[elektron]

   I received my 1ABT's today and haven't put them down yet

. I had my 950bt's on all day so my ears had to adjust, but when they did I was happy. They're clear just like the MK2's but there is definitely more base and sub low is present, not strong but its enjoyably there. Yes I'm a Bass head that loved the clarity of the MK2's but couldn't deal with the lack of bass. These 1ABT's are giving me the sound I have been trying to get out of my 950bt's with all the mods and heavy EQ adjusting. 950bt's still had too much bass and the mids and highs weren't strong enough. If your sporting the 950BT's and your thinking of upgrading, the 1ABT's are the way to go. Similar sound but much better quality. Good highs, sweet mids and they have tighter bass compared to the 950BT's. I jumped on Tidal and set it to play FLACC 1411. I listened to Fleetwood Mac, Clapton, Nas, Biggie Smalls, Sting, Milky Chance, Arcade Fire, Warren G, Megadeth, Motley Crue, you name it and everything sounded good without touching an EQ haha. Finally a set of cans I can just wear and shuffle through my library without adjusting the EQ. One more thing, I plugged the 1abt's into my AW15 and shut off the Sound Blaster Recon 3Di software so it wouldn't interfere with the sound and YES they sound a little bit better plugged in. You can hear the difference. Tomorrow I will try how Blueray Movies sound with Bluetooth and plugged in. Its gonna be fun day tomorrow haha.
 The ONLY thing I cant get my head over is that I paid $99 for my 950bt's and the sound is (kind of close but not there) to these 1ABT's. And I paid $447 for the 1ABT's, tax and shipping

 
Thanks for sharing the early impressions.
 
So, I take it you had the 1RBTMK2 before (in addition to the 950bt)?  Are you saying that the 1ABT have the same sound as the MK2 except for more bass and sub-bass?  I'm a current owner of the MK2.

 

[Diablito]

   
Thanks for sharing the early impressions.
 
So, I take it you had the 1RBTMK2 before (in addition to the 950bt)?  Are you saying that the 1ABT have the same sound as the MK2 except for more bass and sub-bass?  I'm a current owner of the MK2. ​

 
 Yes, I had the MK2's then bought the 950BT's. Wasn't happy with the lack of bass the MK2's had so I sold them and stood with the 950Bt's. There is a big jump in bass between the MK2 and the 1ABT. This I'm happy with because if I feel the need I want to lower the bass I can and wont lose my nice clear Mids and Highs. When I had the MK2 I tried to raise the bass and that was never enough. I was never satisfied. MK2's are nice but for me the 1Abt's hit the sweet spot. If it were up to me I would have lowered the bass abit and raise the sub bass abit, then they would have been Perfect. But I'm not complaining

 

[randy98mtu]

Is there a Sony BT set with a similar sound to the 1ABT but with noise cancelling? That would be the perfect set for me at this time. I love the 1ABT thought. I tried the Sym1 and initially was impressed, but the first time I pulled them off and directly put on the 1ABT, it was game over for the Sym1. These compete reasonably well with my MM400 and P7's in my opinion. All three are great all around.

 

[Diablito]

Do the 1ABT have a setting like the MK2 where you hold the power button a few seconds and it enters High Res mode and you get 3 blue blinks to tell you that its in High Res mode?

 

[ravdo]

  Do the 1ABT have a setting like the MK2 where you hold the power button a few seconds and it enters High Res mode and you get 3 blue blinks to tell you that its in High Res mode?

No need to do that with 1ABT.
It selects the best connection available automatically

 

[elektron]

   
 Yes, I had the MK2's then bought the 950BT's. Wasn't happy with the lack of bass the MK2's had so I sold them and stood with the 950Bt's. There is a big jump in bass between the MK2 and the 1ABT. This I'm happy with because if I feel the need I want to lower the bass I can and wont lose my nice clear Mids and Highs. When I had the MK2 I tried to raise the bass and that was never enough. I was never satisfied. MK2's are nice but for me the 1Abt's hit the sweet spot. If it were up to me I would have lowered the bass abit and raise the sub bass abit, then they would have been Perfect. But I'm not complaining

 
While I do like impactful and rumbling bass as much as the next guy, I don't consider myself a basshead and actually quite happy with the overall bass balance of the MK2s, except for the their sub-bass deficiency.  If the 1ABT have more bass, I can see how some people do find them on the boomy side.
 
By the way, I suspect that you would get more sub-bass on the 1ABT in the LDAC mode with a compatible source, as BT compression (even with AptX) strips out extreme lows and highs.  I can certainly confirm that I can hear more overall bass fullness / presence in the AptX mode vs SBC on the MK2s.
 
So let me ask my question again.  Except for a more present bass with some sub-bass improvement, would you say that the rest of the sound of the 1ABT is the same or very similar to the 1RBTMK2 in your opinion?

 

[Diablito]

I'm no pro but if I was you and you were happy with the MK2 and the amount of bass they produce is fine for you, your probably better off staying with the MK2. If your interested in LDAC or want a little more bass then I would suggest the 1ABTs.
PS. I don't really like the touch controls on these headphones. Maybe I have to get use to them but I find myself just using my phone to control them. Appreciate the buttons on the MK2's lol.

 

[elektron]

I'm no pro but if I was you and you were happy with the MK2 and the amount of bass they produce is fine for you, your probably better off staying with the MK2. If your interested in LDAC or want a little more bass then I would suggest the 1ABTs.
PS. I don't really like the touch controls on these headphones. Maybe I have to get use to them but I find myself just using my phone to control them. Appreciate the buttons on the MK2's lol.

