Did you know there’s a war going on? We wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t; It’s kind of quiet. It’s the battle for your eardrums, and it’s a huge market – there’s a lot of money in it for everyone. Sony’s fired a new salvo this week, bringing a new wireless noise cancelling over-ear headset into its Extra Bass range.
Named like a typical Sony product, the new WH-XB900N headphones bring a few features from the current market leader – also a Sony set, the extremely well-regarded WH-1000XM3 – and add Sony’s Extra Bass features for enhanced bass response.
You’ll get a touch-sensitive panel on the right can, which you’ll be able to use to swipe up/down for volume, forward/back for track control and tap to play/stop. Covering it with your hand also lowers the volume so you can hear conversations going on around you.
As is also pretty common with headphones the days, the XB900 is also ready to play with Google Assistant and Alexa, and also work with something called Siri 🤷♂️.
They fold flat and fit into a fabric carry bag that comes in the box with them and charge from an included USB-C cable that delivers up to 30 hours of music playback (depending on the features you use, of course).
Finally, if you run the battery down or can’t use Bluetooth for whatever reason, there’s also a 3.5mm line-in, with a cable included in the box. These ports seem to be gaining popularity these days, even starting to appear on smartphones.
If you’re anxious to get your ears on the WH-XB900N, you will unfortunately have to wait until August when they’ll be available at retailers in black and blue.
Can you use the USB C port to listen to audio?