Sony MDR-10R Impressions Thread
Apr 7, 2015 at 1:31 PM Post #197 of 211
My dad owned the MDR-10R until he discovered the Beyerdynamic Custom One with DT880 velours.
He passed it down to me with a hole drilled behind each earcup for more bass.
 
I'm a bit disappointed since I can't make direct comparisons anymore between the MDR-1R Mk2. and MDR-10R.
 
Although, the MDR-10R sounds cleaner than the 1R Mk2. in my opinion. The mids have more weight, the bass compensates some of the bass loss in outdoors, and treble is more fun compared to the 1R Mk2. The 1R mk2's treble sounds distorted and doesn't match well with the rest of the music. The 10R has this distortion as well but it hides it, leaving a small treble spike to give the sound a nice sparkle.

However what the 1R Mk2. does better is balance and comfort. Say I strummed a guitar and played back the audio through the 10R. Some frequencies would be in the left channel and some frequencies would be in the right, it's a very weird listening experience.
 
Overall I prefer the 10R much more for portable usage, the 1R mk2. sounds like it's suited much better for home usage. I digress there are better headphones for half the price that sound better than the 1r mk.2 in my opinion. Though both headphones are targeted toward a "modern music listener" in which there's a lot of compressed music being passed around; the cheaper MDR-10R sounds better to my ears. 
 
I'm thinking about drilling holes in the 1R myself.
 
MDR-10R Pros
Bass quantity
Treble sparkle
Portable usage
MDR-10R Cons:
Unbalanced sound
3khz-5khz region sounds recessed (less guitar/violin/brass presence)
The bass does eventually get fatiguing
 
MDR-1R mk2. Pros
Mid/vocal presence
Comfort
Better aesthetics (in my opinion)
MDR-1R mk2. Cons
Treble sounds a bit distorted
Cable rattle
Mids sound warm but also sounds thin (a weird mix in my opinion)
 
Apr 25, 2015 at 2:33 AM Post #198 of 211
I am very impressed with these headphones.
They are a little pricey but the Noise Cancellation is really good, especially when flying.
wink_face.gif

 
May 26, 2015 at 1:03 PM Post #199 of 211
Just like to ask your opinion as Im planning to give my Shure SRH440 to my Brother and buy the Sony MDR 10R. 
Do you think I'll be making a good decision on replacing the Shure Headphones from the 10r?
 
Aug 14, 2015 at 12:22 AM Post #200 of 211
These are on sale for 90$ at Massdrop.  Worth the price?
 
Sep 3, 2015 at 8:40 PM Post #202 of 211
Well, I purchased these off the Massdrop, and I don't think they're as bad as some people make them out to be. 
 
It's all completely subjective, of course. And I do agree the sound is a bit muffled, but for the price ($100), it's a surprisingly smooth-sounding headphone. The bass is a bit boomy, but at the same time, the bass impact has a nice, satisfying texture/smoothness to it. 
 
Is it worth it at the $200 MSRP? Absolutely not, but for $100 brand new, I think it's great. I've seen some for cheaper on Ebay, but the ones I did find were refurb. 
 
Just for reference, I own a Sennheiser HD-650, Grado HP-1, and have owned the Grado RS-1 and Sony MDR-CD3000. So I'm no "noob" in the headphone realm - I know what "good" headphones sound like, and even though the 10R obviously don't compete with the aforementioned headphones, I think they're great for the 100$ range. 
 
Sep 6, 2015 at 9:54 PM Post #203 of 211
I expanded the bass port holes on the 10R and gladly liked the change. The 10r though doesn't consist much of a treble spike compared to the 1R, the 10R I can tell has a more refined treble texture. Combined with a more familiar sound signature that I'm accustomed to.
The comfort of the 10R is quite decent and these headphones have yet to disappoint in the aesthetics and construction department for me.
 
Oct 8, 2015 at 11:53 PM Post #204 of 211
Got the NC model here.
 
