[archagon]

That -15db 300hz spike for the 1RBTs in passive mode looks really weird. Is this why violin music sounds a little off on these headphones, or is it just me? I'm still within my 30 day return period and I'm trying to figure out if there are any Bluetooth headphones with a more even frequency response and similar imaging/soundstage in the $200-$400 price range. Has anyone tried the Sennheiser MM 400-x/450-x series? 

 

[Tyll Hertsens]

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Has anyone tried the Sennheiser MM 400-x/450-x series? 

 
Yes.  And I didn't find them as good as the 1RBT. Such is life.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

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My question is, what is this "mod" actually doing to change the sound signature of the headphones? Dynamat is typically used in car audio applications to kill resonances in door panels etc...The Dynamat adds weight to the panel which lowers the resonant frequency so you dont have the common buzzes.
 
What I think is going on here is simply the Dynamat is taking up space within the tuned enclosure of the driver, thus raising F3...the same effect of putting a subwoofer in a smaller box in the car/home audio world.

From A/B test me and my colleague conducted using two pairs of MDR-1R (modded and unmodded), the most striking difference is increased bass tightness, instead of fuzzy ball it has better defined shape (less bloom), and as a result of that they sound quite crispier with more distinct details in mids, we have not observed changes in soundstage. The test was conducted on desktop rig (Stello DA100 -> Gilmore Lite with DPS).

 

[Andrew_WOT]

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Get ready to add me to the club 

 
Just bought a brand new pair for 137$

 
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Rakuten.com 

Dang, you snooze you lose. $198 now.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

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Innerfidelity Review of the 1R line of headphones
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/solid-sony-mdr-1r-mdr-1rbt-and-mdr-1nc

Good review, don't agree with Tyll's I-said-so comment "Better sound is available with the Sennheiser Momentum" as it all boils down to individual preferences, I owned both and kept MDR-1R as found them more suitable to my likings, but hey at least we know that Tyll likes Momentum sound better. 

 

[archagon]

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Yes.  And I didn't find them as good as the 1RBT. Such is life.

Tyll, thank you for the response. I don't think I care that much if they don't sound as good as the 1Rs; what I'm mostly interested in is whether they compare favorably to other (non-BT) headphones in the $100-$200 range. Actually, the entire Sennheiser BT line confuses me greatly. From what I can tell, the MM 400, MM 450, MM 400-X, MM 450-X, PX 210 BT, and PXC 310 BT all use the same body and possibly the same drivers based on the specs on Sennheiser's website. Some of them are deprecated, but even the ones that are can still be found new on Amazon. (For example, PX 210 BT for $170 vs. MM 400-X for $250. They appear to be identical in terms of features, but the price difference is substantial.) It's nearly impossible to find any detailed reviews of the lineup except for a few sentences on the Head-Fi guide and InnerFidelity's Wall of Fame.
 
I'm hopeful that in the next few years someone will release the perfect BT set: neutral response, aptX low latency, aptX lossless, great performance in both passive and wireless mode. But I guess we're not quite there yet...

 

[roguegeek]

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Good review, don't agree with Tyll's I-said-so comment "Better sound is available with the Sennheiser Momentum" as it all boils down to individual preferences, I owned both and kept MDR-1R as found them more suitable to my likings, but hey at least we know that Tyll likes Momentum sound better. 

 
I find the sonic differences between the two to be very minimal, but if I had to choose which one was better for my ears, I would say the Momentum. I understand and agree with Tyll on this. Still, aspects like value, comfort, comfort, and comfort of the MDR-1R overshadow the extremely slight advantage I give the Momentum with their signature by far. Calling out the 1R as being the best all-around portable closed headphone is an agreeable statement, in my opinion.
 

 

[M-13]

This is just a personal opinion, but...
 
The Momentum is garbage compared to the 1R.

 

[M-13]

Quote:

From A/B test me and my colleague conducted using two pairs of MDR-1R (modded and unmodded), the most striking difference is increased bass tightness, instead of fuzzy ball it has better defined shape (less bloom), and as a result of that they sound quite crispier with more distinct details in mids, we have not observed changes in soundstage. The test was conducted on desktop rig (Stello DA100 -> Gilmore Lite with DPS).

I think it makes perfect sense that the Dynomat would help. The 1R has plastic cups without any dampening. Controlling resonance from the cups could only be a postiive thing, especially to prevent 2nd and 3rd order harmonic distortions. It should have better clarity and sound less muddy/confused, but my only concern would be the extra padding effecting soundstage/imaging.
 
Dynomat and my 1R is coming soon so I'll be testing. And no it won't be ABX blind testing. This isn't science class and I don't operate a laboratory for fun. Headphones are just for schiits and giiggles. ABX testing comes in when NASA is sending astronauts to space or when we're searching for the cure for cancer.

 

[Katun]

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This is just a personal opinion, but...
 
The Momentum is garbage compared to the 1R.

 
+1, but only when the midbass is dealt with... 

 

[Beagle]

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Good review, don't agree with Tyll's I-said-so comment "Better sound is available with the Sennheiser Momentum" as it all boils down to individual preferences, I owned both and kept MDR-1R as found them more suitable to my likings, but hey at least we know that Tyll likes Momentum sound better. 

 
I would probably have kept the Momentum if they had had a proper circumaural fit. Things that go around the ear, you know they will at least be consistent.

 

[Andrew_WOT]

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I would probably have kept the Momentum if they had had a proper circumaural fit. Things that go around the ear, you know they will at least be consistent.

I don't know, either I spent too much time with MDR-1R before acquiring Momentum, or that Japanese Audito-Technica like mids euphony completely clouded my judging but I just plain hated Momentum in A/B session, I mean they were not even close to be a keepers, even at a big stretch.
This is kind of weird as I like and swallow all kind of presentations, just for the sake of variety, HD800, W5000, LCD-2.2, as long as it tastes good I don't care if the flavor is different.

 

[Littleted]

Agree I have both momentum and Amperior and I still go back to the 1RBT I have.

 

[shuman0101]

Just got my pair, and I am in awe. They sound unbelievably lush.

 

[shuman0101]

Just tried the the cable WITHOUT the volume rocker, and good god it's like night and day. Much louder and has more bass! doesn't sound thin and weak anymore ahah.