Sony MDR-1A Prestige Overhead Headphones - Black

Product Information

That touch of treble sparkle prevents the Sony MDR-1A from being a true “in your head” listening experience, but it’s not really a soundstage king by any stretch of the imagination.

From tube journeys to drown out the on-the-go air hiss and drawl of talk-aloud commuters to extended desk-based listening sessions, these Sony cans always feel comfortable, no hint of pinch or discomfort. The 225g weight feels buoyant on the head too, aided by the plush, squidgy headband at the top. It's not leather, though, which might be a disappointment for some. They can be powered by almost anything. My Galaxy phone has never sounded better. They really don't need that much power, which is a big plus. The Sony MDR-1A is a newer, updated version of the 1R which is lighter, smaller and more affordable. While they don’t have the “prestige” tag associated with them like the 1R, the MDR-1A is more than capable of delivering high-res audio no matter what you are listening to. The case it comes with is basically just a bag. No hard case. Not a fan of soft carry-cases since they don't actually protect headphones. The Sony MDR-1ABT are a higher class of ‘party’ headphone, but ultimately still falls on that spectrum. This is as much a lesson in expecting tech-heavy headphones like these to route a decent chunk of their cost into these features, rather than pure sound quality. However, you only need to worry about this if you’re after seriously high-end sounding headphones. These are a little more forgiving, and offer a fun, smooth sound that’s perfect for long, relaxed listening.

Major HiFi Newsletter

These things seem quite sturdy. The housings may be mostly plastic, but you can feel the sturdyness of the metal frame underneath, and while light they do have good heft. I wouldn't recommend tossing them around or anything, but they can take their fair share of abuse. However, comparing them to some of the best non-wireless headphones at the price, we start to see where their deficiencies lie. We put them up against the Sennheiser Momentum (we’re still waiting for the wireless set to arrive) and Oppo PM-3, and both show up the Sony MDR-1ABT mid-range. I loved the SQ of these. They sounded very balanced, not exactly neutral, but very dang close to the middle. My only other pair I could use for reference was my old pair of HD 429's. Of course, it wouldn't be a very fair review if I compared an item that costs nearly 6 times more. To summarize that short rant, I love them. They included 2 removable cables, one with a mic and play/pause button. Very wise decision indeed. These, are just comfortable. no beating around the bush. They weigh almost nothing, and the pads are very comfortable (Pleather) They do get a little hot, but that's a after hours and hours of listening. Durability is another huge plus, although they're made from plastic, the headband's metal, which make these pretty durable. Cable's removable, so if a cable breaks, just swap it out. Although the design is something subjective, I will nonetheless give my opinion on it. They look awesome. I'm especially fond of the red streak that goes around the housing of the headphones. Sony talks pretty confidently about the MDR-1A sound, positioning it as a good complement for Hi-Res Audio – digital audio rendered at a quality higher than that provided by good old CDs. Honestly, I haven't had a chance to listen to the bluetooth version of these headphones so I really can't comment. I would be inclined to think that they would still sound very good and fun, mostly due to the sound signature of these headphones. If they were more analytical or flat, I would imagine that any degradation in the sound quality from using bluetooth would be more apparent.

Because the testing occurred on a crowded show floor, it was relatively hard to make out the subtle nuances of the headphones. My only (slight) issue with the comfort is that the pleather on the ear-pads is prone to making the ears get warm and sweaty. This is a common issue with over-ear headphones with pleather (rather than velour or alcantara or the like) ear-pads, so it's something I really don't mind very much at all, and it's not to an excessive degree since the pads are still quite breathable. You'll notice that I still gave these headphones maximum marks in the comfort category on the rating-scale here, so obviously the warmth/sweaty-ears issue is only a slight one, IMO. YMMV, however. It would be foolish to say that the Sony MDR-1A provides a flawless listening experience. Because from almost every standpoint it certainly does not. But what I can say is that after every listening session with these perched on my ears I have a massive grin on another part of my face.And with ears fully shrouded the listen is equally full. Indeed, the Sony MDR-1A over-ear headphones sound good. Astoundingly good. Build-wise, it’s a light headphone that still manages to feel solid. Comfort is decent, though the headband could be a tad bit wider. Ample pleather padding on the earcups does add to both comfort and isolation, though. 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.