[Joakim Agren]

My Audio Technica ATH-M50 recently cracked in one of the hinges after more then 4.5 years of daily usage. Have duck taped them Macgyver style for the time being

 but basically I need a new set of cans now to be happy again...

 
And these new Sony's MDR-100AAP is on my short list for contenders. I could just get the new ATH-M50X but I am feeling that I want to try something new for the fun of it, something that is even better. I have been enjoying my ATH-M50 for the past 4.5 years and back then they where the kings for cans below $200 (are they still?). Very fun sounding and yet not too imbalanced so still have a good amount of clarity and the bass do not destroy the mids or the treble so can still enjoy female vocals and violins. I listen to to a wide range of music so need good all rounders and ATH-M50 have served me well over the years.
 
I will be using the headphones mostly with my stationary PC that is my main place I listen to music trough iTunes, Spotify and YouTube I also watch some movies, TV and occasional gaming. I have them connected to my Asus Xonar DG sound card with built in head phone amp. My ATH-M50 really perform much better when using a amp like this compared to just connecting it to a portable player or phone.
 
So is this MDR-100AAP a good choice for me to use with a PC like this or are they just for portable use? I am tempted because I think they look good and I like the lime the orange and the blue/green ones the best. I can get the lime green one for 146 Euro or $159 shipped to me here in Sweden. So I am tempted...
 
Things that concern me are the short cable of only 4 feet (120 cm), I would prefer at least 6'7" or 200 cm long cable, my current ATH-M50 have a 10 foot cable or 3 meters which actually is a bit too long for me. 40 mm drivers compared to 45 mm on my current ATH-M50 will this not make the sound a bit anemic? I like a good amount of volume and fullness to the sound... I read that these Sony's tend to crack as low as 95 dB and that concerns me...
 
I also need them to have a good amount of sound isolation but not too much, if someone is shouting for me I need to hear it. I find that the sound isolation in my current ATH-M50 to have the right amount of isolation. I also need the cans not to leak too much sound so that I do not disturb my family at night. How is the sound isolation and leakage on these Sony's?
 
Other cans I am considering are the V-Moda Crossfade M100 and Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 over ears, great looking head phones with what appear to be great quality and mostly good reviews. But those are on the expensive side, I can find them in the $230-$250 range. That is my max budget for head phones.

 

[329161]

My Audio Technica ATH-M50 recently cracked in one of the hinges after more then 4.5 years of daily usage. Have duck taped them Macgyver style for the time being  but basically I need a new set of cans now to be happy again...

And these new Sony's MDR-100AAP is on my short list for contenders. I could just get the new ATH-M50X but I am feeling that I want to try something new for the fun of it, something that is even better. I have been enjoying my ATH-M50 for the past 4.5 years and back then they where the kings for cans below $200 (are they still?). Very fun sounding and yet not too imbalanced so still have a good amount of clarity and the bass do not destroy the mids or the treble so can still enjoy female vocals and violins. I listen to to a wide range of music so need good all rounders and ATH-M50 have served me well over the years.

I will be using the headphones mostly with my stationary PC that is my main place I listen to music trough iTunes, Spotify and YouTube I also watch some movies, TV and occasional gaming. I have them connected to my Asus Xonar DG sound card with built in head phone amp. My ATH-M50 really perform much better when using a amp like this compared to just connecting it to a portable player or phone.

So is this MDR-100AAP a good choice for me to use with a PC like this or are they just for portable use? I am tempted because I think they look good and I like the lime the orange and the blue/green ones the best. I can get the lime green one for 146 Euro or $159 shipped to me here in Sweden. So I am tempted...

Things that concern me are the short cable of only 4 feet (120 cm), I would prefer at least 6'7" or 200 cm long cable, my current ATH-M50 have a 10 foot cable or 3 meters which actually is a bit too long for me. 40 mm drivers compared to 45 mm on my current ATH-M50 will this not make the sound a bit anemic? I like a good amount of volume and fullness to the sound... I read that these Sony's tend to crack as low as 95 dB and that concerns me...

