Sony unveils "Extra Bass" series
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Added on 2009-01-08 02:39:00
by Mark Brezinski
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 At Sony's press conference we got some info on some of their headphones, but mainly got to check out their new line of bass-boosting headphones. The Sony Extra Bass Headphones, as they are called, consist of the over-ear MDRXB300s, MDRXB500s, and MDRXB700s, and the in-ear MDRXB20EX and MDRXB40EX headphones.
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| Tags: MDRXB300, MDRXB500, MDRXB700, MDRXB20EX, MDRXB40EX, Sony, CES 2009 |
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Sony media player to have headphone-independent noise cancellation
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Added on 2009-01-07 11:59:00
by Mark Brezinski
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 We're here at CES 2009, awaiting awesome news from all your favorite headphone manufacturers. Interestingly enough, the first interesting news of the day is only tangentially related to headphones: Sony is introducing a new media player with headphone-independent noise cancellation. That's right, the media player itself will feature active cancellation. We're guessing it'll work the same way as it does in headphones: the device will have a mic, listen in for ambient noise, then output inverse sound waves.
This technology raises a few questions. First of all, what does this mean for active cancellation on headphones? The feature ruins audio quality, gives your headphones a battery dependency, and often means you can't listen to your music without the feature active. If this feature gains popularity, will active cancellation migrate off of headphones and onto devices where it can be better implemented? Further, will the active cancellation focus exclusively on bassy sounds? On the headphones we've reviewed, the active cancellation mainly eliminates lower frequency sound. If the feature doesn't, then will the sound of your pocket fabric rubbing against the mic have an adverse affect on audio quality?
There's a good chance we'll have answers to these questions and more after the Sony press event tonight.
If you want to check out a story on the media player itself, the Sony Walkman NWZ-X1000, check out the article on our sister site, MediaPlayerInfo.com.
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| Tags: Sony, Walkman, NWZ-X1000, headphone-independent, noise cancellation, CES 2009 |
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Sony MDR-NC500D review retrospective
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Added on 2008-06-26 08:24:00
by Mark Brezinski
 The Sony MDR-NC500D headphones made us a bit sad. We thought they would've been a great set of mid-range, noise-cancelling headphones. They don't have amazing noise cancelling or audio quality, but they weren't abysmal either. They were very comfortable, came with a ton of extras, and there was even a fun little feature where you could choose your own noise-cancellation frequency curve. All in all, these headphones would be a good buy for a mainstream listener for $200-$300.
Unfortunately, these headphones cost $400. That's more than the Bose QuietComfort 2 & 3, which are probably the NC500D's biggest competition. At this price, the NC500D is more expensive than the already over-priced at $300 for the QC2 and $350 for the QC3. To make matters worse, the NC500D also features worse audio quality than both the QC2 and QC3, although not by any great stretch. We're guessing Sony was trying to market the NC500D as a premium product, and was using the high price to insinuate the NC500D outclasses the QuietComfort headphones. Unfortunately, the price just makes the headphones a bad deal, which is unfortunate because they're not bad headphones. If you want to pick these up, try to look for a really good sale.
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| Tags: Sony, MDR-NC500D, noise-cancelling, headphones, review, retrospective |
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Sony Announces Children Headphones
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Added on 2008-03-21 11:05:00
by Richard Baguley
 Sony has released a model of headphones specifically designed for children’s ears. Made for children aged 8 and older, the MDR-222KD headphones are smaller and reduce the maximum sound delivered, catering to children’s more sensitive ears. They will be available in April for about $15, and come in black or cotton-candy pink.
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| Tags: children headphones, MDR-222KD, Sony |
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New Headphones Cancel 99 percent Of Noise Claims Sony
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Added on 2008-03-21 10:29:00
by Richard Baguley
 Sony is certainly making some audacious claims about their new headphones: their $400 Sony MDR-NC500D headphones can block out 99% of ambient noise. Had we a monocle, it would most certainly have popped off and sank to the bottom of our tea cup. We can't wait to get these in for testing.
An additional interesting feature is the ability to manually control the level of noise cancellation. In addition to the default, "kill all external noise" setting, there are three more mild variations.
All this cancellation is hard work, but Sony claims the MDR-NC500D headphones can still pull off 16-hour sessions without a recharge. If this isn't enough, you can always toss in a few AA batteries, which should boost the headphones' playback life to 28 hours.
You can read more on these at Sony's product site.
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| Tags: MDR-NC500D, noise cancellation, Sony |
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Sony Announces New Flagship Earbud Headphones
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Added on 2008-02-26 11:12:00
by Richard Baguley
 Feb 26 2008 - Sony has announced a new flagship model in its top EX series of in-ear headphones. The MDR-EX700LP headphones feature lightweight magnesium housings, a multilayer diaphragm for clear sound, and seven sizes of hybrid-silicone sleeves. They're currently available for about $300.
Three additional models in the EX line have also been released. The MDR-EX32LP, available for a much-less-expensive $25, come in pink or blue with white accents, solid black, or solid white. The MDR-EX55 earbud headphones use soft silicone for the entire earbud housing, maximizing comfort. They are available for about $40 and come in two-toned pink, royal blue, white, and black. The MDR-EX75 earbud headphones have a cylindrical shape for a more comfortable fit, and come in black, white, and silver for $50.
For more information, see Sony’s website.
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| Tags: MDR-EX55, MDR-EX32LP, MDR-EX700LP, ex, sony, MDR-EX75 |
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