[Neo Zuko]

I thought the Bluetooth and DAC versions were already known to us.

 

[BenKatz]

I thought the Bluetooth and DAC versions were already known to us.

No, the ABT version is brand new, replacing the old MDR 1RBT (MDR 1R w bluetooth)
 
WOW, the MDR 1ABT has a new bluetooth DAC chip called LDAC which can transmit 5 times more bitrate than the fastest bluetooth at the moment, making it near high res, wirelessly. nice

 

[rovopio]

   
For the Sony's - I can't call them HiFi, bass is too pumping, I'd say. Sometimes I barely can hear anything except for the bass, if frequency is too low.

 
thanks for the impression

 

[slayerx44]

I modified the MDR-1R remote plug to fit in MDR-1A and does not work, sound only in R, R and L only if I press play button, also volume (+ and - buttons) don't work.
Any idea what else to modify?
Tested with iPhone 5S and iPod Classic 7th gen.

If I'm not mistaken , the headphone side Jack uses a balanced 4 pole connection ( count 3 of those black stripes ) I've no experience in these but I guess this means it has a L signal and L ground wire and the same for the R.

The old MDR-1R uses a normal 3 pole ( 2 black stripes ) un-balanced connection, so plugging in a 4 pole into a 3 pole connection will result in some sound problems I guess.

I think you can't really make the old remote cable work without adding in the additional ground wire, which will basically mess up the look and feel of the old cable

 

[audiophalus]

If I'm not mistaken , the headphone side Jack uses a balanced 4 pole connection ( count 3 of those black stripes ) I've no experience in these but I guess this means it has a L signal and L ground wire and the same for the R.

The old MDR-1R uses a normal 3 pole ( 2 black stripes ) un-balanced connection, so plugging in a 4 pole into a 3 pole connection will result in some sound problems I guess.

I think you can't really make the old remote cable work without adding in the additional ground wire, which will basically mess up the look and feel of the old cable

no, the MDR-1R has a 4 pole connector same as the MDR-1A, I have both, maybe just the wiring in the headphone is different
 
Both also have an extra cable with 3 pole connector w/o remote.

 

[Neo Zuko]

If this hi-res Bluetooth tech that Sony uses is any good I may have to bite. But the upgraded Momentum has a Bluetooth version as well.

 

[slayerx44]

no, the MDR-1R has a 4 pole connector same as the MDR-1A, I have both, maybe just the wiring in the headphone is different

Both also have an extra cable with 3 pole connector w/o remote.

I see, I only own from Sony thr Z7 and 1A so I have no expreience with the older versions, thanks for clarifying!

 

[Banka]

  No, the ABT version is brand new, replacing the old MDR 1RBT (MDR 1R w bluetooth)
 
WOW, the MDR 1ABT has a new bluetooth DAC chip called LDAC which can transmit 5 times more bitrate than the fastest bluetooth at the moment, making it near high res, wirelessly. nice

How is that possible, when the latest standard as far as I'm concerned is 4.2, which doesn't have that feature? How would it utilise that technology with smartphones that aren't equipped with the hardware to take advantage of that?

 

[BenKatz]

 
How is that possible, when the latest standard as far as I'm concerned is 4.2, which doesn't have that feature? How would it utilise that technology with smartphones that aren't equipped with the hardware to take advantage of that?

Why are you asking me? Sony presented this brand new LDAC technologies at CES with their new MDR 1ABT and the new really expensive ZX2 high res Walkman. I'd assume it also needs a hardware counterpart in the source device. But feel free to e-mail Sony. 
 
Bottom line is there's a new thing called LDAC made by sony to transmit 3 times (i erroneously stated 5 times) the bitrate that was possible with the fastest type of audio signal from bluetooth. A sony rep at CES said it is not exactly high res (which is about 9600kbs and up, more exactly 24 bit FLACs) but near high res. Considering that the most common high quality files most of us have are 16bit FLACs (1160 kbs approx), which is essentially CD quality, I'd safely bet that this new LDAC wireless bluetooth tech can bring bluetooth streamed audio around the 16 bit FLAC quality, which means that for most of us all our library will be heard losslessly through new wireless headphones like the 1ABT, in the near future, as I assume more and more (at least Sony) devices/smartphones will get this tech built in.

