Pros:
Comfortable (wearability and 'listenability')
Amazing highs and mids
Superior female vocals
Very good value for money
Great imaging and instrument separation
Cons:
Bass feels underwhelming, punch is lacking. Looming sub bass is missing
Average soundstage
Stock earpads are too thin/soft (tip of my ears are always touching the drivers)*
Stock cable is too long and no 4.4 balanced cable provided
1. Design, quality & built
Straight out of the box, I can immediately feel just how light it is. Overall construction doesn't feel as flimsy or cheap as the Sony MDR-7506 or the Sony WH-1000XM5, but it lacks the solid finishing and premium feel like the Sony MDR-Z1R and higher end Audeze or Focal. You won't hear any creaking from the plastic compared to the Sennheiser HD 6XX. The headband feels very soft (I love it!) but the earpads* may be a little too soft and thin for some. Durability is okay as I managed to stretch it around without deforming it or hearing any cracks from it. From time to time, I can feel the tip of my ears touching the driver and that could be distracting to some. But fret not, it IS comfortable and prolonged listening sessions won't be an issue. If you are concerned with heat, it's hardly noticeable (mind you, I live in a hot and humid southeast Asia country). IF you're like me who enjoys sleeping to the sound of music, I can say that this MDR-MV1 is comfortable and durable enough to fall asleep with.
The stock cable feels nice and soft. But darn it, it's just too long for normal users like me. Minimal microphonics (compared to the Kimber Kable MUC-B20BL1 that I have on my MDR-Z1R) and the screw-in connector part is well designed. It's missing a 4.4mm balanced cable, but at this price point I really can't ask for more.
2. Sound
Tested with my personal Sony DMP-Z1 (Direct Source: ON | DSD Remastering: OFF), running on battery, with the stock unbalanced cable provided.
I definitely need to let this unit burn in for a longer period. But listening fatigue is hardly there, and I find myself enjoying this unit through prolonged listening hours. It's hard to leave it alone. It doesn't sound too bright and the imaging is amazing. Instruments like acoustic guitars and drum cymbals aren't too distracting but it's there. The imaging and instrument separation on this headphone (being one created especially for Spatial Sound, according to Sony) is really fantastic at this price range. Every strum from the guitar, hit from the cymbals, and every key from the piano are clearly separated. Listening to Daft Punk's
"Horizon" (or music from the band 'Vulfpeck') is a good benchmark to test it's imaging and instrument separation. I don't find myself purposely straining my ears
(or increasing the volume to dangerous levels) to distinguish between each sound and each instruments. It's really hard to find any fault within the highs and mids for this headphone. If I really want to find a fault; it would probably be the lower-mids range of this headphones. Male vocals doesn't sound as impressive as female vocals especially when it involves screaming.
One thing that caught my attention is just how great female vocals are. Listening to
"Above & Beyond - Love Is Not Enough (Acoustic)" made me realise how good it is at reproducing female vocals. Adele's
"Rolling In The Deep", Elaine's
"1-to-2", Mondo Grosso's
"Time [Vocal: Bird]", Mellisa Menago's
"Hallelujah", Kirinji's "Killer Tunes Kills Me (feat. YonYon)", and HEIZE's
"(From the Rain) ft. Ahn Ye Eun" vocal sounded really clean and precise. So soothing to my ears, so good. The sibilance is well controlled without hurting my ears too much.
Moving on to the lower frequencies, you'll find that it's actually there and
that's about it. There's nothing remarkable in bass reproduction, it's easily forgotten because the mids and highs are really overwhelmingly good. The open back design may contribute to this. Don't get me wrong, bass is good enough, it doesn't sound muddy and it's plentiful for normal listening. Basshead may find themselves disappointed with the MDR-MV1's low-mids and lower frequencies. It lacks the punch, kick and lingering sub-bass from the Sennheiser HD 6XX that I have or from my vague memories from listening to Audeze's LCD series and the new MM-500. Listening to Deadmau5's
"Some Chords" intro is enough to explain the lack of sub-bass lingering around. However, I believe that through some EQ, 3rd party earpads and cables may be able to help in this aspect. However, if you are into the likes of bright headphones (for an extreme example, Sennheiser HD 800 S), the bass may be more than enough for you.
A little personal note: rock music with a lot of electric guitar riffs may not be it's strength. Listening the likes of 'Linkin Park', '30 Seconds to Mars', 'Within Temptation' and 'Muse' is enjoyable but I find myself steering away from rock music with the MDR-MV1.
2.1. Mini headphones comparison
V.S. Sony MDR-Z1R
The Z1R is a little too bright for me at some point, but it's bearable because the soundstage and tonality is better (also, the range of lower frequencies is wider). Listening to
"Ali - Lost In Paradise" is a torture with the cymbals (sibilance) continuously distracting me from the music and hurting my ears. With the MDR-MV1, things felt pretty much balanced and you can still enjoy the little details from the highs. However, the soundstage from the MDR-Z1R is just too good and it made the MDR-MV1 felt a little too narrow. Also, I find that the MDR-Z1R reproduces rock music better than the MDR-MV1. Do I really have to compare the weight of these two?
Nah, it's a no brainer.
V.S. Sennheiser HD 6XX
The lower frequencies and kick from the bass is still better than the MDR-MV1. However, the MDR-MV1 imaging is much more superior especially when it comes to reproducing those little background noises [e.g finger snaps you hear from Micheal Jackson's
"Billie Jean", the background guitar strums from SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]'s
"A/Z <MOD> (feat. Mizuki)"]. Little details that are easily missed on the HD 6XX is no longer an issue with the MDR-MV1. Generally, I'll return to the HD 6XX if I want some headbanging sessions or House/EDM genres.
3. Summary
TLDR; there's only one thing that's stopping me from pre-ordering the MDR-MV1. And that is the Audeze MM-100.
As someone who has preferences towards bass, I have a soft spot towards the Audeze's Planar Magnetic drivers. And recently, I tried the Audeze MM-500 and absolutely love it. Bass lovers should not completely avoid the MDR-MV1 as well. You may find yourself liking the subtle yet minimalistic bass presentation for a more comfortable listening experience. I suggest to perhaps try this with a different cable or earpads in the near future to see if the lower frequency ranges can be improved without hurting the mids and highs. If they (Audeze) have NOT announced the MM-100, I'll pre-order the MDR-MV1 immediately.
I foresee the Sony MDR-MV1 as a rising favourite among fellow audiophiles (and probably even more so with a balanced cable). Out of the box without any EQ, the sound itself is already a class above it's price range. It's easy to drive (even with a smartphone) and you can carry it with you whever you go since it's very light.
Final score based on price range:
Construction/build: 7/10
Comfort: 8/10
Soundstage: 7/10
Instrument Separation: 10/10
Imaging: 10/10
Highs: 10/10
Mids: 9/10
Lows: 6/10
*This is a pre-production unit, therefore some minor things around the build/material quality (not including drivers) may be different on the final design.
