[VuDoug]

Impressions from 3 months of use.
 
Using APTX bluetooth over the iMAC playing itunes & youtube vids.
 
PROS:
* Long Bluethooth Range. 
* Comfort
* Detailed Mid Range.
* 10 -12 battery life.
 
Cons:
* Heavy Bass can cause bad vibration.
* Price $400 is expensive.
* Touch controls delayed sometimes or non responsive.
* Loudness is limited.

 

[elektron]

Quote:

  Impressions from 3 months of use.

 
Thanks for sharing.
 
Are you sure your iMac has AptX enabled?  I don't think it's available by default.
 
I'm surprised that you've listed 10-12 hours of battery life as a pro - this headphone is rated at 30 hours and in my experience it's about right, depending on the loudness of course.
 
Speaking of loudness, mine can go very loud, to a point where it can hurt my ears if I listen at maximum loudness for a while (which I haven't been inclined to do), and my ears are not particularly sensitive.  I've heard anecdotal reports that European models are volume limited and Japanese / Asian are not.  Mine is an Asian grey import so it may be related to that.
 
I also haven't had any issues with the bass 'vibrating' even on some very bass-heavy dubstep tracks.  I actually rather like the bass on the 1ABT but I wouldn't call them a basshead headphone.
 
In regards to the touch controls, I don't think they're very different to button controls and their responsiveness is more related to your playback device.  For example, I was previously using a budget phone with an MDR-1RBT MK2 and they phone would sometime 'think' before pausing / resuming after the button was pressed on the headphones.  That was no longer the case after I upgraded my phone.  Having said that, I would think the iMac should have enough grunt.  Have you tried using a high-end phone with the 1ABT to see if you have the same issue with the controls?
 
I have been using them over LDAC with a Sony Xperia Z5 Compact and, while they sound good over AptX, I have to say that they really shine on some hi-res tracks with a compatible device.  However, if you primarily listen to pop, rock or other types of music with limited dynamic range, then there's not much to be gained by getting an LDAC compatible device, and hi-res tracks can be expensive as well as hit and miss quality-wise - with only some of them offering an improvement over Redbook FLAC or higher bitrate MP3s.

 

[GrooveRite]

  Quote:
 
Thanks for sharing.
 
Are you sure your iMac has AptX enabled?  I don't think it's available by default.
 
I'm surprised that you've listed 10-12 hours of battery life as a pro - this headphone is rated at 30 hours and in my experience it's about right, depending on the loudness of course.
 
Speaking of loudness, mine can go very loud, to a point where it can hurt my ears if I listen at maximum loudness for a while (which I haven't been inclined to do), and my ears are not particularly sensitive.  I've heard anecdotal reports that European models are volume limited and Japanese / Asian are not.  Mine is an Asian grey import so it may be related to that.
 
I also haven't had any issues with the bass 'vibrating' even on some very bass-heavy dubstep tracks.  I actually rather like the bass on the 1ABT but I wouldn't call them a basshead headphone.
 
In regards to the touch controls, I don't think they're very different to button controls and their responsiveness is more related to your playback device.  For example, I was previously using a budget phone with an MDR-1RBT MK2 and they phone would sometime 'think' before pausing / resuming after the button was pressed on the headphones.  That was no longer the case after I upgraded my phone.  Having said that, I would think the iMac should have enough grunt.  Have you tried using a high-end phone with the 1ABT to see if you have the same issue with the controls?
 
I have been using them over LDAC with a Sony Xperia Z5 Compact and, while they sound good over AptX, I have to say that they really shine on some hi-res tracks with a compatible device.  However, if you primarily listen to pop, rock or other types of music with limited dynamic range, then there's not much to be gained by getting an LDAC compatible device, and hi-res tracks can be expensive as well as hit and miss quality-wise - with only some of them offering an improvement over Redbook FLAC or higher bitrate MP3s.

 
Agreed! 
 
I get about a months worth of play on mine.....1.5 hours daily commute to work....around 20 days of play exact.
 
The bass on mine are great for my listening habits. Def NOT bass heavy for sure! No vibrations.
 
I use my LG G4 with my MDR-1ABT's.
 
Thanks for the info regarding LDAC. I listen mostly to House music MP3's at 320kbps.

 

[elektron]

  Thanks for the info regarding LDAC. I listen mostly to House music MP3's at 320kbps.

