Sony XBA-BT75

Sony XBA-BT75

Sony introduced its XBA line of earphones in early 2012. The "BA" stands for "balanced armature," but that's about the only common thread within the wide-ranging collection, which includes the Editors' Choice XBA-S65 ($89.99, 4 stars) exercise earphones, and the overpriced, distortion-prone XBA-NC85D ($499.99, 3 stars). At $299.99 (direct), the XBA BT-75 wireless Bluetooth earphones, fall somewhere in between, in terms of price and performance. The audio quality is strong, and despite some very slight distortion at maximum volumes, the XBA BT-75 offers a balanced, clear response. As for the design, it's good, but not perfect. Overall, this is a quality pair of wireless earphones, but the Phiaton PS 20 BT ($149, 4 stars) offers comparably strong performance at half the price. Design The earpieces of the XBA BT-75 are a bit boxy, but not unattractive—in fact, they have an interesting modern look, and sit in your ear at a forward angle. The portions of the cable near each earpiece are stiff and can be bent to go over-and-behind your ear. The cable, which houses volume controls and a mic in a small compartment near the right ear, is a single line, without the Y-split of most earphones. Ideally, there would be some way to adjust it so that the generous amount of slack provided could be tightened.