Worth buying Sony WH-XB910N in 2023? (Review)

This is going to be the most relevant review of the Sony WH-XB910N because over the past year, it’s gone through quite a number of software updates and improvements. So are they worth buying right now, in the year 2023 and beyond?

We’ll be looking at its performance and features compared to other Sony products like the WH-CH720N, WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM4. After the comparison we’ll be looking at the pros and cons you need to be aware of when buying this product.

Call quality

In terms of call quality, it was pretty decent in quiet conditions, but I wasn't able to noise-gate very well in noisy scenarios. Not as well as the XM5, but it seems to be pretty close to the mic pickup quality of the XM4. Listen to the samples here.
(Tested in both quiet conditions under some really loud cafe style background noise, and some wind noise coming from fan.)

Active Noise Canceling

In terms of active noise canceling, these are pretty effective even in 2023’s landscape. It doesn’t cut as much low frequency noise, but it is quite close to the XM4 in terms of ANC performance. It’s even got a wind noise reduction mode, which is quite effective at canceling the sound of wind flapping against the mics, at the expense of some noise canceling power in the lower mids. Listen to the samples here.

Transparency Mode

In terms of transparency, it’s quite clean and definitely usable. I’ve used it in real world scenarios ordering coffee from the counter and such, but there is still quite a bit of occlusion, definitely not as transparent as the XM4. The XM5 right now still has one of the best transparency.

Sound Quality

The “XB” in its name means it’s part of the extra bass line, so you can expect a fuller, thicker bass than the usual Sonys. According to this frequency sweep, compared to the CH-720N, XM4 and XM5 headphones there is a huge difference in bass right up to the 250 hz region.

So its neutral ‘0’ point on the Clearbass dial (in its Sony Headphones Connect app EQ settings) is like a +3 or +4 on the others.

But in terms of the other attributes of its sound, I thought the CH720N sounded more similar to the XM4s and 5s, which I prefer. They sound crisper and more lively, with better mid separation, while the XB910Ns sound more lack crispness and air. Vocals also sounded recessed and dead compared to the other Sony headphones. Listen to the samples here.

How easy is it to Equalize?

I did have to do some heavy tweaking in the mids and highs some get them to sound much closer to Sony’s premium headphones. Pretty much maxed out the upper mids and highs with small bumps in the lower mids. Thankfully, it is overall very responsive to EQ compared to similarly priced Soundcore products, and I was able to get it to sound more to my liking. Here’s the difference before and after equalizing.

Furthermore, there’s this new feature called Find My Equalizer that will automatically suggest a custom tuning, to bring these closer to your own preferences in sound.

Should you buy the XB910N?

Even now there are compelling reasons to get the XB910N. You can say this is a budget WH-1000XM4. It operates the same way with tap and swipe controls, has similar features and battery life, ANC performance is pretty close too.

In terms of build quality, it feels cheaper than the XM4, but it still feels pretty sturdy with a very flexible headband. And in terms of comfort, though its clamping pressure is a little on the firm side, at least it doesn’t clamp too hard that it becomes uncomfortable.

Finally, it’s also got multipoint pairing, LDAC codec streaming, and app support. So all the important basics that people want in wireless headphones are covered. This makes the XB910N still a great option if you need something full featured with great noise canceling.

In terms of sound, it’s got one of the thickest, juiciest bass. That being said, I’m not a fan of its default tuning, for people with similar listening preferences to mine, it needs some heavy EQing to match our tastes.

And when you’re on multipoint, connected to two separate devices, it will only run on AAC codec, not LDAC like the XM4. Something to take note of if streaming over LDAC is important to you.

To be honest, there are other brands right now that are pushing the envelope in terms of value vs features, most notably the Chinese brands like Soundcore and Edifier, like the Edifier WH950NB. But if you’re a bass lover looking for an XM4 alternative, but don’t feel comfortable going the budget brand route, the XB910N is still worth buying in 2023.

If you want to check the latest price of the XB910N, I’ve included links to its Amazon and Lazada pages below.

Sony WH-XB910N
Amazon - https://amzn.to/3R3Ot3W
Lazada - https://s.lazada.sg/s.bxO89?cc

Sony WH-1000XM5
Amazon - https://amzn.to/4bIqJtZ
Lazada - https://s.lazada.sg/s.bMAHc?cc

Sony WH-1000XM4
Amazon - https://amzn.to/3UL9YID
Lazada - https://s.lazada.sg/s.bMApl?cc

Sony WH-CH720N
Amazon - https://amzn.to/3owiugF
Lazada - https://s.lazada.sg/s.bxpFM?cc

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Also check out…

… the other budget Sony worth looking at. The CH-720N’s default tuning is much closer to my own preferences.