[musicday]

I know that @purk did a cable mod for the mv1, where it's now dual sided instead of only being on the left side, he claimed significant SQ changes for the better. I think that mod + kimber cable will do the trick with the vocals.

I also wonder about people pad rolling these headphones, although the stock pads are absolute superb, I truly wonder if someone may find an even better match in the future.

I may send my mv1s to jmaudio to see what mods he can do to them besides the dual sided cables.

A link to the mod please?

 

[antdroid]

It depends on what an individual is looking for in headphones. Most "audiophile" enthusiasts opt for the HD 6XX series due to its natural vocal reproduction, warmth, and non-fatiguing, easy-listening quality. These headphones are mostly neutral with a greater focus on vocals. However, they do lack bass, and after 20 years of complaints, Sennheiser released the HD660S2 to enhance the bass levels. Still, some people find them to have a veiled and claustrophobic soundstage. This is where the Sony MV1 comes into play.

The release of the Sony MV1 further bridges this gap. It offers warm, smooth, natural vocals, with enough bass to please bass heads and sufficient treble to lift the "Sennheiser" HD650 veil, closer aligning to the treble response of Hifiman - yet without harsh as it did cut off at the very top. Its open soundstage is much wider than that of the HD6XX series, offering higher resolution, and these changes are not subtle. The moment I switch from the HD6XX series to the MV1, I immediately notice the sound opening up.

Occasionally, it reminds me of the Meze 109 Pro but with much better natural vocals and less sibilance than the 109 Pro... or perhaps it feels like an open-back version of the Meze 109 Pro. lol.

Now, the ultimate aspect for me is the comfort of the Sony MV1. I always thought the HD6XX series was the pinnacle of comfort - akin to wearing comfortable slippers. The Sony MV1 takes it a step further, feeling like slip-on shoes on hotel carpeting. It's even lighter than the HD6XX (260g vs 223g).

I've been playing with the EQ settings, and it responds quite well. I'm trying to incorporate the NDH 30's vocal clarity into it, as there's still a long way to go to match the NDH 30's super-accurate vocal reproduction. Don't get me wrong, the MV1's vocals are natural enough, but they're slightly overshadowed by the bass and treble. I'm getting pretty close and might publish some EQ settings later.

I also think that HD6xx fans may not jump onto the MV1 solely because the MV1 is not as vocal-focused as the HD6xx. The MV1 focuses on balancing the entire sound spectrum so the vocal is not prominent and its balance by the bass and treble. I think Sony philosophy is to produce a headphones so you can listen to everything all at once without the vocal subducing the bass like the HD6xx series. For me, I need a little getting used to it since I am coming from the HD6xx series headphones. but its a lot of fun with the sony MV1.

As someone who loves the HD600, I agree. The MV1 is just a different sound, more balanced and warm and bassy. It's great for certain things and HD600 is better for other things. Both are fantastic headphones. There's no right or wrong here with these two headphones. Both are great sub-$500 headphones that are super comfortable, sound nice, should work with many music genres each. They complement each other for my music collection.

And for the most part, I don't like most of Sony's headphones and IEMs of the past. The M9 was pretty decent though. The IER-Z1R is too big. The headphones, but consumer and audiophile-grade ones just didnt do it for me. (although I have a soft spot for the first two H.Ear ANC headphones, which I loved the tuning for but they messed it up in the later models)...

The MV1 is the first I really enjoy.

 

[antdroid]

A link to the mod please?

I havent done this myself, but I imagine, you open up the right cup, disconnect the wires from the driver, drill a hole for another 3.5mm female connector, solder it to the driver, and neatly install it into the hole you just drilled. I did something similar for the Fostex T50RP series and other headphones. You may also have to do something to the left side too.

 

[antdroid]

Just received a new cable for this headphone from Lunashop

 

[musicday]

Just received a new cable for this headphone from Lunashop

Ha ha, you removed the "professional" sticker.

 

[antdroid]

Ha ha, you removed the "professional" sticker.

