[Alexander59]

Hi guys new member here from Scotland-I read this post all the way through just the other day -which prompted me to buy a pair of Sony MDR-100AAPs from eBay -second hand for £35 in blue.Ive noticed it seems to be difficult to pull the cable jack away from the headphone socket -I don’t want to damaged it -not sure if it’s locked in or easily pulled out like the 1As-maybe it’s been worn outside and rainwater has got in somehow & corroded it-the sound is fine -looks like I’m stuck with it until the cable eventually gives up the ghost-& then I’ll have to remove it somehow -I don’t know if to spray something into the slight gap to somehow get the jack plug to easily pull out -I’m happy with how this headphone sounds on my iPod Classic /Sony NW-a3000 & HD-1/3 mp3 players without using my fiio headphone amplifier -so I suppose it’s a case of don’t fix what isn’t technically broken somehow.

 

[FYLegend]

How does the WH-H600A compare to the MDR-100AAP? Doesn't seem very widely released in favour of the WH-H900A although I have seen the 600A at a store in Taiwan.

 

[ADUHF]

Late to "the party", as they say. My AKG K553's are gettin pretty warn out. So thought I'd look around at a couple other brands/models for an eventual replacement in the sub-$200 range. I've already found a couple other potential options for less than $150. But still lookin for some other ideas.

Imaging and distortion look about average on these MDR-100AAP's. But the tonal response looks better than the Sony MDR-75xx's... provided you don't mind a somewhat bassier sound.

rtings MDR-100AAP Raw FR Response for Left & Right Ears

MDR-7506 FR Response for Comparison...

MDR-7520

 

[ADUHF]

The tonal balance on these MDR-100AAP's look somewhat similar to the Beats Solo 2's, which I have tried (the older wired versions anyway). And the Solo 2's were a little thick in the upper bass for my taste. Both have impressively smooth response though from the bass to the lower treble. I believe the Solo 2's achieved that smoothness via their tight on-ear coupling, which I found somewhat uncomfortable. These Sonys are (supposedly) over-ear though, rather than on-ear.

 

[ADUHF]

Comparison of MDR-100AAP & Audio-Technica M50X Raw FR Response

MDR-100AAP

AT M50X

The M50x looks a little better balanced overall, but not as smooth.

 

[ADUHF]

Comparison of MDR-100AAP & AKG K371 (another HP I've been lookin at).

MDR-100AAP

AKG K371

Except for the bump in the sub-bass, the tonal balance of the AKG K371 reminds me of some planar magnetics, like the HiFiMans and Audezes, with that long mostly flat response in the bass and midrange. The build quality of the AKG's concerns me a little though, based on my past experience with the K553.

 

[ADUHF]

Is there anything else I should be lookin at in terms of closed or semi-open over-ear HPs right now in this price range, or less, with a fairly neutral (or slightly bassy) response, and decent extension?

 

[ADUHF]

Distortion Comparison.

Sony MDR-100AAP

Sony MDR-7506

Audio Technica M50X

AKG K371

The Audio Technica M50x looks like the best performer of the 4 headphones above in this test. If the above graphs can be believed, the AKG K371 actually appears to have greater distortion at 90 dB SPL, than at 100 dB SPL, which seems a little odd.

I'm not considering getting the AT M50/x btw, because it fits very uncomfortably on my ears. And has a rather plastic/wooden sound to my ears. It is one of the standards in the music industry though. So I sometimes find it useful for comparison purposes.

The Sony MDR-100AAP and AKG K371 also do not have very open soundstages according to rtings. The MDR-100AAP gets a 4.4 for openness, while the K371 gets a 4.5.

One would think that an over-the-ear HP like these would have a more open sound than an on-ear headphone, due to great pinna interaction. rtings gave the on-ear Beats Solo 2 a higher score for openness though of 7.0, which is sort of interesting.

 

[hifi80sman]

Distortion Comparison.

Sony MDR-100AAP

Sony MDR-7506

Audio Technica M50X

AKG K371

The Audio Technica M50x looks like the best performer of the 4 headphones above in this test. If the above graphs can be believed, the AKG K371 actually appears to have greater distortion at 90 dB SPL, than at 100 dB SPL, which seems a little odd.

