[d marc0]

Quote:

Wow, what a discovery. These are quite fantastic now.
 
After a bit of experimentation, I've noticed the MDR-1R responds very well to EQ, so I was able to get rid of that nasty, nasty midbass. After tweaking that and making a few other minor changes, I was finally able to land on a signature that sounded shockingly good. Just to keep my mind and ears in check, I whipped out my trusty PX100-II to compare. Unfortunately for my beloved PX100-II, it wasn't up to the challenge, and simply didn't sound as good as my newly tweaked MDR-1R. I had a very similar incidence with the MA900 and PX100-II awhile back, making this Sony's second time to actually take down my tried-and-tested PX100-II.
 
After that event, I retrieved the Momentum for a re-comparison (after the Momentum had swept it SQ wise the days before). And guess what? Momentum can't hold up to it either. At least in my opinion. Momentum is significantly more "lazy" sounding, and doesn't sound as authentic or visceral as the MDR-1R. With the MDR-1R's bass now controlled, the Momentum's bass now had the short end of the stick, and sounded a bit loose. Plus, the MDR-1R already had the soundstage advantage from the start, and gave a better presentation all-around. While I didn't EQ the Momentum, I found it didn't need it anywhere near as much as the MDR-1R did.
 
Hmm, I may actually keep a headphone over $50 for once...

Will you be kind enough to share your EQ settings? I'm quite intrigued...

 

[roma101]

Quote:

The more i tried this cans the more i love it. Very enjoyable tonality, nice sparkle on treble, sweet mids, amazing ambience for a closed cans and very smooth sounding. I'm still torn whether i get one or not

You nailed their sound sig on the head. Eh if you get a good deal go for it.

 

[punks15]

Quote:

You nailed their sound sig on the head. Eh if you get a good deal go for it.

Yup i'm still waiting for a good deal on my hometown. I would like to see the silver one with my own eyes too, never seen the silver one

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

The more i tried this cans the more i love it. Very enjoyable tonality, nice sparkle on treble, sweet mids, amazing ambience for a closed cans and very smooth sounding. I'm still torn whether i get one or not

Man you're making me get in to them as well. >.>
I saw someone wearing a black pair on the bus today. Holy moly those look sleek! The red ring is really attractive in my opinion

 

[anodyne]

Long thread... so, sorry if there's a suitable reply on one of the 100 pages I haven't read.
 
I'm mostly for IEMs, but I've been thinking of getting some decent cans as well, and have been glancing at these as they seem to be at some sort middle point between sound, comfort and being somewhat suitcase-friendly.
 
Had a pair of MDR-CD1700s when I was younger (until they were taken by an observant burglar), and I liked them. I guess they had what some would describe as a Sony sound, with plenty of detail but maybe a bit too laid back for "advanced" listeners.
 
So, is the MDR-1R somewhere in the same ballpark, sound wise? And if not, maybe someone can compare the two.

 

[punks15]

Tried 1R directly to my phone, sounds good already! It's still scale up nicely with an amp/DAC though

 

[Lozi]

They sound great with a low end DAP. However, they are really responsive with a high end DAP and an amp.
They also adapt very nicely to equalizing. Everyone that's complaining about the lack of bass should simply change their EQ haha

 

[Caessa]

Hey all, I'm fairly new to posting here on head-fi, but I've been perusing the site and soaking up all this free information for years, so I figured it might be time for me to start contributing!  I'll start with the MDR-1R, since it's a fairly new headphone and there are probably quite a few people out there that are on the fence about them looking for as much information as they can before deciding on a purchase.  My short review probably won't have anything in the way of super-ground-breaking information, but hopefully it can help either reinforce or make people rethink their preconceptions.
 
I bought them brand new, and they've have had about 100 hours of burn-in so far.  I feel as though the sound has stopped evolving to the point where I can make an informed opinion about them.  There's only one really big change over the course of the burn-in that I've noticed (the bass), and I'll explain that in more detail later on.  First, the basics!
 