I self-admittedly am not a professional, so I had to downgrade myself.


...and also the sticker was not straight nor centered and it was bothering me haha

 

[purk]

I havent done this myself, but I imagine, you open up the right cup, disconnect the wires from the driver, drill a hole for another 3.5mm female connector, solder it to the driver, and neatly install it into the hole you just drilled. I did something similar for the Fostex T50RP series and other headphones. You may also have to do something to the left side too.

This is a hardwired mod so what i did was to remove the 3.5 TRRs socket after disassembled the pad, desoldered all existing wires including the wired from the left to right right driver and then solder the upgraded wires directly on the left and right drivers (L+ and L- to the left driver and similarly on the right). I didn’t not install any socket so the Moon Audio Black Dragon cable was permanently attached to the headphones. No drilling was required as seen below and this mod is reversible but there is no going back. What I also noticed with just a cable upgrade with leaving everything else stock is that the sound to the left driver is a little cleaner than to the right side. The bottleneck is still there with that stock OFC wire connecting left to the right driver and this can leading to the left side being a very slightly louder than the right.

 

[musicday]

Interesting, isn't there anything anything that can be done so both left and right side drivers sound the same, loudness ?
I did something similar to this to a 2017 Sony Bluetooth headphones I found on the street and the battery was dead. I removed all the electronics inside the ear cups and soldered wires directly to the drivers. The previous holes I filled them with bluetac.
The sound was quite okay overall.

 

[musicday]

Just received a new cable for this headphone from Lunashop

What cable is this and did you hear any improvement in the sound over the stock cable?

 

[purk]

Interesting, isn't there anything anything that can be done so both left and right side drivers sound the same, loudness ?
I did something similar to this to a 2017 Sony Bluetooth headphones I found on the street and the battery was dead. I removed all the electronics inside the ear cups and soldered wires directly to the drivers. The previous holes I filled them with bluetac.
The sound was quite okay overall.

It’s depend on the quality of the cable. The better the cable used, the more you should be able to tell. I typically can discern a difference if one solder joint is added to the cable and two extra solder joints is required to run the wire from left to the right driver. Hardwiring essentially eliminates up to three joints plus one at the female jack allowing immediate and noticeable improvements. I have hardwired so many headphones all with drastic improvement. I just hardwired my Hd800s and is overjoyed with the results.

 

[antdroid]

What cable is this and did you hear any improvement in the sound over the stock cable?

Its this: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806112250879.html

You can also find it on their real store https://www.lunashops.com

It's very nicely built and looks great. Soundwise, I cant really compare to the original. I've been using some other cable I bought on Amazon.


I started using the MV1 with my office stack (Holo Spring 3 KTE + Holo Bliss KTE) and it brings a significant level of depth and natural timbre over the Fiio M15S that I have been using it with. Probably not a fair comparison and they also have their own style, but it's nice to hear a little more openness in the sound and small improvements to an already great headphone.

 

[justsomesonyfan]

It’s depend on the quality of the cable. The better the cable used, the more you should be able to tell. I typically can discern a difference if one solder joint is added to the cable and two extra solder joints is required to run the wire from left to the right driver. Hardwiring essentially eliminates up to three joints plus one at the female jack allowing immediate and noticeable improvements. I have hardwired so many headphones all with drastic improvement. I just hardwired my Hd800s and is overjoyed with the results.

Is hard wiring = wire directly to driver rather than 3.5mm connections before driver?

 

[purk]

Is hard wiring = wire directly to driver rather than 3.5mm connections before driver?

Yes, the left and right channel of the upgraded cable is soldered on directly to each driver bypassing the TRRS 3.5 mm connector, and cable from left to right side driver. You can se how thin the stock OFC wire really is.

 

[musicday]

I wonder how will they sound connected to the TV directly? LG C3

 

[antdroid]

I posted a review of the Sony MDR-MV1 headphone: https://www.audiodiscourse.com/2024/03/sony-mdr-mv1-headphones-review.html