Sony WI-XB400 Extra Bass Wireless In-Ear Headphones - Black

I've recently moved to flagship true wireless WF 1000XM5s for the incredible sound quality. I miss the WB-XB400 which are otherwise vastly superior in comfort, convenience, battery longevity, affordability, and usability (no extra app needed). 17+ hours battery life IN USE, easy. I charged them every 4 days and used them for my 1h commute (back and then forth), whilst at work for music, calls and meetings, and then at home too. Sound quality is really very strong, crisp with a surprisingly good bass. Cannot overstate this point - no headphones at this price point compare, and I have also owned headphones twice the price which cannot touch them sound-wise either. They sit comfortably around your neck when not in use and the battery/volume control widgets balance it nicely without feeling weighty; like, you know they are there so you're not gonna lose them, but they're no burden. That they are USB-C is seemingly standard but beware buying other headphones at this price point where you might end up with a USB 2.0. They reach a 50% charge in about 15 minutes. They come with a variety of plug sizes and a short-lead charging cable. I've owned 3 pairs. I had to replace one pair after a year and a half, lost another, and gifted the other when I finally upgraded. Main cons - The flap that opens to allow you to charge it will eventually stop closing flush after around 6 months. It's not fixable as it happens because the housing for the plastic catch wears out; your options are to deal with it (it kinda half-closes in a dissatisfying sticky kind of way) or remove the flap entirely. Also, the sleeve of the earplugs (like the rubber underneath the headphones themselves) will start to tear and come loose after about a year. The headphones themselves stay connected but you end up with this tube of rubber sliding down from the headphones and sitting on the battery/control packs. Neither affect the usage or sound quality - anyway, at this price (and after that long) I am sure you'll basically just replace them with the same set, as I did for a good three years. If I was asked which are overall the best headphones on the market to this day, I'd recommend these.

I'm reviewing this in comparison to the WF-C500 wireless earbuds and the MDREX110APB.CE7 "Deep Bass" wired earphones. Of the three, I prefer these (WI-XB400 "Extra Bass"). I bought them to use with my phone. Turns out my Motorola's 3.5mm audio jack introduces distortion at several frequencies, but Bluetooth doesn't, despite the usual Bluetooth background static. Cons: there are minor issues that really shouldn't be there, but I can work around them. - The status announcer is a bit loud. I don't like hearing "POWER ON", "POWER OFF", or "CONNECTED" blasted into my ears. With current Bluetooth antennas, I haven't had any issues, but I can imagine this being annoying if your antenna is not reliable and connection often drops. The fix was to just not wear the earbuds while powering them on or off. - It has a very bright blue LED light that shines out like a laser. It can hit you in the eye at night and is bright enough to even shine a path. Perhaps it helps as a locator light if I ever need to find it stranded in the ocean. At least it's not on all the time, but flashes on every few seconds. It's a minor issue that you can fix by covering it with something, and you won't usually notice it if you hang the wire behind your neck, but it shouldn't be this bright. - It has the usual Bluetooth background noise that all Bluetooth devices seem to have for whatever reason when they are connected. It's not audible once music is playing, and it goes silent after a few seconds of not playing any sounds, but I would prefer it if it wasn't there. Pros: despite the cons, I still very much prefer this over the WF-C500. It's on par with the MDREX110APB.CE7 but unfortunately my phone doesn't work well with wired headphones. - The earbuds are sleek and don't disturb me when I'm sleeping on my side. In fact, I've used the MDREX110APB.CE7 a lot before because they work as ear plugs at night; the WI-XB400 do the same. I bought the WF-C500 before the WI-XB400 and one massive issue I had was that if I ever fell asleep while wearing them, just turning my head onto anything would press the button, which then makes a loud volume announcement or starts playing music. This is functionality built into the WF-C500, and the WI-XB400 has none of that. The smaller shape of the WI-XB400 earbuds also means they don't stick out like the WF-C500 and don't hit, say, your helmet while riding a bike or your beanie hat in winter, which could also press the buttons on the WF-C500. - The controls are all on the hub on the cable, which hangs on my neck. This is far more convenient to me than reaching and pressing morse-code onto my ear like the WF-C500 needs (because it just has one big button that does all the controls). More importantly, unlike the WF-C500's big button, the WI-XB400 has the typical good-old volume up and down buttons that aren't excessively easy to press. You need some pressure to click them, so they won't be randomly activating. - After using both the WF-C500 and the WI-XB400, I prefer having the cable connecting them. Not only does this make the buttons easier to use, but it keeps me from misplacing my earbuds. I can more easily find the WI-XB400 and I am less concerned with them rolling off the table or off the bed. I imagine the wire is a point of failure, but the WI-XB400 feels less fragile still than the WF-C500. The separate earpieces on the WF-C500 are heavier because all components are in one place, making me feel they would not stand a fall too well. Lastly, with the cable, I can just wear the WI-XB400 as a necklace, which is more convenient than placing the WF-C500 in a pocket or case. The WF-C500 is in theory more convenient to charge; you just plop them into the case. But I haven't had any issues with keeping the WI-XB400 charged. I'll perhaps edit this if battery is ever an issue, but I haven't observed any. - It turns out the name wasn't lying about the bass either. It's not as good as a proper headset IMO, but it's either identical to the MDREX110APB.CE7 in bass frequencies, if not a bit better. I was in fact very satisfied with the MDREX110APB.CE7 were it not for my phone distorting some frequencies at lower volumes. It appears WI-XB400 fixes problems with distortion by avoiding the audio jack. More importantly, compared to the WF-C500, the WI-XB400 is far ahead. The WF-C500 barely has bass, to the point some songs sound entirely different because it's mostly trebble. - I haven't had any issues with connectivity or volume. Default volume can perhaps be a bit loud, but in my experience, this has 3 layers volume controls: (1) the volume of the headphones itself, which is independent from the phone and adjusted via the buttons; (2) the volume on the phone, which I can set to be lower on bluetooth devices; and (3) the equalizer on my phone, which I can adjust further if it's ever too loud in any area. Perhaps the Sony wireless earbuds app also works on this, but I haven't tested it. Connectivity has been reliable for me, but I remember I was dissuaded from Bluetooth devices years ago because antennas were not reliable back then. I can't say that's the case anymore.

