Sony MDR-1A Prestige Overhead Headphones - Black

Product Information

Dynamically, the Sony MDR-1As really stand up to scrutiny. They sound exciting and engaging, more so than the likes of the Urbanite XLs. Possible driver downgrade... going from 48 in 1A to only 16 ohms in M2 bothers me, as low impedence drivers are known to be not as resolving... As long as you’re not after lean, accurate bass we think most people will sink into the Sony MDR-1A very happily. In balancing a warm, fairly easy sound with a nice mid-range tone and sophisticated-sounding treble, it offers sound that reflects the characteristics of the set’s look and ear-hugging comfort.

The Sony MDR-1A are not the most portable set in their class, though. While the ear cups swivel by 90 degrees to make the headphones ‘flat’, the cups do not fold inward (into the headband) to save space. There’s also no case supplied. As a happy owner of the MDR-1A, I am really looking forward to hearing these as soon as they come out later this spring! The Sony MDR-1A are headphones that marry an overemphasised bass with otherwise refined sound. There is some resonance to the bottom-end that stops it from sounding entirely balanced. It is quite obviously ‘larger’ than intended, especially when doling out dance beats.Design-wise, there is nothing spectacular about the MDR-1A. They look exactly as you would expect from a Sony-branded headphone at this price point. The metallic exterior and large ear cups manage to give it an attractive and chiseled appearance. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test. In our review set there was a tiny bit of creakiness when stretching and twisting the arms, but our pair had already been put through the wringer by a previous wearer. You don’t get the all-out luxury feel of, say, the Bowers & Wilkins P7 here, but it only becomes apparent when you get your hands involved — they are certainly eye-pleasers. The Sony MDR-1ABT are a higher class of ‘party’ headphone, but ultimately still falls on that spectrum. This is as much a lesson in expecting tech-heavy headphones like these to route a decent chunk of their cost into these features, rather than pure sound quality. However, you only need to worry about this if you’re after seriously high-end sounding headphones. These are a little more forgiving, and offer a fun, smooth sound that’s perfect for long, relaxed listening.

My only (slight) issue with the comfort is that the pleather on the ear-pads is prone to making the ears get warm and sweaty. This is a common issue with over-ear headphones with pleather (rather than velour or alcantara or the like) ear-pads, so it's something I really don't mind very much at all, and it's not to an excessive degree since the pads are still quite breathable. You'll notice that I still gave these headphones maximum marks in the comfort category on the rating-scale here, so obviously the warmth/sweaty-ears issue is only a slight one, IMO. YMMV, however. The choice of plastic seems deliberate for comfort reasons as opposed to a cost-saving method, but it does come at the cost of durability. These headphones are also non-collapsable, so making for compact travel is pretty difficult with these. The Sonys excel in bass response (again pretty obvious). Many audiophiles mentioned that the bass is bloated, and they are probably right, but to my ears, these are just perfectly tuned for bass. The sonys produces wonderful but not overpowering sub-bass, with a solid hitting mid bass slam. I could see myself reaching for the sonys for most music that does not require a fast bass response. While we didn’t have the Sony MDR-1A for direct comparison, from memory it also seems that Sony may have toned down the bass a little this time. There is a bass emphasis here, but only a slight one. The impression they give off is of a balanced, and fairly natural-sounding headphone.As this headphone is usually compared to MSR7, I don't recommend MSR7 on comfort aspect. I am Asian with regular size head but MSR7's earcup pressure feels like torture.

Note that these are overall a notably huge improvement in nearly every way (less rolled-off treble, more solid bass-texture, less bleed from bass to mids, less distortion, more clarity, a bit mroe soundstage) over the MDR-1R which they replaced in Sony's product-line. The bass is aided by sculpted vents which maximize airflow and a liquid crystal polymer diaphragm with an aluminum coating and works well even at loud volumes. Audio is distortion free and you will be able to make out even tiny details even when the sound is turned up. If you’re looking for bass, you will certainly find it with these headphones, but there are some distinctions that make it of the awesome variety and not the crap variety. Bass response is reasonably controlled and tight in its presentation. Where the bass really shines is its’ overall impact and volume. It can be described as nothing short of stupendous. While I hear a slight bleed into the lower mid-range and just a touch of bloom in mid bass region, it’s really impressive how it handles these details considering its’ overall volume and impact. Equally as impressive is the bass region’s versatility in regards to different music genres. If the cool kids are throwing a rager and bass was invited to the party, it shows up in spades. If, however, the parents are having a house-warming or wine-and-cheese party, bass will still show up with a few small gifts, but doesn’t have a problem behaving himself. When people talk about the wild, clear, dynamic Grado sound - they are talking about this. I used to own Grados, but I sold them all. I couldn't stand them at all, and I always wondered what people heard in them. They talked about punchy bass, clear treble, etc, but all I heard was a shrill midrange and colored sound. The Sony MDR-1ABT use a kind of digital processing called DSEE HX that claims to upscale non Hi-Res audio to a quality comparable to the good stuff.

These things feel luxurious. Perfect clamping-force. . .it is low, but high enough that they stay firmly on my head, even when I start bobbing my head or am walking around. This is notable as I have a fairly narrow head. It's very easy to form a good seal with these over the ears, and the space inside the ear-pads should be sufficient for most folks unless they have ears that are seriously quite large. I can wear these for two, three, four, five, however many hours without it ever causing me any discomfort due to pressure. The ear-pads are super-soft, like feather pillows. For our large noggin the MDR-1A fit is fine, but those with smaller heads might struggle to get the same experience. That's something to keep in mind, as you might not get the same five-star experience, but from our week's worth of listening sessions, and given the sensible price point, we have to say the Sony MDR-1A is a top class choice.