I previously wrote about how much I loved my Skullcandy Ink’d earbuds, and this review wouldn’t exist if not thanks to my dog wanting to be my muse: she got my earbuds and annihilated them. They had made it just under 2 years before recycling.
That said, I’ve been exploring a bunch of different earbuds to replace them. Nothing really felt the same as that specific set (for what I like at least) until I found the Sony WI-XB400‘s. I have gone through at least 3 other sets I like (or “liked” for some thanks to my dog), but this is the first set I feel really replaces my old ones.
The battery lasts for ages, the sound quality is excellent for listening to anything from music to podcasts, and they near disappear when you wear them. This pair has replaced my wired over-ear headphones for listening because it actually manages to beat them. I don’t use them for anything to do with the microphone, so that will be absent in this review.
The Specs
These are in-ear monitors (IEM) earbuds connected with a flat cable with weighted battery pieces. The left side has 3 buttons (volume up, power and similar, and volume down) and the microphone for calls. It ends up creating a virtual collar with the weight distributed more evenly, but without the stability of a solid piece in the center (like a standard Bluetooth collar).
The listed battery life is 15 hours, but I honestly have no idea how much I get. I don’t have the patience to log my times exact enough, but I have gotten a lot more than 15 hours off of charges before plugging them in preemptively. I’m yet to get a low battery alert or similar even with around 18 hours of playtime between some charges. By now, I’m just going off of habit.
Their frequency response is quite impressive for a “bass heavy” earbud. I found a specific chart here with the exact response as measured, though I feel that it may vary from set to set. After a bit of burn-in, I didn’t have much of the treble spiking (or dipping) the reviewer did. I didn’t actually measure the responses directly, but I did work in a studio for what it’s worth. There’s definitely some jumps, but it’s not quite as extreme on my specific set. The treble can be a bit grating, but the volume appears to be tied to gain. If you get harsh, overly bright treble, try turning up the volume on the computer or device casting the audio, and down on the headset itself.
Pros
The earbuds sound great for IEMs. I don’t expect much from an IEM headset, especially not Bluetooth, but these have beat out my wired headset in terms of sound (with a little tweaking). They have 12mm drivers compared to the standard 10mm you get in a similar sized set. I wouldn’t mix on them (outside of testing on consumption headphones), but I will critically listen to music on them (they’re that good).
The battery life is excellent and beats the 15 hours more often than not. I have no idea how long they last because I plug them in out of habit more than need.
They get good range compared to my other sets. I can use them with arbitrary doors and walls in a 1,500 square foot (160 meter squared) house with little issue. I can get around 45 feet (~15m) line of sight through a doorway out of the house if I’m not moving too much. The range is better than any other headset I’ve used for 5.0.
They sound really good when listening to music with bass and vocals, but they don’t sound like they’re trying to be Beats either. They cut the mids a little, but not enough to be noticeable unless you’ve listened on mixing gear or are a serious audiophile. I don’t expect much from IEM earbuds, but this set beats some of my (more expendable) 40mm driver, mixing wired headsets for sound quality.
Compatibility
While Bluetooth can be problematic on Linux (unless you know what you’re doing), these worked and had no issue pairing. I’ve had other headsets struggle to pair easily with a Linux system, or have signal issues. These pair with other random Bluetooth compatible devices easily as well.
They also pair more easily with older Bluetooth compatible devices than some other audio gear. I’ve bought a couple Bluetooth speakers which just plain didn’t work with much older versions of the Bluetooth protocol but these seem to just work. While I haven’t tested my oldest equipment, they are compatible with most anything you’d run into anymore.
I don’t use the newest technology so this is a surprise to me. Bluetooth is backwards compatible, but the compatibility is subject to the device and similar.
Cons
It has a click when they go in, which isn’t an issue, but it implies it creating some degree of a seal. The problem is, even with these IEMs in, they don’t reduce the volume all that much. My Skullcandy’s could hit between 12-15db of reduction more or less across the board (minus the extreme bass and similar). These are something like 5 to 7db or so unless you really work them (you’ll hit around 9db with some work). It’s a logarithmic scale, so this works out to a lot worse than the numbers look.
These aren’t good headphones for a commute or in noisy environments. I can’t even take them to work as my open office is too loud for them to be worthwhile. If your office or environment is quiet and the noises are higher (1khz or above), they might work, but they mute too little to work in a crowded open office or even a cube farm.
Removing them is a little more problematic than some headphones. While it has a click because of the pressure change, it still can pop loudly as you take the earbuds out. This set creates a better seal but the material doesn’t seem to block the same range as other earbuds.
Part of why I got these on sale was that people were returning them complaining about call quality. I don’t care about that, and I was somewhat aware of their limitations for muting externals sounds, so I didn’t expect they’d excel as a Bluetooth headset. This isn’t really a con to me, but is a con if you want a headset over earbuds.
The Verdict
This is a great headset which doesn’t have that many issues. It sounds great, especially for an IEM set; it works with pretty much anything; and, it is affordable. I really hadn’t found anything close for months while searching.
This is a nice listening experience for a small amount of money. You won’t probably be mixing off of them, but you could if you wanted knowing the limitations. This is a great headset with great features for cheap.
I find them great for listening to both music and podcasts. You won’t be disappointed with these for more casual listening. I’ve tested them with movies and TV and they tend to highlight what you need without feeling too forced like some “optimized” earbuds. I won’t be buying any new earbuds until these either fail (or my dog gets them).
These are the earbuds you need for listening if you don’t need the diminishing returns of the best of the best. You get your music, your shows, and everything in between. These are headphones for listening and enjoyment. Get a pair for your own enjoyment.