 

[Banka]

  Why are you asking me? Sony presented this brand new LDAC technologies at CES with their new MDR 1ABT and the new really expensive ZX2 high res Walkman. I'd assume it also needs a hardware counterpart in the source device. But feel free to e-mail Sony. 
 
Bottom line is there's a new thing called LDAC made by sony to transmit 3 times (i erroneously stated 5 times) the bitrate that was possible with the fastest type of audio signal from bluetooth. A sony rep at CES said it is not exactly high res (which is about 9600kbs and up, more exactly 24 bit FLACs) but near high res. Considering that the most common high quality files most of us have are 16bit FLACs (1160 kbs approx), which is essentially CD quality, I'd safely bet that this new LDAC wireless bluetooth tech can bring bluetooth streamed audio around the 16 bit FLAC quality, which means that for most of us all our library will be heard losslessly through new wireless headphones like the 1ABT, in the near future, as I assume more and more (at least Sony) devices/smartphones will get this tech built in.

Haha, why did you get offended? I simply asked since it seemed you knew. 
 
Interesting. Well, let's hope this doesn't become a proprietary standard. Otherwise a minimal amount of users will be able to utilise it. 

 

[Ji-L87]

And I finally have my pair of 1A's as well. I wrote a longer comparison elsewhere but I very much enjoy them. Not to the extent that I'd just pack up my 1Rs and sell them, as I think both cans have their respective pros and cons, despite their similar sound.
The bass in the 1A makes them more immersive and engaging, but I also like the clarity and forwardness of the 1R. I like the new pads and the fact that they fit more securely on my noggin, but the 1R is probably slightly more comfortable, though a much more loose fit, and I prefer the way the 1R's cups turn when I take them off my head and place them on the table. In the end I like both

 

 

[Banka]

  And I finally have my pair of 1A's as well. I wrote a longer comparison elsewhere but I very much enjoy them. Not to the extent that I'd just pack up my 1Rs and sell them, as I think both cans have their respective pros and cons, despite their similar sound.
The bass in the 1A makes them more immersive and engaging, but I also like the clarity and forwardness of the 1R. I like the new pads and the fact that they fit more securely on my noggin, but the 1R is probably slightly more comfortable, though a much more loose fit, and I prefer the way the 1R's cups turn when I take them off my head and place them on the table. In the end I like both

 

Just got mine. I honestly don't recognise that much bass at all, then again I use a couple of IEM's that are pretty bass heavy. Not to mention that I haven't done a burn-in yet. 
 
Do you just use regular music or static noise? Right I'm just using Spotify which might not really be ideal, but then again that shouldn't really matter?
 
Edit: Scratch that. The bass is actually very precise, instead of being ever present. 
 
Edit nr 2: I do feel these might need an amp. It does get fairly loud by using a Macbook Air and an iPhone 5, but not as high as I'd like. Not too sure if it's good putting on max volume since I might get some distortion? I feel it might really stretch its legs with a bit more juice. 

 

[audiophalus]

  ...
I prefer the way the 1R's cups turn when I take them off my head and place them on the table.
...

 
Same here, I had the 1R's for few weeks and got used to taking off and putting on the table, now I get sometimes confused when taking the 1A's off

 

[Ji-L87]

Have to say that the input connector on the headphone is a bit annoying. Can't use a longer cable I have lying around here when I want to lean back and the V-moda boom mic doesn't fit properly either. That's a bit of a con there. Thankfully I have other headset solutions... still...

 

[audiophalus]

  Have to say that the input connector on the headphone is a bit annoying. Can't use a longer cable I have lying around here when I want to lean back and the V-moda boom mic doesn't fit properly either. That's a bit of a con there. Thankfully I have other headset solutions... still...

you can always make an adapter to fit the input connector with different headphones. I modified the 1R plug to fit the 1A but for nothing, 1R cable won't work with 1A, L plays only when I press the play button