More bass and less taste than their WH-1000XM3 brothers, but these headphones are still engaging and very comfortable

Very good battery life; Good sound width and imaging; Comfortable

Active noise cancellation isn’t very effective; Slow charging; Flabby; inflated bass

It’s no secret that when it comes to smartphones, Sony has had more than a few issues. However, that hasn’t stopped the Japanese tech giant from upping the ante in other categories.

People love bassy headphones. Sony’s Extra Bass range takes that to its logical conclusion, with so much of the stuff it dribbles out like sticky aloe vera gel. These headphones have categorically too much bass by any sane metric, and their active noise cancellation is not a patch on that of the Sony WH-1000XM3. But they somehow manage to cling onto some great sound characteristics including great spatial imaging and the ability to render wide, involving scapes. We recommend upgrading to the pricier XM3 if you can, though, as this is real artery-clogging stuff.

Very good battery life; Good sound width and imaging; Comfortable;

Active noise cancellation isn’t very effective; Slow charging; Flabby, inflated bass;

Noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones have gotten a lot more competitive in 2019, and Sony has an impressive new entrant to the category in the form of the WH-XB900N. For $249.99, the WH-XB900N headphones are $150 less than the leader in the market, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. As long as you remember that the XB in the name stands for extra bass—and you're OK with that—the WH-XB900N headphones provide a quality listening experience that puts them near the top of our list in this relatively affordable price range. Design The circumaural (over-ear) design of the matte black headphones is exceptionally comfortable. The earpads are generously cushioned, as is the headband, and getting a precise, secure fit is easy. The left earcup's side panel houses a power button and the Custom control, which is used to summon your voice assistant of choice (more on that in a bit). There's also a 3.5mm connection for the included audio cable, and well as a USB-C port for the charging ca...

Sony's wireless WH-XB900N headphones deliver powerful bass response and solid noise cancellation for the price.

Solid ANC with adjustable levels; Quality audio performance, especially if you like boosted bass; Excellent mic intelligibility; Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support

Way too much bass unless you adjust the EQ

Great sound and Quality

Easy fold down into a carry bag. easy to take with you. Soft on the ears, and working great excellent sound quality, very good value compared to dearer brands and styles.

Decent bass, excellent sound quality.

Fantastic features

If you're a connoisseur of noise-canceling headphones, you probably know all about Sony's WH-1000XM3. It's the "Bose killer": a $350 noise-canceling headphone that earned a CNET Editors' Choice in 2018. However, not everybody wants to pay that much for a headphone. And that's where the new Sony WH-XB900N comes in. An upgrade over the older and cheaper MDR-XB950N1, it has a similar design to the WH-1000XM3 but doesn't have quite the premium feel of that model. Also, for better -- or worse, depending on your audio tastes -- it's heavy on the bass, as its Extra Bass name implies.

The Sony WH-XB900N Extra Bass is a solid noise-canceling headphone, but it doesn't quite hit the same heights as its industry-leading step-up sibling.

The Sony WH-XB900N Extra Bass has a similar design to the WH-1000XM3 and shares many of its features but costs $100 less. It's a comfortable headphone, has USB-C charging, good battery life and effective noise-canceling. It works well as a headset for making calls, and the sound quality is quite good as long as you don't mind a preponderance of bass.

Too much bass for some people. Lacks the premium feel of the still-awesome WH-1000XM3.

Sony's budget model Sony WH-XB900N borrows from the luxury model and thus becomes impossible to beat.

Good build quality and convenience. Easy handling. Feature-rich app. Excellent sound and noise reduction.

Well dominant bass if you do not adjust down EQ.