[monsieurfromag3]

I think that the mids aren’t recessed at all, and in a direct comparison with pinnacle p1, it fleshes out the voice with meaty presence and texture, not smooth like a hd650 but more textured. The 10k peak is so subtle the it can be heard as additional air, never scratchy sound. I payed 149 on italian amazon, and for this price the m2 doesn’t have any competitor. Can you list better option under 400?

The Kef M500 remains a worthy contender, incredibly comfortable, well-made, and with a soft, balanced sound. They’ve had their fair share of price cuts too, retailing under 200€ now they’re a bargain.

 

[Luigi Milazzo]

I want to specify better my statement, the first quality I search in audio equipment is a fair reproduction of human voices. Tone and detail must be adequate to deliver the maximum amount of Musical infos. I don't want to denigrate someone else's tastes, but i really think that the mids of the am2 are very present and central in the soundstage. Closed headphones are so difficult to tune!!! I work as classical tenor in cruise ships and there are no other solution to cancel the subsonic noise while listening to music than a good closed hp with solid bass not intruding into mids. I am always in search for the best closed portable can under 250 euro. I found these Sony to be satisfying because previously i had some issues with these:

Shure E2c

Sony Mdr-ep50, too sibilant

Sony Mdr-ex700, cunfused mids

Sennheiser cx300, too dark

Sennheiser Ie7, perfect, discontinued

Sennheiser Ie8, too boomy

Yamaha Eph100, strange highs

Apple Earpods, a good gift to my wife

Shure Se215, too dark and bassy

Rha Ma450i, unnatural mids

Rha Ma750i, my acid sweat destroys the cable in few days

Creative Cal!, not enough isolating

Akg K271 mkII, boring, boxy

Audio Technica Ath-m50s, too compressed

Akg k167 tiesto 4/5, good sound, buttery contruction, it breaks wit the wind

Rha Ca-200 2/5, the worst thing in my life

Meliconi hp100 1,5/5, ahahahah

Beats Pro 2/5, expensive crap

Akg k550 4/5 thin mids

Sony mdr-1r, poor extension in both extremes

Pioneer Se-a1000 3/5, not bad, not good

Ultimate Ears Ue6000, sonic boooom

Shure Srh940, perfect in every sonic sense, the plastic is a joke, enormous and ugly

Sennheiser Hd25 alu 4/5, too aggressive

Akg K81dj, clamp like a crab

Akg K518dj, less clamp, good for movies

Akg K545, goooood, confused scene

Sennheiser cx3.00, compressed

Sony Mdr-ex650ap, recessed mids

Tdk St-750, sibilant and heavy

Shure se425, peeeerfect, a thief is now happy with mine, expensive

Sony Mdr-100aap, veeery good but the mids are too grainy

Sony Xba-c10, thin

Hifiman Re-400, really bad construction

Skullcandy Crusher, good for the 20 I payed

Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 oe, nothing but the aesthetics

Philips Fidelio M1MKII, good sound, the pads become liquid after a month

VE Monk plus, addictive buds for a beer

Sennheiser Hd598SE, the bass is too diffuse

Audio Technica ATH-CKS550i, strange mids

Akg Y50, too bassy

Marshall Mid Bluetooth, too shouty mids

Philips Fidelio S2, veery good but mine failed cause a short hair went inside the grill

Brainwavz B100, bargain, fragile

Marshall mode, boomy

Audio Technica Ath-E40, difficult to find a seal

AKG K712 Pro, needs a proper, not cheap amp

Koss KSC75, I love this miracle

Sony Mdr-ex110, perfect for gym, only 9 euro

Akg K518le, gym when psoriasis take my ears

Sony Mdr-ex110ap, gym with phone calls

Marshall Mode Eq, very good, i wanted more

Beyerdynamic Dtx350m, sibilant

Marshall Monitor Bluetooth, good headphones, but a little bit aggressive

Akg K845bt, poor battery life, big

Yamaha HPH-PRO500, recessed mids, enormous

Koss KPH30i, perfect playstation friend

Yamaha HPH-MT8, no midbass at all

Koss PortaPro, dark

Koss PortaPro X, dark

JVC ha-s160, flimsy

Philips shl3505 Fixie, dark

Fiio FH1, sibilant

Brainwavz B200, issues with the impedance

MeeAudio Pinnacle Px, my almost perfect set if only the peak wasn't so narrowed to 10k, it become perfect with amp.

