Sony MDR-1A Prestige Overhead Headphones - Black

Product Information

As long as you’re not after lean, accurate bass we think most people will sink into the Sony MDR-1A very happily. In balancing a warm, fairly easy sound with a nice mid-range tone and sophisticated-sounding treble, it offers sound that reflects the characteristics of the set’s look and ear-hugging comfort. The Sony MDR-1A are not the most portable set in their class, though. While the ear cups swivel by 90 degrees to make the headphones ‘flat’, the cups do not fold inward (into the headband) to save space. There’s also no case supplied. OK so the lower frequencies absolutely steal the show with these Sonys. Bass is elevated by a significant margin, which makes some genres like rap, grime and hip hop come absolutely alive. It’s a perfect combo.

It’s so limited at present it’s not worth putting too much emphasis on, unless you already own an LDAC device. Still, the Sony MDR-1ABT also support the next best thing, aptX. And what may arguably have more of an effect in some cases than LDAC is actually the processing that goes on after the headphones receive the audio signal.These headphones do add a bit of bombast to sound and if you are an audiophile looking for a set that perfectly recreates audio, the MDR-1A may be a bit of a disappointment. But, most people won’t have any complaints. The Sonys excel in bass response (again pretty obvious). Many audiophiles mentioned that the bass is bloated, and they are probably right, but to my ears, these are just perfectly tuned for bass. The sonys produces wonderful but not overpowering sub-bass, with a solid hitting mid bass slam. I could see myself reaching for the sonys for most music that does not require a fast bass response. The MDR-1A has 40mm drivers which are capable of delivering frequencies ranging from 3 – 100,000Hz which exceeds human capabilities in both the high and low ends. No wonder then that these headphones sound astoundingly good. A bit less clarity and more muddled than mdr600. Especially with high hats and cymbals which sound unnatural and a bit splashy when compared to the 600. Snare drums also sound low quality like it has been downgraded from 320 to 128kbps. I suspect the 1A’s unnatural sound could be attributed to the massive peak at around 9khz and a big drop off from around 12khz onwards (thanks to rtings.com frequency graph). When it comes to the mids, I can get an impression of detail. Not as detailed as it could be, but still competitive. Vocals are, for the most part, spot on.

While the bass is certainly the headliner for the MDR-1A, it’s sort of by default because everything else well executed. However, those seeking a flat frequency response may not be satisfied. These headphones aren’t terribly portable either and the choice of plastic housing may impact long-term durability. I just got these cans and I'm liking them so far. I'm not an audiophile by any means, my daily drivers are the HD598. I don't have much experience with other cans, so I can only make direct comparisons to the 598s. The Sony MDR-1ABT get a partial pass for being wireless headphones, but it does tell you you’re paying a fair bit extra for the privilege of wireless. Ultimately, they don’t look or feel like a truly luxurious pair. Around same bass as mdr600 though 600 may have a tiny bit more boom due to on ear design which position driver closer to ear and seals better. Quality wise both are same, no bleeding or overwhelming of other frequencies. The bass is very nice on both headphones, i'm a big fan of Sony's bass.

Sony’s high-end headphones impress with sound, disappoint with construction

These are pure, plain headphones – no wireless, no noise cancelling, no extras. However, there are some more advanced, and expensive, models in the series too. The MDR-1ADAC have an inbuilt DAC to let you get the digital feed from a computer or USB audio-enabled phone (like an iPhone 6), and the MDR-1ABT offer Bluetooth. The Sony MDR-1A is an excellent pair of over-ears and sounds top-notch no matter what your choice of genre may be. Bass is punchy and both mid and high-level frequencies are clear and crisp. Although it is not very neutral, the pomp the headphone does add serves to enhance overall experience. Given its excellent sound quality and sensible price point, the Sony MDR-1A is an excellent buy. While we didn’t have the Sony MDR-1A for direct comparison, from memory it also seems that Sony may have toned down the bass a little this time. There is a bass emphasis here, but only a slight one. The impression they give off is of a balanced, and fairly natural-sounding headphone.

See the full article here: https://jamesfiorucci.wordpress.com/2023/05/07/simple-audio-review-sony-mdr-1a/ These headphones have far more features than most. And they’re all well-implemented. No amateur moves here. The sophisticated look has a lot to do with convincing you the Sony MDR-1A are high-end too, because the materials used are largely concerned with keeping the headset light. The outer parts of the cups are covered with cast aluminium, as the parts you’re likely to touch most often, but the rest of the set’s seemingly metallic outer parts are plastic.

Price comparison

Sound test is based on the cable without the control button as the cable with button sounds awful. I will talk more about the button cable later. I will be mostly comparing the 1A to the Sony mdr-zx600. Throughout this review I may refer to the mdr1A as the '1A' and the mdr-zx600 as the '600'.