When Sony first released the 1000XM3’s it
was a big deal for two reasons.
Obviously they improved their tech specs so
they’d perform over all better… but they
also improved their over all build quality
and redesigned them so they’d look a lot
better than their predecessors as well.
And thankfully the new Sony WH-XB700’s have
gone through the same treatment.
Now even though I really do like the new Sony
XB700’s I’m extra excited over them cause
they are clearly giving us a preview of what
to expect from the Sony XB1000’s.
Now just so that we’re clear, the Sony WH-XB700’s
are not the replacements for the Sony MDR-XB950N1’s.
The XB700’s are the replacements for the
Sony XB650BT’s which are slotted below the
XB950N1’s.
The Sony XB700’s retail for $130 and if
you want to pick these headphones up they’ll
be linked down below.
Like I’ve said in the past, Sony’s headphones
have always performed very well… but tend
to suffer when it came to build quality and
design.
But ever since Sony released their WH-CH700N’s
and 1000XM3’s they’ve been focusing on
improving the build quality and design of
their headphones.
Plainly said, the XB700’s look like miniature
versions of the 1000XM3’s, and thats a very
good thing.
These headphones can be laid down flat, when
you expand their headband there’s a sturdy
click to them, and when you flex the headband
there’s zero creaking and squeaking.
The XB700’s have a new sleeker low profile
design compared to the chunky industrial design
found on the XB650BT’s.
The XB700’s no longer have the glossy plastic
found on the XB650BT’s which means they’re
no longer figure print magnets.
But most importantly, gone is that super wide
headband that was prominent on a lot of Sony’s
older headphones, especially their Extra Bass
Headphones.
But the changes don’t end there, Sony also
improved the padding on the ear cups found
on the XB700’s.
The cushions on the XB700’s are slightly
softer than the outgoing XB650’s and the
leatherette used on the XB700’s feel slightly
less plasticy.
But Sony even went as far to improve the mesh
found inside the ear cups that cover the drivers.
Now even though you wouldn’t notice these
small changes unless you had these two headphones
side by side to compare them…
its very cool to see Sony is clearly trying
to over haul their headphones cause for the
longest build quality and design has been
Sony’s weak point.
Now when it comes to fit, keep in mind these
are on ear headphones.
And personally I always try to stay away from
on ear headphones.
But after using these headphones extensively
for a few days I found them to be fairly comfortable.
They have a neutral fit as in they’re not
snug but they’re not loose… they’re
just there.
But thanks to their slightly softer padding
they are noticeably more comfortable than
the XB650BT’s.
And I can confidently say, the Sony XB700’s
are big head approved.
Regarding tech specs, one of the biggest improvements
the XB700’s has over the XB650’s is that
they have USB-C Charging.
Now this is a big deal cause for the most
part USB-C has been reserved for more premium
headphones like the 1000XM3’s or Surface
headphones.
So I thinks its pretty cool to see USB C on
these $130 headphones.
When it comes to battery life the XB700’s
have an advertised battery life of 30 hours
just like the XB650BT’s.
But they now have fast charging.
Now admittedly, fast charging on the XB700
isn’t that impressive cause 10 minutes will
only get you an hour and a half of playback
time.
Personally I was hoping we’d see fast charging
similar to the 1000XM3’s where 10 minutes
will get you 5 hours of playback time.
But I think we can expect those types of number
on the Sony XB1000.
Another improvement on the XB700’s is that
they’ve been upgraded from bluetooth 4.0
to bluetooth 4.2.
Over all I did notice the XB700’s had zero
latency when watching Netflix on my iPhone
where as the XB650BT’s did have a slight
quarter second latency.
But I did notice the XB700’s had a slight
latency when watching youtube videos on my
iPhone.
But both of these headphones did have zero
latency across the board when watching videos
on an android device.
But unfortunately, the Sony XB700’s can
still only be connected to one device at a
time.
Which means if you have a phone and a computer,
which I like to think most people do… you
can’t hot swap from one device to another.
