[alicemalt77]

So, hows the 100aap?

On another note, replaced my ATH M50s with the MDR-100AAP. Also tried the MDR-1A. After ~2 hrs with each headphone, the MDR-100AAP seemed like the obvious choice.

 

[MasterMoe]

So, hows the 100aap?

 
Comfort: I wear glasses and have a relatively big head so this is important to me.
ATH M50 (the original-not X): heavier than I feel they need to be and the clamp force is unreasonably tight. Can only wear for ~1hr. 5.5/10
MDR-1A: They're light and fit wonderfully. Feel slightly looser than the MDR-100aap. Can wear for hours. 9/10
MDR-100aap: These are also light and fit great. They clamp just a bit tighter than the MDR-1A. The top headband also isn't quite as comfortable as the MDR-1A. Can wear for hours. 8/10
 
Durability: This isn't at all objective as the only way to tell is to intentionally abuse each pair. Sometimes a durable-feeling pair of headphones have a weak joint or a light pair of phones are more durable than they feel.
ATH M50: Heavy, flexible, and built like a tank. 9/10
MDR-1A: Feels premium but doesn't feel like it can take abuse like the ATH M50. 7.5/10
MDR-100aap: Same as the 1A but the lack of substantial swivel is odd. 7/10
 
Aesthetics: Very subjective. However, I think it would be hard for anyone to argue the ATH-M50s are better looking than either of the Sonys. I would never go out wearing the Audio Technicas.
ATH M50: 6/10
MDR-1A: 9.5/10 (these simply look like very expensive headphones)
MDR-100aap: 8.5/10 (these don't look particularly premium) 
 
Sound: This is also outlandishly subjective. Please read my headphone experience below to gauge how applicable this is to you. I think my thoughts will be relatively consistent with most of the reviews out there.
ATH-M50: These initially sound fun and have better separation in the mids. But the harsh high-end and the slightly sloppy bass made them fatiguing for long listening sessions. 7/10
MDR-1A: These sound very similar to the MDR-100aap but have a more aggressive low-end. Overly aggressive in my opinion. 8/10
MDR-100aap: These basically sound like the MDR-1A if the bass were more subtle. These are definitely NOT bass-deficient headphones by any stretch of the imagination but it's more tight. The word i'd use to describe these headphones is balanced. These aren't for bass-heads. These aren't for folks who want very well-defined and pronounced highs at the expense of everything else. And the mids are solid but nothing spectacular. It's the fact that it's all so well-balanced that make these great for so many people. Initially, they seem to lack the life that the ATH M50s possess but this also means you can use these for longer stretches- they aren't remotely as fatiguing. It didn't take much time for these to grow on me. They are absolutely worth the money. These headphones don't inspire confidence at first but grow on you very quickly. If they were the same price, these headphones make the ATH M50x nearly irrelevant in my opinion. 9/10
 
My experience with headphones: Sennheiser HD 515, Ultrasone Proline 650, Audio Technica ATH M50, Sony MDR 1A (briefly for comparison). I've also tried several other headphones in the past. I found Sennheisers to often be too dull on the high-end- I understand what folks mean when they refer to the Sennheiser veil. I got bored with most of them. The Ultrasones were heavy, uncomfortable, and sacrificed the mid-range to get a better perceived soundstage. Sold those.The ATH M50s were my daily drivers for two years but I always went back to my near-field Presonus studio monitors because the headphones were too aggressive and they fatigued my ears. What I will say is they aren't as misty-sounding in the mid-range and have better separation than the Sony headphones. However, the highs sound more shrill and the bass is more sloppy than the MDR-100aap. The Sony MDR-1A were great but the base was a bit excessive for me and lacked a bit of clarity. I wanted something more subdued. I've also tried AKG & Grado headphones and have always hated their sound signature- the high end was overly pronounced and the bass was a bit anemic. I just don't like them.  I spend ~3/4 of my time with my Presonus Ceres 3.5BT nearfield studio monitors.

 

[MasterMoe]

Btw, I haven't tried these out and about but didn't mind the reduced isolation while trying them out at BestBuy. Definitely wasn't a dealbreaker.
 
For the lay person like myself, I think the trustedreviews review was pretty damn accurate
 
http://www.trustedreviews.com/sony-h-ear-on-mdr-100aap-review

 

[Mickice]

  The wireless ones will be ~$500+ with the tax included here in Canada. Regardless of disposable income, I can't justify that price point. If the Canadian dollar bounces back and I can find a pair on sale for under $375 CAD (which isn't a stretch within the next year), I may pick them up. But i'll wait for reviews first. I'm a bit apprehensive about the weight though- 300g is on the very high end for me.
 
