Q: What's the difference between the Sony XB500 and the XB700? Why are they so sought after?
A: Sony discontinued the awesome XB500/700/1000 and replaced them with abominations, for reasons that no human, except maybe a couple of folks in a building at 171 Konan Minato-ku, can possibly comprehend.
Since then, obviously due to the fact that [1] they were awesome bass monsters, [2] they were discontinued, and [3] supplies dwindled over time, they have become sought-after collectors items, and have naturally increased in value.
The XB700 has bigger drivers. The memory foam pads are about the size of a CD for comparison, so they are bigger around the ears than the XB500. As a consequence the volume of air that resonates is also greater.
The XB500 has more raw bass. XB700 bass is a little more subtle, and a little tighter. Subbass extension is also better than the 500. Kick drums sound a little crisper, and low end basslines are a little more defined than the 500. 500 bass is more in-your-face, and upper bass rolloff bleeds into the mids audibly, as a consequence of which the mids appear to be a little more recessed than those of the 700.
Soundstage is about the same for both, i.e. not very spectacular. I have convinced myself that 700 soundstage is a little wider than the 500, but IMO that is probably a figment of my imagination than real.
Purely as a bass monster, I would rank the 500 higher, but between the two I end up reaching for the 700 more for EDM. The way I think of the 700 is that it is a more refined version of the 500, i.e. the 500 in a tuxedo.
A: Sony discontinued the awesome XB500/700/1000 and replaced them with abominations, for reasons that no human, except maybe a couple of folks in a building at 171 Konan Minato-ku, can possibly comprehend.
Since then, obviously due to the fact that [1] they were awesome bass monsters, [2] they were discontinued, and [3] supplies dwindled over time, they have become sought-after collectors items, and have naturally increased in value.
The XB700 has bigger drivers. The memory foam pads are about the size of a CD for comparison, so they are bigger around the ears than the XB500. As a consequence the volume of air that resonates is also greater.
The XB500 has more raw bass. XB700 bass is a little more subtle, and a little tighter. Subbass extension is also better than the 500. Kick drums sound a little crisper, and low end basslines are a little more defined than the 500. 500 bass is more in-your-face, and upper bass rolloff bleeds into the mids audibly, as a consequence of which the mids appear to be a little more recessed than those of the 700.
Soundstage is about the same for both, i.e. not very spectacular. I have convinced myself that 700 soundstage is a little wider than the 500, but IMO that is probably a figment of my imagination than real.
Purely as a bass monster, I would rank the 500 higher, but between the two I end up reaching for the 700 more for EDM. The way I think of the 700 is that it is a more refined version of the 500, i.e. the 500 in a tuxedo.
