[LokY]

Hi OP.
 
I think I'm in the exact same case as you (budget/music/models of interest). What did you finally decide to get ?
 
Unfortunately, being in French Polynesia, I abuse any return policy here... so my choice has to be very well thought

 

[Trunks159]

I've finally received my MDR 1rs, and am listening to them as I write. I won't comment on the sound yet because I just got them today, but they're the most comfortable cans I've ever tried!

 

[takato14]

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I've finally received my MDR 1rs, and am listening to them as I write. I won't comment on the sound yet because I just got them today, but they're the most comfortable cans I've ever tried!

Why not comment on the sound yet? Aural opinions are formed within the first 10 minutes of listening.
 
1,111th post. I must make a wish.

 

[Trunks159]

Why not comment on the sound yet? Aural opinions are formed within the first 10 minutes of listening.

I actually think the opposite (more like 10 hours), but I guess I could give a little something something. Just a little though.

Most of the sound spectrum sounds awesome except the bass. Now don't get me wrong, there's plenty of bass, it's just the impact isn't all that great. Its a little loose, but nothing too bad, ill just have to wait.

What I really love about them are the vocals. They just sound so... natural! R&B and pop are just beautiful right now, while hip hop and rock tend to suffer just a little bit from the slow, and somewhat loose bass.

I do believe in burn in, but I believe that it mainly effects the bass. Around 87.5% of the process is about bass improvement IMO. This was definitely the case for both the AKG K167 and DT770s, which sounded almost anemic out of the box.

Just initial impressions which to me mean almost nothing.

 

[money4me247]

lol i really think the mdr-1r headphones are actually really midcentric but the bass is also boosted/colored. i've compared them extensively with the akg k550, sennheiser momentum, and m100.
 
it actually took me a while to get used to the mdr-1r's sound signature b/c i believe i am just used to a more v-shaped sound with bass emphasis & extension into the super low frequencies like the M100 which I really liked (although the bass boost on the M100 was a bit too much sometimes). M100 had amazing bass in my opinion. very well-done intense bass-boost that makes you want to dance to the beat. of course, the mids were slightly recessed, but I didn't really mind. seemed very well-balanced for a v-shaped pair of headphones to me.
 
I really liked the AKG K550 because I thought everything was very balanced/flat, while there was not as much quantity of bass, you could really hear the extension down into the super low frequencies. However, the bass was a bit too anemic for my tastes and the treble also sometimes sounded a bit metallic sometimes for some reason. This was my second favorite sound signature after the M100 though.
 
The Momentum did not really stand out to me. There did seem to be a bass boost over the AKG K550, and things were just not as clear as the AKG K550. However, I would say that it was very well balanced pair of headphones with the slightest bass boost. Sound stage for the Momentum and the K550 was both very exceptional.
 
the sony mdr-1r's sound signature and bass is definitely very different from what I'm used to or expected. I believe it definitely has an unique colored & bass-boosted but mid-centric sound signature. The bass is present, but I feel like I am missing the super low rumble or intense impact. So these are definitely not a basshead pair of headphones as you don't ever get the feeling that you just want to jump around to the bass. This is not a bad thing as you can distinctly hear the mids and vocals very prominently. There is absolutely no bleeding of the bass into anything else and the bass never seems to take over the song. Bass never gets overpowering as it sits very controlled in the background. You also never feel like the bass is anemic like the K550. Actually, the MDR-1R coloration makes the sound very easy on the ears as there is no harshness to the treble and it definitely does not seem overly bright. The mids are very prominent. Seems to be a very unique coloration as it was very different from the other headphones I've tried before.
 
Using the audiophile glossary, this is how I would describe things:
AKG K550: Treble-focused: Airy, Analytical, Breathy, Depth, Detailed, very Dry, sharp, spacious, transparent
V-Moda M100: Bass-focused: Bassy, Colored, wet, laid-back, prescence, reverberation, seisemic, weighty 
Sony MDR-1R: Mid-focused: Colored, Fullness of sound, semi-dry, not sharp, smooth, extremely warm, lush
 
I would also be extremely interested in seeing if you guys agree with my matching of audiophile terms with headphones. Please let me know what you guys thought of my impressions!! thanks

 

[Trunks159]

I like these cans but i am worrying about the build and mostly scratches.  I hate for my stylish thing to have scratches.  If they do start to build many scratches than I'm taking them back.

