Sony WH-XB900N Review: Bass Heavy Budget Headphones

Last updated on 2022-09-19
By Yvonne

Sony WH900N Headphones Review: Budget-Heavy Bass Headphones. We tested the Sony WH900N headphones and were impressed by their sound quality.

Sony WH-XB900N

We like this

Budget friendly
Large headroom, comfortable and spacious
Quality sound, high-quality and bass-heavy
The Companion App is packed with helpful features

The Things We Hate

Unmistakable build quality
Some people may not like heavy bass emphasis.
The effectiveness of noise cancelling is lower than you might think.
It does not include a hard case

The Sony WHXB900N's build quality is poor, but it compensates with excellent (but very bass-heavy!) audio and a highly attractive price.

This article explains

Design
Installation
Comfort
Battery life
Sound Quality
Noise Cancelling
Connectivity
Software
Prices
Concurrence
Final Verdict
Specifications

The Sony WH-XB900N was purchased by us so that our expert reviewer could fully test it and evaluate it. Continue reading to see our complete product review.

The Sony WH-XB900N headphones are a remarkable accomplishment in many ways—it incorporates much of the quality and many of the features found in more expensive wireless noise cancelling headphones into a much less expensive product with surprisingly few compromises. These headphones are a great option for those who haven't been disappointed by other wireless noise cancelling headphones.

Design: A plain exterior

The WH-XB900N won't win any fashion awards—no molds were broken creating these headphones, at least visually they are very bland and standard. They are bulky on the head and look awkward, but they don't really stand out.

The WH-XB900N's build quality is not great. The headphones' plastic construction is not very durable and has a cheap feeling to it. The surprisingly strong adjustment system suggests that the interior structure is stronger than we would think. These aren't weatherproofed so be sure to avoid wearing them in wet weather.

Sony's right earpiece has a touch-enabled exterior surface that allows for media control. Swiping up or down can adjust volume or skip forward or back. You can also play/pause or answer phone calls by tapping on the earpiece. Although we preferred physical buttons, these controls work well. However, we found that sometimes the system did not register our gestures.

The WH-XB900N is extremely comfortable for large heads.

Although buttons can be easily detected using touch, and can therefore be difficult to accidentally press them, it is possible for touch controls to be more effective once you have mastered the gestures. The WH-XB900N, as well as other headphones with similar interfaces we tested, has a problem of detection accuracy. This can lead to accidental triggering of controls.

You will receive a pair of headphones with both an audio and USB-C cables for wired connections. There is also a bag for carrying the headphones. The bag does not provide adequate protection for the headphones while on the move and is only limited in its ability to protect them. If you intend to take your headphones on the go, a hard case will be necessary.

Installation: Get connected and start

The WH-XB900N can be connected by simply turning it on. Once they are paired with your device, the process is almost instantaneous. The initial pairing went smoothly. A prompt on the screen will allow you to ask if you would like to create a virtual assistant that can work with your headphones. It's easy to set up and install the companion app. Our headphones were automatically and instantly recognized by it.

Related Reading: Sony WH-1000XM4 Review

Comfort: Great for larger head sizes

The WH-XB900N is extremely comfortable for large heads. High quality padding is used in the earcups, which are large and well-padded. The headphones are extremely wide, which was something we were impressed by. They are still quite large so they may not be suitable for people with small heads.

Uninterrupted Listening

Sony claimed a battery life of 30 hours, which we found to be quite accurate. You will only have to charge them once a month if you aren't using the headphones for more than 10 hours per day. This was proven true by extensive and thorough testing with headphones that were subject to heavy and intense use and the Active Noise Cancelling turned up.

Sound Quality : Exhausting bass

The WH-XB900N is the perfect choice if you like your music to have more bass. These headphones are powerful and can handle any low-range beat, be it a strong dubstep track or Mission Impossible explosions.

We found that the bass's over-emphasis can cause the other audio channels to become muted. It's a shame that the WHXB900N can produce such amazing detail in the high and mid tones. The app allows you to customize the sound profile, which can reduce the bass that is too loud.