I also need them to have a good amount of sound isolation but not too much, if someone is shouting for me I need to hear it. I find that the sound isolation in my current ATH-M50 to have the right amount of isolation. I also need the cans not to leak too much sound so that I do not disturb my family at night. How is the sound isolation and leakage on these Sony's?

Other cans I am considering are the V-Moda Crossfade M100 and Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 over ears, great looking head phones with what appear to be great quality and mostly good reviews. But those are on the expensive side, I can find them in the $230-$250 range. That is my max budget for head phones.

I owned the original m50 and sold it for the m50x. AT said the only difference was the replaceable cable, but I think the m50x is better with more controlled bass. I'm not the only one who thinks that. I owned the 100aap for a month and sold it. I got bored of the undynamic sound. I found the bass would break up as well (I listen to a lot of electronic music). You should really try these headphones and not take the word of a few overzealous fans (myself included). If you want to spend more then the Oppo pm3 is well worth it outperforming models costing twice as much. They sound good out of standard gear, and even better out of better quality sources. LISTEN FOR YOURSELF. Read as many other reviews from other sources as well, eg whathifi and headfonia. I got sucked into buying headphones here based on a lot of unjustified (and uninformed) overhype here at headfi, that I ended up being disappointed with.
Edit- give the new V Moda CF Wireless a try as well. Even in wireless mode they sound better than the Sonys......all my opinion once again.

 

[chailee80]

  My Audio Technica ATH-M50 recently cracked in one of the hinges after more then 4.5 years of daily usage. Have duck taped them Macgyver style for the time being

 but basically I need a new set of cans now to be happy again...

 
And these new Sony's MDR-100AAP is on my short list for contenders. I could just get the new ATH-M50X but I am feeling that I want to try something new for the fun of it, something that is even better. I have been enjoying my ATH-M50 for the past 4.5 years and back then they where the kings for cans below $200 (are they still?). Very fun sounding and yet not too imbalanced so still have a good amount of clarity and the bass do not destroy the mids or the treble so can still enjoy female vocals and violins. I listen to to a wide range of music so need good all rounders and ATH-M50 have served me well over the years.
 
I will be using the headphones mostly with my stationary PC that is my main place I listen to music trough iTunes, Spotify and YouTube I also watch some movies, TV and occasional gaming. I have them connected to my Asus Xonar DG sound card with built in head phone amp. My ATH-M50 really perform much better when using a amp like this compared to just connecting it to a portable player or phone.
 
So is this MDR-100AAP a good choice for me to use with a PC like this or are they just for portable use? I am tempted because I think they look good and I like the lime the orange and the blue/green ones the best. I can get the lime green one for 146 Euro or $159 shipped to me here in Sweden. So I am tempted...
 
Things that concern me are the short cable of only 4 feet (120 cm), I would prefer at least 6'7" or 200 cm long cable, my current ATH-M50 have a 10 foot cable or 3 meters which actually is a bit too long for me. 40 mm drivers compared to 45 mm on my current ATH-M50 will this not make the sound a bit anemic? I like a good amount of volume and fullness to the sound... I read that these Sony's tend to crack as low as 95 dB and that concerns me...
 
I also need them to have a good amount of sound isolation but not too much, if someone is shouting for me I need to hear it. I find that the sound isolation in my current ATH-M50 to have the right amount of isolation. I also need the cans not to leak too much sound so that I do not disturb my family at night. How is the sound isolation and leakage on these Sony's?
 
Other cans I am considering are the V-Moda Crossfade M100 and Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 over ears, great looking head phones with what appear to be great quality and mostly good reviews. But those are on the expensive side, I can find them in the $230-$250 range. That is my max budget for head phones.

Depends how you plan to use them, the m50 is designed for studio type use where as the 100aap is consumer orientated.
The main difference will be in the treble, the m50 is brighter and more analytical than the 100aap. The 100aap also has a recessed socket which i have not been able to find a cable that will fit so im forced to use an extension cable instead. I havent had any issues with the sound distorting when on the loud side from my ipad, even at max volume i havent noticed anything and no one should be listening that loud anyway imo. Although leakage is minimal they dont isolate as well as the m50, i'd say isolation is average or slightly below for a closed can. The momentum 2 is more expensive but is a better all round headphone imo, it sounds better with a more accurate tonality to my ears as well as having a better build quality. Theres also a good selection of sennheiser and aftermarket cables available.
If you like the m50 you could also have a look at the other cans AT make like the MSR7 and m70x.