 

[takato14]

Quote:

I like these cans but i am worrying about the build and mostly scratches.  I hate for my stylish thing to have scratches.  If they do start to build many scratches than I'm taking them back.

It's made of magnesium, it should be very scratch resistant.

 

[Trunks159]

It's made of magnesium, it should be very scratch resistant.

Magnesium huh. Sounds good.

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

It's made of magnesium, it should be very scratch resistant.

 
I think he's talking about the 1R and those are plastic.

 

[Vanarian]

As a follow up to my questions based on what I have personally owned or have listened to:

If you do not have a dedicated headphone amp and are using primarily portable sound sources or generic sound cards from a PC I would go these directions:

If you want a comfy around ear headpone that is portable but bassy in nature you could go Denon D1100. If you are not as concerned with portability and comfort and want a less bassy sound with decent mids and nice treble you could go Denon HP700. If you want a well rounded signature that has OK sub-bass, strong mids, and good but easy to listen treble in a portable super comfy over the ear format with OK isolation then I would say go MDR-1R.[B/]

If you have a dedicated headphone amp and have set up a listening station of some description then you can look at the cans that require an amp to sound correct (usually AKG, Beyerdynamic, and some Ultrasone headphones) not ALL of those brands headphones will be in this category though (AKG K550 for example was designed to be played from portable sources).

Speaking of AKG K550 from what I have read it may not have enough sub-bass for your genres and is not very portable if that is a requirement. I would say the Shure SRH940 would also fall into the category of too bass light. The Shure SRH-840 might work for you but it is supposed to not sound it's best unless amped and it's quite a bit less portable than the MDR-1R if that again is a requirement for you.

I disagree on this point, all around Philips Fidelio L1 is better in every way (did compare both today in different music styles), more soundstage, lively sound, better reproduction & natural separation. I wanted this MDR-1R over one of his little brothers, I was disappointed (and seduced by the little bro though). Isolation is non existent, so not OK. Sound is artificial, not natural, I did put the bass to test too with "Imma Shine", it didn't suit it. Where at the same price range, the Fidelio did all in a really good way. I did the test without any amp, it was at my local store (both headphones were protected behind a glass box, so well preserved, you couldn't test them without being under the seller's caution, so I assume that those were in a very good state).

About isolation, some guy was beating the hell of a speaker at about 2 meters away from me, so it was a good test. No isolation at all with the Sony, unless you play music (and even there some noise still remains). Though it is super comfy, classy. Looks a bit weak in structure, be careful if you pick it.

Some people will enjoy its sound, I personally didn't feel like I was listening to a 300$ cans. I'd pay them 50 because they're decent (only weird to my ears, I wonder how I can explain it) and nice, not 300. Best value for your money with the Fidelio for example.

 

[Katun]

I find the MDR-1R pretty crappy unless EQ'ed.
 
Luckily, it responds very well to it and sounds fantastic after some hefty tweaking.

 

[Beagle]

For $300, shouldn't have to do that..

 

[Andrew_WOT]

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For $300, shouldn't have to do that..

Completely agree, at astronomical MSRP like that headphones should automatically adjust to each individual likings. Damn, Sony, can't do even that right.

 

[takato14]

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Quote:

For $300, shouldn't have to do that..

Completely agree, at astronomical MSRP like that headphones should automatically adjust to each individual likings. Damn, Sony, can't do even that right.

And just how is $300 astronomical? $300 is about the price point where the "great" headphones start.
 
You buy a headphone tuned to your tastes, you don't EQ something to compensate for that. You buy a different headphone. If you feel like you have to EQ something to make it sound good, you don't like the headphone. Look into other cans.

 

[money4me247]

lol... all of the above statements seem to be more related to personal preferences. for example the founder of head-fi jude says that the mdr-1r are incredible headphones for the price.