Sony, we’ve gotta get Muti-device connectivity
going… you’re so close, so close.
Now when it comes to sound quality, as the
name implies… the XB700’s are a part of
Sony’s Extra Bass Headphone line geared
towards people who really like bass.
But unlike the XB650s’s which have a fixed
bass heavy sound signature, the new XB700’s
can connect to Sony’s Headphones app.
And from here you can adjust exactly how much
bass you want.
For comparison, the bass on the XB650’s
is equivalent to the Bass on the XB700’s
when they’re set to 7.
Which coincidentally thats where I like to
keep my XB700’s.
And when the bass on the 1000Xm3’s is set
to ten its equivalent to the bass on the XB700’s
when they’re set to 5.
Now even though yes, the XB700’s have more
bass than the XB650’s, they also suffer
from far less distortion.
Now the Sound stage and instrument separation
on the XB700 isn’t amazing, but you’re
picking these up for the Bass.
And in that department they don’t disappoint.
And as a side note, I actually found the XB700’s
are great for watching movies cause when explosions
happen on screen you really get to feel them
more than you would with normal headphones.
But I really do think its important to point
out that if you’re an audiophile you really
wanna steer clear from the XB700’s.
With clear bass turned on these headphones
are going to focus soul on the Bass.
Depending on the intensity of the Bass of
what ever you’re listening to you’re going
to notice the EQ on these headphones constantly
change to make sure the bass on these headphones
doesn’t bottom out.
Which means you could be listening to a song
and hear that the vocals are very prominent,
then the bass line kicks in or the beat drops,
and then when the vocals come back in you’re
going to notice they’re not as prominent
as they were 20 seconds ago.
Obviously Sony is doing this to deliver the
best listening experience possible with an
emphasis on the bass, but if you’re a purist
youre not going to like this.
But if you have the clear bass on these headphones
set to zero then they’re going to have a
flat sound signature and the EQ isn’t going
to be constantly changing itself.
But unfortunately, you can’t fully customize
the EQ on these headphones like you can on
a lot of Sony’s other headphones.
Again you can only adjust the intensity of
the bass and the EQ is then going to dynamically
change.
Personally I think what Sony should do is
give you the clear bass option like they do
now, but also give you the option to customize
your own static EQ.
So this way you can use one or the other.
I think this is well within reason and sony
could easily add a costume EQ option through
a software update like they did with the Sony
WH-CH700N a few months back.
The Sony XB700’s also now feature both Google
and Alexa voice assistant integration.
Personally I find google assistant to be more
useful than Alexa.
But you can summon your voice assistant by
pressing the new custom found on the left
ear cup like this.
Even though I am a fan of voice assistants
in my headphones, I think sony should give
you the option to remap the new custom button
to turn Extra Bass on or off on your headphones.
Even though extra bass is cool and all…
it can get a little over whelming when listening
to podcasts.
And since there’s no way to manually toggle
extra bass on or off on these headphones you
gotta open up the app every time.
And trust me, I have tried multiple button
combinations.
But again this is something sony can easily
fix through a software update.
And in general, the buttons on the XB700’s
are also all new from the XB650BT’s.
Personally I’ve always been a really big
fan of Sony’s switch and volume rocker set
up, so I do hate to see it go on the XB700’s.
But the new buttons on the XB700’s do exactly
what they need to do.
They’re easy to find, they’re easy to
tell apart, and they have a lot of tactile
feedback.
But over all, I really like that sony is actively
improving the build quality and design of
their new headphones.
I feel the the XB700’s look and feel all
around much better than the XB650BT’s.
The addition of USB C charging on the XB700’s
is a small but very much appreciated upgrade…
and being able to adjust the bass on the XB700’s
is also another welcomed feature that previously
wasn’t available on the XB650BT’s.
The Bass on these headphones sounds much more
natural than the bass found on the $150 Skullcandy
Crushers… and unlike the Skullcandy Crusher’s
the XB700’s are big head approved.
Even though the XB700’s still have some
room for improvement, I’m pumped to checkout
the Sony XB1000’s.
