A Quick Review of the Sony MDR-1A
Sony has a solid reputation in churning out high-quality and beautifully designed headphones. While the cans they create are not perfect, they have certain characteristics that make them great buys for people who have the matching taste for music that the headphones are tinkered for. A good example for this is the Sony MDR-1A Stereo Headphones.
If you’re the type that loves to listen to songs that aren’t just all about bass (like us), you seriously have to consider this as your premium headphone buy. Read on to know more.
Design and Build
First let’s talk about the looks. The Sony MDR-1A, just like a lot of products made by Sony, is beautifully designed. It’s not as flashy as the headphones made by Beats but it’s definitely still a looker. It literally has the curves at the right places and we just love the red accent on the outer face of the ear cups.
It has the right mix of plastic, metals, and plush leather. It weighs in at just 225 grams and it is extremely comfortable. The pressure distribution across the sides and the top of your head is perfect. We had this on for well over 2 hours when we were working on a report for work and we never suffered ear/head fatigue.
In terms of portability, you can fold it flat but not in the same way as you could with the Marshall Monitor or the Beats Solo 2. The good news though is that the cans do come with a cool carrying pouch which you can use to easily store it when not in use.
There are two attachable cables that you can use with it. There’s your standard line and one with an in-line microphone which works with your iPhone or Android device. This is actually perfect for conference calls or gaming because it is super comfortable. You won’t even feel that you have them on.
Perhaps our only issue with it is noise isolation (or lack thereof). You can actually carry conversations while you have it on. We tested wearing this while in the mall and we could hear ambient sounds of what was happening around us at mid-volume levels. The only way we could tune them out was when we increased the volume to uncomfortable levels.
Sound Quality
Like what we mentioned earlier, these cans are geared towards people who love to listen to music that are not bass heavy. Highs are mellow, warm, and precise. It’s not too sharp or aggressive which is awesome for listening to acoustic tracks or songs with female vocals. The mid tones are smooth and clear as well. When it comes to the upper half of the register, we have no issues. In fact we’re all praises.
Where it falters slightly is the lower register. Don’t get us wrong, it does have bass. But it’s not as controlled as we would want it to be. It’s not punchy. It’s not tight. It’s not the type that can slam into you. At best we could call it loose. You won’t notice this if you’re listening to your usual RNB, alternative, rock, jazz, blues, or acoustics. It does show though when you start listening to bass heavy EDMs.
So to make a long story short, if you’re a basshead, skip this. 😛
Verdict: Pricey but Perfect for Marathon Sound Trip Sessions
In a nutshell, the Sony MDR-1A is ridiculously comfortable, beautifully designed, and delivers outstanding upper half register. It’s not well suited for bassheads but if you’re the type that loves listening to tracks that are not dominated with bass, this is worth every peso. This has been our headphone of choice for marathon listening sessions, especially when we need to play instrumental tracks while we’re working on spreadsheets or presentations for work (or blogging for Unbox).
The Sony MDR-1A is a bit pricey at Php12,889. Before you buy we suggest you guys give it a try yourselves. It’s already available in Sony stores. Try to give it a good listen and compare your experience with what we said here. If your music taste matches ours, chances are you’ll love it.
