Our Verdict
Mediocre for neutral listening. The small and closed-back in-ear design means they won't have the most spacious soundstage. That combined with their poorly balanced sound that favors bass over instruments and vocals make them sound cluttered, muddy and a bit boxy which may be somewhat okay for casual listening but won't be ideal for more neutral listeners.
Decent for commuting. The Sony MDR-XB50AP Extra Bass are lightweight, ultra-portable headphones that passively block a lot of noise. They won't be the best in very loud environments, but they can handle the level of most commutes, especially if you're listening to music at moderately high volumes.
Above-average for sports use. Although they're not as stable as some of the other in-ears, they're compact lightweight and decently comfortable. However, they do not have the best control scheme, and since they're wired, they might get yanked out of your ears relatively easily if the cable gets hooked by something.
Average for office use. They prevent a fair bit of noise from entering your audio. They also barely leak so they won't distract your colleagues in quieter environments.
Average for gaming. They have a wired connection, so they have negligible latency which is suitable for gaming. They also have a decent microphone that's compatible with consoles and PCs. Unfortunately, they sound overly bass-heavy and lack a good app to customize their sound profile like most gaming headsets. Their in-ear fit also won't be as comfortable for all listeners, especially during long gaming sessions.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 04, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 17, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.1.
- Updated Nov 21, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
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Compared To Other Headphones
The Sony MDR-XB50AP are a decently versatile wired in-ear. They do not have the best sound quality and may a bit too bass-heavy for critical listening. But on the upside, they block enough noise to be suitable for commuting and they will easily fit into your pockets so you can have them on you at all times. They're also sufficiently stable for sports and working out although they won't be as good as some of the competing in-ear models below. See our recommendations for the best earbuds and in-ears, the best earbuds under $50, and the best cheap earbuds.
The 1More Triple Driver are slightly better wired in-ear headphones than the Sony MDR-XB50AP Extra Bass. The 1More are a bit more comfortable, have a better in-line remote that's easier to use, and come with a much nicer carrying case. They also have a better-balanced sound profile that still has a good amount of bass, but isn't nearly as bass-heavy and boomy as the Sony. If you use your headphones while taking calls, the mic on the 1More also has a better recording quality, though they both sound good. Other than that, the Sony block more background noise, and some people may like their very bass-heavy sound profile, especially if you listen to a lot of music that isn't vocal-centric or instrument-driven, like EDM or dubstep.
The Logitech G333 are better headphones for most purposes than the Sony MDR-XB50AP Extra Bass. The Logitech have a much more comfortable fit and a better build quality. Their in-line controls offer more functionality and better feedback, and they have an in-line mic with significantly better recording quality. On the other hand, the Samsung are slightly more compact and leak much less sound. They also do a somewhat better job of passively isolating you from noises like background conversations.
The Sony MDR-XB50AP Extra Bass are more versatile headphones than the Apple EarPods. They have a closed-back design that isolates more ambient noise and makes them more suitable for commuting. As their name suggests, the Sony have a very bass-heavy sound profile, while the Apple's open-design lack sub-bass, but don't lack detail in the treble range like the Sony do. Also, the Apple are more comfortable, if you can find a good fit. They have a decent in-line remote with volume control, which the Sony don’t have, disappointingly. The Apple have a decent microphone for calls, while the Sony are a more stable option for sports.
The Sony MDR-XB50AP Extra Bass are better headphones than the 1More Piston Fit. They have a more balanced sound, isolate more ambient noise, and barely leak. The Sony also feel more durable than the 1More. On the other hand, the 1More feel more comfortable thanks to their very small and lightweight earbuds, and they have a better microphone for calls.
Test Results
The MDR-XB50AP are simple and straightforward in-ear headphones. They have a unique and stylish earbud design but the same fit as most in-ears. The cable is decently rubberized which gives a slightly more premium appeal to the headphones. They also come in a couple of flashier color schemes that will stand out more than the all-black variation we've reviewed.
The Sony XB50AP have a typical in-ear fit. They're angled, so they don't enter as deeply into the ear canal, but since the buds are rather large, they're still quite noticeable once in your ears. Unfortunately, they do not have any foam tips which some users prefer.
The MDR-XB50AP Extra Bass have a one-button design that doesn't give you as much control. They only provide track skipping and call/play/pause functionality via the multi-purpose button. Unfortunately, the slightly limited layout does not give you any volume controls, and the one button is not as responsive as some of the other headphones that we've reviewed.
The XB50AP, like most in-ear/earbud designs, are very breathable headphones. They trap a bit of heat within your ear canal but won't make you sweat more than usual since they do not cover your outer ear. It's a negligible temperature difference even during more intense exercises, which makes them a decent option for sports (see our recommendations for the best sports headphones).
The Sony XB50AP, like most in-ears, are ultra-portable headphones. They will easily fit into most pockets and they're super easy to carry around on your person. Unfortunately, they do not come with a good case.
These headphones come with a small pouch that will prevent the headphones from getting tangled with anything else in your bag and pockets but it won't protect them from drops and impacts.
