[BlueScorpion33]

I am attaching some details that are not easily detectable, especially the central detail that may seem a speck of impurity. Check these details.

Yep, all three details are there on my MDR-1AM2 too.
Thanks again Angel III.

I also saw the small "Imported to the UK" sticker on the outer box with Sony's Weybridge, Surrey UK address on it.
I don't think a fake item would have that kind of detail on the box and also everything else seems legit.

Plus one of my friends who recently bought a Sony WF-1000XM3 from John Lewis just tried the serial number for his WF-1000XM3 on the Sony warranty checker site got the same "Sorry, we could not find a registered model with that serial number in our system" message as me and his WF-1000XM3 definitely genuine.

So I am now 100% sure that my MDR-1AM2 are genuine too.

 

[Angel III]

Yep, all three details are there on my MDR-1AM2 too.
Thanks again Angel III.

Thanks to you BlueScorpion 33, you will see that you will like the 1AM2 a lot in almost all musical genres.

 

[Gamerlingual]

Thanks to you BlueScorpion 33, you will see that you will like the 1AM2 a lot in almost all musical genres.

It’s probably the best sounding pair of cans for the money in the closed back field. They are up there in sound quality to me with the MDR-Z1R. Love my 1AM2 cans

 

[CoryGillmore]

I miss my 1AM2 like crazy! I fried the left driver. I think I did this from plugging it into my Schiit Jotunheim while the volume was up and music was playing.

 

[Angel III]

I miss my 1AM2 like crazy! I fried the left driver. I think I did this from plugging it into my Schiit Jotunheim while the volume was up and music was playing.

I too with the Violectric V200 always pay close attention to the gain selector (always set to -12dB) .. I hope for you to return with a new 1AM2..frightening with heavy metal.

 

[xTidus]

Hi there !
I bought 2 months ago a pair of Sony mdr-1am2 and I really love it but I would like to invest now on a DAC to improve the sound quality. These are my first pair of headphones.

At the moment, I'm listening from an iPhone with the apple 10$ dongle and also from my MacBook Air M1. The sound seems to be a bit more analytic and detailed but much more powerful from my Mac than from that small dongle. However, I'm not satisfied enough.
I did a lot of research and I'm torn between the Fiio Q3 and the iFi Hip Dac. I saw on the post earlier that some people suggest more the iFi Hip than the Fiio q3 for this Sony mdr1aM2. Could you explain in which way the iFi could be better than the Fiio q3 with this Sony please ? (By the way, I have also a price consideration as adding a lightning to usb apple dongle cost 25€ and with a discount I've found, the price difference between them could be around 50€. Could the difference in sound quality justify 50€ ?)

Besides, I also thought about the DragonFly Red but there is no 4,4mm jack output. Will the 4,4mm output be much better that the 3,5mm ?
I saw that the 4,4mm increase the voltage output but from the Sony, which has a 16 ohm impedance, will it be useful ?
Moreover, what do you think of the DragonFly Red compared to the Fiio q3 and the iFi Hip Dac ? I saw some people who said that it was quite outdated in price compared to the market competition.

Thank you a lot for your help,

A beginner.

 

[FullBright1]

Thank you very much for the advice, but unfortunately a DAC is still too much for me. I know I'm loosing part of the quality, but I'll be using the headphones mainly for movies and songs from Spotify via my laptop/smartphone.
The usage won't be worth the investment I'm scared.

Apart from that, I'm currently comparing Fidelio X2RH00 and the Sonys. What can I say? Comparing opened back and closed back doesn't make a lot of sense, but it seems to me that the Philips sound a little better even if their volume is way lower (due to higher impedance).

I have to figure out what to do as the Sony's are more portable and comfortable, but the sound is still too flat and digital for me.