On another note, replaced my ATH M50s with the MDR-100AAP. Also tried the MDR-1A. After ~2 hrs with each headphone, the MDR-100AAP seemed like the obvious choice.

It would look ugly, but you could strap / plug in a Bluetooth receiver into the standard model. 

 

[MasterMoe]

It would look ugly, but you could strap / plug in a Bluetooth receiver into the standard model. 

Ha! I'd rather just pay full price for the actual bluetooth SKU.

 

[harry501501]

   
Comfort: I wear glasses and have a relatively big head so this is important to me.
ATH M50 (the original-not X): heavier than I feel they need to be and the clamp force is unreasonably tight. Can only wear for ~1hr. 5.5/10
MDR-1A: They're light and fit wonderfully. Feel slightly looser than the MDR-100aap. Can wear for hours. 9/10
MDR-100aap: These are also light and fit great. They clamp just a bit tighter than the MDR-1A. The top headband also isn't quite as comfortable as the MDR-1A. Can wear for hours. 8/10
 
Durability: This isn't at all objective as the only way to tell is to intentionally abuse each pair. Sometimes a durable-feeling pair of headphones have a weak joint or a light pair of phones are more durable than they feel.
ATH M50: Heavy, flexible, and built like a tank. 9/10
MDR-1A: Feels premium but doesn't feel like it can take abuse like the ATH M50. 7.5/10
MDR-100aap: Same as the 1A but the lack of substantial swivel is odd. 7/10
 
Aesthetics: Very subjective. However, I think it would be hard for anyone to argue the ATH-M50s are better looking than either of the Sonys. I would never go out wearing the Audio Technicas.
ATH M50: 6/10
MDR-1A: 9.5/10 (these simply look like very expensive headphones)
MDR-100aap: 8.5/10 (these don't look particularly premium) 
 
Sound: This is also outlandishly subjective. Please read my headphone experience below to gauge how applicable this is to you. I think my thoughts will be relatively consistent with most of the reviews out there.
ATH-M50: These initially sound fun and have better separation in the mids. But the harsh high-end and the slightly sloppy bass made them fatiguing for long listening sessions. 7/10
MDR-1A: These sound very similar to the MDR-100aap but have a more aggressive low-end. Overly aggressive in my opinion. 8/10
MDR-100aap: These basically sound like the MDR-1A if the bass were more subtle. These are definitely NOT bass-deficient headphones by any stretch of the imagination but it's more tight. The word i'd use to describe these headphones is balanced. These aren't for bass-heads. These aren't for folks who want very well-defined and pronounced highs at the expense of everything else. And the mids are solid but nothing spectacular. It's the fact that it's all so well-balanced that make these great for so many people. Initially, they seem to lack the life that the ATH M50s possess but this also means you can use these for longer stretches- they aren't remotely as fatiguing. It didn't take much time for these to grow on me. They are absolutely worth the money. These headphones don't inspire confidence at first but grow on you very quickly. If they were the same price, these headphones make the ATH M50x nearly irrelevant in my opinion. 9/10
 
My experience with headphones: Sennheiser HD 515, Ultrasone Proline 650, Audio Technica ATH M50, Sony MDR 1A (briefly for comparison). I've also tried several other headphones in the past. I found Sennheisers to often be too dull on the high-end- I understand what folks mean when they refer to the Sennheiser veil. I got bored with most of them. The Ultrasones were heavy, uncomfortable, and sacrificed the mid-range to get a better perceived soundstage. Sold those.The ATH M50s were my daily drivers for two years but I always went back to my near-field Presonus studio monitors because the headphones were too aggressive and they fatigued my ears. What I will say is they aren't as misty-sounding in the mid-range and have better separation than the Sony headphones. However, the highs sound more shrill and the bass is more sloppy than the MDR-100aap. The Sony MDR-1A were great but the base was a bit excessive for me and lacked a bit of clarity. I wanted something more subdued. I've also tried AKG & Grado headphones and have always hated their sound signature- the high end was overly pronounced and the bass was a bit anemic. I just don't like them.  I spend ~3/4 of my time with my Presonus Ceres 3.5BT nearfield studio monitors.

 
Hi, this is a great comparison. I just returned Grado sr80es and then AKG K550s for the exact same reasons (aggressively bright and boring, the 'Grado sound' especially is MUCH over rated IMO). I'm looking for a bit more of a fun sounding pair, warm with decent clarity if possible at this price range. I'm thinking the MDR 1As sounds a better option over the MDR 1AAPs (too bright) and m50xs (hit and miss)? I'm also looking at DT770s though but still waiting for someone who can hopefully compare them both.

