Today, we're going to review the
Stereo Headphones / Studio Monitors from Sony, the MDR-XD 300's in specific (and probably the other models in the XD series as well).
First Look:
The XD-300's are packed in a very attractive box, that may seem a little deceptive. I say 'deceptive' because the box doesn't make a mention of the terms "Studio Monitors" anywhere. This doesn't mean its a falsely marketed product, but its probably targeted at the wrong audience, like the general consumers (instead they should've targeted at audiophiles). This is an audiophile grade headphone and depending on the audio source, these headphones would sound different too. It's sole aim is to reproduce everything "as it is" instead of adding "
color" to the sound it outputs.
Design:
The XD-300's have HUGE cups that surround your ear and are designed to provide a sense of comfort when you wear them over your head. It features a spring-like system to ensure a comfortable and more precisely, a
perfect fit. Many complain that wearing these will make you look like an alien, but to be honest, if you get to know how the whole 'suspension' system works to comfort your head, the 'alien looks' won't be an issue AT ALL.
The suspension-like feature:
The XD-300's feature a sound mode switch that lets you switch between Music and Movie modes. Yes, this switch seems to do nothing, apparently, BUT, what it DOES is that it actually closes and opens a vent inside the cups each time you meddle with the switch. The switch does improve the BASS notes at times, but not too often. However, since the switch makes the unit a semi-open system whenever it is toggled, it could prove useful when you're monitoring something.
The Sound-mode Switch:
The XD-300's also feature angled ear-cups for the best comfort ever. This is an awesome feature of the XD series, which enables you to wear these headphones on for hours without stressing over your ears.
The angled ear-cups:
Overall, the design of the MDR-XD 300's can be considered to be GOOD (9/10).
Build Quality:
The area where the XD-300's lose is in the build quality. The XD-300's feel quite plastic-ish. Though the surface of the cups feels quite smooth and posh, the rest of the supportive elements feature a cheap-ish kind of finish. However, it is not quite bad and can be considered to be ABOVE AVERAGE (7/10)
The plastic-ish finish:
The wonderful finish:
The XD-300's feature a gold-plated plug and a loooong chord (yes its that long). In addition to the long chord, you also get a complimentary longer chord inside along with the cans.
The complimentary extension chord:
Performance:
The XD-300 studio monitors feature a flat frequency response and this is really very evident when you're listening to Bass-heavy tracks like the ones from
Fashion-TV's compilations /
Chill Jazz Sessions
. The sound you get from these cans is like WYHIWYP (What you hear is what you play). The quality, its amazing - you get to hear every
single bit of audio stream present in the track! You can even work out the number of instruments being played, if you're playing
music composed with a lot of instruments.!
A Friendly Warning:
What this headphone isn't - This headphone isn't a bass-o-matic. Meaning, the box may have deceived you into thinking that this headphone, since being a movie headphone, might produce fierce Bass notes with its full might, just because it looks so huge. Don't get disappointed, this headphone won't do that. Yes, you DO get Bass and plenty of it such that it pumps up the adrenaline, but not in a way that you imagine it to be. This is NOT a defect and is a typical characteristic of monitors. It sounds beautiful for movies, but for music, you might not get that so called 'punch'. While this is a not-so-important issue for audiophiles, this is definitely something disappointing for the Bass lovers. However, there is a wonderful workaround for this, (will explain it in the next post, please be patient till then)
Performance Rating: 10/10 !
Conclusion:
Overall, The XD-300's can be considered to be a very good product from Sony. These headphones would be quite useful, if you're into monitoring or something. This headphone is meant for audiophiles and not for general consumers / Bass lovers. These will also be the perfect match for Movie lovers. The overall product rating would be 8/10.
Good Day
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