Sony has new headphones, MDR-1R
Mar 16, 2013 at 2:11 PM Post #2,026 of 2,773
Quote:
Originally Posted by KElyas /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 
 
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  1. not nearly as comfortable as people have stated but still decent
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I had to boost the sub-bass a lot though 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KElyas /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
XB500s (mine)
 
That explains it very well. 
XBs are actually overly confy, lol. 
biggrin.gif

 
Mar 16, 2013 at 2:31 PM Post #2,027 of 2,773
Second replacement arrived today. No cosmetic defects this time, but it has the jack rattle problem again. I'm starting to get the sinking feeling I'm going to have to go through a dozen replacements before getting an acceptable unit. 
 
Amazon said they are going to remove MDR-1R from the website and contact the manufacturer, though I doubt that's going to change anything. So the decision now is to deal with the cosmetic defects of the first replacement, or look into getting a different headphone altogether. It sucks that the one headphone that has the perfect balance of comfort, sound quality, and portability is crippled by horrible quality control.
 
Mar 16, 2013 at 2:45 PM Post #2,028 of 2,773
Quote:
Second replacement arrived today. No cosmetic defects this time, but it has the jack rattle problem again. I'm starting to get the sinking feeling I'm going to have to go through a dozen replacements before getting an acceptable unit. 
 
Amazon said they are going to remove MDR-1R from the website and contact the manufacturer, though I doubt that's going to change anything. So the decision now is to deal with the cosmetic defects of the first replacement, or look into getting a different headphone altogether. It sucks that the one headphone that has the perfect balance of comfort, sound quality, and portability is crippled by horrible quality control.

 
I wonder if it's a regional thing. I'm in the US, but I imported mine from Japan because I wanted the silver/brown version. Mine has absolutely no signs on creaks or cracks. No signs of the plug rotation or rattle either. It would kinda make sense the Japanese versions may have been addressed first.
 
Mar 16, 2013 at 2:48 PM Post #2,029 of 2,773
Quote:
 
I wonder if it's a regional thing. I'm in the US, but I imported mine from Japan because I wanted the silver/brown version. Mine has absolutely no signs on creaks or cracks. No signs of the plug rotation or rattle either. It would kinda make sense the Japanese versions may have been addressed first.

I think it's more likely that it's just a common defect and you got lucky. I went through 3 units, and 1 was perfectly fine.
 
Mar 16, 2013 at 3:12 PM Post #2,030 of 2,773
Quote:
I think it's more likely that it's just a common defect and you got lucky. I went through 3 units, and 1 was perfectly fine.

 
Could be. Though, I have heard of a lot of new owners reporting it didn't exist at all. The mystery continues!
 
Mar 16, 2013 at 3:38 PM Post #2,031 of 2,773
regarding the sound signature:
 
I also think the bass could be better - but then found out, that if you crosslisten to music of many different styles the Sony always remains in a comfortable bass strength. As I then slightly -upped some bass frequencies on the EQ - (really not much) - the bass or pressure soon became too strong and listening got uncomfortable on some tracks.
 
E.g. if you listen to rock/pop you may want minimum more bass, but if you change to electronic music the default setting is way sufficient and any -upped bass frequencies may result in ear fatigue.
 
Guess, that's what Sony tried to achieve: a consistent, comfortable listening experience through a wide range of music and for longer listening times without ear fatigue.
 
Mar 16, 2013 at 5:29 PM Post #2,032 of 2,773
On my pair without jack rattle, I'm starting to notice creaking in the left cup. I think it's time to throw in the towel and the look for something else. Perhaps the DT770 or Custom One Pro?
 
Mar 16, 2013 at 8:08 PM Post #2,033 of 2,773
I used to tweak the sub-bass by +5db @ 30hz. That made the MDR1r a more fun sounding can. Now that I have a FiiO E11, pairing it with iTouch 5gen on Rock EQ setting seems to be the best configuration for me.
 
Mar 16, 2013 at 10:21 PM Post #2,035 of 2,773
Mar 16, 2013 at 10:43 PM Post #2,036 of 2,773
Blah.  Was going to pull for a pair of these but these quality control issues kind of scaring me off. 
 
I mean what if you didn't get them from Amazon and had a defective pair, doubt Sony or other retailers would be so forgiving to keep sending you new pairs...??
 
Seemed like these were the perfect closed, comfortable and balanced option out there too.
 
Mar 16, 2013 at 10:55 PM Post #2,037 of 2,773
Quote:
Blah.  Was going to pull for a pair of these but these quality control issues kind of scaring me off. 
 
I mean what if you didn't get them from Amazon and had a defective pair, doubt Sony or other retailers would be so forgiving to keep sending you new pairs...??
 
Seemed like these were the perfect closed, comfortable and balanced option out there too.

 
If you go onto ebay and look for a pair on there that people are flogging off. Some are offering return policies, or 1-2 year warranties. The warranties usually cost an additional fee, but you'd still be getting them for cheaper than you would on Amazon.
 
Mar 17, 2013 at 3:34 AM Post #2,040 of 2,773
Quote:
They don't come off with plastic rings only?
http://personalaudio.ru/detail/naushniki_sony_1r_i_1rbt/

 
Looking at the other photos in that link it strikes me that just like the Z1000 the MDR-1R has no damping material behind the driver whatsoever. This is odd considering it's plastic?
 
Hmm modding opportunity...
 
Quote:
E.g. if you listen to rock/pop you may want minimum more bass, but if you change to electronic music the default setting is way sufficient and any -upped bass frequencies may result in ear fatigue.
 
Guess, that's what Sony tried to achieve: a consistent, comfortable listening experience through a wide range of music and for longer listening times without ear fatigue.

 
The other conclusion could be: the MDR-1R driver begins to distort at low frequencies once EQ'ed with more bass (exactly like the Z1000 does) and the THD is fatiguing your ears.
 
I think that is more likely considering that the Momentum is almost ruler flat to 20hz and doesn't give people headaches.
 

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