1.6.2018

I have tried a multitude of headphones over the years everything from JVC, some wonderful high-end Panasonic's, several Sennheiser's, Grado and everything in-between for the Vine programme. I tested a few years ago a set of HD Sennheiser's which retailed for over £400 at the time of review. For my money, Grado makes the very best headphones in terms of sound versus cost versus customer service. Their after sales service is world class. It is the first time I have tested expensive Sony headphones. I have nothing against the company, but they are not known for great customer service. A friend bought the Sony Wh 1000's noise-canceling headphones and has experienced very poor quality and service.His issue was a splitting headband and with the ear cups and simply put Sony took a great deal of time to act. At this price level (£215) there are a lot of very good headphones to choose from but few are Hi Resolution, so at this price level Sony could have a winner if the quality is right. So was I impressed by this new offering from Sony?The big problem in rating headphones is that the sound they produce and how they sound to the ear is very subjective to review. It depends upon the source of the music and two people can listen to a piece of music, from the same source and yet they can hear that piece differently. In light of this, I am going to try and be as objective about these headphones as I can. For the test, I used a high-end Denon Amp and CD player.They appear to be very well made from lightweight materials. In fact, they are so light, you could be forgiven for thinking they are flimsy and will break easily. They are designed to be very comfortable over long use and they succeed in this field. Everything from the box to the connecting wires appears to be good quality. The ear pads are very comfortable and the headband is made from a leather-like material. They also look great and Sony have obviously spent a great deal of time designing them to look good and be very comfortable. Time will tell if they are robust.They come in a sturdy box and include a bag to hold them, two wires one balanced and one not. two cables – one 4 ft (1.2 m) cable with a mic and remote and a 3.5 mm connection, and one 4ft (1.2 m) balanced-connection cable with a 4.4 mm connection. The sound they initially produced was good, but I was expecting a lot more. I often find on first listening to top end headphones, they can sound poor and the key is to break them in over a few hours of playing loud music through them. The Frequency Range: 3-100,000 Hz, Impedance 16 ohms and Sound Pressure Level (SPL) is 98 dB. On paper, this should allow them to give off superlative sound from most sources. The low impedance of 16 ohms should work well with any low output device, from a phone or laptop to a portable high-res music player. This is a great range, as many Hi-Def headphones are designed to be used with high end separates, not your mobile or laptop. What you hear can be dependent upon the source you use to power headphones but with the low ohms, Sony has tried to make these as adaptable as possible. If you use them with a laptop, the bass is somewhat lacking, but they are still very good. Play them through a good quality amp (Denon) system and the bass is rich and defined, the middle range is clear and almost every note can be heard and the treble is so smooth and not very bright. In fact, the sound they produce is way beyond their price. The reproduction is superlative. You will notice a difference between sources, but they are very adaptable, unlike many more expensive Hi res headphones. These units are closed back, but there is sound leakage. You will need to be careful when using them with a mobile device.I listened to many different types of music and all sounded very good. They are great for Opera to Pop. Overall these are a well made, comfortable set of headphones. After they are broken in by playing them for a few hours, the sound they produce, when using a quality amplified sound source is outstanding, from a mobile device it is very good. Whilst my ear still prefers Grado and my heart thinks Grado customer service is the very best, I am happy to recommend this set of Sony's. They are very comfortable to wear, the sound they produce is outstanding at this price and they work from a variety of sources, they are very hard to beat.

