[SunTanScanMan]

  Have you considered the Oppo PM3? A bit pricier than the MDR-1A, but much better overall when it comes to classical IMO.

I have indeed. It looks a great package. Currently it's around £300-350. I decided that it's just too much of a stretch money-wise for what will be portable. Perhaps one for the future.

I have lots of classical CDs/box sets on my wish list and I would rather invest in them at the moment. 

Edit: Interesting prices you got going down under ha ha! Lucky you I guess in this circumstance?

 

[goodyfresh]

  Thank you guys.
I am leaning towards the Sony as I'm not necessarily looking for neutrality. It seems slightly more portable than the AKG, and with a more forgiving signature.

"Forgiving" is a very good way to describe this headphone's signature, actually   It smooths things out, so that nothing ever seems to sound harsh or fatiguing.
 

 
Classical is IMO the weakest genre for the MDR-1A: the bloated bass doesn't help, and its overall dark signature doesn't really appeal to me for classical. The NAD HP50​ might work better, but its soundstage is neutered a bit: in return, you get a much more accurate sound, perfect for classical.

 
I wouldn't really go so far as to call the bass of the MDR-1A "bloated," as many people seem to do.  It is boosted above neutral, for sure, but not bloated.  One interesting thing about the bass-boost of the MDR-1A is that when compared to a perceived-equal-loudness-curve, the bass boost is only in a very narrow bandwidth extending from about 60Hz to 180Hz.
 
It's not ESPECIALLY "dark," really.  Sure, the upper-mids and low-treble are recessed, but I've heard MUCH worse, in that regard, from many other pairs of closed-back over-ears which are supposedly at "audiophile-level."  And it's better to have somewhat-recessed upper-mids/low-treble than to have stridency or sibilance (or both), IMO.
 
All that being said, I would still agree that classical, or anything else all-acoustic, is the weakest genre with these headphones.  I prefer listening to classical or other symphonic or acoustic music on my Trinity Delta IEM's, which are not dark and don't have recessed highs and yet manage to avoid sounding strident or fatiguing.
 
For all other genres, I love my MDR-1A, though   For rock, rap and hip-hop, jazz, etc., it's just great And I would NOT say that it is by any means "bad" with classical, just that it could maybe be better if the bass were about 2 to 3dB less at 100Hz and the highs were about 2dB higher.  To me it's not that big a deal, and I still think that classical sounds very good with it.

 

[dazzerfong]

 
"Forgiving" is a very good way to describe this headphone's signature, actually   It smooths things out, so that nothing ever seems to sound harsh or fatiguing.
 
 
I wouldn't really go so far as to call the bass of the MDR-1A "bloated," as many people seem to do.  It is boosted above neutral, for sure, but not bloated.  One interesting thing about the bass-boost of the MDR-1A is that when compared to a perceived-equal-loudness-curve, the bass boost is only in a very narrow bandwidth extending from about 60Hz to 180Hz.
 
It's not ESPECIALLY "dark," really.  Sure, the upper-mids and low-treble are recessed, but I've heard MUCH worse, in that regard, from many other pairs of closed-back over-ears which are supposedly at "audiophile-level."  And it's better to have somewhat-recessed upper-mids/low-treble than to have stridency or sibilance (or both), IMO.
 
All that being said, I would still agree that classical, or anything else all-acoustic, is the weakest genre with these headphones.  I prefer listening to classical or other symphonic or acoustic music on my Trinity Delta IEM's, which are not dark and don't have recessed highs and yet manage to avoid sounding strident or fatiguing.
 
For all other genres, I love my MDR-1A, though   For rock, rap and hip-hop, jazz, etc., it's just great And I would NOT say that it is by any means "bad" with classical, just that it could maybe be better if the bass were about 2 to 3dB less at 100Hz and the highs were about 2dB higher.  To me it's not that big a deal, and I still think that classical sounds very good with it.

It's a relative term: compared to my HD700's and UE900s', they are bloated and dark. Compared to Beats Studios, it's bright.​
 
Oh, and the perceived loudness curve has nothing to do with headphone design in general: more important is modelling a HRTF well, like the Harman curve, something that mimics the body's effect on speakers in a room.​

 

[money4me247]

  Classical is IMO the weakest genre for the MDR-1A: the bloated bass doesn't help, and its overall dark signature doesn't really appeal to me for classical. The NAD HP50​ might work better, but its soundstage is neutered a bit: in return, you get a much more accurate sound, perfect for classical.

I would strongly agree with this.
 
There is currently a promo running on the k545 for only $153, so may be worthwhile looking into if on a limited budget. https://www.buysonic.com/products/akg-k545/
 
I personally found the K545 to actually be bassier and less bright than the K550. I think it is well-suited for classical specifically and as a quite impressive sound stage for a closed portable.
 
If you don't mind a non-detachable cable and slightly larger size, I do personally think the K553 is a phenomenal value for a closed over ear headphone with quite well-balanced tuning.
 
I would say perhaps consider the Momentum v1 or v2 as well. Not my personal first few picks, but another option that I personally would find more suitable for classical specifically over the MDR-1A.
 
I do really highly regard the PM-3, but those are a bit on the pricier side. While I do find they offer sonic benefits that justify their cost, they wouldn't be my first recommendation for someone trying to stay more budget-orientated (especially if you are abroad and have to deal with additional markups).
 
good luck with your search.

 

[fiddler]

I agree that the K545 has a nice soundstage, but would hesitate to recommend it to somebody specifically asking for a warm sound. Warmth is of course a subjective thing.