1. Style - I like them, nothing else really to say.  This is one of the only purely subjective qualities of a headphone, and it's also just about the only quality that you can make an informed opinion about just by looking at pictures.  You like the way they look or you don't!

 

1. Comfort - A+.  These are some lightweight, super-comfortable headphones.  I can wear them all day without ever feeling itchy, sweaty, or otherwise uncomfortable.  After owning several less-comfortable headphones, these feel like heaven.  I will say, however, that my ear does come close to being pressed against the driver housing.  Anyone with an ear that sticks out slightly farther from their head than mine might feel some pressure and discomfort there. 

 

1. Soundstage - The soundstage is about what you would expect from a $300 closed headphone.  It's there, it's pretty good, I feel that it's slightly wider than it is deep, but it's not going to knock your socks off.

 

1. Sound: Mids and Highs - The sound signature of the mids and highs remained relatively consistent throughout the burn-in phase, and that's a good thing.  They're slightly warm, but feel very smooth and true to the music.  They're not the most detailed nor the fastest that I've ever listened to (nor are they blurry and slow), but there's just something about the overall sound signature of the mids and highs that I'm in love with and can listen to for long periods without growing bored or fatigued.  I think out of all of the things I like about this headphone, the sound of the mids and highs are at the top of the list.

 

1. Sound: Bass - Throughout the course of the burn-in, the quantity and quality of the bass changed fairly drastically.  When I first tried them out, I was very concerned because the bass was hardly there at all.  I could hear it, but it was very subdued and certainly didn't make me feel the music the way good bass should.  After ~20 hours or so, it really started to come forward and shine.  There was a period of 4-5 hours where the bass was absolutely beautiful across the entire spectrum and I couldn't have loved a pair of closed headphones more.  Unfortunately, after that, mid-bass just kept coming and getting stronger and stronger.  There came a point where it became the dominating factor in most songs with a flat EQ, and I was pretty bummed.  Thankfully, the MDR-1R responds quite well to EQ.  I wound up boosting the sub-bass (about +3 dB) and toning down the mid-bass (about -4 dB), and thankfully it now sounds more or less the same as it did during those blissful 5 hours.  I'll have to keep tinkering with it though.

 

1. Other notes - The construction seems reasonably nice, though it's too early for me to tell if/when durability issues might come in to play.  The detachable cable is a welcome feature, since I know of several other competing headphones in this price range with a fixed cable.  They have low impedance and high sensitivity; an amp might help slightly, but it's not going to be very cost efficient unless you already have one.  Due to their size, weight, and lack of need for an amp, they make for great portable headphones.

 
Coming from someone somewhat-experienced in the low- to mid-range closed headphone arena, I feel strongly that the MDR-1R more than holds its own at the asking price, and I'll certainly be holding on to mine for a long time to come.  If you can find them on sale, consider them a bargain!

 

[Amarphael]

That's a nice write-up mate, You should post it on the product page in the gear section for easier exposure.

 

[Leonarfd]

Will try them with my new portable amp later versus my stock note2. With my Objective2 residing with my little brother, I havent had the opertunity to test them yet with a amp. Some said that they dont scale much with an amp as they are so good already with stock players..

 

[R-Audiohead]

Quote:

Will try them with my new portable amp later versus my stock note2. With my Objective2 residing with my little brother, I havent had the opertunity to test them yet with a amp. Some said that they dont scale much with an amp as they are so good already with stock players..

I've actually heard the opposite all over this thread...
 
That they're easy to drive and scale surprisingly well

 

[Leonarfd]

Been reading and talking with some Norwegian owners, but most people here don't know much tbh. I guess it depends on the player, but for me my C&C BH really makes the mdr-1r handle bass  better. I thought it handled pretty well, but once driven with my C&C bass is much more controlled and going back to stock note2 with a quite good dac chip sounds more muddy in the bass. Rest of the region is not much sound changer, except that my amp pushes the highs abit forward.

