Sony MDR-1A Headphone - Black (International Version U.S. Warranty May not Apply)

Let me start off by saying if you give these headphones the time to mature, these headphones will be one of the greatest headphones you've ever used. I want to break my review in 4 parts so you may easily find what you are looking for. Enjoy! :)Style-The first thing you'll notice on these headphones is the distinct jack placed on the left driver which you would plug in your headphone cable. These are some very classy headphones without it looking too expensive. You can tell the quality; it's just not very showy. And that's what I Iike. From a distance it looks like your typical "over the ear" headphone but on closer inspection you'll start to see its Identifying features. The matte finish on the enclosure that incase the drivers, the off-center "Sony" logo, the seemingly brushed metallic brackets which controls the swivel mechanism. It's all here and glorious. Which leads me to…Comfort-I never felt a more comfortable set of cans. Like two soft Marshmallows gently placed on each ear. Ahh. But for what they look like (driver size is a bit much for me) these are surprisingly lightweight and doesn’t squeeze your head like a zit. (:/ ) Anyway, they kind of rest on your head while being securely placed. You'll almost forget you have them on…almost. There is one drawback; the driver cups are a little too shallow and depending on the size of your ear, the tips of your ears may touch the hard material inside. This may cause a slight irritation and even through that, you will not find any other headphone more comfortable. It truly needs to be experienced.Build Quality-And as Comfortable as these headphones are, it manages to be very sturdy. No creaking or noise of any kind. They can take a beating though I wouldn't advise you go out beating on the things. I don't approve of any form of domestic violence. Not cool man…The pillowy soft cushion retains its shape in long use although I worry for the material. I just can't see how something so soft lasting but we shall see.Sound Quality-Enough of the looks and feels! Let's move onto the main attraction! I knew something was amiss when different tracks displayed different sound signatures; then it occurred to me the cans are highlighting the track as it was recorded. The Hi-Res, broad frequency range extending from 3 kHz up to 100 kHz will not sweeten your tracks. Think of it like this: for the Windows users' placing your PC in "Safe Mode" limits the color bit rate displayed. So if light blue needs to be displayed, the OS will select an approximate color since the limited color bit rate is unable to display subtle color variations. Sounds in the MDR 1A are played as they are which can suck or be amazing.Some people will say, "What's the point? The Human ear's range is 4 times less than the listed specs!". True. But just because we can't perceive it doesn't mean it ceases to exist. Allow me to give you a breakdown of the specific sound values of the MDR 1A.Bass-As mentioned earlier most human ears perceive sounds as low as 20 kHz but the headsets can produce lows in the 3 kHz range. And while you may not hear it, you sure as heck can feel it. Bass so low, you'd swear there was a rumble pack in these things. Not only are they powerful, they are surgically precise cutting through outside noise like a samurai.Mids- Here's where things may get confusing. If you do your research you will find hearing differs from person to person and because of this, it may have a serious impact on flat signature headsets. The human ear will compensate for deficient sounds and in this case will make flat signatures sound muddy and bass heavy. As a result of hearing damage most people prefer cool signatures (treble heavy, mid deficient) as it gives the illusion of analytical signatures.Treble based sound waves are delicate and can be easily distorted with bass waves; resulting in loss of clarity (Beats by Dre). But then you'll get cans with balanced signatures that favors the mids or bring mids closer to the front of the soundstage which is what the MDR 1A accomplishes. This might give a warm/congested feel which may be unsavory to people looking for analytical signatures. Again, this is all based off the track. You must use high quality tracks with a high quality audio system to use the MDR 1A to its potential and I can guarantee most "Youtube" reviewers will not do.Treble-You will hear the phrase "burn-in" thrown around a lot. Rather the skeptics or avid believers there's a lot of buzz surrounding it. To put blunt, it exist and is necessary for higher end headphones. The glues and material after assembly leaves the drivers stiff, distorting sound, specifically treble. For these headsets the trebles are harsh and recessed out the box. Reviewing these immediately is not recommended. There are many ways to allow burn-in on the web but I found allowing music to be played at high volume for extended periods of time will loosen the material to allow for more flexibility. This will allow the treble to mature and become more accurate. Sibilance for these cans is a little recessed and depending on your sensitivity could be good or bad. These things are hard to judge as hearing can vary so it is advised to test them for yourself but make sure you test mature headsets.Soundstage-The soundstage is wide, almost like a mixture of open and closed cans. You get a sense of space for sure with these headsets so no "tunnel" sound here. As long as you are aware of the headsets they might not sound as open but forget that they're on and you may get spooked at how accurate sound placement is. I thought a plane was flying over my head on an ASMR session…lolAll and all these are some natural sounding cans so you might not want to use them for analytical purposes; you shouldn't be mastering with cans anyway…Oh and by the way these things get loud! If you're looking for loud, balanced headsets look no further.

Writing this review after 6.5 years of ownership, these finally broke and they were used nearly every day, for hours at a time. I rode these headphones HARD and used them for music, games, movies, TV, voice chat, everything. I replaced the ear pads after 1-2 years with some knock offs, which lasted better than the original Sonys did. I will say, I loved these headphones. They sounded good, they were comfortable, they did it all.The part that broke is the bit where the ear cup rotates on the headband. The clampy bit is plastic and it disintegrated into 10 tiny pieces.

Update:These headphones lasted about 2 years before getting handed off to my kids. Headphones have come so far. If you're looking at these headphones, just don't bother. Step up to the noise canceling wireless bluetooth Sony's instead. Sound profile is similar but everything else about the new headphones is soooo much better.Original Review:So so comfortable. Soft oversized ear cups and head band allow for hours of use even with glasses. The sound is full and impactful with good bass and mellow high end. Not as detailed and crisp as other headphones, but great synergy with the comfort as the sound never becomes shrill or fatiguing. These are my favorite headphones for daily wear now.There are a few negatives though. For $199 (international) or $299 domestic they really should come with a better carrying case than the bag provided. The cans don't feel cheap, but they don't feel like the type of headphone you just throw in a bag then toss into your backpack or messenger bag.The cord proprietary cord ends in a L shaped plug. Good for my laptop but impossible to keep plugged into my phone. Its also not easily replaceable or upgradable because of the Sony brand plug.The bass can go kinda wonky on some tracks. Songs with a constant or tightly fluctuating bass note kinda sound weird. I don't notice it often but there has been a song or two where I was like "WTF is going on?".Last complaint is that there is very little sound isolation. Music doesn't leak out that much but you can easily hear people talking while the music is playing.Even with these complaints, I can't understate how much I love these headphones. They sound really nice for 99% of music and are just so comfortable. At $299 they are a little pricy but still a good choice. At $199 it's a good deal for general users and should be part of every audiophile collection.

I've had these headphones for around 5 years. First off, you have to break them in to get the best sound out. After that, I really enjoyed the sound. The headphones are pretty light, making extended use comfortable. The inner head band and outer shell of the ear cups are aluminum and the rest is plastic and synthetic leather. After maybe 3 years, the left driver started buzzing at certain lower frequencies. One of the big issues I've had with every pair of Sony headphones I've owned is the aesthetic breakdown. After maybe 2 years the ear padding started peeling. Now, the replacement is fairly easy, and replacement ear pads are pretty cheap, but at this price point I shouldn't be having to make repairs. The coating on the metal part of the ear cups started peeling off around the same time from just normal wear and tear. I was never hard on these headphones and always kept them in their case when not in use. I think there are better built options out there with similar quality sound for around the same price.