Sony WH-XB910N Review: Best Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones

With ANC active noise cancellation and EXTRA BASS, the Sony WH-XB910N are really the best noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones in the price range of less than $150 to warm the ears of bassheads this winter. Sony continues to bring its technical excellence to the WH-XB910N, an early model in the popular EXTRA BASS line.

Unboxing

Like other Sony headset products in recent years, the WH-XB910N has a box made entirely of paper to protect the environment, white with the product image printed right on the front of the headset box. Our Sony WH-XB910N review unit is in Blue. These over the ear headphones also have a black version.

Sony WH-XB910N Review: Best Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones

Right from the box, we have seen the features of the WH-XB910N highlighted by Sony, which are EXTRA BASS, active noise cancellation, and up to 30 hours of battery life when using noise canceling. Indeed, this is the extremely impressive battery life for wireless noise cancelling headphones, the WH-XB910N can use up to 50 hours, and fast charging of 10 minutes will give you a chance to use up to 4.5 hours. Not too surprising because the long battery life on Sony music devices from the Walkman to the headset has always been impressive numbers.

Bundled with the best over the ear headphones, users will receive one zippered felt carrying case, one USB-C charging cord, and one 3.5mm cable to use in case the headset runs out of battery or simply if you want to use a cable instead of Bluetooth. The included accessories are simple, but it shows Sony’s thoughtfulness when it comes to accessories fully equipped for most users’ needs except for the included USB-C charging cord, which is really too small to use. Only about 15 cm long.

The WH-XB910N can be folded up, so it will definitely be a great go-to for those who often carry headphones while going out.

Design

The WH-XB910N design shares the same language as the high-end headphones of the WH-1000X series. The earcup box on the side of the headset has an oval shape and is beveled flat on the outside. It can be said that this is a simple design but also relatively effective in terms of aesthetics, giving it a modern look. All connection ports and physical buttons are located in the left earcup. That includes USB-C charging port, 3.5mm port, power button, indicator light, and quick on/off button for noise/crosstalk.

Sony WH-XB910N Review: Best Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones

The entire device is made of hard plastic, and the surface is rough. This material does not give a premium feel. The weight of the device is also a bit light which makes you feel that it is not a good fit. But that’s of course because Sony wants to optimize the weight not only to make it more comfortable to wear but also to combine it with the ability to fold. You can easily carry the noise cancelling headphones with microphone whether you go to school, work, or on a business trip.

Like other components, the WH-XB910N’s folding, rotating, and headband sliders are also made of hard plastic. These details are all of good quality, but this plastic headband extension slide does not make us feel as secure as the previous Sony XB models with steel headbands. So, when using the WH-XB910N, we think you should be a little careful with this detail.

The WH-XB910N is an over the ear headphones, which means that the ear cushions will wrap around the ear instead of pressing on the earlobe, so it will be much more comfortable to wear than on-ear models. The size of this ear cushion is not really large when the company is aiming for mobility, but it is wide enough to wear comfortably for most users. The headband part of the ear also has a moderate clamping force, not being pressed too hard on the ear.

The WH-XB910N’s headband and top cushions are also covered in very soft, synthetic leather. The general experience when wearing the WH-XB910N is that it is quite comfortable, enough for you to listen for hours continuously without any problems.

Sony WH-XB910N Review: Best Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones

One of the great things about the design of this headset is similar to the WH-1000XM4 (REVIEW), in that a tactile control panel is located on the outside of the earcup. All operations such as changing songs, increasing or decreasing volume, pausing/playing, listening to calls/calling virtual assistants, etc. can all be easily done through swiping and touching. It is too simple and convenient compared to the operation on the physical buttons of other headset models.

Best noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones

Inheriting technology from the noise-cancelling headphones that have become the trademark of Sony headphones, the WH-XB910N exhibits really impressive noise-cancellation, the quality approaching Sony’s WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling ability. That is possible thanks to the two built-in recording mics.

We have experienced the crowd noise cancellation function on the streets, and to be honest, we found this to be the best noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones. As expected, all the buzzing sounds that echo with the engine sounds of hundreds of moving cars are almost completely eliminated by the WH-XB910N. Even the sound of the car horn becomes very less. Along with turning on the music, we can no longer hear any sound from outside. If not used in a very noisy environment such as a train station or train, it will be even more ideal.

Sony WH-XB910N Review: Best Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones

In particular, the noise cancellation feature does not cause tinnitus or discomfort like some other brands’ headphones, listening for hours but still very comfortable. Moreover, the WH-XB910N also can automatically adjust the noise cancellation level depending on the user’s activity through the Sony Headphones Connect app. Sony’s application also allows you to update the software for headphones, change EQ, Clear Bass, support 360 Audio, or adjust DSEE – a very nice feature that allows you to restore the closest track to the original recording.