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FiiO BTR5-384K/32Bit Native DSD256 Hi-Res CSR8675 Bluetooth5.0 Receiver/USB DAC/DSD Headphone Amp with LDAC, aptX HD, aptX, AAC (3.5mm Unbalanced&2.5mm Balanced Output, Black)​

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[FYLegend]

Can anyone confirm if Hagibis X2 Pro or X4 (also rebranded as Maedhawk X4) fits the 1AM2? The Pro version has a Type-C charging port but still seems to wide at the base for the 1AM2. If not, can the edges be sanded down to fit the 1AM2's recessed socket?

I've been using Maceton WM4BE with the plastic base sanded down but the volume is loud to the point it clips audio in many situations (unless absolute volume is disabled on Android). Anker Q30 has been my daily driver for Bluetooth but while great for the price it doesn't quite match up to the 1AM2's clarity and bass response, and the headband isn't as comfortable and is more creaky.

 

[SilverEars]

At where I am, the IER-M9 is about four times the price of the MDR-1AM2.

I think the IER-M9 has a fundamentally different sound signature when compared to the MDR-1AM2.

Overall IER-M9 has a very relaxed presentation while the 1AM2 is a very energetic headphone.

Also the 1AM2 is quite unforgiving due to it's metallic like tonality, If your source have jitter or sibilance problems, 1AM2 will show them to you in an instance. IER-M9 on the other hand, makes most sources sound refined/soft.

1AM2 excels when the music is complex, where you are listen to the beat and rhythm of the music. They are not so good for analyzing the microdetails. or plankton sound details. Think Alternative, Rock, Hip Hop or Electronic genre of music is what suits the 1AM2. From what I am hearing, great soundstaging and imaging on the 1AM2 really requires TOTL equipment for these to properly show up. You can really turn up the bass on these without worrying about bass distortion or diaphragm breakup that you get with other headphones when you push the EQ too much. They are surprisingly very easy to drive, more easier than the IER-M9(I will explain this part later on).

IER-M9 on the other hand is more tuned for appreciating the sound stage / imaging of the music, think live performances or unplugged music where you are absorbing the entire musical presentation. IER-M9 doesn't allow any part of the sound to overwhelm. The IER-M9 although is just an iem, I would think that these pair of iem requires quite alot more power than a typical iem/portable cans. I felt that somehow Sony has made the IER-M9 to have a "VTEC" mode, where you really need to turn up the volume on these in order for the last bit of the fast transient response to show up, and because you have to drive them at higher volumes, it means that your source amplification need to have plenty of capacitance/power output in order for the IER-M9 to sound punchy/bitey otherwise, the IER-M9 will behave pretty relaxed(or boring for some).

This sounds like 8k treble is present. Yeah, M9 is boring sounding avg multi-BA. Nothing special. Overpriced for what is in typical Sony fashion.

 

[RealSeraphim]

Hi guys, I'm back again, I have finally replaced the pads on my mdr 1am2, and of course not with OEM replacements, because the prices on those are ludicrous, $50 for each pad on encompass? No siree.

I replaced them with Yaxi stpad2s, and I like what they did to 1am2, I felt that it kinda tamed the V shaped a little and pushed forward the mids, and it feels nice not gonna lie, so to anyone looking for pad replacements or wanna try pad rolling this pair, don't count out the stpad 2

 

[SilverEars]

Just go these in. These are really crappy sounding. These actually sound like Sony XM3 in passive mode, and I thought XM3 in passive mode was just terrible sounding due to perhaps the signal going through passive circuity. I realize that's not the case, it's actually the sound of the 1am2 as both share the same drivers. XM3 just sounds better when in active mode. You get better value with the Sony XM3.

One of the most terrible sounding mids I've ever heard. There's no definition, and the treble just sticks out. 8k didn't turn out to be peaky as I was expecting, but it just sticks out so damn much.

You can't any damn value out of Sonys. You can only get decent sound out of their over-priced models. No wonder they went down hill due to competition.

I can't find a decent value/performance out of any Sonys.

These are probably in the same class as AT M50, which sound bad as well.