Sounded like what people described. Strange treble peak, recessed mids, muddy bass.The ANC makes them sound even more artificial. 
Pulled out the white felt pads protecting the drivers, and suddenly they sound pretty good. Nice detailed sound with a warmish tilt. 
 
Anyone unsatisfied with the SQ of these headphone should try removing the driver covers.
 
Dec 8, 2015 at 9:14 PM Post #205 of 211
Question...?
 
I just purchased a pair of Sony MDR-10R headphones for the LG V10...waiting for delivery on Thursday.
I've researched and it appears to be a very mixed bag regarding their sound quality. 
There seems to be more cons vs pros...but taking the chance on Amazon for under $80, I figured it might be worth a try.
Wanted to keep my purchase under $100 or as inexpensive as possible.
 
I currently listen with SoundMAGIC E10S EIM which I recently purchased.
I also own a pair of Sony MDR-V900 (original from 1999) and Logitech UE6000.
Don't really want to mention, but a pair of Monster iBeats too.
 
How does the Sony MDR-10R's compare...better or worst to my list of headphones?
 
My listening choices are usually more mainstream POP, R&B, JAZZ, DANCE (House/Techno) and CLASSICAL.
 
Any comments will be greatly appreciated.
 
Jan 6, 2016 at 10:20 AM Post #206 of 211
Hi,
 
I have now installed a pair of pads from Brainwavz Audio: Headphone Memory Foam Earpads - Hybrid
 
To install them I have currently just removed the original pads as per vantt1's description (thanks) and threaded the whole earcup inside the pad "flanges".
 
It is certainly more leaky than the original ones but the bass is much more neutral (and correct in my ears). I no longer need to EQ them.
 
Best of all they're SO MUCH more comfortable! Its like wearing those soft animal paw slippers on my ears :)
I'm using the Sennheiser HD598 at home and OK they are even more omfortable, but this is about the closest yet to those that I have ever tried. You can easily wear them nonstop for a full workday.
 
I paid $26.50 USD for them with free shipping so its a no-brainer for the comfort alone and IMHO they sound better too.
 
Some pictures:
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony%20MDR10%20with%20brainwavz%20hybrid%20pads/20151127_160825.jpg
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony%20MDR10%20with%20brainwavz%20hybrid%20pads/20160106_155419.jpg
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony%20MDR10%20with%20brainwavz%20hybrid%20pads/20160106_155438.jpg
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony%20MDR10%20with%20brainwavz%20hybrid%20pads/20160106_155455.jpg
 
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony%20MDR10%20with%20brainwavz%20hybrid%20pads/20160106_155508.jpg
 
Nov 13, 2016 at 9:21 PM Post #207 of 211
Just got a pair, on clearance, plus my discount (I work there) For them for $60 Canadian.
 
I wouldn't say the most neutral sound (still rather flat compairitive to other in the price range, phones can sometimes have a bit of trouble driving them. (My laptop has 0 problem, mind you it can even drive my t50rps. Obviously my Mangi 2u.). Light weight, alright sound stage, more detailed and tighter then I expected. Responds reasonably well to different sources.
 
I dont know if they are worth $200.Maybe Im just too spoiled with my T50RPs. Once an orthrohead, always an orthrohead.
 
Nov 2, 2018 at 9:44 AM Post #209 of 211
Hi, I have had my Sony MDR 10R's for a very long time, yesterday, out of boredom I finally decided to mod my headphones.
notes:
I noticed the bass issues were similar to the Sony MDR Z7's, granted the Z7's were vastly superior and the bloat was not remotely close to the levels the 10R produced. Consequently, all my changes were based off what I did for my Z7's.
To remove the pad, push inwards on the ring holding the pad.

Tape:
I applied surgical tape to the back housing as I noticed it lacked any sort of material to prevent reflection of sound, the same thing was done on the back of the driver and exposed areas between the ear and the driver. This made the bass a little more punchy and controlled, it also improved the seperation of the other frequencies from the bass.

