Sony MDR-1AM2 - Impressions Thread

[DynamicEars]

So I'm joining this club with Sony Silver Team

Just received the MDR-1Am2 because of good deal, I paid around $110 opened. Actually I was searching for full size headphone, be it closed or open back but I want it to be a fun headphone for casual listening on my desktop. Great bass is a must for me since I'm really picky about low end. I like great sub bass with great punch on mid but dont let mid bass intrudes mids or overall presentation.

I've done my homework reading impressions and comparisons, however call me newbie on Headphone world though I've quite experience in IEMs. I never had any great headphones before, just the standard ATH-M50x, superlux HD 330 (DT770 design copy), and Sony H-900n wireless together with Sony WH-1000 XM3.
My budget was up to $300 but can be stretched a bit, also lower $ is better so i can save money. My shortlisted candidates were :
Sundara : great details as planar, but I dont think the bass part can satisfied my needs
Meze 99 Classics : but I read from opinions this 1Am2 is better
ATH R70x : couldn't find comparison with 1Am2
AKG K371 : tight candidate, but I havent read more about it
WH-1000 XM4 : sound quality worse than 1Am2? I dont need the wireless function moreover the ANC though, since I will be using on my desktop
Sennheisers : I scared not enough sub and mid bass for me

And then I decided to go with MDR-1Am2

Here my initial impressions (tested through Fiio M11 plus ESS, balanced 4.4, playing FLAC hi res and compressed and streaming apps - spotify) :

Build quality is great, as expected from Sony, and like others have mentioned before it is very light and comfortable
Sub bass is presence, but not rumbling enough for me, but when I press the cans to my ear and hold it, I feel great rumble. Is there any way to make clamp force stronger?
Mid and upper bass is worst here, I found it too much, much too much especially on 125-200hz, shadowing other frequencies area, like ruining already good the rest of frequencies.
Lower mids are decent, with good details but not special
high mids is great, not shouty and edgy even for someone that sensitive on 3khz like me, smooth yet have some details
Presence region is good, only at 5khz they are a bit too forward
lower trebles can be hot on higher volume level, but still tolerable
trebles on 7khz can be fatiguing for some, and too much, need clear dip here before 8khz
upper trebles giving great air and great extension, i love this part.
Details are good but not great
Soundstage isn't wide, just mediocre, with average depth I think?
Imaging also good but nothing really special here

So my conclusion, My first impressions are OK and good, but I didn't wowed by the sound, they are not bad either especially for great deal that I got, If I paid on full price,
I will be disappointed.
My question now, Is this MDR-1Am2 considered great headphone around $300? I mean I found it to be okay, but not special or great. Or there are any better cans out there around the price that have great sub bass and mid bass that doesn't interfere other frequency areas?
Or do burn in have great improvement on this can?
Any other advice except EQ (not that I don;t want to EQ, just too hassle if Im going to listen on differen devices and have to set the EQ everytime) ?
Or am I just asking too much here? Please share your thoughts

Thanks in advance folks!

 

[Sp12er3]

I had it side by side with MSR7B, running both on Balanced out of my Walkman and it's just no contest, sure you'd pick the AT if you just love that mids. But the bass is comparatively nonexistent on those. The 1AM2 on the other hand have little weakness in comparison. It also actually have Soundstage, that and the more forward mids presence compared to its predecessor definitely make it an overall better all rounder IMO.

People gave the 1A too much flak because of its og version's V shape tuning, but the one that worked on the 1AM2 is the same designer of IER-Z1R and you can see the relation in its tuning.

Build also is no contest IMO, MDR 1AM2 all the way.
The MSR7B looks cheap, and it's design trying to look like a DSR9 without any of the latter's solid build. The 1AM2 feels light, but has such smoothness on its hinge, that and the hidden coated metal on its headband compared to MSR's thin rods make it feel way more premium IMO.
Also, single cable port for both SE and Balance is just more elegant and convenient for portable use.

 

[DynamicEars]

I had it side by side with MSR7B, running both on Balanced out of my Walkman and it's just no contest, sure you'd pick the AT if you just love that mids. But the bass is comparatively nonexistent on those. The 1AM2 on the other hand have little weakness in comparison. It also actually have Soundstage, that and the more forward mids presence compared to its predecessor definitely make it an overall better all rounder IMO.

People gave the 1A too much flak because of its og version's V shape tuning, but the one that worked on the 1AM2 is the same designer of IER-Z1R and you can see the relation in its tuning.

Build also is no contest IMO, MDR 1AM2 all the way.
The MSR7B looks cheap, and it's design trying to look like a DSR9 without any of the latter's solid build. The 1AM2 feels light, but has such smoothness on its hinge, that and the hidden coated metal on its headband compared to MSR's thin rods make it feel way more premium IMO.
Also, single cable port for both SE and Balance is just more elegant and convenient for portable use.

Thanks for chime in.
The build quality is great for me, I leaved it for overnight burn in, and the result is a bit better, but still the mid bass is overshadowing rest of the area, on higher volume, it sounded more balance to me.
I can hear similar tuning DNA with my IER Z1R here as you mentioned that the designer was the same person, although the resolution and quality isn't the same, my complain just at mid bass 125-200hz area. I'll try to burn in again later on hopefully they got tighter at bass section.

Oh I saw you got nice Sony collection down there, how the MDR-1Am2 compared to Z7 / Z7m2 and MDR-Z1R, since the price is quite a jump from $300 1Am2 to $900 Z7m2 and so does from there to the flagship MDR-Z1R. I know it ridiculous but I just wanna know the improvement compared to dollar spent or value wise. THanks for your time.

