The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless are the next generation of the Sony WH-XB900N Wireless. They're part of the XB (or extra bass) lineup, so you can expect more thump, rumble, and boom from these cans than other fan favorites like the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless. They're not a one-trick pony, though. They've got noise cancelling (ANC) to help cut down ambient sound around you, support multi-device pairing, and have a companion app so that you can adjust their sound.
Our Verdict
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless are decent for sports and fitness, but they're not designed for this purpose. While they're comfortable and well-built, they're bulky and not very portable. They're also at risk of falling off your head with intense head movements and lack an IP rating for water resistance.
- Very comfortable and well-built.
- Can fall off your head with more intense head movements.
The Sony WHXB910N Wireless are alright for travel. They have a very comfortable and well-built design, and even though they're somewhat bulky, they come with a hard case to help protect them when you're on the go. However, their ANC isn't the greatest when it comes to blocking out the low rumbles of bus and plane engines, though they do a better job of cutting down passenger chit-chat around you. The headphones also last over 39 hours continuously, which will get you through trans-continental flights without a recharge.
- Very comfortable and well-built.
Prone to inconsistencies in bass delivery depending on seal.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless are adequate for office use. They're very comfortable, well-built, and have over 39 hours of battery life to last through multiple days at the office without recharging. They also have an ANC system that can block out ambient chatter around you, and you can pair them with your PC and smartphone simultaneously. While they have a microphone, it struggles to separate your voice from moderate environmental noise—if your office is noisy, consider booking a meeting room to take a call.
- Very comfortable and well-built.
Mic struggles to separate your voice from ambient noise.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless are compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs. However, their latency on PCs is too high to be suitable for gaming, as your audio and visuals won't be in sync.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless are alright for wired gaming. They come with a 1/8" TRS cable, so you can connect them to consoles with an AUX port (or their controllers). However, you can't use their mic while wired. If you're a particularly animated gamer, they can also slip off your head if you move around a lot. On the upside, they have a comfortable fit that is suitable for long gaming marathons.
- Very comfortable and well-built.
No mic support via included 1/8" TRS cable.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless have okay audio reproduction accuracy. Their frequency response follows their bass-boosted sound profile through the bass into the mid-mids. A sharp drop in the low-treble hurts comprehensibility of leads and vocals, but narrower peaks and dips that follow in higher frequencies render them alternately dull and piercing while upper harmonics go from hissy to lifeless. The L/R drivers are fairly well matched, though the left driver is generally louder, and frequency and phase mismatch in the treble may affect the clarity of sound objects in the stereo space. However, the group delay is subpar in the bass range, resulting in loose bass. The headphones have harmonic distortion at high levels, especially in the bass. That said, you likely won't perceive any audible coloration due to our lack of sensitivity at lower frequencies. While the headphones' PRTF indicates some pinna interaction, it doesn't replicate the behavior of an angled reference speaker.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless have passable noise isolation. While the headphones have an ANC system, it does little to mitigate noise in the low- and mid-bass, leaving rumbly engines on the street largely audible. They also aren't great at attenuating higher-pitched mid-range noises like your office's HVAC. On the upside, they leak very little audio staying under the noise floor of an average office.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless have okay microphone performance. Your voice on calls sounds clear, though there's some distortion present. In noisier environments, your voice may be drowned out.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless have reasonable frequency response consistency. While the headphones deliver audio consistently between reseats, physical characteristics can cause your personal experience to differ from our frequency response measurements. In particular, if you wear glasses or have thick hair, you'll likely notice much less bass.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Apr 25, 2025:
This review has been updated to Test Bench 2.0, which adds the following tests: Stereo Mismatch, Group Delay, Cumulative Spectral Decay, PRTF, Harmonic Distortion, and Electrical Aspects. We've added new performance usages and updated the text throughout the Sound tests and side-by-sides.
- Updated Apr 25, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 2.1, which features minor updates to our sound tests.
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Updated Dec 19, 2024:
This review's Sound tests have been updated following Test Bench 1.8. Text changes have also been made throughout the review, including the Usages, to match these results.
- Updated Dec 09, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 1.8, which updates our target curve and Sound tests. You can read more about this in our changelog.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony XB910N come in a couple of color variants: 'Black,' 'Grey,' and 'Blue.' We tested the 'Black' variant; you can see our model's label here. If you encounter another variant, please let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Sony WHXB910N are the next generation of the Sony WH-XB900N Wireless. Like their predecessor, they have a very bass-boosted sound profile that delivers significant boom, thump, and rumble. While some users may find they sound overly boomy and harsh, if you prefer a different sound, their companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets to help tweak their sound to your liking. This generation also performs significantly in better noise isolation, thanks to their ANC system. However, it still falls short of the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless and competitors from other brands with well-recognized ANC, like the Bose QuietComfort 45/QC45 Wireless.
Check out our recommendations for the best bass headphones, the best headphones for music, and the best noise cancelling headphones.
The Sony WH-CH720N Wireless' sound is more versatile over-ear headphones than the Sony WH-XB910N Wireless. While both headphones support multi-device pairing, are customizable, thanks to companion app support, and have long continuous battery lives, the WH-XB910N are designed to deliver intense bass. However, some users will prefer the more restrained sound of the WH-CH720N. The WH-XB910N are better built and more comfortable, but their noise isolation is less consistent than the WH-CH720N.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless are better headphones than the Skullcandy Crusher Evo Wireless. The Sony are more comfortable, have a significantly better noise isolation performance, and have a longer continuous battery life. Their companion app also offers a graphic EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound to your liking, and they support multi-device pairing. The Skullcandy have a haptic bass feature that some users may prefer.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless are the next generation of the Sony WH-XB900N Wireless and belong to the brand's extra bass line. The XB910N are similarly comfortable and well-built as their predecessor. However, they come with a hard case to help protect them when you're on the go, and their ANC offers better overall performance. They also have an auto-off timer to help conserve battery life when you're not using them, and they support multi-device pairing. However, the XB900N support NFC pairing, which some users may prefer.
The Sony WH-XB910N Wireless are better over-ear headphones than the Sony WH-CH710N Wireless. The XB910N are more comfortable, feel better built, and have significantly better battery performance. Their continuous battery life lasts longer, they have a companion app with a graphic EQ and presets to help you adjust their sound to your liking, and they support multi-device pairing. The CH710N are less bassy, which some users may prefer, and they support NFC pairing.
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Test Results
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