The MDR-XB50 have an above-average build quality. They have decently rubberized audio cables, and the earbuds feel dense enough that they won't break if you accidentally drop them once or twice. However, the cable is not replaceable, and upon closer inspection, the plastic used for the inline remote and the earbuds look a bit cheap. Also, although the cables are rubberized, they're not very thick.
These headphones do not have any stability tips and aren't particularly stable for running or working out. They have a typical in-ear fit and they're lightweight, so they won't easily fall out of your ears in most casual situations. However, they don't enter the ear canal as deeply as some of the other in-ears so if the audio cabled is tugged or hooked on something, the ear buds will easily slip out of your ears.
The frequency response consistency of the MDR-XB50AP is excellent. If the user is able to achieve a proper fit and an air-tight seal using the assortment of tips that come with the headphones, then they should be able to get consistent bass and treble delivery every time they use the headphones.
The Sony MDR-XB50AP have a decent bass. LFE (low-frequency extension) is at 13Hz, which is excellent. Low-bass, responsible for the thump and rumble common to bass-heavy genres, is within 1dB of our target, which is great. Mid-bass, responsible for the body of bass guitars and punch of the kick drums is over our neutral target by about 4dB. High-bass, responsible for warmth is overemphasized by more than 7dB. This results in a deep and extended bass that sounds excessively boomy and muddy.
The mid-range performance of the XB50AP is good. Low-mid shows a bit of bump, which is the continuation of the high-bass overemphasis. This thickens vocals a bit and makes mixes sound muddy and cluttered. Mid-mid and high-mid are relatively consistent and within 2dB of our target.
These in-ears have an average treble performance. Low-treble is underemphasized by more than 3dB, negatively affecting the detail and presence of vocals and lead instruments. Mid-treble is relatively consistent and balanced but could sound a bit sibilant (sharp on S and Ts) to those with overly sensitive ears.
The imaging performance of the XB50AP is above-average. The weighted group delay is at 0.19, which is very low. The GD graph also shows that the entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold. This ensures a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. Additionally, the L/R drivers of our test unit were very well-matched in frequency and phase response, but we measured more than 3dB of amplitude mismatch. This could noticeably skew the stereo image to one side, which is not ideal for the proper localization of objects (voices, instruments, video game effects), in the stereo field.
It should be noted that this mismatch could be unique to our test unit and then one you buy may or may not have this issue.
The soundstage is poor. This is because creating an out-of-head and speaker-like soundstage is largely dependent on activating the resonances of the pinna (outer ear). The design of in-ears and earbuds is in such a way that fully bypasses the pinna and doesn't interact with it. Also, because these headphones have a closed-back enclosure, their soundstage won't be perceived to be as open as that of open-back earbuds like the Apple AirPods (1st generation) Truly Wireless, Google Pixel Buds, or the Bose SoundSport Free.
The MDR-XB50AP has a decent isolation. In the bass range, where the rumble of airplane and bus engines sits, they don't achieve any isolation. In the mid-range, important for blocking out speech, they isolate by more than 15dB, which is good. In the treble range, occupied by sharp sounds like S and Ts, they achieve 35dB of isolation, which is very good.
The leakage performance of these headphones, like most in-ears, is excellent. The significant portion of their leakage is between 3KHz and 6KHz, which is a very narrow range. The overall level of the leakage is very quiet too. With the music at 100dB SPL, the leakage at 1 foot away averages at 24dB SPL and peaks at 44dB SPL, which is below the noise floor of most offices.
The recording quality of the MDR-XB50AP's in-line microphone is about average. The dip between 100Hz and 500Hz makes recorded or transmitted speech relatively thin sounding. The bump around 20Hz means that this mic may be prone to pops and rumbling noises. The HFE (high-frequency extension) is at 4.7KHz, resulting in a speech that lacks a bit of detail and presence. However, it'll still be decently understandable since speech intelligibility is mostly dependent on the 500Hz-4KHz range.
The in-line microphone of the MDR-XB50AP is average at noise handling. It achieved a speech-to-noise ratio of 17dB in our SpNR test. This suggests that it's best suited for quiet environments since they will struggle to fully separate speech from background noise in loud and moderately loud places.
These are passive earbuds with no active components that need power so they do not have a battery.
These headphones do not support the bose connect app.
The in-ears are wired and do not have a Bluetooth connection. See our recommendations for the best sounding wireless earbuds.
The MDR-XB50, like most wired headsets, have negligible latency (see our recommendations for the best wired headphones). They are a suitable option for gaming and watching movies, but they are limited by the relatively short range of their audio cable.
These headphones have a 1/8' TRRS audio cable with an inline remote microphone that's compatible with the PS4 and Xbox one controllers. It will also be microphone and audio compatible with PCs if you have a headset adapter or a 3-pin audio jack like on most tablets, laptops and phones.
The MDR-XB50AP do not have a dock. If you need a headset with a dock that also has a wired connection for gaming or watching movies, then consider the SteelSeries Arctis 7.
