Personal Electronics Review: Sony MDR-XD100 Stereo Headphones

[If you are looking for headphones for a conventional stereo, you might try to drum up some Sony MDR-XD100 headphones.  These headphones have a 3.51 meter long cord.  With around 10 feet of cord, these headphones work very well for conventional stereo equipment.  Here is my original review reprinted from Yahoo Contributors Network.]

Are you an audiophile? A lover of fine music and a connoiseur of audio equipment? Do you care about dynamic range, frequency response, and sensitivity? Then move along you Bose-listening Bang & Olafson snoot, these are $20 stereo headphones for the rest of us and they sound pretty good.

On a Rite Aid run for a few household odds and ends, my wife and I came across a pair of Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones. Since they fit our limited budget and since our corner drugstore is the place to buy consumer electronics, we threw them in our cart. We weren't disappointed. For a mere $20 investment, Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones sound great. 

Comfort. First, these full-sized stereo headphones are a vast improvement over uncomfortable earbud-style "in the ear", and Walkman-style "on the ear" ear phones that we had been using. I found that the padding was comfortable and completely enveloped my ears. The headphones were also adjustable to fit over my big brain comfortably. In an extended music session, they do make your ears a little warm. These headphones do not completely block out external sounds.

Build Quality. These Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones are inexpensive and they sometimes feel a bit delicate. If you throw these headphones around, they may not be able to take the damage. The urethane leather that covers the ear pads could also be thicker and more durable. The adjustable headband is made completely of plastic. For intermittent casual use, they should suffice.

Compatibility. My wife and I used the Sony MDR-XD100 headphones to play music on a wide variety of personal electronic devices. While they come with a large plug for a conventional stereo, a mini plug is plugged into the large plug. The mini plug allows the headphones to be used with laptops, portable CD players, and MP3 players. We tried them on two laptops, a Sony personal CD player, and a very small Craig MP3 player. The headphones worked on all of our devices.

Sound Quality. These headphones sounded good on all of our devices. However, I did have to turn my volume up to a much higher setting with my dimunitive MP3 player. In a couple of evening sessions listening to a wide variety of free music via my Amazon Cloudplayer, I found that the Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones reproduced sound quite well. These headphones are particularly effective on mid-range and high range sounds. While some Amazon reviewers didn't feel there was enough presence in the bass, I feel that these Sony headphones produce enough bass for casual listening without pounding on the eardrums.

Overall, Sony MDR-XD100 stereo headphones are a delightful product for around $20. While they might not be totally satisfying to audiophiles, they work very well for casual users and completely met our expectations.

[These headphones are still available to some degree on Amazon or on ebay.  Newer headphones from Sony sound good, too.]