The Sony WH-XB900N is an affordable version of the Sony WH-1000XM3. Say what? Yeah, if you hate such complicated names, blame Sony for the weird nomenclature of their noise-cancelling range of headphones.
Well, it’s not exactly affordable, but for Rs 16,990, the Sony WH-XB900N is a wireless headphone that costs half of what its expensive brother, the WH-1000XM3, does.
The XB900N has a similar design and ready-to-use bass on offer and considering how much Indian listeners like bass in their music, this could be a match made in heaven.
Which is why we were intrigued to see if Sony has managed to pack enough ammunition into the latest addition to its WH series and whether buyers with a slightly lower budget can consider going for this one as their daily music driver.
Pros:
- Comfortable design suited to be worn for long time
- Extra bass works to good effect
- Gesture support to control volume and tracks
- Pair with mobile for Google Assistant control
- Impressive battery life
Cons:
- Noise cancellation turns on by default
- Rs 17,000 might not be affordable for everyone
- Mid-range gets overpowered by extra bass
In terms of the way it looks, the WH-XB900N borrows the good parts from the WH-1000XM3 and that probably works in Sony’s favour.
The fit and finish of the XB900N ensures there are no gaping holes in the construction, especially the amount of padding bestowed on the headband, which makes it comfortable to wear.
Even the ear cups have decent cushioning, which ensures that your ears aren’t looking to escape from any uneasiness, caused by wearing it for too long. The overall build quality is also well thought out by the company, and its product designers have made sure people aren’t compromising a lot for the money.
The other neat additions are the gesture controls on the outer side of the right cup. By tapping on it, you can play/pause the track and by scrolling up and down, you can control the volume.
If you place a hand on the right cup, the ambient noise becomes partially audible to the person wearing the headphone.
And if that wasn’t enough, Sony has also added support for Google Assistant through mobile to the WH-XB900N wireless headphone. This way, you can make queries, as well as listen to music on the go.
The headphone supports USB Type C port charging, which means, you don’t need to carry an extra cable to charge this device. The power button also becomes the means to activate noise cancellation, which, unlike its bigger brother, cannot be switched off.
But what about the music quality, does it come across as a capable music companion? The answer is a mixed bag for us, mostly because of the extra bass packed into the headphone. This feature will appeal to some users, while others might find it overpowering, especially those who’ve got a taste for mid-tone, subtle music.
We spent few weeks testing out the headphones, playing tracks of all genres, but at least for me, the bass factor scored top marks. Sony had emphasised the WH-XB900N has been tuned to taste of the Indian audience, and it has done a decent job.
However, it’s not all about the bass with this series, and with tracks like Layla from Eric Clapton, you could hear the crisp audio notes, paired in unison with the subtle bass in the background.
The sound signature of the XB900N is at a different level compared to the 1000XM3, and that’s why you’re paying less than Rs 18,000 to buy the former.
And finally, the battery life. Wireless headphones usually last for a long time on a single charge. Thankfully, the XB900N is no different. We got more than 10 hours out of the headphone, without really pushing it to the limit.
The company claims you’ll get 30 hours of battery life, and we’re confident that it can easily come close to the claimed figures.
So, that’s the Sony WH-XB900N, with noise cancellation and extra bass to boot. For Rs 16,990 it’s got most of the features we saw with the 1000XM3 series, including gesture control and support for Google Assistant.
In terms of the design and performance, Sony has done a commendable job, that most people would find to their liking. But if you’re not a big fan of extra bass, then other options from Sennheiser and even House of Marley might be worth looking at.
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