Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 10, 2016 18:27:33 GMT
My friend has brought a Sony over for me to try....
The one I saw in a shop was black with a red strip, but this is silver.
First impressions .....
Very good looking headphone in silver with brown pads and headband. In fact, very expensive looking. Looks pretty well made. Almost like a premium headphone actually. Pads are very soft and comfortable and my ears fit inside nicely. One lead into left cup and they supplu two. One with control, one without. Pretty substantial as well for a portable headphone. Smooth action on clicks for adjustment.
Listening ...
Smooth; especially for a Sony. Not sibilant with quite well defined treble, although it also seems slightly restrained up top. (Some kind of suck out up there?) Raised mid bass. In fact a big hefty bass that also goes quite deep. Mids might be a little recessed prehaps. Speech actually isn't bad. Music with bass hits very hard. Many hifi types wouldn't like the bass imo. Entertaining to listen to on the whole.
Quick comparison with the Momentum 2. This, I found curious .... The Momentum seems a bit 'cooler' in the treble. Bass is not as loud as the Sony. I find myself drawn to the Sony although I am also aware of the big bass from it.
Considering this is retailing around £120, it's really not too shabby a headphone.
I think it's an update of the original mdr-1r which had some people complaining that the bass was too rolled off. The bass on this is big, maybe a bit flabby although less bass than a Beats 2.
Easy to live with actually.
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jello
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Post by jello on Apr 10, 2016 18:50:36 GMT
I believe it is the successor to the MDR-1R. That one used to have a problem where the cable connected to the earcup (a rattle I think) but believe they addressed it and tuned it slightly differently.
Not bad price really and I think the 1R was quite a bit more expensive when it launched.
I was quite tempted to try the BT version, the MDR-1ABT, as have fancied trying a BT pair for times when wires aren't practical. Amazon had the Sony on one of their black Friday deals for around £140ish but it'd sold out by the time I noticed it.
Current price is just too close to the Momentum 2.0 wireless around ear if you shop around to make it appealing. The Mo' just looks a bit more premium with better materials and believe the BT sound quality is a bit better too .
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 10, 2016 19:03:18 GMT
Oh yes. They do a BT version as well. Also a noise cancelling version.
It's not too bad actually. A good alternative to the Momentum if the comfort is a problem. These are more comfortable to wear although isolation isn't brilliant. It tones down outside sounds rather than knock them on the head, but then, the Momentum isn't great either. The pads on the Momentum are a lot harder.
I think it's worth £120. It has quite an involving sound, but a big bass for certain. My friend was telling me that the bass of the 1r wasn't as good but they might have overdone it!!
It has quite a large blowhole in the top of the earpieces and I'm guessing that blocking them might pull the bloat down actually, if the T50 is anything to go by. Might be possible to tune the bass on them to a lower level and get the mid bass hump reduced.
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jello
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Post by jello on Apr 10, 2016 19:12:52 GMT
Yes that blowhole seems an odd idea on a portable. Fair enough on the underside but would water ingress be an issue if worn in the rain? ...although I suppose jackets do come with hoods these days
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 10, 2016 19:47:00 GMT
It 'chuffs' a bit in the wind. A bit like those small speakers in the past where the blow holes 'chuffed' with the bass!!
Mind you, the Momentum is awful if you walk around. Makes a lot of noise from the air hitting it somewhere.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 12, 2016 17:24:52 GMT
Well, I've been using it in the garden now. Dropped it once, caught the cable twice and everything's still fine. It doesn't look like a tough headphone but actually, it's not too bad. It's a good looker in silver and brown ... Lovely, soft and plush oval pads that fit around my ears fine. They're quite warm on the head since it's a fake leather finish ... Headband is quite soft on top ... The plug entry into the left cup has been strengthened in comparison to the old version and doesn't make noise if it's turned or wobble too much in there ... It gives good imaging and perhaps the reason for this is the fact that the drivers are angled. They can also be seen inside the cups, since there's just a mesh over them ... Sound isn't too bad. Clear in the top without being sibilant. Raised mid bass and good sense of slam. Works well in an outdoor environment really and well worht £120. I'm wondering now if the pads are actually leather. Not sure.
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jello
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Post by jello on Apr 12, 2016 21:08:47 GMT
It 'chuffs' a bit in the wind. A bit like those small speakers in the past where the blow holes 'chuffed' with the bass!! Mind you, the Momentum is awful if you walk around. Makes a lot of noise from the air hitting it somewhere. You are right about the Moe! The holes in the headband can generate a fair bit of turbulence and whistling when it's blowing a gale. The brown / silver colour scheme really looks quite classy in your pics. Are the earcups some kind of metal (magnesium alloy like some other Sony's?) or just spray painted plastic? If the latter I imagine they could mark up quite badly if not careful. It's unusual to see pads that are angled bottom to top like that.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 13, 2016 12:01:37 GMT
I'm not sure what the cups are. Most likely, plastic. I dropped them yesterday but they didn't chip. They're not a hifi headphone really but I do like them as a garden headphone. You can just hear outside but enough isolation to make low listening fine.
