Sony MDR Range

Ardennes1944

So I am looking to buy my first pair of decent headphones and after listening to a friends MDR 10RNC I really liked them for comfort and sound.

I commute an hour on the train each day with my AKGs or iPhone In-Ears and dont notice the need for Noise Cancelling, however I can get the top version MDR 1RNC for €230 here in Germany which seems like a very good deal.

Other possibilities for me are the MDR 1r or the newer version 1a which are €140 and 190 respectively.

Can anyone advise on these?

Ive read umpteen reviews online but still cant decide

K.O.Kiki

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/solid-sony-mdr-1r-mdr-1rbt-and-mdr-1nc-page-2

MDR-1RNC comes not-recommended since you can get Bose noise-cancelling cans with better sound.

Regular MDR-1R or 1R mk.2 should suit you tho.

Where'd you see them for this price btw?

Ardennes1944

Yeah I was kinda being a bit shallow with the 1RNC mostly cos I love the look of them so much.

On local sites here in Switzerland and Germany.

I'd probably be going for the 1AB instead of the 1R due it being the upgrade with better SQ, seen below

http://www.microspot.ch/msp/de/audio/kopfhoerer/sony-mdr-1a-black-0000938190

https://www.digitec.ch/de/s1/product/sony-mdr-1rbt-over-ear-schwarz-kopfhoerer-headsets-363438

Chuck_Norris

Ardennes1944 wrote: »

So I am looking to buy my first pair of decent headphones and after listening to a friends MDR 10RNC I really liked them for comfort and sound.

I commute an hour on the train each day with my AKGs or iPhone In-Ears and dont notice the need for Noise Cancelling, however I can get the top version MDR 1RNC for €230 here in Germany which seems like a very good deal.

Other possibilities for me are the MDR 1r or the newer version 1a which are €140 and 190 respectively.

Can anyone advise on these?

Ive read umpteen reviews online but still cant decide

I got a pair of MDR1-R at Christmas, and love them. Wear them commuting on the bus every day, and they're more than up to the job. Super clear, and with a lovely warm sound. And with a pretty decent soundstage as well.

Only thing is, they're almost lacking slightly in base. It's not that it's not present, it's just missing something. I've looked at a few possible mods on line, and was going to post on here for opinions.

I had listened to the Momentums, both on ear and over ear, and whilst they were even clearer again, what really won out for me the the Sonys was the comfort. Hands down, the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.

colossus-x

Chuck_Norris wrote: »

I got a pair of MDR1-R at Christmas, and love them. Wear them commuting on the bus every day, and they're more than up to the job. Super clear, and with a lovely warm sound. And with a pretty decent soundstage as well.

Only thing is, they're almost lacking slightly in base. It's not that it's not present, it's just missing something. I've looked at a few possible mods on line, and was going to post on here for opinions.

I had listened to the Momentums, both on ear and over ear, and whilst they were even clearer again, what really won out for me the the Sonys was the comfort. Hands down, the most comfortable headphones I've ever worn.

I done the dynamat mod on the mdr-1r. Got some cheep dynamat off a user on head-fi. I didn't notice any difference but I broke them in for a good long time over many nights beforehand which I believe did improve the sound. Must have done 500 hours burn in.

As for my opinion on these cans well actually I wanted either the momentum or the v-moda m-100 but I just couldn't afford them so I got the 1'r's on amazon for 111 euro in a sale. Thanks to bargain alerts here. To me they are hardware wise - pure luxury. They are even better looking in real and much lighter than they look, if that makes sense : ) I'm not 100% satisfied with the sound because the bass is lacking and also the vocals are more distant sounding than my last cans. Having said that I hear a lot more detail in my electronic music AND the sound-stage is wonderful. I love listening to my soundtracks and classical music on these. That's where they really shine. The sense of space and placement of instruments is lovely.

Since I've had them a few months I went back to Harvey Normans to try the Momentums again and I found them horribly uncomfortable on the tip of my head ( no.1 haircut lol ) and finikey to fit on my ears. So I feel I've been totally spoilt comfort wise with the Sony. I would like a can that is good with all my music genres but that seems like the holy grail !

I would highly recommend them to anyone especially if they are your first good pair of cans and you don't have any special requirements in sound quality , like boom boom bass for instance.

Chuck_Norris

colossus-x wrote: »

I done the dynamat mod on the mdr-1r. Got some cheep dynamat off a user on head-fi. I didn't notice any difference but I broke them in for a good long time over many nights beforehand which I believe did improve the sound. Must have done 500 hours burn in.

As for my opinion on these cans well actually I wanted either the momentum or the v-moda m-100 but I just couldn't afford them so I got the 1'r's on amazon for 111 euro in a sale. Thanks to bargain alerts here. To me they are hardware wise - pure luxury. They are even better looking in real and much lighter than they look, if that makes sense : ) I'm not 100% satisfied with the sound because the bass is lacking and also the vocals are more distant sounding than my last cans. Having said that I hear a lot more detail in my electronic music AND the sound-stage is wonderful. I love listening to my soundtracks and classical music on these. That's where they really shine. The sense of space and placement of instruments is lovely.

Since I've had them a few months I went back to Harvey Normans to try the Momentums again and I found them horribly uncomfortable on the tip of my head ( no.1 haircut lol ) and finikey to fit on my ears. So I feel I've been totally spoilt comfort wise with the Sony. I would like a can that is good with all my music genres but that seems like the holy grail !

I would highly recommend them to anyone especially if they are your first good pair of cans and you don't have any special requirements in sound quality , like boom boom bass for instance.

Would agree with most of what you've said there, but I've not.found the vocals.distant. But like you, not 100% happy with the sound. Again, just the lack of bass.

Interesting.on the dynamat no working. Another boardsie is sending me on a few cut off pieces, so I may try it anyway. The other thing I was thinking was picking up a portable amp. Fiio E6 or E11k.

But totally agree on the premium look, and comfort.

Also glad I didn't go for the Senns.

colossus-x

Chuck_Norris wrote: »

Would agree with most of what you've said there, but I've not.found the vocals.distant. But like you, not 100% happy with the sound. Again, just the lack of bass.

Interesting.on the dynamat no working. Another boardsie is sending me on a few cut off pieces, so I may try it anyway. The other thing I was thinking was picking up a portable amp. Fiio E6 or E11k.

But totally agree on the premium look, and comfort.

Also glad I didn't go for the Senns.

If these were my first pair of cans I prolly would not notice anything about the vocals but I was so used to the vocal presentation of my old pair of Denon's for six years or so that I notice the difference easily. I'm guessing what I expedience is due to the very nice sound-stage they have and that gives the vocals a more 3d presentation rather than a more closed-in personal effect. Others have noticed this on the headfi thread too but all the better if you don't !

Also I wasn't saying the dynamat trick doesn't work I meant that I had burnt the cans in for so long that I think that that improved the bass effect already whereas on head-fi those guys did in on their cans as soon as they got them ! I didn't have any of the wolly material they put in the either as i don't know where to get the stuff and doubt it will make much difference but who knows.

I have a lil portable amp too with a bass boost switch. A c&c bh in fact but the cowon equilizer I have does a much better job of boosting the bass. I have a feeling the 1r's can't handle high bass increases anyway because it can't handle high volumes in general without breaking up somewhat.