Sony MDR-XB90EX in-Ear Extra Bass Headphones (Japanese Import)

Sony MDR-XB90EX vs Bose Quiet Comfort 20i vs Bowers and Wilkins C5 Series 2Disclaimer: I am NOT any kind of audiophile and I mostly listen to EDM and techno, just an average guy trying to get some good music sounds.Requirements for headphones:1) Good quality make with solid cables2) Good clean boomy base (I know for earbuds this is hard)3) Good range with clear sound and can play EDM and Mumford4) Comfort - easy to put in, easy to take out and wear for hours without a problem5) Under $3006) Works with Android and Kindle Fire no problem7) Doesn't fatigue my ears - I had a pair of crappy earphones that did thisI run these with a Fiio Mont Blanc 12A portabl amp and a Fiio A3Testing Methodology:After a lot of reading and trying to find "the best song to test headphones" I came to the conclusion to just listen to whatever you normally listen to but listen to it a lot. I created a playlist and just played it over and over. Song list I used:Elastic Heart - SiaTranscendence - Lindsey StirlingHexes - BassnecterKlepht - Eric PrydzC'Mon - TiestoFolsom Prision Blues - EverlastFinished Symphony - HybridWhy So Serious - Hans Zimmer (not one of my regular tracks but around 3:20 the bass does some crazy things)Bose:Pros:Amazing noise cancelling.Solid fit in ear (though tight and a pain to get in and out)Sound quality was goodCons:I don't need noise cancellingPrice was too much for the quality in comparisonToo hard to get in and out of ear quicklyBass wasn't good enough for meHad a batter pack you had to recharge to get any kind of qualityHad useless iOS remote on cordConclusion:Couldn't justify spending $220 or $120 more for noise cancelling with an inferior sound.B&W:Pros:Sound quality is amazingBass is pretty decentRange and clarity of sound is amazingDurable and smallCord is nice and don't get a lot of sound from itCan't tell if these are slightly fatiguing on ears or notBowers and Wilkins is a great company with good customer support (have their speakers in my house)Cons:Not super comfortable in my right ear. Left ear is no problem but right ear it doesn't quite sit rightBass is not quite boomy enoughCase is too small for earphonesFeels a little bit pricey for what they deliverCan still hear a lot of outside noise when inConclusion:Damn good earphones at a reasonable price. Am keeping these.Sony:Pros:Super comfortable in earEasy to take in and outBass is beyond amazing and I hear things with these that the other two couldn't even come closePrice is greatSound is really really good all around for whatever I am listening toCons:Bulky outside of ear - They stick out a bunch. I can't put my head down on anythingNot quite the range and clarity of the B&W's for not EDM musicConclusion:For $80, these things absolutely rock. I couldn't believe it when I heard how nice they sound with EDM and with any thing with some bass.Overall:Sony for my regular every day EDM and listening. B&W for anything other then EDM and for sleep or lazy work. You couldn't go wrong with either of these but for the price of what the sound for someone average Joe like me, the Sony's CANNOT be beat. All around music listening and if you don't care about the extra cash, then the B&W I found to be a much better all around earbud.