 

[dougms3]

Just go these in. These are really crappy sounding. These actually sound like Sony XM3 in passive mode, and I thought XM3 in passive mode was just terrible sounding due to perhaps the signal going through passive circuity. I realize that's not the case, it's actually the sound of the 1am2 as both share the same drivers. XM3 just sounds better when in active mode. You get better value with the Sony XM3.

One of the most terrible sounding mids I've ever heard. There's no definition, and the treble just sticks out. 8k didn't turn out to be peaky as I was expecting, but it just sticks out so damn much.

You can't any damn value out of Sonys. You can only get decent sound out of their over-priced models. No wonder they went down hill due to competition.

I can't find a decent value/performance out of any Sonys.

These are probably in the same class as AT M50, which sound bad as well.

Lol Silverears, depends on what you are comparing it to.

The mdr-am2 are pretty good but they are V shaped, boomy bass, too much mid bass bleed, and peaky treble. You can reign it in pretty easily with some mods though. It responds really well to mods.

They need damping inside the cups to clean up the bass. The treble can be tamed very easily, I used various layers of cut up surgical masks to reduce the sharp peakiness of the treble.

 

[SilverEars]

Lol Silverears, depends on what you are comparing it to.

The mdr-am2 are pretty good but they are V shaped, boomy bass, too much mid bass bleed, and peaky treble. You can reign it in pretty easily with some mods though. It responds really well to mods.

They need damping inside the cups to clean up the bass. The treble can be tamed very easily, I used various layers of cut up surgical masks to reduce the sharp peakiness of the treble.

For $299, I expect better performance. In terms of technicalities, ATH MSR7b perform much better. But, MSR7b has a bit of an issue with it's treble. It's too peaky, and gets fatiguing. I didn't find 1am2 to be fatiguing treble, but it is emphasized relative to the mids.

1am2 sounds like there's a bit much lower-mids, and mids just sound pulled back a bit much relative to the treble. Also, it doesn't sound like acoustics was damped all that well. I can hear the sound reflection that causes lower-mids presence and loss of clarity.

MSR7b is different, lower mids might be pulled back too much, and not so much bass. So, both are in some ways tuned oppositely.

 

[dougms3]

For $299, I expect better performance. In terms of technicalities, ATH MSR7b perform much better. But, MSR7b has a bit of an issue with it's treble. It's too peaky, and gets fatiguing. I didn't find 1am2 to be fatiguing treble, but it is emphasized relative to the mids.

1am2 sounds like there's a bit much lower-mids, and mids just sound pulled back a bit much relative to the treble. Also, it doesn't sound like acoustics was damped all that well. I can hear the sound reflection that causes lower-mids presence and loss of clarity.

MSR7b is different, lower mids might be pulled back too much, and not so much bass. So, both are in some ways tuned oppositely.

The mdr1am2 is a "fun" headphone, mids are always going to be its weak point even when modded. I found the treble very fatiguing.

The driver creates a ton of bass but earcup is too small with poor damping, the sound resonates quite alot. Small mods on that headphone can make it sound amazing. Its very easy to mod too.

I feel like Sony sometimes favors appearance and portability over sound quality too often. The engineers produced a really good driver but its flawed by the air space of the earcup, the restricted space of the ear pad, and poor damping.

I liked the sound after I modded it but I have big ears and couldn't stand the heat it generates on my ears from the synthetic material on the pads. Its super comfy but acts like a heat insulator. The Z7m2 has earpads of the same material but thicker and same heatbite effect, but at least it can be swapped out. I changed it to sheepskin earpads and its much cooler now.

 

[KPzypher]

Just picked them up as these are on sale on ebay for $129 (refurbished). Not expecting much as I typically am not a fan of Sony sound with the exception of IER-IER, which I no longer own. Not sure why I keep buying Sony products. I find the Z7m2 capable but quite boring. Hope these sound different at least.