The quality of recording through the voice mic of the WH-XB910N is also good. The noise is effectively filtered, the background is quiet, the voice of the person received through the microphone is relatively sharp and clear. Therefore, the WH-XB910N will be very useful during on-call meetings or conversations when it is both resistant to noise from the environment and has good voice mic quality.

Sound

One really cool feature of the WH-XB910N that hasn’t been highlighted by Sony is its ability to support the LDAC codec. It is a high-quality codec developed by Sony itself, which can transmit up to 990kbps, and is about three times more than traditional codecs like SBC or AAC. Because of this, the WH-XB910N has a huge advantage in terms of sound quality. We turned off all EQ, DSEE, and noise cancellation features during our Sony WH-XB910N review so that we could represent the most accurate sound quality possible.

Incidentally, the Sony WH-XB910N review coincides with the time we regularly listen to playlists of the globally most popular songs on Spotify, with songs on this list usually pop, dance, EDM, hip hop, etc. are there. Sound with electronic and especially lively bass. We listened to DJ ACRZE’s (Ft. Cherish) Do It To It song, and as we expected, the WH-XB910N has a very energetic bass reproduced from the 40mm driver. The bass volume on the WH-XB910N is just right for the quality of an Extra Bass ear from Sony, the best noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones for bass heads.

This bass range is enough to please any bass lover. Each electronic bass in the track is hit relatively deep and round. The bass has a certain rumble and tail, focusing a lot on the mid-bass. This bass range will be very suitable for vibrant music, popular modern music that young people often listen to today. The bass range of the headphones is a bit encroaching on the mid and treble and also not quite as controlled bass to be able to reproduce the high tempo drums. However, this is completely unaffected when used to listening to Pop, Dance, etc. Or even if you want more bass, the Clear Bass feature can respond relatively well to increasing the bass range while maintaining full-range sound quality.

Sony WH-XB910N Review

Quite surprising that the mid-range on the WH-XB910N is smooth and conveys quite well, although not too prominent when standing next to an extremely energetic bass range. The WH-XB910N has a relatively thick mid-range, especially the warm and thick low-mid in tracks with deep male voices like Turn The Page (Bob Seger). The WH-XB910N does not really have a strength in the high-mid part, but when used to listening to the soprano vocals, it still has good quality and has a certain vibe. In the past, Sony’s mid-range headphones were often commented on as having an unnatural mid-range, but the headphones sold by Sony recently have broken that stereotype, especially the in EXTRA BASS series like the WH-XB910N.

Sony has clearly demonstrated its intention of a sound that tends to be dark, warm, and smooth for the WH-XB910N with a gentle treble range and not too much energy. The treble strip blends into the overall sound quality, not outstanding, but still maintains a certain level of energy to keep the detail for the sound quality. The phenomenon of glare, harshness is almost not encountered on the WH-XB910N. All sib sounds like s, sh, etc. sound very smooth. This treble strip will definitely not be for the followers of the bright treble strip but will be suitable for those who are allergic to jingle high tones, do not like the harsh glare; suitable for those who want a smooth and warm sound.

Overall, the WH-XB910N’s warm, the bass-heavy sound quality makes the initial listener may not be impressed with the details. However, Sony’s way of fine-tuning the sound quality is still very ingenious when the WH-XB910N still has a good level of detail in the tonal range as well as the full range. All sounds of the songs like the singer’s breath, the vibration of the strings, etc. are fully reproduced. The soundstage of the headset, even though it is just a closed-ear, is still quite airy. The reproduced sound space is mainly horizontal, not too spacious, but enough for listeners to feel comfortable and can imagine a small virtual music space.

Final line

Sony WH-XB910N is over the ear headphones with very good noise cancellation, high battery life, convenient folding, a very simple and user-friendly user experience. The sound quality of the WH-XB910N is literally EXTRA BASS with a very energetic bass range. In addition, the mid-range represents a warm, expressive, and smooth sound. It can be said that the WH-XB910N has been created to target a group of young listeners who often listen to a piece of vibrant music and prioritize convenience.

price and availability

The WH-XB910N has a suggested retail price of $249.99, but it is now available to buy only for $148 on Amazon.com, Bhphotovideo.com, Bestbuy.com, Newegg.com, and Amazon.co.uk websites. The best noise cancelling Bluetooth headphones are available in black, blue, and gray colors.

Pros:

  • Best noise cancelling
  • Battery life as high as 30-50h
  • Easy to use, convenient with touch control operation
  • Smart, user-friendly application
  • Support high-quality LDAC connection standard
  • Compact design, easy to carry on the go
  • The warm, energetic sound in the bass range is suitable for exciting music

Cons:

  • The build quality finishing from plastic is not really good
  • The included charging cable is too short, causing inconvenience when charging

About Ankeet Solanki

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