Sony MDR-XB1000 Impressions and pictures

[Dj_AmTraX]

A few days ago I took delivery of a Japan released Sony MDR-XB1000. You can watch the unboxing video here.
YouTube - Sony MDR-XB1000 Unboxing, 70mm Drivers, Ultimate Deep Bass
I suspect it will hit the streets of North America in April, but I couldn't wait that long. I ran the headphones in with my Lehmann Audio Black Cube for two days straight. I gave it some tensive listening last night with all types of music. The used the Lehmann BCL as a primary amp and I also used it on my iPhone 4. All music used are in AIFF uncompressed format and Amarra Mini as the sound engine.


The MDR-XB1000 is a sweet looking headphones, but that's all it has going for it. To say that I am a bit disappointed is an understatement. While the bass is strong, it's not skull shaking. The headphones is SLOW/bloated and lacked dynamics and punch. The highs are pretty smooth and the mids are recessed which makes them easy to listen to LOUD. On the Lehmann amp, the bass sounded more controlled than on the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4 did have enough power to drive it to deafening levels. Looking at the plug, it appears that Sony designed the MDR-XB1000 for portable use. The 1/4 adaptor is a generic adaptor and looks to be an after thought.

So what's the best music genre for the MDR-XB1000? IMO, Hip Hop/Rap and Trance/House sounded best. By best I mean for this headphones, not this headphones is the best for those genre. That may sound hash, but it's the truth. The MDR-XB1000 looks better than it sounds. I don't know how it stacks up to it's smaller brother, the MDR-XB700 because I don't have one. I did order one so I will update this post with how it compares. I am going to keep these headphones because it looks cool. I hope the sound improves with time. If it does, I will update this post.