 
I'd definitely like more (or at least some!) sub-bass in the MK2s, which is their biggest drawback as far as I'm concerned, and I understand the 1ABT address this to a degree.  However, others have also mentioned that the 1ABT have improved overall clarity over to the MK2.
 
Yes, from what I hear the touch controls are quite polarising, probably with more people in the same camp as you.

 

[329161]

So I got to use my abt today and here are my impressions-
Very comfy, slightly bulky and heavy. Seems to pinch on my ears a little more than the rbt. Still very stylish and quite streamlined and fairly discrete. SQ- very good and a definite improvement over the rbt. Bass goes lower and quite sub by, but still punchy. The highs aren't so rolled off and approaches more of an audiophile level of treble, not fatiguing either. Still a fun sound but not as rolled off at the frequency extremes. I'm really happy with it. Sounds better to me than the Momentum mk1, which I returned.
I noticed aptx sounds different to normal bt mode, but not necessarily better. Not really sure if I'll bother upgrading my player for ldac compatibility as I don't think it will make much of a difference.
I found the touch Controls responded very well and is very intuitive to use. Very handy too.

Does anyone know if the same audio cable is supplied with the 1abt as with the 1a?

Edit- just tried listening with the supplied cable and the sound is actually worse. It becomes quite muddy and a bit muffled.

 

[creonis]

hey, maybe someone can answer. if 1abt plugged to the laptop(PC) using USB cable, are they recognized as external sound card, and can you listen to music with this type of connection?

 

[329161]

hey, maybe someone can answer. if 1abt plugged to the laptop(PC) using USB cable, are they recognized as external sound card, and can you listen to music with this type of connection?

No. As far as I know they can only be used with Bluetooth or audio cable. You may be able to do what you want with the mdr 1adac.

 

[TonySunshine]

so I've been experimenting with pads on my 1ABT the past few months.
I tried the 1A on in the sony store before I got the 1ABT and found both very comfortable. But around the 4 hour mark the tips of my ears started to get kind of sore, indicating to me that the earpads were just a bit too shallow. So here are some of my findings
 
HM5 pleather pads - very large and comfy. However, they change the sound too much. Mids become quite recessed, treble gets peaky/sibilance. Bass gets even meatier/boomy
HM5 velour pads - similar to the pleather. Very comfy but changes the sound way too much. Less bass emphasis than the pleather and gives a wider sound stage, probably due to less of a seal
HM5 hybrid pads - same as the velour pads in terms of sound
HM5 angled pads - similar sound change as the other 3 HM5 pads, isolation and comfort is the best with these(for me)
ATH-M50X pleather pads - These stay true to the sound of the stock pads, but unfortunately are nearly identical in dimensions so doesn't help me with the soar ear tips thing
ATH-M50X velour pads - opens up the sound stage quite a bit, but also brings up the treble as well as reduces the warmth of the bass. Comfortable but again I didn't like the sound change
 
Senn HD280 pads(geekria version) - so these will end my earpad journey for my 1ABTs. They are slightly deeper and slightly bigger in diameter than the stock pads, just enough to give me the comfort I want without changing the sound sig significantly. Note that it still does recess the mids a bit compared to the stock, but not nearly as significant as all the other pads. Heres a pic. Not the prettiest match for the 1ABT due to the "wrinkles," but I'll take function over form
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Headphone-Cushion-Earpads-Repair/dp/B0105DVNL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443630239&sr=8-1&keywords=hd280+ear+pads
 

 
 
Hope this helps some of you out!

 

[goodyfresh]

  so I've been experimenting with pads on my 1ABT the past few months.
I tried the 1A on in the sony store before I got the 1ABT and found both very comfortable. But around the 4 hour mark the tips of my ears started to get kind of sore, indicating to me that the earpads were just a bit too shallow. So here are some of my findings
 
HM5 pleather pads - very large and comfy. However, they change the sound too much. Mids become quite recessed, treble gets peaky/sibilance. Bass gets even meatier/boomy
HM5 velour pads - similar to the pleather. Very comfy but changes the sound way too much. Less bass emphasis than the pleather and gives a wider sound stage, probably due to less of a seal
HM5 hybrid pads - same as the velour pads in terms of sound
HM5 angled pads - similar sound change as the other 3 HM5 pads, isolation and comfort is the best with these(for me)
ATH-M50X pleather pads - These stay true to the sound of the stock pads, but unfortunately are nearly identical in dimensions so doesn't help me with the soar ear tips thing
ATH-M50X velour pads - opens up the sound stage quite a bit, but also brings up the treble as well as reduces the warmth of the bass. Comfortable but again I didn't like the sound change
 
Senn HD280 pads(geekria version) - so these will end my earpad journey for my 1ABTs. They are slightly deeper and slightly bigger in diameter than the stock pads, just enough to give me the comfort I want without changing the sound sig significantly. Note that it still does recess the mids a bit compared to the stock, but not nearly as significant as all the other pads. Heres a pic. Not the prettiest match for the 1ABT due to the "wrinkles," but I'll take function over form
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-Headphone-Cushion-Earpads-Repair/dp/B0105DVNL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1443630239&sr=8-1&keywords=hd280+ear+pads
 

 
 
Hope this helps some of you out!

Thanks!

 

[goody]

Has anyone compared this to the sennheiser momentum wireless ?

 

[Fluffy Muffinz]

For a BT headphone, do you think the Sony MDR-1ABT are worth it? 
 
Iv'e been able to find a pair in Australia (Brand new) for $389 (US$284.81) 
 
or do you think that there are better options out there?