 

[fiddler]

To be fair, my in-store impressions have me leaning away from the Sonys as I find something feels artificially rolled off about them. I didn't get that impression from a short listen to v1 Momentums, and was impressed by the midrange.

 

[SunTanScanMan]

Hmmn unfortunately it looks like the K553 is only available in the US (http://www.akg.com/pro/p/k553pro).
I was wondering why amazon was drawing a blank there...

Thanks very much guys, will do further research on the models mentioned.

 

[DavidA]

To be fair, my in-store impressions have me leaning away from the Sonys as I find something feels artificially rolled off about them. I didn't get that impression from a short listen to v1 Momentums, and was impressed by the midrange.

Agree with you about the momentum, for the current close out price its hard to beat.  Only thing I wish is that they used the material from the on-ear for the over-ear, breaths better, for Hawaii it really helps since its hot and humid here.

 

[Kabonfaiba]

If you are looking for midrange, look nowhere else than the Momentum 2.0; it's a W signature, hottest upper mids of all the headphones I've tried.
 
They are basically a closed version of the HD650, ideal for classical / quiet listening.
 
Bass is very tame, but tight and extends surprising low. If you're the type of person who puts conscious effort into listening to music, you'll appreciate the balance.
Oh, and they are definitely stylish enough for the fashion conscious.

 

 

[SunTanScanMan]

You've all been so helpful thank you.

I almost pulled the trigger on the silver mdr-1as, but Amazon warehouse had some used models of the K550 which were very reasonably priced with a 30-day guarantee. I decided to give them a shot for that reason. Term has started and having visited the library for the first time, it has a noisy and very quiet section, and both require good isolation and minimum leak. So I've had to change my mind again...

 
My original budget was £250, but I think I would rather spend no more than £150. Hence the momentum 2s are out. I have listened to the momentum 1 in the stores and found them very pleasant, but unfortunately the earcups were smaller than I expected. ​

Cheers guys

 

 

[Adam18]

I've been the very happy owner of a brand new pair of Sony MDR 1A's for about two weeks now, and am extremely impressed with the sublime musicality of these headphones. Completely coherent from top to bottom, with crystal clear non-fatiguing highs, beautiful mids, and well defined accurate lows. My main listening system has Revel speakers, Rogue Audio tube amplification, and a Rega analog and Rotel digital front end ..... So you can see that I'm used to hearing music through great components. But for real easy enjoyment, I'm loving streaming Pandora and Rdio from my iPad Air 2, through an HRT "i -dsp" DAC/amp ( an incredible little unit ! ) into the Sony MDR 1A's. Really wonderful sounding music, and probably the most comfortable 'phones I've ever worn. I do not have the vast experience with headphones that a lot of you guys have .... I'm just a music lover who appreciates beautiful sound. For me, these Sony 'phones are ideal.

 

[fiddler]

  You've all been so helpful thank you.

I almost pulled the trigger on the silver mdr-1as, but Amazon warehouse had some used models of the K550 which were very reasonably priced with a 30-day guarantee. I decided to give them a shot for that reason. Term has started and having visited the library for the first time, it has a noisy and very quiet section, and both require good isolation and minimum leak. So I've had to change my mind again...

 
My original budget was £250, but I think I would rather spend no more than £150. Hence the momentum 2s are out. I have listened to the momentum 1 in the stores and found them very pleasant, but unfortunately the earcups were smaller than I expected. ​

Cheers guys

 

Cool - do keep us posted on how the AKGs work out for you.

 

[DavidA]

  You've all been so helpful thank you.

I almost pulled the trigger on the silver mdr-1as, but Amazon warehouse had some used models of the K550 which were very reasonably priced with a 30-day guarantee. I decided to give them a shot for that reason. Term has started and having visited the library for the first time, it has a noisy and very quiet section, and both require good isolation and minimum leak. So I've had to change my mind again...

 
My original budget was £250, but I think I would rather spend no more than £150. Hence the momentum 2s are out. I have listened to the momentum 1 in the stores and found them very pleasant, but unfortunately the earcups were smaller than I expected. ​

Cheers guys

 

If on a tight budget, MDR-7506 with Beyer velour pads, under $100

 

[Sonic Defender]

.... For me, these Sony 'phones are ideal.

The good news (or maybe not from your wallets perspective) is that there are so many excellent sounding headphones out now in many price points. The 1As are excellent, but I'm quite sure as you try other models and signatures you may be surprised to see that your idea of ideal will adjust with experience (or maybe not). I'm not saying go buy them, but if you do get a chance to hear the KEF M500 I think you would be quite impressed. KEF as I'm sure you know are an excellent speaker manufacturer so I think their years of experience in speaker design actually helped quite a bit in the voicing of the M500. I am like you first and foremost a speaker user. Anyway, as I said, there really are so many excellent sound signatures out there and within reason I say try a few out. 
 
I approach this hobby as renting at a slight loss as opposed to owning headphones. I buy them and enjoy them, and then sell them typically within a year so as to release funds for other purchases. In this way while I'm taking a moderate loss, I always have fresh headphones and new sound signatures to enjoy. It is also extra work, but well worth it. Anyway, I'm just rambling and not sure why. Guess I'm a little bored.

 

[SunTanScanMan]

  Cool - do keep us posted on how the AKGs work out for you.

Sure will do.
 

  If on a tight budget, MDR-7506 with Beyer velour pads, under $100

DT250 pads right? May look to it if the AKG does not work out. Seems ideal for my needs. Love the design too. Cheers.