We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-27 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a wired in-ear monitor built for deep, controlled bass and serious noise isolation, choose Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20; if you need an on-ear headset with a microphone, an in-line remote and huge, boosted low-end for everyday phone listening, choose Sony MDRXB450AP.
• Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20 — biggest strength: A 13.6mm driver paired with a real acoustic seal, tuned specifically for electronic music with extended bass and crisp highs. The isolation is the headline.
• Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20 — biggest trade-off: Wired only, no microphone, no remote, and an in-ear fit that lives or dies by how well the included S/M/L earpieces seal in your ears.
• Sony MDRXB450AP — biggest strength: An Acoustic Bass Booster plus 30mm dynamic drivers pushing a 5 Hz–22 kHz range, with an in-line mic and volume control for phone calls and a free SmartKey app to remap the remote.
• Sony MDRXB450AP — biggest trade-off: On-ear design with no noise isolation at all, so outside sound walks straight in — and the bass boost is flavored, not neutral.
• Who each is for: Xone:XD-20 for DJs, electronic listeners and anyone who wants bass and a quiet bubble. MDRXB450AP for commuters and call-takers who want big bass on the move with one cable doing everything.
The Xone:XD-20 is Allen & Heath's attempt to move booth credibility into your pocket. The brand is built on club mixers, and the claim here is that the in-ear tuning was optimized for electronic music reproduction — extended bass, detailed highs, no mud. That's a design statement, not a marketing accident: a 13.6mm driver with a 20Hz–20kHz range and a balanced armature driver type is a configuration aimed at control rather than sheer volume.
The real differentiator is the acoustic seal. Isolation, not amplification, is how in-ears deliver deep bass — a proper seal traps low frequencies in the ear canal so you feel the sub-bass instead of hearing it leak away. That's why Allen & Heath ships three earpiece sizes (S/M/L) and why the fit matters more than any spec on the sheet. Get the seal right and the low end tightens up dramatically. Get it wrong and the whole design falls apart.
Buy it if: you listen mostly to electronic music, you want bass you can feel without cranking volume, you work in noisy rooms and need to shut them out, or you want a wired in-ear with no batteries, no pairing menus and no app to babysit. The 3.5mm jack and 13.61g weight make it a near-nothing object to carry.
Skip it if: you take calls on your headphones, you want a remote on the cable, or you hate the feeling of silicone tips in your ear canal. There's no microphone here, no volume control, no wireless — it's a listening tool, full stop. Also note the one-year limited warranty and the plastic housing: this is a functional build, not a jewelry piece.
Sony's MDRXB450AP is the opposite philosophy: bass you can't miss, wrapped in a package designed to live on your head all day. The Acoustic Bass Booster is the core feature, and it's backed by 30mm dynamic drivers covering 5Hz–22kHz — a range that reaches lower on paper than the Xone's 20Hz floor, though the audible difference is mostly about tuning character rather than a spec-sheet win.
What makes it genuinely useful is the wiring. There's an in-line microphone for hands-free calls and volume control on the cord, compatibility with both Apple and Android phones, and Sony's free SmartKey app for customizing what the in-line remote does. The 1.2m tangle-free Y-type cord is a small thing that matters daily, and the swivel design lets the earcups fold flat for tossing in a bag. At 165g without the cord, it's light enough for a commute but substantial enough to stay put.
The honest trade-off is isolation — or the lack of it. Sony lists no noise control on this model, and on-ear designs leak in both directions. On a train or in a shared office you'll hear the room, and the room will hear your bass. The aluminum housing and blue finish give it a more polished look than the Xone, but that's cosmetic; the real story is convenience versus immersion.
Buy it if: you want one pair for music, podcasts and phone calls, you prefer on-ear comfort over in-ear tips, you want a remote and app customization, or you want bass that's aggressively forward and fun rather than accurate.
Skip it if: you need to block out noise, you want a flat or reference-style response, or you're listening in a quiet room where leakage would be rude. There's also a quirk worth flagging: the sheet lists the connectivity as wired while also listing a wireless technology field — treat this as a wired headset and don't plan around wireless operation.
• Best for deep bass that stays clean and controlled → Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20. The acoustic seal plus electronic-music tuning means low end you feel rather than just hear.
• Best for maximum bass slam and fun tuning → Sony MDRXB450AP. The Acoustic Bass Booster and 30mm drivers are built to push the low end forward.
• Best for noise isolation → Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20. It's the only one of the two with any noise control listed, and it's isolation-based rather than electronic.
• Best for phone calls and remote control → Sony MDRXB450AP. In-line mic, volume control, SmartKey app, Apple and Android compatibility.
• Best for all-day comfort on the move → Sony MDRXB450AP. On-ear fit, swivel folding, tangle-free 1.2m cord, 165g.
• Best for a barely-there, zero-hassle setup → Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20. 13.61g, wired 3.5mm, no app, no battery, no pairing.
• Best for travel and commuting → Sony MDRXB450AP if you value convenience; Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20 if you value shutting the world out.
• Best for DJs and electronic producers → Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20. The tuning and the brand's booth heritage point squarely at that listener.
If I were buying for myself and my priority was deep bass done properly — tight, extended, and delivered without needing to drown out the room — I'd take the Allen & Heath Xone:XD-20. The acoustic seal is what makes that possible, and the electronic-music tuning matches how I actually listen. I'd only switch to the Sony MDRXB450AP if I needed a microphone, a remote, and a headset I could wear for hours while taking calls. In my opinion, the Xone is the better headphone; the Sony is the better everyday companion. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable that can flip this decision.
what is deep bass in headphones
Deep bass refers to the low-frequency end of the audio range — roughly the bottom of the 20Hz–20kHz span both of these models cover. In practice, deep bass is what you feel as much as hear: sub-bass weight, kick-drum punch and the low rumble under electronic tracks. In-ear designs like the Xone:XD-20 achieve it largely through a tight acoustic seal, while on-ear models like the MDRXB450AP use bass-boosting driver tuning to push those frequencies forward.
how to connect sony extra bass headphones
The MDRXB450AP is a wired headset: plug the 3.5mm jack into your phone or device and you're connected. It's listed as compatible with both Apple and Android smartphones, and the in-line remote handles volume and calls once plugged in. If you want to remap the remote's buttons, Sony's free SmartKey app lets you customize the in-line remote function — though note the spec sheet lists this model's connectivity as wired, so don't expect Bluetooth pairing.
how to pair sony extra bass headphones
For the MDRXB450AP specifically, there's nothing to pair — it connects over a 3.5mm wired jack, not Bluetooth. The "pairing" step people usually mean is downloading the SmartKey app and configuring the in-line remote through it. Other Sony Extra Bass models are wireless and do pair over Bluetooth, but this particular headset is a plug-in design, so treat app setup as the only configuration step.
how to connect jvc deep bass wireless headphones
That's a different brand and a different product line, so it isn't covered by either spec sheet here. If you're weighing JVC's deep-bass wireless models against these two, the practical distinction is that wireless sets need charging and Bluetooth pairing, while both headphones on this page are wired 3.5mm designs with no battery and no pairing step at all.
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