SONY MDR XD200 STUDIO MONITOR HEADPHONES

Author's Rating:

Pros: These headphones are a good value for the money.

Cons: The frequency response is not flat.

The Bottom Line: 
This is a good sounding entry level set of headphones.

Author's Review
SONY  MDR  XD200  STUDIO  MONITOR  HEADPHONES

           The brand name of Sony is a name that is very well known in the world of consumer and professional electronics.  I own several Sony electronic products, including a CD player that I purchased over 20 years ago that still works just about as well as the day that I purchased it.  I have always been impressed with the quality and craftsmanship of some of the higher end Sony electronics products, as well as the very good value that one gets for their money.  I can not say the same thing for some of Sony's lower end electronic gadgets, but I'll save my comments on that subject for another review.  Today I shall be reviewing the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones.  Read on and see if these headphones sound like something that you might consider auditioning the next time you are visiting your local musical instrument or electronics store.            

           Just because the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones have the words "Studio Monitor" in their name does not mean that these are a pair of headphones that are priced out of the ballpark of most consumers.  In reality the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones are actually entry level or inexpensive headphones.  Bearing this in mind, it is likely that many of the readers of this review are going to be novice headphone buyers, who may be considering using these headphones for their home studio or the like.  Bearing this in mind, whenever I use a technical term or descriptor in discussing the features of these headphones, I shall endeavor to explain what these terms mean in plain, simple, and easy to understand language.

            The Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones have a list price of $29.99, and they can easily be found selling at a discount for as little as $18.00 from some of the better large Internet retailers.  So is it possible to get a great pair of studio monitor professional grade headphones for under $20.00?  Please think carefully about that statement or question again before you venture to give an answer.  Many manufacturers throw around labels such as "professional" very loosely in their advertisements.  I have seen many electronic products, such as microphones selling for under $10.00 being called "studio" or "professional" microphones, and there is no way in the world that a real professional would attempt to use one of these microphones to make a professional recording.  There are a number of electronic products that use the term "professional" or "studio" very liberally.  Keep in mind that just because the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones are being labeled as "Studio Monitor Headphones," does not mean that they are actually something that a real professional would consider using in a recording studio or the like for professional quality monitoring or mixing purposes.  On the other hand, please do not think that I am saying that these are not good headphones, as I actually feel that the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones are a real steal for the money that they are being offered at.  I just want to emphasize, especially for the novice headphone buyer, that they must not be fooled into thinking that they are getting a studio quality set of professional headphones for under $20.00 on sale.

            At this point I would like to elaborate on some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones.  The Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones  are "closed" headphones with round shaped ear cups that cover the ear with an over the head or "supra-aural" design.  Headphones that are closed or sealed have ear cups that are sealed, as compared to open-backed, and they form a seal around the ears.  Closed headphones are the most isolating type of headphones, and they let very little sound from the outside environment in, as well as preventing the sound that you are listening to from escaping.  Closed headphones are good to consider for use in a studio environment, as one does not want to have the track that one is listening to in the headphones leak out and into an open microphone, as one is in the process of recording or overdubbing another track.  The seal that these headphones form is not as good as it is advertized to be, and there was some definite leakage of sound out, as well as in.  However, when one is going to be paying this little for a set of headphones, one can not expect to get a great pair of headphones, and some compromise is necessary.

           The best type of sealed headphones for most serious studio use are circumaural headphones, while the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones are supra-aural in design.  Supra-aural headphones do not provide as much sonic isolation as circumaural headphones which cover the entire ear and form a tighter seal.  However, supra-aural headphones tend to be lighter and more comfortable than circumaural headphones, especially for prolonged listening periods.  Personally, I prefer headphones with a circumaural design for use in the studio because they provide maximum sonic isolation.

           The frequency range of the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones is between 10 Hz. and 22,000 Hz., which also happens to be the beyond the hearing range for a healthy young adult, which is typically 20 Hz. to 20,000 Hz.  Why would anyone need headphones that have a frequency range that is beyond that of the human ear?  Were these headphones designed for the listening pleasure of the family dog?  That is quite a big frequency range, and it is certainly beyond the reproductive capacity of many inexpensive portable listening devices.  The reason for this wide frequency response is so that the headphones will not distort when they are asked to reproduce sounds that are within the full spectrum of human hearing.  Any distortion that might occur should be due to overloading the headphones with volume, and not due to an inability of the headphones to reproduce certain audible frequencies  As such, this wide frequency range should not pose any problem to your listening enjoyment on either a portable listening device, home stereo system, or home studio.  The large frequency response of these headphones is a very big plus, as most inexpensively priced headphones do not have anywhere near such a wide frequency response.