 

[TO - CO]

Hi All,

Long time lurker, first response.  I picked the MDR-1R up with Audio Technica ATH M50 (for my brother in law).  I was looking for a pair of closed cans to travel with.  Not a big IEM guy though haven't heard the likes of JH Audio etc, and have yet to hear a good set of NC Cans. Conclusion, MDR's are going back, M50s are staying and getting another pair.  May look at the AKG 550 and DT770, but frankly I'm quite pleased with the sound of the M50s for closed cans especially.  However, every other feature, comfort, style, weight, portability won hands down for the Sony.  I was very disappointed as the Sony's are the most comfortable, light, and ergonomically friendly cans I have ever worn.  Those features alone almost made me keep them.  However, I find the overall sound muddy, just not getting the detail I want from any frequency range.  I prefer detail to most everything else, listen to a lot of classical music, prog rock, indie rock, and old school rap .  Finally, not to start an argument, just telling you my perspective so you can care or disregard my opinon but, I rank recordings and cans above everything else.  I'm not a big amp/dac/cable guy.  Just want to find good cans for the money and listen to great tunes.  I wanted to thank everyone for all of the great advice, and especially some new music I hadn't heard!
 
 
Thanks
TO
 

 

[MrViolin]

Quote:

Hi All,

Long time lurker, first response.  I picked the MDR-1R up with Audio Technica ATH M50 (for my brother in law).  I was looking for a pair of closed cans to travel with.  Not a big IEM guy though haven't heard the likes of JH Audio etc, and have yet to hear a good set of NC Cans. Conclusion, MDR's are going back, M50s are staying and getting another pair.  May look at the AKG 550 and DT770, but frankly I'm quite pleased with the sound of the M50s for closed cans especially.  However, every other feature, comfort, style, weight, portability won hands down for the Sony.  I was very disappointed as the Sony's are the most comfortable, light, and ergonomically friendly cans I have ever worn.  Those features alone almost made me keep them.  However, I find the overall sound muddy, just not getting the detail I want from any frequency range.  I prefer detail to most everything else, listen to a lot of classical music, prog rock, indie rock, and old school rap .  Finally, not to start an argument, just telling you my perspective so you can care or disregard my opinon but, I rank recordings and cans above everything else.  I'm not a big amp/dac/cable guy.  Just want to find good cans for the money and listen to great tunes.  I wanted to thank everyone for all of the great advice, and especially some new music I hadn't heard!
 
 
Thanks
TO
 

MDR-V6? Then again these are my first pair of real phones Everything went from muddy to crystal clear (bass, mids/vocals, highs). Bought them when Amazon was having the knock out sales for $50 + $4 tax lol

 

[karter8]

Quote:

Hi All,

Long time lurker, first response.  I picked the MDR-1R up with Audio Technica ATH M50 (for my brother in law).  I was looking for a pair of closed cans to travel with.  Not a big IEM guy though haven't heard the likes of JH Audio etc, and have yet to hear a good set of NC Cans. Conclusion, MDR's are going back, M50s are staying and getting another pair.  May look at the AKG 550 and DT770, but frankly I'm quite pleased with the sound of the M50s for closed cans especially.  However, every other feature, comfort, style, weight, portability won hands down for the Sony.  I was very disappointed as the Sony's are the most comfortable, light, and ergonomically friendly cans I have ever worn.  Those features alone almost made me keep them.  However, I find the overall sound muddy, just not getting the detail I want from any frequency range.  I prefer detail to most everything else, listen to a lot of classical music, prog rock, indie rock, and old school rap .  Finally, not to start an argument, just telling you my perspective so you can care or disregard my opinon but, I rank recordings and cans above everything else.  I'm not a big amp/dac/cable guy.  Just want to find good cans for the money and listen to great tunes.  I wanted to thank everyone for all of the great advice, and especially some new music I hadn't heard!
 
 
Thanks
TO
 

 
If you're looking for detail, you really should give the DT770LE (32 ohm Anniversary Edition) a shot.  BTW, I thought the MDR-1Rs were muddy at first too, but they are starting to sound much better after 4-5 hours of break-in.  For list price, I don't think it's worth keeping them, but I got them for a great deal on Amazon so it's making the decision that much harder.