 

[gikigill]

Selling my set if anyone is interested. Postage worldwide.

 

[MasterMoe]

   
Hi, this is a great comparison. I just returned Grado sr80es and then AKG K550s for the exact same reasons (aggressively bright and boring, the 'Grado sound' especially is MUCH over rated IMO). I'm looking for a bit more of a fun sounding pair, warm with decent clarity if possible at this price range. I'm thinking the MDR 1As sounds a better option over the MDR 1AAPs (too bright) and m50xs (hit and miss)? I'm also looking at DT770s though but still waiting for someone who can hopefully compare them both.

 
The issue with buying headphones these days is there are so many options that it's hard to pick one, especially as your preferences become more refined. The benefit is there is less of a need to compromise.
 
Depends on what you're looking for. Besides sound, how would you rank other factors? There are so many reasons to like the MDR 1AAPs and MDR 1As but a major factor is that the sound profile, light weight, and comfort allow for one to listen to these things for hours with minimal fatigue. I also found weight to be a major factor. There are loads of 275g+ headphones with comfy ear cushions and limited cIamping force but the sheer weight of those headphones become annoying after a while. If you haven't already, I would seriously recommend taking weight  into account. That was a primary reason why several Bose headphones were so darn comfortable and portable- the darn things weighed ~200g.  found myself preferring to use my cheap earbuds over my ATH M50 phones when my roommate needed quiet because I would compromise on sound quality for comfort.
 
I can provide a few other recommendations if you answer the below questions.
 
How much of a concern is appearance to you?
Closed/ Open/ or both?
Portability a concern?
Do you wear glasses? Do you have a big head?
Have you tried any popular Sennheiser headphones? Thoughts?
 
Cheers!

 

[DaejeonCitizen]

Has anyone experienced any bass rattle with their pair? The left cup on mine is rattling randomly at certain times. It's especially pronounced on Carole King's Tapestry album if anyone has it to test. 'You've got a friend' around 1:40 is a big tell-tale with mine. The thing is: it's random. At some times it rattles horribly and sounds like someone is farting in my ear. At other times it doesn't exist. I have tried my Sennheiser 598s with the same source and they don't exhibit the same traits. Very strange...

 

[turbobb]

DaejeonCitizen - not rattling due to bass but rather because the entire driver is loose in right cup. First noticed it as I was walking down the stairs then upon examination, noticed the whole driver was just shifting around. Will try to take apart to fix.

Any chance your driver is loose (and as it's not seated properly thus causing the rattle)?

 

[DaejeonCitizen]

@DaejeonCitizen - not rattling due to bass but rather because the entire driver is loose in right cup. First noticed it as I was walking down the stairs then upon examination, noticed the whole driver was just shifting around. Will try to take apart to fix.

Any chance your driver is loose (and as it's not seated properly thus causing the rattle)?

Thanks for the suggestion. 
 
I had a look at the driver and it appears to be secure. I called Sony on Friday and they said to bring it in to a service center and have them take a look at it. I'm worried that when they test it, it will not exhibit the strange noise it occasionally does with me though. 

 

[eddiejung]

Have anyone tried the nc bt bersion? How is bluetooth connection? I used to have 10RBT and it freuqntly got disconnected.

 

[turbobb]

@DaejeonCitizen - I checked the track @ the time specified and no rattle on mine. Hopefully the service center will get it sorted for you. I imported mine so won't be able to leverage that but will try to get them apart and repair them. Here's a vid I created re: a replacement cable and a new semi-rigid case I had purchased for this and the 100ABN. I document the rattling issue @ 1:33 into the vid:

 

[DaejeonCitizen]

  @DaejeonCitizen - I checked the track @ the time specified and no rattle on mine. Hopefully the service center will get it sorted for you. I imported mine so won't be able to leverage that but will try to get them apart and repair them. Here's a vid I created re: a replacement cable and a new semi-rigid case I had purchased for this and the 100ABN. I document the rattling issue @ 1:33 into the vid:
 

 
Thanks so much for testing the track. Mine now isn't making the weird noise. I don't know what's up with it. I'm still going to take it in to Sony eventually but it's not an emergency. There isn't a Sony center in my city so it's a bit of a trek. 
 
Nice cable BTW! The stock cable definitely introduces noise into the ear when walking, which is annoying.

 

[Mickice]

Mine are abused and don't rattle or give microphonics while walking Guess I am lucky.