15.2.2019

These are SUPER headphones and I recommend them wholeheartedly. I will explain....Ever since I became involved in Hi-Res sound and using headphones - my apartment doesn't allow for loud music! - I have been trying to find a second pair of cans to complement my first pair of quality headphones, Audio Technica ATH-50X's which I also find to be SUPER headphones. The only slight drawback with the AT's is they can be a little bit bight in the upper midrange and tops, especially noticeable on vocals. I still have my 50X's and use them for mixdowns (I dabble in sound-recording).....So, back to the Sony's,what I really like about them is that the sound quality - especially in the Bass - is close to the AT's but the mids and highs are definitely smoother and both male and female vocals are superb - I use an Astell and Kern SR15 as my player - which is also superb, the best player I'v ever had (and I've had a few!!) - and is also highly recommended.I know both these headphones do not have a "ruler flat" response but to me that's not what music is about, with the exception of Classical music. My favourite bands are Genesis and Pink Floyd plus a wide range of Americana, Blues and Rock music and none of these types of music are "ruler flat", they have exaggerated response curves and if you go to live gigs you'll know there is a "presence" there that you do not get from a studio recording (and I'm a retired sound engineer so I know the difference in sound between a Double (string) bass, and amplified electric bass and a cello) and most flat-response cans do not convey the sound of these Bass instruments or a band anything like a pair of "voiced" cans, both these Sony's and the AT's convey the live concert sound very well. The Sony's are perhaps very slightly cleaner in the bass than the AT's but still have that characteristic "live" sound feel to them.If you're tempted to buy, go for it - I've tried Shures, Sennheisers (once my favourite cans) , other Sonys, Grados (superb but uncomfortable) and many others...all good but - to me - not musically satisfying and at the price these Sonys are excellent.Oh yes, comfort, very comfortable for long listening periods, very lightweight and initially, out of the box, seem a little bit flimsy - compared to with the M50x's - but definitely comfortable.I have just received a 2.5mm TRRS to 4mm TRRS adapter to allow me to connect the Sony's to my SR15 balanced output - the Sonys come with 2 cables, one an unbalanced one and another balanced one with a 4mm plug at the end and I can confirm that going to balanced is definitely a noticeable and substantial move forward in terms of sound-staging, vocals and overall sound quality- very worthwhile doing.I hope the foregoing was of interest to you, buy with confidence, I don't think you'll be disappointed. above all, enjoy the music!!

12.12.2018

Decided to make the transition from wireless back to wired for the extra sound quality, was a great choice. I've owned Audio Technica M50x, Beats Solos (unfortunately), Marshall Monitors, Bose AE2W and the most recent Bose QuietComfort 35s and these exceed them all, despite the latter being twice the price. I've also tried a variety of expensive headphones in stores from brands such as Sennheiser, Audio Technica, Beats etc and I can safely say these are ahead of them.The bass is incredibly punchy but the sound is also really clear at the same time. My only criticism of the sound is that the treble is really harsh and can start to give you a headache if you're listening at high volumes,

12.6.2018

This is a very impressive pair of headphones from Sony.My immediate comparison was a pair of Master & Dynamic `phones which have been my stalwart phones for the last few months.This Sony pair are really lightweight and coupled with the larger earpads are a much more comfortable wear – I wore them for a good 2 ½ hour listening session on my first trial and was quite amazed at how easy on the ears they were, given that I wear glasses.So how did they perform?Well, they appear to lack the really deep bass of the M&D`s (which are a good deal more expensive) but they deliver such a well-balanced sound across the dynamic range I consider really quite exceptional; I was most impressed with them when

4.7.2019

Sony MDR-1AM2 Hi-Res Headphones: These are the comfiest headphones I've ever worn. I have a huge head (standard caps don't fit) and large ears, and these fit me no problem. The base is soft when you first use them but becomes more pronounced as the speakers wear in. The base kicks a little, but nothing like Beats, if that's your thing. I like a little base, but am more about clarity, and these fit the bill no problem. I use these at the office for music and Skype for Business, they work perfectly for it. The microphone works well, but catches on your clothes so I hold it by my face. A minor inconvenience but FAR better than my terrible USB company headphones. The supplied cable is well made but very short.

1.6.2018

Superb quality headphones- as good as Beats any day of the week . I am no expert in the use of these- just a guy who loves music. I particularly love progressive rock, punk and moody singer songwriters like Peter Hammill and Jackie Leven (both worth checking out if you're not familiar with their work!)So what am I looking for? In punk, I want power, distortion (but only that on the original recording!) and depth. These headphones deliver all three in spades. Played LOUD, you get bonecrunching guitar and drums, razor sharp. Yes! Great stuff.For singer songwriters, I want to hear the words, the delicate guitar fingering, the space and silence. Once again, these headphones deliver- clear and consistent,

8.6.2018

My favourite headphones for some time have been my Bower & Wilkins PXs. I've never been entirely sure about Sony headphones -- the last pair I had from them were, frankly, terrible, but these MDR-1AM2 are a revelation.First impressions were good; they come with two wires (one balanced-connection, one not), and they are incredibly light. I know that some people swear by bluetooth headphones but I'm fairly old-fashioned in believing that wired headphones generally have better sound -- and in these ones, I'm proved right. Hi-Res headphones are always going to be only as good as the music source, but these seem good with just about anything. They've got a large frequency range,

