Sony MDR-1A Premium Hi-Res Stereo Headphones

DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with any companies. I will try to be as objective as a i can in the reviews.


Before you continue reading, you can and should read my ‘about author’ page on head-fi to get a taste of my sound preference. You’ll also find the test tracks there. I bought these for $100 AUD from someone who owned it for 1 year.

Listening and tests were mainly done with my Xiaomi 4X phone using Spotify's extreme quality (320Kbps, 24bit, 48Khz?). Note, my Xiaomi 4x output is slightly warm sounding and bassy (a solid 3-5db more bass) compared to audio from my Ipod 5th gen and my computer (I5 core). The 4X output also sounds noticeably clearer and has better imaging than both my ipod and computer.
I usually listen at a low to very low volume. When using my Xiaomi 4X i listen at 20% of max volume (3 notches). Thus why i prefer a slight L or V shaped sound signature as bass output decreases with lower volumes. This also means my evaluation of the bass might not be as accurate.



Sound
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'.
Overall the 1A has a 'V' shaped sound with elevated bass and slightly elevated highs. It could be considered as a warm sounding headphone.

- Slightly softer (one notch on Xiaomi 4x) than mdr600 even though 1A impedence is less.

- 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).

- 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.

- Vocals don’t have as much presence as 600. Too smoothed off for my likings. As a result, less detail and clarity. This vocal recession is evident when looking at the frequency graph which shows a dip in mids with the lowest amplitude at the low-mids.

- Guitars and pianos do sound more realistic on 1A and has very pleasing natural tone. Very weird considering it has more laid back mids and highs than mdr600. Maybe due to its better soundstage it sounds more realistic as most classical/acoustic sound best with wide soundstage, as though you’re in a concert hall. Or it could be a result of the 9khz peak.



Soundstage and imaging

- This is where the headphones really shine. Soundstage, imaging is excellent especially left/right separation when compared with 600 which barely has any. Depth is also great, but height is just ok. The 600 is on ear while 1A over ear so 600’s lack of imaging is understandable. Excellent soundstage may be attributed to the long vent slit at the top of the housing.

Isolation

- Even though 1A is closed back, Isolation is quite bad and very similar to how open backs would perform. This is probably due to the large vent slit at the top of the housing



Design, build, and comfort

- Look very premium, classy and luxurious.

- Build is very nice. Mostly plastic but very sturdy and durable looking and well finished. Adjustment band is metal and has nice precise clicking response when adjusting. Pads are pleather which made me sweat a little but the foam is very soft, plush feeling, and thick. Pads fit my ears nicely though note that I have relatively small ears. Headband top is also nicely padded; same pleather material as pads except might be a little thicker. Cable look and feel very nice and I would say relatively thick compared to conventional ones. End connecting to housing is very sturdy and connects firmly. Also has cable with single button for play/pause but sound quality deteriorates a lot with this cable, everything becomes muddled, sounds like downgrading from 320 to 128kbps. Would take the mdr600 over 1A with button cable any day. The mdr600 was so good that once it was on sale again I bought another one for backup, this time it had a mic/play/pause button in the cable. Comparing my original mdr600 with the backup one which had play/pause button in it, they sounded the same. For the mdr1A which cost 3 times more than the mdr600, it was highly disappointing that sound quality deteriorated with the cable that had play/pause button.



Summary

- Overall, I think the mdr1A is just a mdr600 driver placed in a over ear headphone housing as both have the same Sony sound signature. Mdr600 driver in the housing might even sound a little better. Maybe the aluminium coat on the 1A's driver is actually just a marketing gimp and is holding the sound back, who knows. Considering it is around 3 times the price of the mdr600’s, sonically it is just not worth it and as a result I would not recommend these headphones. Even though it may be very comfortable and soundstage/imaging is excellent, the detail and clarity is subpar to the mdr600 and for something that cost 3 times more this is unacceptable. Its lack of isolation is also a big letdown considering these were marketed as ‘portable’ headphones.



Comparing the headphones to speakers, I would much prefer a good set of speakers (mdr600) in front of me rather than a surround sound system (mdr1A) that has speakers which sound less clear. I got my mdr600 for $50 AUD (a few years ago when AUD was approximately equal to USD) which is half price off RRP ($100 AUD). On the other hand, the mdr1A rarely has sales in Australia, is very rare to find in stores, and is usually $300 AUD. I expect a lot more for something that cost 6 times more than what I paid for the mdr600. Personally, I would not pay more than $150 AUD for these considering the mdr600 have better clarity and detail for just $50AUD. As a result of the lacking clarity and detail, I have sold the mdr1A after one month of listening. Perhaps if I did not have the 600’s already I would’ve kept it but since I do and I’m so accustomed to its fit, I could not justify keeping the mdr1A. Maybe the mdr600 is just performing way above its price point.



All in all I’m a bit on the fence with this can. The bass, soundstage/imaging, build, and comfort is exceptional but the mids, highs, clarity, and isolation is very disappointing considering the price. Personally, the biggest deal breaker is the mids, highs and clarity as I firmly believe that as headphone price increases, the clarity and detail should also increase which is not the case here. Surely there must be other headphones at this price range or lower which can offer all the goods of the mdr1A without all its cons. Then again, every headphone at this price range is unique and must have some compromises so where one lacks in a certain aspect, another is better at it. Maybe the rival ATH MSR7’s would be the ones for me but from reviews I see they are bass light and uncomfortable. I guess it’s all about compromise so choose the one that pleases you most.

First of all, above any other factor, these are just SO COMFORTABLE!! There are very expensive headphones I used that sound really good but feel like someone is trying to crush my head. These have really little(if any) clamping force that I forget that I have them on sometimes, but they are so well designed and tailored that they don't fall off even when I'm doing a headbang.
The sound is really great but it might not be what you are looking for. It is pretty much a v shape. The bass, as mentioned, is more than usual but it is very very rich and articulated (not to be confused with beats bass). The highs could be dry for some poor records but with the right source you get a smooth and airy treble. The mids is not its best range but it is decently articulated. It does not position instruments as well as some open back headphones but with the right source the mids will not sound messed up. After all, these are portable headphones that look really cool but you can definitely get a good sound out if it with the right source, even with your phone.

I just bought this headphone this week. In the stores, I tested the headphone selections using Samsung Galaxy S7 Exynos version and Spotify's Extreme Quality.
MDR-1A was the best during my test in the store. The bass is just correct. Other headphones (MSR7, DT770, Custom One Pro, etc.) sound worse than MDR-1A. They have almost does not have any bass.
 
As this headphone is usually compared to MSR7, I don't recommend MSR7 on comfort aspect. I am Asian with regular size head but MSR7's earcup pressure feels like torture.
 
This headphone works well with my S7 but not with my backup phone, Xiaomi Mi4i. So, always test the headphone with your source setup when buying headphones.