The Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless in-ear headphones are decent budget earbuds for everyday use. Although they're marketed towards fans of bass-heavy genres, their overall sound profile remains relatively well-balanced, without any hint of boominess. They provide a fairly stable fit that shouldn't fall out during exercise, and they have a good battery life that should last all day. Unfortunately, they're not compatible with Sony's Headphones Connect app for customization and their noise isolation is rather disappointing. Nonetheless, they're a good choice for those looking for a basic pair of wireless headphones with an extra kick of bass.
Our Verdict
The Sony WI-XB400 are decent headphones for critical listening. Although they're branded as having extra bass, their overall sound signature is fairly well-balanced, as the bass is tight and punchy without being overpowering. The treble can be a bit sharp, but it doesn't sound sibilant. Sadly, there's no soundstage to speak of, as they're closed-back in-ear headphones.
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Light and portable.
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Good battery life.
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No app for customization.
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High latency.
The Sony WI-XB400 are decent for commuting. They're fairly comfortable to wear for a long time, and they have a great battery life; however, noise isolation is disappointing. They can isolate you against ambient chatter, but won't be able to block out the rumbles of bus engines.
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Light and portable.
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Good battery life.
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No app for customization.
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High latency.
The Sony WI-XB400 are great for sports. They're extremely portable and they're stable enough for most sports. Breathability shouldn't be an issue, as they're earbuds, and the in-line remote is easy to use, though it can be slightly annoying, as it tends to bounce around a lot during heavy movements.
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Light and portable.
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Good battery life.
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No app for customization.
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High latency.
The Sony WI-XB400 are okay for office use. They can be worn for a long time without causing discomfort, and they have good noise isolation in the mid range, which is good for blocking out ambient chatter. Battery life is good and should last through an entire work day, and the headphones don't leak much, as long as you don't listen at a very high volume.
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Light and portable.
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Good battery life.
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No app for customization.
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High latency.
The Sony WI-XB400 aren't a good choice for gaming. Even though they're comfortable to wear for a long time, the high latency can cause the audio to be out of sync. Also, they're not compatible with gaming consoles such as the Xbox One and PS4.
The Sony WI-XB400 are Bluetooth-only headphones.
The Sony WI-XB400 are mediocre for phone calls. In a quiet environment, speech sounds clear and understandable, but in a noisy environment such as a subway train, it struggles to separate speech from background noise, often causing speech to cut out.
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Light and portable.
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Good battery life.
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No app for customization.
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High latency.
- 7.1 Neutral Sound
- 7.2 Commute/Travel
- 7.9 Sports/Fitness
- 6.8 Office
- 5.4 Wireless Gaming
- 5.3 Wired Gaming
- 6.7 Phone Calls
- Updated Aug 11, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 13, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Jan 24, 2020: Review published.
- Updated Jan 22, 2020: Early access published.
- Updated Jan 22, 2020: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jan 13, 2020: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Jan 08, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
There are no variants of these headphones except that they come in two colors: black or blue.
Compared To Other Headphones
The Sony WI-XB400 are pretty basic wireless in-ears when compared to other headphones of the same type. They lack features such as active noise cancelling and they can't be customized through a mobile companion app. They perform decently well in most uses, but there's nothing that really stands out. If you're looking for a pair with more features, take a look at our recommendations for the best headphones, the best earbuds, and the best neckband headphones.
The Sony WI-C310 Wireless are better than the Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless in mixed usage. They perform similarly in most aspects, but the WI-C310 have a more neutral sound since they don't have the extra emphasis in the bass. Also, the WI-C310 have better noise isolation, especially in the treble range, but the microphone quality is significantly worse.
The Beats Flex Wireless and the Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless perform similarly. The Beats are more comfortable, stable, and have a better build quality. They also isolate more noise and pair seamlessly with Apple devices. However, the Sony headphones have a better-balanced sound profile, which some users may prefer, and a longer continuous battery life of 19.5 hours.
The Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless and the Sony WI-C200 Wireless are very similar headphones and have nearly identical performance in most uses. The C200 have less bass, but they tend to sound a bit muddy and cluttered, and the treble sounds much more piercing than the XB400. The XB400 have better noise isolation and the microphone is significantly better.
The Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless are slightly better than the Bose SoundSport Wireless in mixed usage. Although the Bose have a more neutral sound and are more comfortable to wear, they have rather disappointing noise isolation and battery life is significantly worse. The Bose can be paired to two devices simultaneously, but the microphone isn't as good as the Sony's.
The Jaybird Tarah Pro Wireless are significantly better than the Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless in most uses. The Jaybird have much better noise isolation and leakage performance, but battery life is much shorter. Also, the Jaybird have a significantly better build quality and they can be customized through Jaybird's mobile app. However, the Sonys are more consistent and will perform similarly from one person to another.
The Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS Wireless and the Sony MH755 have different strengths, and you may prefer either one. The MH755 are more designed for neutral sound, are better built, and have a more neutral sound profile. They can also block out more background sound. However, the WI-XB400 are better-suited for casual use as they have a wireless design and have an in-line mic. They also have a more bass-heavy sound profile, which some users may prefer, and a basic control scheme.
Test Results
The Sony WI-XB400 have a fairly simple design. There's a rather long cable connecting both earbuds, and there's an in-line remote that also houses the microphone. The earbuds are magnetic and they snap together when you're not using them. They're nearly identical to the Sony WI-C310.
These earbuds have decent comfort. They're fairly small and should fit in most ears, and they come with 3 different sizes of eartips. The earbuds need to be inserted deeply into the ear canal for stability and isolation; however, due to their small size, they shouldn't cause any discomfort when wearing them for an extended period.
The WI-XB400 have a decent control scheme. The in-line remote is easy to use and provides decent feedback when pressing the buttons. You can also use voice control by activating your preferred digital assistant.
As these are earbuds, you shouldn't have any issues with heat when wearing them for a long time and they're suitable for sports.
These headphones have excellent portability. The neckband is flexible and should fit in most pockets or bags easily.
These earbuds don't come with a carrying case.
Build quality is decent. The earbuds and the in-line remote are made of plastic, while the cable is rubberized and flat. They should be able to survive a few accidental drops, but the cables leading up to the earbuds feel a bit thin and can potentially break if pulled too hard.
These earbuds are reasonably stable. As long as you're able to achieve a good fit with the provided eartips, you shouldn't have any stability issues when using them for sports. However, a small tug on the cable can cause them to fall out. Also, the cable is rather long, causing the in-line remote to bounce around during exercise.
- Sony WI-XB400 EXTRA BASS headphones
- USB-C charging cable
- 3 Sizes of eartips
- User Guide
As the name suggests, the Sony WI-XB400 are bass-heavy. That said, the overall sound profile is still fairly well-balanced, as the bass isn't overpowering. There's a spike in the treble that can sound a bit sharp at times, but they're in no way sibilant.
The WI-XB400 have exceptional consistency. As long as you're able to achieve a proper fit, these earbuds should perform similarly every time.
These earbuds have impressive bass accuracy. As expected, there's an emphasis in the low-bass that gives a good amount of rumble and thump, as well as a small bump in the high-bass, but not enough to make them sound muddy or cluttered.
The mid-range accuracy is excellent. The slight dip in the mid-mid and high-mid is barely noticeable, as vocals and leads are still very prominent.
The WI-XB400's treble accuracy is decent. The mid-treble dip can make vocals and leads sound less detailed and lacking in brightness, and the mid-treble spike can cause a bit of sharpness, especially on tracks that are already bright or poorly recorded.
The WI-XB400's peaks and dips performance is okay. Although it's a bit uneven, the overall sound is still well-balanced. The treble peak can sound sharp, but not sibilant.
The WI-XB400's imaging is excellent. The weighted group delay is very low and shouldn't be noticeable. This results in a bass that sounds tight and fast, and a treble that sounds transparent. Both ears are well-matched, which is great for an accurate stereo imaging.
The WI-XB400's soundstage is bad. Like most in-ears, they don't interact with the pinna (inner ear) at all, which is essential for creating a large, spacious soundstage. Also, closed-back headphones can't produce an open sound the way that open-back headphones can.
The weighted harmonic distortion is decent. Although there's a bump in the mid-treble, it shouldn't be noticeable for most people. This results in a clean and pure audio reproduction.
Noise isolation on the WI-XB400 is sub-par. They have good performance in the mid-range to block out ambient chatter, and performance in the treble range is decent, but they won't do much in the bass range, where the rumbles of bus and airplane engines sit.
Leakage performance is excellent. At a moderate volume level, they shouldn't leak at all, but at higher volume levels, there's a bit of leakage, particularly in the low-bass and treble.
The microphone's recording quality is passable. While recorded speech sounds clear and understandable, it can be a bit quiet.
The microphone's noise handling is mediocre. It performs well in a quiet environment, but in a noisy setting, speech can get drowned out by background noise and cut out at times.
Battery life is good. It exceeds the advertised 15 hours of continuous playback time, but there's no power-saving feature available.
Unfortunately, these earbuds aren't compatible with Sony's Headphones Connect app and can't be customized in any way.
The WI-XB400 have decent Bluetooth capabilities. They have a good connection range, but they can't be paired to multiple devices simultaneously. Additionally, latency may be an issue when watching videos or gaming, though your results may vary.
These headphones can only connect via Bluetooth.
These earbuds can't be used wired; the USB-C cable is for charging only.