28.9.2018

Coming from open back headphones I said I'd never go back to closed back headphones again. I wish I had listened to my own advice. Not that these are bad in any way, I just prefer my open backed headphones due to having a more open soundstage than what the MDR-1AM2 offers. I bought these purely based on reviews and curiosity.The MDR-1AM2 has a very good, clean bass and clear vocals. Not as crisp as any open backed headphones I've tried but not as bright either. The mids and trebles have a warm, almost flat sound. No tinniness or hissing sound even at high volumes.Comfort wise these are very comfortable. They sit snuggly just around the ears. I could wear these for hours.

21.4.2020

Teenage son has had these off me not intentionally but due to him trying them one day and thinking they are so comfy. Not only that the sound quality brilliant from watching tv to listening to music these headphones can be left on for ages without any sore ears or achey head. They feel well made and have been thrown into bed out into bag and carried around in rucksack. So not an easy life for the last year but still look good. Easy to connect and everything is just as it should be even after so long and so much use. Nice to have something that’s still in constant use after a long time and I found them so comfy to use whilst doing my stuff, no tinny sounds and no one else can hear my music which son thinks is just the best result.

18.12.2018

These headphones are very lightweight, you can wear these for hours and hours and you'll never feel pain or discomfort; the ear pads have soft memory foam so they mould to your ears and the headband is padded too, overall they are very light and flexible. The headphones include two anti-tangle 1.2 metre cables that can be unplugged from the phones: one has a mute button and the other is a special balanced cable with a bigger jack for divices like Sony's high-resolution Walkman players.The sound is just fantastic, the special technology inside these headphones give an all-round balanced sound-scape with deep bass and crisp natural high tones. If you don't mind wired headphones,

12.8.2018

Excellent product. Made from quality materials, these are incredibly light in weight but the sound is anything but (light weight!)I listen via my mobile to Spotify 60s and 70s soul and funk (think Motown, Earth Wind & Fire etc) and 70s reggae and the same stuff on my Roksan Kandy separates.Bass is very good, horns bright and percussion crisp whilst voices are emotional and have great depth.Timing and separation of instruments is very good though obviously this is a lot dependant on the quality of the material.The fit is good and the cans are comfortable to wear for quite long periods of time (2-3 hours lately) and remain stable when worn outside.100% recommend you audition these !

11.5.2019

At a beginning I was disappointed with a sound quality (my first angry review was deleted by amazon), but as they get older, it seems to me, they break in and frequency range expands. I could hear rattling in left headphone, which now seem disappeared. To start liking them it took me about five months of breaking in (I listen to music only for few hours per day and on low volume levels). I still wish they were more linear, more professional like or more like what music creators intend music to sound. I cannot understand people that like colored music for me it should be as true as is recorded :)

14.5.2019

Overall, sony has always been a reliable brand for headphones. While these headphones are very good in their own right, the previous version(Sony MDR-1A) had slightly better sound quality and construction quality.Bass on this headphone seems to be the main downgrade since the previous version. Build quality has also gone down with more emphasis on plastic and less on metal. However, this does make the headphones more lightweight. And they are every bit as comfyGet the previous version if you can. However these are still better than the pair of Mx40s I owned previously

17.2.2019

had this for a few months now. It's super comfortable even tho I have big ears. Keep forgetting I have it on because it's so light and can hardly feel it on my head. Sound quality is excellent tho I haven't used the 4.4 cable yet (which should be much better sound), just the normal cable with the mic. The mic works really well, picks up my voice easily when I say hey google, and my voice sounds very clear on the other end. overall great headphones, and the wires aren't short for me at all.

3.7.2020

What can be said is that in terms of sound quality, perfection is achieved. A lovely balanced sound plus weight in sense the instruments playing come to life. Right amount of bass.Assetics is a rather nice job done, and makes these the perfect gift for a loved one etc. The weight of Headphones is light weight and a joy to wear. Comfortable and designed to be used for longer periods etc.Well done Sony these are remarkable headphones.

Sony MDR-1AM2 - Reviews

Info

Analysis

Detail