The Sony MDR-1am2 doesn't have the biggest issues I don't like: unnatural mids, and sibilance. IMHO there aren't better option for a closed, portable, lightweight, full sized, headphone wit detachable cable under 3-400 euro-dollars delivering realistically human voices... cause i tried another bunch of model but the dt770 isn't portable and have recessed mids, the p7 is too sharp, the h6 has thin mids, the hp50 is too uncomfortable, the m4u 1 is discontinued, the fidelio L2 is opened, the p51 is dark, i don't like the m&d models, the beats makes me laugh, and I can't compare mibe with the momentum 2.0. Anyone has compared these to the sony?

 

[Luigi Milazzo]

The Kef M500 remains a worthy contender, incredibly comfortable, well-made, and with a soft, balanced sound. They’ve had their fair share of price cuts too, retailing under 200€ now they’re a bargain.

You're right, but After an extended try i wanted more extension and detail. Thank you.

 

[Luigi Milazzo]

This is a particular moment in the market. Consumers wants what apple decided they must want, and so: no cables around. For a brand is very easy to insert a little receiver inside the right cup and a battery in the other, but the sonic performance are mostly different from what a headfier expects. So sony had to cut the price, not because of the cabled concurrent on the market, but for the wireless asking by the mass.

While very light, after a precise analysis, i don't think that the magnesium of the cup and the aluminum and steel of the arc is cheaper than other models. There's a lot of experience and technology in Sony products, and we have to discern the qualities from the issues. The fake leather is very soft, but only the time can say if it will last. And after it breaks, a 9,99 pair will come from China, unlike with b&o, B&W, Sennheiser real leather padded models. I repeat: sound first, and i can spend 100 more for a better sounding portable-around ear-closed-wired-light model, can you suggest me one?

So, I shared my grain of salt, and i'd really like if a good, well proved argument makes me rethink my statements.

 

[Luigi Milazzo]

Yeah, rock voices are full of that wonderful human distortion.

 

[Luigi Milazzo]

149? That’s good! Is that at Mediamarkt? Can’t find it for less than 169€ in France - pretty low already.

Your pairing with Radsone’s Earstudio is a great idea. It is a good enough source, and neutral enough, to show the limitations of the MDR-1A (not M2); in short the overall response is slightly too dark. The Earstudio still brings plenty of detail out of the MDR-1A, and showcases those satisfying bass and low-mid textures very well, without too much bloat. Power is dished out with remarkable control, especially given the source’s diminutive size!

I’m intrigued by the M2’s improvements over the first 1A. Better definition in the lows, a touch more brilliance in the highs, and the same general signature? Sounds pretty good indeed. Especially since the M2 is already aligning with the 1A’s recent price cuts.

Will you be using the M2’s balanced cables? If so how will you handle the connection? I don’t find a lot of balanced 4.4 female to 2.5 male adapters that inspire confidence or are produced by reliable brands.

I think that it is more convenient to find a cable that ends with the 2,5 balanced connector, an adapter would be too bulky. I am very happy with the extra power of the es100 driving the p1, that really needs to be well driven. When i’ll find a good cable i will post my impressions and if it’s sonically worth the extra expense in comparison with the standard 3,5 unbalanced cable. For sure the am2 doesn’t need the extra power of the dual dac like the p1 certainly do... but for sure the extra sensitivity of the hp require more control from the source. I tried with an audient id4, and the bass change a lot coming from my iphone 8: it is less reverbered and i certainly appreciate the improved speed of it. As a consequence, the image is more precise and the positioning more accurate. Even an ipad will do a difference, but i can’t wait to try it with the little radsone.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

