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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want the deepest, most immersive bass from a full-size over-ear design for home listening, choose Sony MDR-XB500; if you need a lightweight, travel-friendly on-ear headset with a mic for calls, choose MEGA Sony Extra Bass.
• Sony MDR-XB500 biggest strength: A 40mm Extra Bass diaphragm driver with a 4 Hz–24 kHz range and king-size around-ear cushions — built for deep low-end and long home sessions.
• Sony MDR-XB500 biggest trade-off: It's a bulky, wired, over-the-head design at 16 ounces, with no microphone, so it's not something you'll want to wear on a commute or use for calls.
• MEGA Sony Extra Bass biggest strength: A lightweight 120 g on-ear headset with a 30mm driver, swivel earcups, an in-line mic, and a smart key app for a customized remote.
• MEGA Sony Extra Bass biggest trade-off: The smaller 30mm driver and 5 Hz–22 kHz range mean less low-end output and a narrower response than the XB500.
• Who each pick is for: Pick the Sony MDR-XB500 for home music, movies and games where bass and comfort matter most; pick the MEGA Sony Extra Bass if you want portability and phone-call functionality in one wired set.
The Sony MDR-XB500 is the "sit down and listen" option. Its defining feature is a 40mm XB diaphragm driver, which is the largest driver in this comparison and the one Sony designed specifically to reproduce ultra-low frequencies. The frequency response runs from 4 Hz to 24,000 Hz, and the sensitivity is rated at 104 dB/mW. In plain terms: this is a headphone built to push bass hard while still covering the full audible range up top.
The design is just as purposeful. It's a closed, circum-aural (around-the-ear) set with a "direct vibe structure" and a tightly sealed acoustic design that Sony says improves sound isolation. The king-size ear cushions measure 3.7 inches in diameter and 1.8 inches thick, and the drivers are angled parallel to your ears to reduce pressure. For anyone who wears headphones for hours — gaming, movies, albums front to back — that combination of big pads and angled drivers is the whole point.
Who should buy it? Someone who listens mainly at a desk, in a home studio corner, or on the couch, wants pronounced bass, and doesn't need a microphone or wireless anything. The 1.2m flat cord and included carrying pouch make it semi-portable, and the gold-plated 3.5mm plug and 1500mW power handling suggest it can take some volume. Who should skip it? If you take calls, walk around town, or want a light, packable set, this one is the wrong tool — there's no mic, it's wired, and 16 ounces on your head is a real commitment.
The MEGA Sony Extra Bass (model MDRZX110AP) is the opposite philosophy: small, light, and built around your phone. It uses 30mm dynamic drivers with a 5 Hz–22,000 Hz frequency response — a narrower range than the XB500, but still genuinely full-range for everyday listening. The headline feature here isn't raw output; it's the in-line microphone and remote, which turn a pair of headphones into a hands-free calling headset.
At 120 g it's roughly a seventh of the XB500's weight, and it's an on-ear design with swivel earcups, so it folds flat and disappears into a bag. The enclosure mixes metal, plastic, rubber and silicone, and MEGA includes a free smart key app that lets you customize how the in-line remote behaves. Connectivity is wired via a 3.5mm jack, and the sheet also lists Bluetooth as a wireless technology — worth verifying against the exact listing if wireless matters to you, since the core pitch here is a wired phone headset.
Who should buy it? Commuters, students, and anyone who takes calls and listens on a phone or laptop and wants one cable to do both jobs. The "acoustic bass booster" branding tells you bass is still the goal, just in a smaller, more portable package. Who should skip it? If your priority is maximum low-end depth, big cushioned comfort for marathon sessions, or serious home-listening isolation, the smaller on-ear format and 30mm drivers will leave you wanting the XB500 instead.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for deep bass and low-end output → Sony MDR-XB500. A 40mm XB diaphragm driver versus 30mm is the single biggest reason to pick it.
• Best for long home listening sessions → Sony MDR-XB500. The 3.7" × 1.8" king-size cushions and angled drivers are made for hours of wear.
• Best for calls and hands-free use → MEGA Sony Extra Bass. The in-line mic is a feature the XB500 simply doesn't have.
• Best for travel and commuting → MEGA Sony Extra Bass. At 120 g with swivel earcups, it packs away easily; the XB500 is 16 ounces and over-the-head only.
• Best for widest frequency range → Sony MDR-XB500. 4 Hz–24,000 Hz beats 5 Hz–22,000 Hz at both ends.
• Best for a customizable remote → MEGA Sony Extra Bass. The free smart key app lets you remap the in-line remote; the XB500 has no app.
• Best for sound isolation at home → Sony MDR-XB500. Its closed, tightly sealed acoustic design is built to block out the room.
If I were buying for myself, I'd take the Sony MDR-XB500. In my opinion, the 40mm XB diaphragm driver, the 4 Hz–24 kHz range, and those oversized angled cushions make it the more capable headphone for the thing this whole comparison is about — deep, physical bass — and it's the one I'd actually want on my head for an evening of music, movies or games. I'd only switch to the MEGA Sony Extra Bass if portability and phone calls were non-negotiable, because that's where it wins cleanly. Check the current price on Amazon for both before you commit, since the gap between them is what usually decides this.
FAQ
Yes. It's built as a smartphone headset with an in-line mic and remote for hands-free calls, plus a free smart key app to customize the remote. The MDR-XB500 has no microphone at all.
The MEGA Sony Extra Bass. It weighs 120 g and has swivel earcups for easy packing, so it travels far better than the 16-ounce, over-the-head XB500, which is really a stay-at-home design.
The XB500 is the better fit — it's listed for home music, movies and games, with a closed around-ear design and a wide 4 Hz–24 kHz range. The MEGA works for casual phone gaming, but its on-ear fit and narrower range are less suited to long sessions.
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