 

[329161]

Depends how you plan to use them, the m50 is designed for studio type use where as the 100aap is consumer orientated.

The main difference will be in the treble, the m50 is brighter and more analytical than the 100aap. The 100aap also has a recessed socket which i have not been able to find a cable that will fit so im forced to use an extension cable instead. I havent had any issues with the sound distorting when on the loud side from my ipad, even at max volume i havent noticed anything and no one should be listening that loud anyway imo. Although leakage is minimal they dont isolate as well as the m50, i'd say isolation is average or slightly below for a closed can. The momentum 2 is more expensive but is a better all round headphone imo, it sounds better with a more accurate tonality to my ears as well as having a better build quality. Theres also a good selection of sennheiser and aftermarket cables available.
If you like the m50 you could also have a look at the other cans AT make like the MSR7 and m70x.

Good call, but the msr7 and m70x are more treble balanced.

 

[chailee80]

Good call, but the msr7 and m70x are more treble balanced.

Yeah they're tuned a bit differently but still maintain the AT house sound. The 100aap is a pretty good all rounder, compact for portable use and comfortable for home listening. They've got plenty of low end rumble for movies and their soundstage is quite immersive, i've used them for playing black ops 3 and battlefront and they seem to do a fairly good job.

 

[329161]

Yeah they're tuned a bit differently but still maintain the AT house sound. The 100aap is a pretty good all rounder, compact for portable use and comfortable for home listening. They've got plenty of low end rumble for movies and their soundstage is quite immersive, i've used them for playing black ops 3 and battlefront and they seem to do a fairly good job.

Yep, the Sonys are worth the money, but I don't like them for the reasons mentioned.

 

[SyCo87]

So right now I have a opportunity to get the MDR10R for $64 before tax and the H.ear's for $134 before tax. Which one do you guys think is a better deal?

Edit: The best Headphones I have right now are the V-Moda M-80s.

 

[dweaver]

The 100aap is more balanced sounding of the two which will be more like your M80. The 10R is much warmer sounding and does not have as extended a bass.

 

[Mickice]

With the release of the wireless version, I think SONY might fire sale all the 1R / 1A / 10R headphones. Clean the slate and start fresh.

 

[dragion]

  With the release of the wireless version, I think SONY might fire sale all the 1R / 1A / 10R headphones. Clean the slate and start fresh.

If that is the case, I hope to sell my MDR-10R's soon...I'm looking forward to the wireless MDR-100AAP!
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/793003/sony-mdr-10r-hi-res-stereo-wired-headphones
http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/ele/5375824869.html
 
Maybe even consider the current version "if" price drops on them too.

 

[SyCo87]

The 100aap is more balanced sounding of the two which will be more like your M80. The 10R is much warmer sounding and does not have as extended a bass.

Easy decision, thanks a lot. I'd figured I should go for the H.ear since it would be my primary headphone for a while.

 

[astroid]

Looks like Tyll was impressed at CES, review coming soon hopefully :
 
"Sony's $199 h.ear on headphones were even sexier in person than in the pix I'd seen. The comfort and sound easily surpassed expectations. Yes sir, Imma get me some. No sir, sorry, no full report. Just too much mayhem in their booth—but I will get some in. I think these may be a solid $200 headphone"
 

 

[kevms89]

These good for hip hop?

Also they are plastic?

Im kinda hesitant on spending $200 but they seem really good.

 

[Mickice]

These good for hip hop?

Also they are plastic?

Im kinda hesitant on spending $200 but they seem really good.

They are truly fantastic, only the band is plastic because it's a stretching part. The cups are metal

Construction is top notch.

Buy them and be happy, they do so much so well they are a fantastic all-rounder.

 

[TonySunshine]

here are some "non-audiophile" impressions 
 
http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/06/sony-hear-wireless-headphones-hands-on/
 
Quote:

   
Tempting! I wonder how well the noise cancellation will work, and how good they will sound?