What beats Sony MDR-1R? - Page 2

what i've read, DT990 should do that job xD, buuuuuut as many guys say u should listen both.

As a follow up to my questions based on what I have personally owned or have listened to:

 

If you do not have a dedicated headphone amp and are using primarily portable sound sources or generic sound cards from a PC I would go these directions:

 

If you want a comfy around ear headpone that is portable but bassy in nature you could go Denon D1100. If you are not as concerned with portability and comfort and want a less bassy sound with decent mids and nice treble you could go Denon HP700. If you want a well rounded signature that has OK sub-bass, strong mids, and good but easy to listen treble in a portable super comfy over the ear format with OK isolation then I would say go MDR-1R.

 

If you have a dedicated headphone amp and have set up a listening station of some description then you can look at the cans that require an amp to sound correct (usually AKG, Beyerdynamic, and some Ultrasone headphones) not ALL of those brands headphones will be in this category though (AKG K550 for example was designed to be played from portable sources).

 

Speaking of AKG K550 from what I have read it may not have enough sub-bass for your genres and is not very portable if that is a requirement. I would say the Shure SRH940 would also fall into the category of too bass light. The Shure SRH-840 might work for you but it is supposed to not sound it's best unless amped and it's quite a bit less portable than the MDR-1R if that again is a requirement for you.

ok then I say MDR-1R then. They come with an iphone cable and a standard stereo cable so are good for portable use as well as with your amp. They also happen to used industry standard cables so cables like the ones vmoda makes also can be used as an example. They go down to decent sub-bass and the bass gets better with a headphone amp (or at least my HP amp seems to make the bass better). They also have excellent mids and good but non-fatiguing treble. They look good and they are simply one of the most comfortable headphones I have ever used.

hmmmmm, from what I am reading you may also want to have a hard look at the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Headphones for the genres you like, they do look like they may be the cats meow. Here is their main thread for reading. http://www.head-fi.org/t/604570/beyerdynamic-custom-ones-new-beyer-headphones

I haven't heard a pair of M50's in so long I can't make a comparison, sorry.

i would take the srh940 over the sonys any day. they beat them in every aspect accept portablility

Xcuz read about Dt990, it is dt880 + Bass, and Dt880 is highly accurate.

Howdy sofastreamer;
I didn't realize you gave the MDR-1R a try and sorry to hear your not a fan. I guess people won't always like the things, that's OK though.

In the case of this OP, I think the 940 may not have enough sub-bass for his genre's in fact I am not sure the MDR-1R will either which is why I suggested he read about the One Meyer headphone which apparently is designed for those genres.

In regards to the 940 and 1R though, I think the 1R has more sub-bass, the mids are different in that the 1R is warmer sounding and the 940 is colder sounding, treble is where the 940 is significantly different in that the 940 is much more forward and present in this area. I do miss this added presence and it is the 940's biggest asset (so long as you want this much detail and aggressiveness in the treble region). For the OP though I suspect his genre's will not utilize this treble and he may even find it to bright. I also think the 1R is not only better portability wise but also comfort and possibly durability wise (just got my 940 back after being a victim of the headband cracking issue) the durability thing will remain to be seen though. Overall I think the 940 is technically better in regards to details in the music but the 1R is a bit easier to listen to for casual listening.

I am lucky though in that I have BOTH so can use my 940 (or more often in my case my 1440) when I want that added detail. I may sell my 940 though and just use the 1440 since the 1440 gives me detail plus the added sound stage afforded an open headphone and I need to keep my collection down to a minimum.

But I really do understand that the 940 is a better option for many people depending on their requirements an likes.

than there must be some problems in manufacturing the 940s, because mine throw gobs of sub bass and are much smoother in the highs then the sonys. also soundstage is by far superior on the shures.

 

to me the r1 sounded like typical sony overdone metallic treble throwers. with a very congested soundstage and porr thin mids. bass was flabby and not even worth half the money that they ´d cost. but maybe mine were defective out of the box.

 

you should not sell your 940s. think of how many headphones you have tried and these match your liking so well, that you will miss them sooner or later. it is always good to have a closed option.

Edited by sofastreamer - 11/7/12 at 12:58pm

Wow I wonder if your 1R's were defective too? Because of our mutual enjoyment of the 940 I think I have a somewhat good handle on what you like sound wise and my 1R does not sound like what your describing at all. My 1R has tight bass, slightly warm forward sounding mids (think 940 but warmer sounding), and treble that is more gentle than the 940. The sound stage is also very clear and has excellent spacial accuracy.

I did notice that some of my enjoyment of the 1R improved over a couple of days as the treble sorted itself out and the bass settled in. The sound stage also improved in a similar fashion. But in direct A/B testing the other night I thought the 1R while note quite as detailed did hold itself very well against the 940 aside from the differences mentioned.

Anyway I still think they are both kick butt headphones LOL.

ok, you convinced me to give another pair a chance.