I've been using Sony in-ear phones for a little over a decade now and there's been quite a worrying pattern to my experience, where the XB90EX comes in as one of the "awesomely great" generations.Let me quickly go through my history of experiences with Sony in-ear phones (it started with the white MDR EX-70) so you might understand what I'm getting at:MDR-EX70: awesomely great, first in-ear phones I've ever had.MDR-EX71: about as good as the EX70, including the white cables that turn an ugly yellow-ish colour after 2 years.MDR-EX85: were not as good as I expected them to be, but a decent improvement over the previous.MDR-EX500: GREAT! These things blew me away totally. Whole new sound experience.MDR-EX510: HUGE disappointment (meager bass) at a ridiculously higher price point. The most ridiculously-priced of all!MDR-XB90EX: ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and yet almost half the price off of what I paid for the EX510!See the pattern? It seems that the quality jumps up every other generation or so. Thank God my 510s held up (until I lost them just two days ago.. hence I got the XB90s) and I skipped the ridiculously overpriced XBA line. The XBA line does NOT sound worlds better than the meager 510s I had (In fact, the XBA-2 was the most decent sounding of the XBA line, on par with my 500s).WHAT a HUGE improvement these XB90EXs are over ANY of the in-ear models I've ever had (or tested)!! Even the Sony Store salesperson recommended these over the ridiculously-overpriced XBA line. The drivers in the xb90s are 16mm -- larger than any of the others (typically at 13.5mm). It makes for a world of difference. The price point is an absolute treat as well. Cheaper than my 510s (MUCH cheaper!!) and just a little more than what my 500s cost me. The xb90s are WELL worth the cost! When there was any doubt that my pair of 510s weren't really lost -- I didn't feel burnt for shelling out for the xb90s in case I found my former set of earphones -- I would have gotten the xb90s nonetheless!Someone mentioned the 'break-in' time, or the time it takes for the earphones' sound to 'mature'. Mine sounded absolutely great right out of the box! That's a good sign in my book, as I've experienced the same with my 500s and EX70s (notable favorites)! I can only imagine how much greater the sound will be after a week!After all the in-earphones I've tried and tested, the xb90s are the first set that have me turning down the volume on my iPhone! I do not find myself ever going full-volume on the iPhone with these. 3 ticks from max volume is my nominal range, but I find that I'm averaging more ticks away from max volume as these phones don't just have incredibly resonant bass -- overall the volume is just LOUD! Adding to this is the factor that they fit so well into your ears (much like the XBA line) -- and this cancels out ambient sound better than any of the other models I've tried (apart from the XBA line). These fit _so_ well in my ears that I get that uncomfortable pressure-pop when taking them out (I might switch to the included pressure-relieving buds because of this).The case that comes with this set is probably the ugliest yet -- the 510s having the nicest case of the lines I've had -- but then again I never use my cases.The only gripe I have about the xb90s is the length of the chord. I like the short chords of the other lines, and if I ever needed an extension -- those came with one. It's not really a biggie -- I've had to acquaint myself with regular-length chords in the past. Also, I got used to the weird short and long sides of the older Sony models -- you hang it from the back of your neck. The xb90s use the regular shape Y which means I'll have to throw the phones down the front of my collar when I take them off instead of being able to hang them around my neck, over my shoulders. The included clip doesn't help much with this situation either.Another notable change in the chord -- it's now 'serrated' and flat. Quite thick too. I hope this means they now last longer than the average 2-year chord life of the prior models!--------------------------UPDATE: The review above was written October 16,2012. It is now July 14, 2014 -- nearly two years since I got my original pair. Unfortunately I can't verify the life of the product as of the 4th of July 2014 -- I lost my old pair in DC :( I'll put it down to carelessness -- never realised how much I would miss my XB90s !! It was so dire a situation I didn't want to shell out for overpriced Beats -- it wasn't long before I put down an order for another pair of XB90s here!! Now that I have them again -- wow. The pair I got was manufactured in China while my old pair was manufactured in Thailand... but the sound is just as amazing.What I could take away from he old pair I had: it survived three (or more) washings in the laundry!! The cable is just SO much better than the not-flat cables that I don't ever see myself going back to not-flat cables!! The flat cables DO make a difference and mine never got into a tangled mess like the tubular cables often did! After two years my cable was still great -- no signs that it was wearing.Well the new ones definitely sound better -- despite just getting them. I thought it'd take a little more time for them to 'break in'. My old pair probably sounded just as good -- hey that was almost two years ago!The clip I got with this pair is also better !! For some reason the clip I had on the older pair was so crummy it would NEVER hold unless I bundled together a part of my shirt and clipped it on that. Even when it was new.These things sound so awesome -- unless there is a newer version out I feel like buying another pair just for backup! With the price drop I could get two of these for the price of the original and I thought the original was a steal!