I patiently tried to use the most appropriate of the 3 different ear pieces and also located them properly but they are not perfect. They stay in if you're not moving but walking or jogging you find you are just pushing the left ear back in every five minutes. It may well be that the volume and battery block is locate on the left and the weight of this drags that ear piece down a bit. But the sound - for this price - is excellent, the bass boost is the right frequency it's not to muddy or boomy, you just get a better low-end boost. So for the sound, price and overall build quality a worthwhile purchase.

Beter dan verwacht , gaan ruim 15 uur mee , klinken goed en zitten stevig in de oren.

Best bluetooth in-ear headphones I've tried so far with motorcycle helmet. Small footprint, does not stick out too much. Stays in place, both when putting the helmet on and off. Sound quality is good enough, considering the noisy environment. Normally I'm not a fan of extended bass, but a slight lift of lower frequencies is a welcome feature on the road. Noise isolation is medium. Engine noise is muted, but you're not totally isolated from the traffic around you. I've NOT tried it as a communication device and cannot comment on the microphone quality. Battery time is excellent. Charging is done via standard USB C port. I wish they were IP rated. Good price/performance ratio (30 EUR). I would buy again.

These extra bass earphones are not what I expected - and in a good way. The bass is only slightly more powerful than what is acceptable by my standards (I'm not a basshead, I prefer a balanced sound). All it takes to make these sound really good is lower the bass by 3dB with an EQ and you're all set. I also like to elevate the treble a little bit, however most would deem this feat unnecessary. These sound good in every aspect, very good if you consider their low price. They don't sound as clear and crisp as the WI-C600N, which is superior in the sound department, but has an inferior playback time on one battery charge. These earphones are extremely easy to transport and can be worn around the neck all the time without any irritation. They are perfect if you like to listen to music on a whim, you can do it wherever you are if you have a little time on your hands. The controls are also easy to handle and include all the necessary functions (power on/off, play, pause, next track, previous track). All in all I'm very pleased with this purchase.

I bought these to replace the same model o used for 5 hours 5 days a week for 3 years straight. These are the most well built and best sounding headphones I've ever used. My prior pair had been submerged on multiple occasions and survived countless hours of pressure washing. Built to last and high quality for minimal price. I will be very sad the day sony stops producing this model

Très bon