Sony MDR XD100 (headphones)

5.0 stars

"price in mind, these are WAY better than they should be" on November 10, 2009 by DonKelley

Pros: I use them for tracking in my recording studio. Good isolation (sound from phones doesn't bleed into mics). VERY GOOD EVEN SMOOTH EXTENDED SOUND. GREAT for classical music but also for rock. Light. Quiet mechanics. Reliable. Strong. Good looks

Cons: for the price? NO CONS. Price doesn't matter? Then we can say that these aren't the strongest built phones around, missing a bit of magical sheen that my 7509s and akg 240s have. missing a bit of very extended low bass. can't push really loud.

Summary: far better than my older also-inexpensive sony tracking headphones which cost more and had really noisy headbands (needed duck tape to be quiet). Keep in mind tracking headphones need to be: cheap (they get destroyed by crazy musicians sometimes), reliable, have good isolation so the headphone sound doesn't bleed into mics and so outside sound is muted enough to the person wearing them. They need to have long cables, be light, be comfy, and to, lastly, sound quite good, although tracking phones aren't often the audiophile sound quality of mixing or hifi home headphones to be honest.

As tracking headphones, these are simply the best you can get for less than $20. for double that you can do better, but I bought 5 pairs for $100 including taxes. that is instant band recording bliss :-). I did buy a pair of moreme phones for the drummer to track with since they isolate better and get louder, but imho these sonys SOUND BETTER and are a better choice for singers, bass players, guitarists, keyboardists, backing vocalists, etc.

The sound quality is astounding. These are VERY flat reproducers, not lacking in bass or treble or scooped in the mids, not honky or harsh or dark or muted or muddy. I listen to solo classical violin and am right there. I listen to full orchestral music and it brings me back to the koss pro phones of my youth (very expensive headphones those). I listen to classic rock and jump into the music. I could (but haven't) even mix an album with these, they're THAT accurate and smooth!

They're not as energetic sounding, for lack of a more technical term, as my more expensive sony headphones (like $250), and not as magical and "taking you into an etherial world" as I like to call the experience of listening through my akg 240 headphones (also very expensive). But they are far better than the older inexpensive sony mdr lines, better than the superstore chines made $30 to $40 headphones (which aren't half bad either by the way), and I would highly recommend them for serious home listening.

They're NOT appropriate for mobile listening though. not super efficient, big and bulky, and really long cord - these were made with home or studio work in mind. It's quite obvious.

I'm very surprised sony hasn't marketed these as entry level studio tracking cans. Hmmm, maybe they actually have done that but with a rebadged model number. i'll have to check.

Anyway, highly recommended - equal to phones costing $50 to $60 in most ways.