this is what causes pressure after a while to build up uncomfortably I am sure. If I did not have my eyeglasses on, then these are very comfortable.


$26 The XD200 is a little lighter than the V6, it does not block out outside noises as well, which can be a benefit in the office because I can hear co-workers calling my name. The sideways pressure is light, the cushion is the same thickneess as the V6 but the ear space is much deeper for the earlobe, so for this reason it is the most comfortable of all headphones I've owned or tried. The cushions are covered in the thin leather-like vinyl like the V6 - this stuff feels like a paper much more than a plastic, it feels dry, not clammy. To my unprofessional ears the sound is great. If you wear eyeglasses, don't want to use ear plugs for hours at a stretch, then I think you will be happiest with the Sony MDR-XD200 headphones.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Sound Quality, and very comfortable. A few drawbacks though, April 12, 2009

By	T. K. Das (New York City, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Sony MDR XD200 is one of those headphones that look expensive and work expensive but are very affordable. This set is very good-looking, and not just the pictures, but also when its lying on your desk or somewhere else. Sadly the same cannot be said if its on your head, because frankly, these headphones are HUGE. take a look at the customer pictures at the top and one of them has a person wearing them with a slightly skewed profile. Those accurately reflect the size of these headphones. I would not recommend these if you are an active person who wants headphones for outdoor use or indoor treadmill use or something like that. But frankly, if that is your primary purpose, why would you use circumaural headphones in the first place? lol

However, if you plan to use these on ur iPods and mp3 players and just listening to music or watching movies on your computer, like basically sedentary activites, maybe even the occasional subway ride (if you dont mind the unavoidable stares from fellow passengers), then these are the headphones to buy. They provide perfectly awesome sound that the in-ear and other tiny appendages-also-called-earphones would supply. These are possibly the most comfortable things I have ever put on my head...maybe not counting the sweater hat my grandma made when I was 10. Seriously, these headphones are very comfortable and designed for extended use, although I did experience some heating up of my ear after 4 hours of continuous use, but thats just because these cups provide good insulation as well. There you go, a nice new set of ear muffs for the chilly winters.

These look big and bulky but they are extremely light. This might have to do with the predominantly plastic bodyparts, but if you do not intend to use this as a rugby ball, I think these headphones will last a while. very soft earpads, so dont poke them or scratch them or anything. They are really comfortable and squishy. Ok, enough about the comfort part.

The cord is 10 feet long. Which could mean a noose to hang yourself with, or a very convenient extension if you want to lay back and watch TV or something on your couch. As I said before, these arent primarily designed for portable use, so it would suit you to use a rubber-band or a flexible metal strip and tie together as much cord as you want. I reduced mine from 10 ft to about 2 and a half feet, and I am perfectly happy with them.

Hmm...lets see, what else? I bought mine for $24. Watch out for offers and discounts and such that make these really affordable. I would say it would really appeal to budding music aficionados who need an affordable monitor headphone pair. Although if you take them out on the street or on the subway, be prepared to warrant second-looks and be the center of attention and quite possibly, admiration.