The world's most in-depth and scientific reviews of tech gear

Sony XB50BS Review

Good earbuds that are outclassed by others in the same price range
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Price:   $80 List | Check Price at Amazon
Pros:  Good battery life, comfortable
Cons:  Average sound quality, protrude from the ear quite a bit
Manufacturer:   Sony
By Max Mutter and Steven Tata  ⋅  Aug 22, 2017
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65
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#8 of 17
  • Sound Quality - 30% 5
  • Comfort - 20% 8
  • Athletic Performance - 20% 7
  • Battery Life - 15% 8
  • Portability - 15% 5

Our Verdict

Offering good comfort, battery life, and athletic performance, the Sony XB50BS is well rounded and versatile. However, the sound quality they produce is only average. This doesn't relegate them to the trash bin, but the JBL Reflect Mini offers better sound quality and a slightly longer battery life at the same price. While the Sony XB50BS is a great pair of earbuds, they just can't compete with the JBL Reflect Mini, which would be a better choice for pretty much everyone.


Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)
 
This Product
Sony XB50BS
Awards  Editors' Choice Award Best Buy Award Top Pick Award  
Price $80 List
Check Price at Amazon		$170 List
$169.99 at Amazon		$100 List
$87.29 at Amazon		$200 List
$99.99 at Amazon		$100 List
$99.95 at Amazon
Star Rating
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Pros Good battery life, comfortableGreat sound quality, secure fit, great for working outGood sound quality, good for working out, low profile design, relatively inexpensiveSecure fit, great sound qualityIncredibly crisp audio, comfortable
Cons Average sound quality, protrude from the ear quite a bitExpensive, relatively short battery lifeMay not fit large ears wellExpensive, can get in the way of sunglassesBass relatively weak compared to other high end models, not great for athletics
Bottom Line Good earbuds that are outclassed by others in the same price rangeThe best sounding and most comfortable buds we've found for working outA sleek package that offers high end performance at a mid range priceGreat sounding earbuds that can stand up to the most rigorous workoutsTop notch clarity makes for a great listening experience, as long as you’re not working out
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Rating Categories Sony XB50BS Jabra Elite 65t JBL Reflect Mini 2 Beats by Dr. Dre... Beats by Dr. Dre...
Sound Quality (30%)
10
0
5
10
0
9
10
0
7
10
0
8
10
0
8
Comfort (20%)
10
0
8
10
0
7
10
0
7
10
0
7
10
0
8
Athletic Performance (20%)
10
0
7
10
0
9
10
0
9
10
0
8
10
0
4
Battery Life (15%)
10
0
8
10
0
8
10
0
7
10
0
8
10
0
7
Portability (15%)
10
0
5
10
0
9
10
0
8
10
0
6
10
0
7
Specs Sony XB50BS Jabra Elite 65t JBL Reflect Mini 2 Beats by Dr. Dre... Beats by Dr. Dre...
Weight (oz) 0.8 0.4 0.54 0.9 0.75
Microphone Yes/No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Claimed Battery Life (hours) 8 5 10 12 8
Measured Battery Life (hours) 10 5.25 11.5 10 8
Carrying Case Yes/No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
EMF Measurement 4.1 V/m 3.7 V/m 5.8 V/m

Our Analysis and Test Results

The Sony XB50BS is a good all around pair of earbuds, but it can't match the performance of other models in the same price range. You won't be disappointed if you buy these, but there are other models that cost the same and are even better.


Performance Comparison


The Sony XB50BS sat right in the middle of our overall scores. Below we'll discuss all of our different testing metrics, and how the Sony XB50BS performed in each.

Sound Quality


This was the one metric that held the Sony XB50BS back a bit. It earned an average score of 5 out of 10. In our testing these earbuds had a lot of bark but not much bite. That is to say they had the most powerful bass of any of the earbuds in our selection, but had very poor clarity. That resulted in a deep, powerful sound that was often muddled and lost much of the nuance of the songs we were listening to. Music doesn't sound bad in these earbuds, just somewhat garbled in relation to other earbuds that we tested. If all you care about is a booming backbeat these are great, but if you want a well rounded composition you'll want to look at the JBL Reflect Mini or the Bose SoundSport.

We really didn't like these earbuds for making calls. In our testing both the caller and the callee was treated to the kind of broken up, static cacophony that will get you booted off of a conference call.

The XB50BS sounded about average in our testing no matter what the scenery.
The XB50BS sounded about average in our testing, no matter what the scenery.

Comfort


The Sony XB50BS shared the top score of 8 out of 10 in our comfort testing. This was largely thanks to the four options it offers for earpieces sizes and three options for ear fin sizes. This let everyone who tried these earbuds on to find a combination that worked comfortably in their ears. These earpieces do have a slightly larger profile, so there is a good amount of plastic sticking out f your ears. This can get slightly annoying, but the comfy fit largely made up for it.

Athletic performance


The Sony XB50BS was just behind the top scorers in our athletic performance testing, earning a 7 out of 10. The comfort fit translated into a stable feeling, so we never felt like the earbuds were going to fall out, even when our burpee technique got sloppy. They lost out on a top score because of the large plastic pieces that protrude from the ear. These pieces could create a slight tugging sensation when jumping around that was slightly annoying. Eventually we learned to ignore it, but it was less than ideal.

The large plastic piece that sticks out from the ear can bounce a bit when running or doing jumping jacks.
The large plastic piece that sticks out from the ear can bounce a bit when running or doing jumping jacks.

Battery Life


The Sony XB50BS did quite well in our battery life testing, holding out for a full 10 hours. This put it towards the top of the leaderboard.


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Portability


The Sony XB50BS earned and average score of 5 out of 10 in our portability testing. This average score was because of the large profile of the earbuds themselves, which have large plastic pieces that stick out quite a bit.This makes it harder to slide these earbuds into the front pocket of your jeans. Otherwise they use a low profile cable and can pack down fairly small, but don't practically disappear like some of the other models we tested.

Value


The Sony XB50BS offers decent all-around performance at a list price of $80. This is a fairly good value, but the JBL Reflect Mini offers better all-around performance at the same list price.

Conclusion


The Sony XB50BS is a fairly good set of earbuds, but at this price point you're likely better off with the JBL Reflect Mini.


— Max Mutter and Steven Tata