Foam removal:
I also removed the large foam surround of the driver underneath the earpad, allowing for a much larger volume of air for the driver to work with. This Had a drastic change in improving soundstage dramatically while further reducing bass bleed.

Bass port changes:
I avoided messing with the port on the top of the cups. A second port next to the hinges exists. When covered, this drastically tames the strong bass, if you prefer less bass, cover it from the inside when applying the surgical tape. If you want a smaller bass reduction, find a porous foam, tear a tiny chunk out and stuff into the hole or cover half of it from the inside. I found this allowed for a common middle ground to retain the original sound signature while making it less overbearing.

Pad changes:
I personally didn't perform any pad changes but these headphones would benefit from larger pads and/or hybrid pads to improve soundstage, seperation and to tame the bass slightly.


Overall, these mods are cheap and highly recommended.
 
Last edited:
Jan 15, 2021 at 2:00 AM Post #210 of 211
Hi,

I have now installed a pair of pads from Brainwavz Audio: Headphone Memory Foam Earpads - Hybrid

To install them I have currently just removed the original pads as per vantt1's description (thanks) and threaded the whole earcup inside the pad "flanges".

It is certainly more leaky than the original ones but the bass is much more neutral (and correct in my ears). I no longer need to EQ them.

Best of all they're SO MUCH more comfortable! Its like wearing those soft animal paw slippers on my ears :)
I'm using the Sennheiser HD598 at home and OK they are even more omfortable, but this is about the closest yet to those that I have ever tried. You can easily wear them nonstop for a full workday.

I paid $26.50 USD for them with free shipping so its a no-brainer for the comfort alone and IMHO they sound better too.

Some pictures:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony MDR10 with brainwavz hybrid pads/20151127_160825.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony MDR10 with brainwavz hybrid pads/20160106_155419.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony MDR10 with brainwavz hybrid pads/20160106_155438.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony MDR10 with brainwavz hybrid pads/20160106_155455.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43456156/Sony MDR10 with brainwavz hybrid pads/20160106_155508.jpg
The cushions on mine tore a few months ago during WFH, so I had to do a cushion replacement of my own.

773BEA45-4957-425E-AB47-FDB6C99E643D.jpeg

I bought the new cushions off of eBay, and they're fairly average quality. Definitely nothing to write home about.

35643F53-421D-4E61-BFD2-D5E365773C7F.jpeg

New (left) vs. old (right). The original cushions fit waaay better. The left side ended up being leakier than the right side.

Hi, I have had my Sony MDR 10R's for a very long time, yesterday, out of boredom I finally decided to mod my headphones.
notes:
I noticed the bass issues were similar to the Sony MDR Z7's, granted the Z7's were vastly superior and the bloat was not remotely close to the levels the 10R produced. Consequently, all my changes were based off what I did for my Z7's.
To remove the pad, push inwards on the ring holding the pad.

Tape:
I applied surgical tape to the back housing as I noticed it lacked any sort of material to prevent reflection of sound, the same thing was done on the back of the driver and exposed areas between the ear and the driver. This made the bass a little more punchy and controlled, it also improved the seperation of the other frequencies from the bass.

Foam removal:
I also removed the large foam surround of the driver underneath the earpad, allowing for a much larger volume of air for the driver to work with. This Had a drastic change in improving soundstage dramatically while further reducing bass bleed.

Bass port changes:
I avoided messing with the port on the top of the cups. A second port next to the hinges exists. When covered, this drastically tames the strong bass, if you prefer less bass, cover it from the inside when applying the surgical tape. If you want a smaller bass reduction, find a porous foam, tear a tiny chunk out and stuff into the hole or cover half of it from the inside. I found this allowed for a common middle ground to retain the original sound signature while making it less overbearing.

Pad changes:
I personally didn't perform any pad changes but these headphones would benefit from larger pads and/or hybrid pads to improve soundstage, seperation and to tame the bass slightly.


Overall, these mods are cheap and highly recommended.
Good to know!
 

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