I'm not considering getting the AT M50/x btw, because it fits very uncomfortably on my ears. And has a rather plastic/wooden sound to my ears. It is one of the standards in the music industry though. So I sometimes find it useful for comparison purposes.

The Sony MDR-100AAP and AKG K371 also do not have very open soundstages according to rtings. The MDR-100AAP gets a 4.4 for openness, while the K371 gets a 4.5.

One would think that an over-the-ear HP like these would have a more open sound than an on-ear headphone, due to great pinna interaction. rtings gave the on-ear Beats Solo 2 a higher score for openness though of 7.0, which is sort of interesting.

I find I typically disagree with rtings.com when it comes to soundstage. If in fact the Beats Solo 2 is rated higher in terms of soundstage than the Sony MDR-100AAP, it's difficult to comprehend how they came up with that other than some type of testing error.

The cups on the Sony MDR-100AAP sit the driver back further from your ears than the Beats Solo 2 and M50x, so there is an increased sense of space over the two. Obviously, they are closed back, so there are limitations to how open sounding they are, but relative to other closed backs, they are above average.

 

[ADUHF]

I find I typically disagree with rtings.com when it comes to soundstage. If in fact the Beats Solo 2 is rated higher in terms of soundstage than the Sony MDR-100AAP, it's difficult to comprehend how they came up with that other than some type of testing error.

The cups on the Sony MDR-100AAP sit the driver back further from your ears than the Beats Solo 2 and M50x, so there is an increased sense of space over the two. Obviously, they are closed back, so there are limitations to how open sounding they are, but relative to other closed backs, they are above average.

Thank you for the reply, hifi80sman.

I took a closer look at some of rtings' results, and it looks there was a revision in their testing methodology between the Beats Solo 2 review (which used methodology 1.0), and the Sony MDR-100AAP (which used methodology 1.3.1). So that may well account for the discrepancy in the soundstage scores between the two. I believe some other headphone's soundstage scores also went down with the newer methodologies.

FYI, the Sony MDR-100AAP has a higher overall soundstage score (which takes other factors into account than just "openness") than the Beats Solo 2. Here's how the headphones break down in terms of their overall soundstage scores...

Sony MDR-100AAP = 7.0 (Meth. 1.3.1)
Beats Solo2 = 5.9 (Meth. 1.0)
Audio Technica M50x = 5.4 "Passive Soundstage" (Meth. 1.4)
AKG K371 = 4.7 "Passive Soundstage" (Meth. 1.4)

Whether this is a fair apples-to-apples comparison, I don't know. Maybe the Solo2's overall soundstage score would also go down if it was re-tested with one of the newer methodologies.

Do you currently have the MDR-100AAP? And if so, how are you likin it, esp. in terms of the fit and sound signature?... And do you have any suggestions for other closed or semi-open over-the-ear HPs in a similar or lower price range that I should be lookin at?

 

[jb2unique]

Really late to this one...

For anyone who may still have the 100AAP, how are they compare to 1AM2?

Does anyone know if the in ear version MDR EX750AP has the same sound as the headphones? I cannot seem find anything online - not even this thread about the in ear version released at the same time.

 

[xeizo]

In-ear sounds so different to over-ear it's meaningless to compare, different animals each has their own following.

I have the WH-H900N (h.e.a.r 2) which is the successor to the can of this thread, same 40mm Titanium-drivers, upgraded electronics. And I have the MDR-1AM2. As far as SQ goes the MDR-1AM2 is much better, it's also more comfortable. However, I like the WH-H900N anyway, they are my best Bluetooth cans and sound is totally good enough for being on the move. SQ can be improved much on Android by changing some Bluetooth-settings under Developer settings, default settings on Android are not HiFi but rather mp3-level (to save battery I guess).

 

[jb2unique]

I have the WH-H900N (h.e.a.r 2) which is the successor to the can of this thread, same 40mm Titanium-drivers, upgraded electronics. And I have the MDR-1AM2. As far as SQ goes the MDR-1AM2 is much better, it's also more comfortable. However, I like the WH-H900N anyway, they are my best Bluetooth cans and sound is totally good enough for being on the move. SQ can be improved much on Android by changing some Bluetooth-settings under Developer settings, default settings on Android are not HiFi but rather mp3-level (to save battery I guess).

Well, sounds like I am not missing anything with the 100AAP since I also have the 1AM2.

Thank you!