The XB910N was made with a friendly price in mind and delivers the satisfaction of the WH-1000XM4.

The Sony WH-XB910N deliver big bass and battery life in a familiar package, but they aren't the company's most refined noise-cancellers.

Right now, Sony’s biggest competition for the XB910N comes from… Sony. Unless you’re just gaga for Sony’s “Xtra Bass” sound, and more power to you, the price point between the XB910N and the sale price of the XM4 is just too close. The XM4’s online price regularly falls to around $280 (or less). At just $30 difference, we’ll take the XM4 every time.

The Sony WH-XB910N are noise-cancelling headphones that do a great job at cutting out distracting sounds from the world around you. The battery will last for ages and the sound is perfect for upbeat tunes although you might want to look elsewhere if you're not so keen on bass-heavy music.

With the WH-XB910N, Sony focuses on powerful bass reproduction and noise cancelling. These are a powerful pair of headphones that are great fun for listening to modern music styles and fit comfortably. If you want powerful over-ears for everyday use that effectively put the environment in the background as required and bring it to the front again at the touch of a button, then you will be pleased with the good price-performance ratio. Audiophiles and lovers of other genres, however, should reach for other products.

The Sony WH-XB910N is a mixed bag headset, with an attractive price and feature set. It's way too bassy, and while you can EQ it, it won't sound perfect, and the touch controls are inconsistent. Noise cancelling is good for the price, and optional wired listening is handy.

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 just offers a satisfactory noise isolation performance when it comes to blocking out the low rumbles of bus and plane engines.

Right out of the box, the sound is admittedly just legally bass-rich and correspondingly midrange-poor, but that’s not a big problem – and there is not much to adjust in the app before it becomes top-notch.