 

[Sp12er3]

I just demoed the 1AM2 on Jaben, so I don't have it on hand anymore, didn't really bring my Z1R out as well so yeah.
I do left my Z7 there as I plan to sell it so maybe when I got the chance to pop in there again.
It's just that my Z7 is old and doesn't have its IG pads anymore thus impression is gonna be skewed,
I do think the 1AM2 is much closer to the Z7 than the 1A ever was tho.

 

[Cagefree]

Just got these on sale for $250, and I have to say, at this price point, this is a really great headphone. It does many things very well, including a smooth presentation providing reasonable instrument separation and detail. Keep in mind, to really judge a headphone you probably want well over 20 hours of playtime and maybe even over 100 hours before you really pass judgement, so I'll provide some more thoughts when I get mine up to a more considerable hour count.

Also, sometimes it's important to spend some time with a new headphone to get to know it, almost like a person. They are all different with different quirks, and I often find needing to let my brain adjust to the differences in how different headphones present the music. If after 50 hours or so, you're still not gelling with the headphones, then it maybe time to trade them for something different.

 

[DynamicEars]

Right, that was my first impression out of the box, so maybe will change after burn in. Still put it into burn in drawer. Maybe my expectation was too high also since I really dont know how good the headphone quality at around $300 market. Maybe I also used to IEMs that have different presentation. I'll try to listen more later.
Anyway I read that this cans can be modded to reduce mid bass quantity with stuffing foam / cotton on the back of the driver? I like to mod IEMs but never do any mod to full size headphone. So, what is the important part of this mod? put something onto the back of the driver to reduce resonance? or blocking the vent holes?

 

[Angel III]

Right, that was my first impression out of the box, so maybe will change after burn in. Still put it into burn in drawer. Maybe my expectation was too high also since I really dont know how good the headphone quality at around $300 market. Maybe I also used to IEMs that have different presentation. I'll try to listen more later.
Anyway I read that this cans can be modded to reduce mid bass quantity with stuffing foam / cotton on the back of the driver? I like to mod IEMs but never do any mod to full size headphone. So, what is the important part of this mod? put something onto the back of the driver to reduce resonance? or blocking the vent holes?

The 1AM2 changes a lot in the first 50 hours of listening. I suggest you do not make any changes. This headphone is very compatible with equalizers, you will see that the modified frequencies do not penalize the mapping of the other frequencies.

 

[jb2unique]

Tonight I decided to listen to several songs back to back with the 1AM2 and the 1000XM5. Maybe it's my ears/hearing but I feel the tuning are very similar between the two.

 

[Verificateur]

Has anyone here by chance compared the Sony 1AM2 to Takstar 82 Pro?

The physical design similarities are uncanny, but was wondering about the sound and which is overall the better buy of the two?

 

[dweaver]

They both get excellent reviews from their owners so based on that, Takstar will be the better value as it's a fraction of the cost of the AM2.

If you search on head-fi I bet there will be a thread that talks about the Takstar to give you more info on how they sound.

 

[AlexCBSN]

Has anyone here by chance compared the Sony 1AM2 to Takstar 82 Pro?

The physical design similarities are uncanny, but was wondering about the sound and which is overall the better buy of the two?

Tested both. IMO go for sony

Better SQ imo.

 

[FYLegend]

Has anyone here by chance compared the Sony 1AM2 to Takstar 82 Pro?

The physical design similarities are uncanny, but was wondering about the sound and which is overall the better buy of the two?

It's been a while and my Takstar ended up collecting dust somewhere, but they are quite different.

The Takstar has a relatively flat overall but peaks towards treble detail without sounding fatiguing. By default the bass is decently present but can occasionally sound distant - the adjustable bass switch is not helpful and just causes the bass to become bloated. Where they really shine is their soundstage which is quite vast for a closed-back. I GENTLY used some canned air because I was noticing some rattling distortion, this worked the first time to get rid of some hair under the earcup, but the second time I did this it ended up deforming the driver and now the rattling is constant. Note that there are two versions of the Pro 82 which are tuned differently, mine was a black one that came with a long cable and a carrying box.

The MDR-1AM2 is V-shaped and more "aggressive" but perhaps less so than an Audio-Technica M50x or MSR7. Mids are recessed compared to the bass and treble, but still have decent presence. It is also unlike previous Sonys in that it puts more emphasis on the treble (hence some still prefer the darker sound of previous MDR-1 series). I'd put it ahead the M50x and MSR7 in terms of "detail" but perhaps a bit behind the MSR7B (I've only listened to this one briefly but when my MSR7 broke down I decided to get the MDR-1AM2 instead).

 

[Sp12er3]

1AM2 IS a better all rounder than both 82pro and all version of MSR7s, the Audio Technica sounds bass anemic in comparison.
The tak star is good for the price and you get that convenient storage box, but it's sound is unremarkable compared to MSR7s and 1AM2s.
Also, it might be because of synergy as I tested it with my WM1A but the Sony scaled much better balanced than MSR7B was.

 

[Not so fat head]

Best Buy had these headphones at a listening station along side Momentum's 3&4, B&W PX7 and HD450's. All were playing the same highres music from a Sony player...
Simply put, NC headphones have a long way to go to catch these in sound..
Granted they share little other than dynamic drivers, but I was surprised at the difference, also no DSP involved n the 1AM2's.
Nice headphones.. Good job Sony !

 

[Not so fat head]

Btw; the Sony's were on sale for $229, picked them up, also had a $30 BB coupon..
To tell you how good these are, the last thing I needed was more headphones.