Sony X10 Headphones: Great and Irritating, Just Like Simon Cowell [REVIEW]

Everyone wants to be the next Beats. I used to work at a magazine that covered the AV world, and I can tell you the number of headphone-centric events I've been invited to over the last few months is more than in my six years at that publication. For tech companies, headphones are the new black.

Just step onto a subway to see why: Beats headphones -- with their earcups that prominently displays a distinctive red, lower-case "b" -- are everywhere, and have turned over-the-ear headphones, once the domain of technicians and audiophiles only, into something fashionable. Certainly the fact that Beats is part owned by Dr. Dre (along with HTC), automatically giving the product street cred, was a huge factor in its success.

Little surprise, then, that everyone wants a piece of this market, including Sony, who just released its MDR-X10 headphones, available now for $299. Sony even has its own celebrity endorser, none other than former American Idol judge Simon Cowell, who may not have the same kind of clout as a musician, but at least he's a household name.

What really matters here, however, is if the headphones have clout. Sony was kind enough to let me check out a pair, and I've been listening to music (among other things) with them here and around town. And they definitely make an impression, although it's not always a good one.

Opening them up for the first time was a great experience, however, thanks to some clever packaging. Sony clearly did its best to make the box simple and elegant -- even throwing in a fabric "handle" that you tug at to open it. When you do, it unfolds neatly (no tape or adhesives at all), revealing the gray-and-white pouch that contains the headphones. Very nice.

The headphones themselves are a nice design that also folds up neatly, though the color scheme is laughably derivative of Beats, sporting the same red-and-silver tones. The earpads have nice cushions, making the X10 very comfortable, even while wearing for hours at a time. However, their size is clearly aimed at bigger heads (kids need not apply).

Audio quality was excellent. I auditioned some lossless audio tracks via OraStream's iPhone app, and the Sony X10 headphones helped me pick out some nice subtleties in the string instruments in Mozart's Symphony #29 from the Amadeus soundtrack. And the drums in Jack McDuff's "Brother Jack" were beautifully crisp and detailed.

Switching to something more day-to-day, I listened to Rogue Traders' "Voodoo Child" (192kbps AAC file). The X10s hit my ears with decent bass, though compared to some other headphones I've tried out recently, it wasn't as powerful. They're still plenty loud, though, and the stereo separation is excellent.

Unfortunately, the X10 is marred by a horrible design choice: The headphone cable attaches to the left earcup with a screw connection that snaps it into place. While it ensures the cable can't be accidentally pulled out, it has the side effect of rendering the headphones incompatible with other headphone cables (two cables are included in the box). This is typical Sony -- prioritizing proprietary equipment or standards at the expense of customer convenience -- but if you were hoping the company was maturing beyond its "our way or the highway" approach, this choice indicates otherwise.

There's also no wireless option on the headphones. Now, I almost wrote, "What do you want for $299?" but then remembered that $299 is actually a lot of money to ask for headphones. Beats has a wireless model for $280, and there are plenty of wireless pairs available for less. It wouldn't have been difficult to build Bluetooth into the X10, but perhaps the demand isn't there.