I think that it is more convenient to find a cable that ends with the 2,5 balanced connector, an adapter would be too bulky. I am very happy with the extra power of the es100 driving the p1, that really needs to be well driven. When i’ll find a good cable i will post my impressions and if it’s sonically worth the extra expense in comparison with the standard 3,5 unbalanced cable. For sure the am2 doesn’t need the extra power of the dual dac like the p1 certainly do... but for sure the extra sensitivity of the hp require more control from the source. I tried with an audient id4, and the bass change a lot coming from my iphone 8: it is less reverbered and i certainly appreciate the improved speed of it. As a consequence, the image is more precise and the positioning more accurate. Even an ipad will do a difference, but i can’t wait to try it with the little radsone.

Sure! I’d assumed you’d use the cable included by Sony - it seemed like an elegant solution. But you are right, it is actually more straightforward to take adantage of the detachable cable construction and use a cable with the right connectors instead of resorting to an adapter. Good cables also seem easier to find than good adapters!

I’m looking forward to your balanced vs unbalanced comparison. There are surprisingly few going around. Most people use balanced to get more power from the es100 with hard-to-drive cans, but few comment on the sq difference with something like the Sony, which doesn’t need the extra juice but is well-matched in terms of overall quality / price range.

I found these Sony to be satisfying because previously i had some issues with these:

Man, that list... it’s like a gag and definitely a nice, very extended collection

 

[superuser1]

What are you guys using with the 1AM2 to use to from a 2.5mm balanced source?

 

[superuser1]

 

[Fatter-than-Olaf]

I am used to listening to speakers and tube amp. impressed with the nx300 and mdr-1am2 demo at the hong kong audio show so I bought a set just past weekend. Havent really bought Sony productsfor years since the PS3. And Sony headphones, not since the casette walkman era (if you are old enough to understand)

Can any member comment if the Sony-Kimber balanced cable S12SB1 is worth the money? Which aspects does it improve? Soundstage, mids, highs, or bass?

I have read that the nx300 will improve upon 200 hrs of playing. Holdinng my fingers cross

This is my first post to this forum so I would like to say hello to everyone and happy listening.

 

[ElephantTLK]

Interested in these headphones...
Are pads replaceable?
How is comfort if you have bigger ears? Are pads deep enough?
Is possible to use pads from other manufacturers?

Thanks

 

[Luigi Milazzo]

I can't afford the nw-zx300... is it a good pairing with the 1am2? So, i have to find something better than the 14 euro priced adapter from 4,4 to 2,5mm balanced adapter but it's almost impossible to find a cable under 150 euro. Is Sony paying the manufacturers to stop the production of 2,5 mm balanced cables?

 

[ElephantTLK]

Interested in these headphones...
Are pads replaceable?
How is comfort if you have bigger ears? Are pads deep enough?
Is possible to use pads from other manufacturers?

Thanks

???

 

[Gojira81]

Interested in these headphones...
Are pads replaceable?
How is comfort if you have bigger ears? Are pads deep enough?
Is possible to use pads from other manufacturers?

Thanks

I don't have these headphones so I can't help you much, but most of your questions have been answered in the previous pages in this thread.

From what I recall, yes the pads are replaceable and you might have a slight problem if you have big ears like me (I had the mdr-1a).

Some said that the Meze 99 classic pads could work.

 

[ElephantTLK]

Thank you.
Did you have problems with comfort? I had DT770 32 ohm before and had problems because pads were not deep enough for me. Size was ok. But ears were touching foam inside cups where driver is. Not comfortable for me.
Also had Sennheiser Momentum 2 and pads was too small to go really over ear.

I have T1 (1st gen) and they are great in terms of comfort.

Must mention that i had also Sennhesier HD595 for 9 years and they were super comfortable.
I tried HD600, HD650 and comfort was great.

So not really sure about Sony now. I am worried that they will be too small for me. I dont have chance to try them before buy. So...
Not sure.