Some may well not like the raised mid bass I guess, but to my ears, for some reason, it works better outdoors. I have no idea why!!
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jello
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Post by jello on Apr 13, 2016 15:50:26 GMT
Not so bad if they don't chip too easily. Sometimes when that silver coating comes off you get nasty black plastic showing through which would look terrible on a nice looking headphone like the MDR-1A. Raised mid bass is definitely preferable for outdoor use as it helps offset ambient noise. Indoors though it's less desirable as it can feel over cooked. It's funny because with all the 'interference' when outside you'd think it'd be the other way round. I'm not really sure if there are (m)any portable headphones that are truly 'hifi' (ignoring silly stuff like the T5P which is more transportable) and I find it's better to have lowered expectations when buying. I suppose it's one of the trades off of a smaller more portable design. That said I did see a youtube review last night titled "Oppo PM3 - best headphone ever" so possibly I've just been making some poor buying decisions
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 13, 2016 16:53:29 GMT
The pm3 is probably very good, I think. Possibly soft in the treble, but I worry about leaving them around at that price. Bad enough with the Momentums really. The Sony seems more of a general knock around headphone.
The bass thing is quite weird. Maybe our eyes see wide open space so we need a fuller bass to compensate for the brain thinking the sound is outside? The Sony seems better out in the garden which is odd. It's very comfortable as well, so I can wear it all afternoon whereas the Momentums (even mk2) needs a rest. The only thing is that the pads are quite warm so in hot countries, they might be hot after a while.
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jello
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Post by jello on Apr 13, 2016 19:22:47 GMT
The bass thing is indeed odd Ian. When I'm wearing portables outside the bass rarely seems overblown and I have moments when I can't help be impressed with the sound. At times it feels like I'm getting a home listening experience in the great outdoors. Get them back home though and they usually sound a bit underwhelming. The flaws and somewhat lopsided tuning tends to come into sharp focus. The pads on headphones like the M2 are one of the reasons I prefer IEMs in warmer weather. They just get far too hot and don't even think about putting sun cream on your ears
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 13, 2016 20:12:44 GMT
That's perhaps one area that reviews don't always give a proper 'subjective' opinion I think.
I suspect that measurements of the mdr-1a sound would reveal the bass hump and, I suspect a suck out in lower treble which gives an uncharacteristic smoothness (for a Sony) but a peak further up, giving a certain amount of crispness in sibilants.
But the thing is, it does seem to work in the situation that it's designed for. I'd like just a bit more sensitivity though for poxy Ipods.
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jello
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Post by jello on Apr 13, 2016 21:11:40 GMT
Absolutely. Horses for courses really. btw I'm suspecting that the six degrees (or less) of separation thing also applies to you and headphones. I was looking at wireless headphones last night and started with the M2, which took me to Innerfidelity, to something by MEE Electronics, to Ausdom and on to HF where you were posting favourable impressions. So you're on commission for them too then heh? That'll help fund the helipad for the mansion I see there's a thread on here for the Ausdom also so will take a read and see what your thoughts on them are.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 13, 2016 21:24:13 GMT
They're ok as far as Blutooth goes; especially at low price. For something slightly better sounding, you have to go quite large with money. Bluetooth is poor for audio really.
I found the anc7 slightly better, but that's not available yet in the UK. Ausdom have gone back to supplying rather than selling headphones.
Nothing great, but in comparison to some other abominations, they're ok. With bluetooth, I thonk the standards of audio are way lower tbh. Frans didn't like the m5 at all and modded it for them. They will be ising those mods on a newer model I think. Probably at a much higher price as well.
What surprised me was how far the bluetooth worked. For some readon, the Ausdom is very sensitive. Again, does a job, but as far as hifi goes - a poor headphone really.
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Post by marveltone on Apr 14, 2016 1:28:30 GMT
They're ok as far as Blutooth goes; especially at low price. For something slightly better sounding, you have to go quite large with money. Bluetooth is poor for audio really. I found the anc7 slightly better, but that's not available yet in the UK. Ausdom have gone back to supplying rather than selling headphones. Nothing great, but in comparison to some other abominations, they're ok. With bluetooth, I thonk the standards of audio are way lower tbh. Frans didn't like the m5 at all and modded it for them. They will be ising those mods on a newer model I think. Probably at a much higher price as well. What surprised me was how far the bluetooth worked. For some readon, the Ausdom is very sensitive. Again, does a job, but as far as hifi goes - a poor headphone really. To be honest, I've never heard any wireless headphone that I could stand. I've tried a few FM headphones that were marginally OK, but in the end, I just couldn't do it. Bluetooth is even worse. It's a great hands-free aid for when I'm talking on my phone while driving, but it makes for an abysmal bit of music listening. That Sony looks like a nice piece of kit. If I had more opportunities to listen on the go, it would be very tempting.
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