           Another nice feature of the Sony MDR XD200 Headphone's is that they have an adjustable headband, and it very readily adjusts to the shape of one's head, while at the same time being relatively strong and durably made.  The overall design of these headphones is made with comfort in mind, and the ear cups are designed to be comfortable, and to feel comfortable on one's ears.  These headphones also have a Sound Mode switch at the bottom of the earcups that allows a user to switch between Movie Mode and Music Mode.  You will not really hear much of a difference between these two modes unless you happen to be listening to the ultra low end sounds produced in some movies that have explosions, earthquakes and the like, or if you are into gaming, where there would also be a lot of low end frequency sounds. For just listening to music, either mode sounds just about the same to my ears.  When listening to low end sounds that one might encounter in video games or action movies, there was a slightly more pronounced low end in the movie mode, but that does not mean that it was more enjoyable or clearer, it was just slightly more pronounced and a bit louder.  In my opinion, this mode changing switch was more of a placebo than a real plus.  Clearly, if one were going to use these headphones for studio monitoring purposes for music, one would leave the switch in the music mode permanently.

             The cable that comes with the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones is about 11 feet, 6 inches in length and has both positive and negative features, both of which are related to its length.  The cable is rather long to use with a portable listening device, and given the size of the headphones, they are not really all that portable.  However, the close to 12 foot length of the cord makes it reasonable for use with a home stereo system, as it is long enough to plug into your stereo, and relax in a nice easy chair next to the stereo amp or receiver.  The cord is one sided, which to my mind is a plus, and since it is straight one can curl it up to a size that is convienient for whatever purpose it is being used. The fact that the cable can be curled up and bound with a tie makes it more convienient for use with a portable listening device, as the user will not have to deal with an excessively long cable dangling from the headphones as you are walking around town.  Another very nice feature of these headphones is that the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones come equipped with a stereo mini jack for use with a portable computer, MP3 Player, and the like, as well as also coming equipped with a quarter inch phone plug style adaptor, for easy conversion to other listening devices, such as home stereo receiver.

           The Sensitivity of the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones is 102dB/mW.  In general, headphone sensitivity is measured by applying 1 milliwatt of power, which is one/one thousand of a watt of power (1/1000), and then measuring the sound pressure level (SPL) at the earpiece in dB.  This is a reasonable level of efficiency for a set of headphones in this price range.  The Impedance rating of the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones is 70 Ohms.  This means that these headphones have a relatively low Impedance for a pair of professional headphones.  Generally speaking, the lower the Impedance, the louder a pair of headphones will sound.  That is because lower Impedance headphones are more efficient at converting electrical energy into sound.  Therefore, all things being equal, a pair of low Impedance headphones may, in most cases, prolong the life of batteries in a portable listening device. Thus, these headphones could potentially even be used with a portable music device, and still provide adequate volume for the listener.  However, they are not going to be anywhere near as loud as some of the other headphones on the market that are specifically designed for use with portable listening devices, as many of these other headphones are in the 16 Ohm range, and are thus going to use less battery power as well as being louder.

             O.K, so who are the Sony MDR XD200 Studio Monitor Headphones best suited for.  These headphones are best suited to a person who is starting out in a home studio, or doing DJ work, and who is also on a very tight budget.  These are headphones that will give a full frequency response, which is needed in a set of headphones that will be used for studio listening purposes, and their frequency response is much wider than would be typically found in a set of headphones in this price range.  If you are a casually listener, these headphones may be something that you may want to look into.  The bass response is quite good, and the highs were not overly abrasive or harsh.  These headphones would also be suitable for someone who wants to upgrade their listening experience when using simple portable audio devices such as a CD Player, MP3 Player, DVD Player, or IPOD, or for gaming on a home computer.  

           On the negative side, a potential problem in my opinion was that these headphones appeared to accentuate the bass and high frequencies a bit.  Although this made the music I was listening to sound more exciting, it also means that the frequency response was not flat.  If someone were considering using these headphones for reference monitoring in their home studio, then it is likely that having a pair of headphones that accentuates certain high or low frequencies could present a problem.  Thus, although these headphones represent an excellent value for the money, and do sound relatively quite good, I would not recommend them to a serious audiophile for serious music listening on a good home stereo, or for a person who wants to use them for serious reference purposes on their recordings in their home studio.  These headphones are good for what they were designed to do, namely to be used by a person who is on a very tight budget, and who may be a beginner starting out in a home studio, or for a person who wants to do some casual listening to music, computer gamers, or entry those who may want to do some entry level DJ work.

             Well I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my review, but now if you will excuse me, I must get back to practicing my guitar.  Good luck and good listening.