The WH-XB900N offers a great deal for a very low price without sacrificing sound quality or feature set.

The benefit of action films that are bombastic is the bass emphasis. The film Godzilla was rumbled with epic monster roars. It had headphones that evoked the terror and fear of those sounds.

Bear Ghost's "Necromancin Dancin" was a case in point. The bass became too potent and the vocals and other instrumentals were pushed to the side. Slade's "Run Runaway" had an extra bass that pumped the music up and gave the track a more powerful feel. This song really showed the versatility of the headphones when used with the correct song.

The WH-XB900N also produced great sounding renditions of Neil Diamond's "Shilo", though the stereo version caused a disturbingly low tone in the left earpiece. This issue was easily fixed by the Sound Position Control feature of the app.

The call quality was excellent. Although the headphones were able to capture vocals very clearly, they struggled with extraneous noise extraction.

Noise Cancelling: Serviceable noise reduction

Although the WH-XB900N does not have the best Active Noise Cancelling, (ANC), it blocks enough outside noise to make it worthwhile. However, it won't give you true silence when you are in noisy environments. The WH-XB900N headphones did not cause ANC side effects for those sensitive to pressure.

It is less harsh than other headphones, and it wasn't as annoying for ANC-sensitive people. If it bothers you still, ANC can always be turned off, but at this point, you might be happier saving your money and buying standard headphones.

Connectivity: NFC makes it easy

The Sony WHXB900N wireless headphones offer NFC connectivity and traditional Bluetooth pairing. This can remove the minor irritation of fiddling with menus and connections—just hold the headphones with the NFC symbol touching your device and they will automatically pair to your device. Bluetooth connections are strong and can be used through walls.

Software: Easy but very useful

Sony's smartphone app for headphones is very useful. It also offers a variety of fascinating features. These features include Adaptive Sound Control which adjusts headphones' noise reduction according to your environment. You can disable this feature to choose your noise cancellation settings. This is done with the aid of a visual display that shows you which situations each level is best suited for.

Sound Position Control can be used to adjust the stereo sound's behavior to focus in four directions, as well as forward-oriented and default modes. These controls were used to enhance the stereo sound quality of songs which didn't work well with the default mode.

Although surround sound modes are available to simulate different environments, such as the 'Arena’ and 'Concert Hall', they can be a little gimmicky. They also decrease sound quality. These surround sound modes don't replicate specific venues, but they mimic the feeling of being in poor-quality speakers in poor rooms.

You can use the equalizer to adjust the volume or to make the headphones more suitable for your environment. The'relaxed mode' allows you to listen to your music but still focus on studying or work. We were very surprised at how much we liked it.

The app can be used to modify basic settings like language, how long headphones are left idle and whether or not they will automatically turn off. We were impressed by the app's responsive design and features.

Great Deal

The Sony WHXB900N is a great value. It has a MSRP of $250 and offers many of the same features as more expensive wireless noise cancelling headphones. The WH-XB900N headphones are a great deal for a very low price, but without sacrificing sound quality or feature set.

Sony WH-XB900N vs Jabra Elite 85H

The Jabra Elite 85H is $50 less than the WHXB900N and offers numerous improvements. The sound quality has been significantly improved, with the bass being less prominent and overall volume much higher. With a beautiful cloth exterior and water-and dust resistant, the Jabra's sturdy design is a major upgrade to the Sony. The Elite 85H offers superior noise cancellation, great ease-of-use features and looks even better than the WHXB900N.

Your choice may depend on how your head fits. The Elite 85H will work well with smaller heads than the WHXB900N. While the Sony is more suitable for larger heads, the Sony will be able to fit any size noggin.

If you enjoy an extra helping of bass, have a plus sized head, and want the best sound quality for your buck, then the Sony WH-XB900N headphones are a very attractive option. Although they may not have the best build quality, or strong noise cancellation, these headphones offer a lot of value for money.