Sony MDR1R vs MDR1RNC

[andynahgooyen]

Hello friends. New member here.
 
I need help deciding between the two headphones.
 
I'm by no means an audiophile. These will be my first pair of real headphones. I'm just looking for some cans that will both sound and look nice.I've heard great things about the ATH-M50's but opted for the MDR1R series because I prefer the look of it a little more.
 
I've done my research and and have heard that the sound quality of the 1R is better than the 1RNC. I'm not much of a traveler, so I'm not sure how useful the noise cancellation would be, but it seems nice to have. I have read that the 1R has a vent on the top which can make sounds on windy days. However, price isn't really an issue here, because there's only about a $25 difference on ebay, and I much prefer the case that the 1RNC would come with, while I would probably buy a $20 hard case for the 1R.
 
tl;dr:
Not an audiophile, not sure if I'd even notice the difference in quality?
1R: better audio quality, slightly cheaper
1RNC: noise cancellation, better included case
 
Which would you guys recommend that I buy? 

 

[cel4145]

It seems like you have already scoped out the differences. I have not heard them both, but this review suggests that there is a bit of difference in the audio quality: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/solid-sony-mdr-1r-mdr-1rbt-and-mdr-1nc-page-2 He's a good reviewer, so I'd trust what he says.

Whether or not that difference would be important to you, only you can judge. But if you don't really need the active noise cancellation, I'd go with the MDR-1R.

 

[nimaina]

FYI, there is Sony MDR-1A which is an improved version of the MDR-1R, in case you're interested.