 
I also do most of my listening using a streaming service with this bitrate, since my hi-res library is farily limited at the moment.
 
I don't believe you would notice any difference between AptX and LDAC with house music, or any other electronic music for that matter.  

 

[GrooveRite]

   
I also do most of my listening using a streaming service with this bitrate, since my hi-res library is farily limited at the moment.
 
I don't believe you would notice any difference between AptX and LDAC with house music, or any other electronic music for that matter.  

 
Thats good to know! Thanks!
 
I've been very happy with how these headphones sound! AptX def is the difference maker here for wireless SQ. I was actually considering an LDAC device down the road to compliment my MDR-1ABT's but the more I read online and now your experience on the matter, I'm less inclined to get it.....thankfully, lol....hey my wallet thanks you! If I were to have gotten an LDAC device, it most likely would of been a Sony smart phone, Xperia line.

 

[skyvandreren]

How do you change the the bluetooth codec on MDR1-ABT? Help guide quotes: "Refer to the operating instructions supplied with the device regarding setting the codec." but there is no info in the manuals that came with my headset

 

[Sonyvores]

How do you change the the bluetooth codec on MDR1-ABT? Help guide quotes: "[COLOR=333333]Refer to the operating instructions supplied with the device regarding setting the codec." but there is no info in the manuals that came with my headset [/COLOR]

Device here means the player . MDR-1ABT will'switch according to the player. Headphone is like slave and player=master

 

[elektron]

  How do you change the the bluetooth codec on MDR1-ABT? Help guide quotes: "Refer to the operating instructions supplied with the device regarding setting the codec." but there is no info in the manuals that came with my headset

 
It will pick the highest quality codec supported by your source device.  This would typically look like this.  SBC->AAC->AptX->LDAC.
 
For example, when I connect it to my Xperia Z5C, it always automatically picks LDAC.  With my tablet it connects with AptX.
 
Is there any practical reason why you would want to downgrade the codec used by the headphone?

 

[skyvandreren]

It will pick the highest quality codec supported by your source device.  This would typically look like this.  SBC->AAC->AptX->LDAC.

For example, when I connect it to my Xperia Z5C, it always automatically picks LDAC.  With my tablet it connects with AptX.

Is there any practical reason why you would want to downgrade the codec used by the headphone?

Nice, just wanna be sure it set to the highest quality, aptX in my case ☺. Other mdr bt headset is set to sbc (prio connection and not quality) and you have to set up bt for max quality yourself. Thanks for replay, nice to know it sets it self to the best quality

 

[329161]

FYI I've been using the 1abt with a ZX2 which uses LDAC, and it seems to sound better than the other codecs

 

[GrooveRite]

FYI I've been using the 1abt with a ZX2 which uses LDAC, and it seems to sound better than the other codecs

 
Most of my music is 320kbps. Would I notice a difference from AptX to LDAC?

 

[329161]

Most of my music is 320kbps. Would I notice a difference from AptX to LDAC?

Most of my music is 320 as well, and I believe I hear a difference, but I didn't do any blind testing to verify. Only you can judge for yourself.

 

[kelly200269]

FYI I've been using the 1abt with a ZX2 which uses LDAC, and it seems to sound better than the other codecs

 
Most of my music is 320kbps. Would I notice a difference from AptX to LDAC?

Most of my music is 320kbps. Would I notice a difference from AptX to LDAC?

Most of my music is 320 as well, and I believe I hear a difference, but I didn't do any blind testing to verify. Only you can judge for yourself.

Both Apt-x and LDAC promise 'near CD-quality' BT transmission.
IMO the only situation you may hear a difference between Apt-x and LDAC is when playing 24-bit files. Even then I think the difference between the two is questionable. TBH I don't really believe Sony's hype about LDAC. Apt-x sounds great anyway, and is a clear improvement on SBC.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

 

[Tadamn]

They should arrive in couple days, promise to write up after this

 

[GrooveRite]

Both Apt-x and LDAC promise 'near CD-quality' BT transmission.
IMO the only situation you may hear a difference between Apt-x and LDAC is when playing 24-bit files. Even then I think the difference between the two is questionable. TBH I don't really believe Sony's hype about LDAC. Apt-x sounds great anyway, and is a clear improvement on SBC.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

 
Thanks for the info and I agree with your last sentence. My MDR-1ABT's sound great with my LG G4 with Apt-X!