In terms of comfort, they are both very comfortable on my head. If I had to choose, I would give the edge to the 598s. The velour padding allows my ears to breath better, while the sony pads are just a tad too small for my ears which is slightly annoying because I have to adjust them once in a while. Compared to my Momentum 1.0s, 2.0s, and my Adidas Monster Originals (a surprisingly competent headphone, BTW), these things are so much better. In a single word - they are balanced. No matter what you throw at them, they never stop being balanced and neutral. Which is a very hard thing for any headphone to do.

However, if you don’t care too much the Sony style or the super-soft fit, the Audio-Technica ATH-50X still trump them in some respects for less money. So I landed on the Sony MDR-1A. An absolute BASS monster, so muddy and bloated you’d start puking to the beat of Starboy. I’ll maybe put these on on a Saturday night to listen to some house music, so I can imagine what it might feel like to go to a nightclub (I’ve never been). Tonally the wired and wireless sound from the Sony MDR-1ABT is similar, but the treble appears ‘tamed’ in the wireless feed. It’s a little smoother, a little less pronounced. Neither is particularly harsh, though, and both offer good detail.

Price comparison

The Sonys excel in bass response (again pretty obvious). Many audiophiles mentioned that the bass is bloated, and they are probably right, but to my ears, these are just perfectly tuned for bass. The sonys produces wonderful but not overpowering sub-bass, with a solid hitting mid bass slam. I could see myself reaching for the sonys for most music that does not require a fast bass response.

The bass is aided by sculpted vents which maximize airflow and a liquid crystal polymer diaphragm with an aluminum coating and works well even at loud volumes. Audio is distortion free and you will be able to make out even tiny details even when the sound is turned up. As you can see, the Sony MDR-1A is not without its problems. These aren’t a do-it-all headphone, but as soon as you realise they aren’t meant to be and let the impenetrable wall of music hit you, you will be transported to another place. This is my guilt pleasure, and has changed my views on what a “good” headphone really is. From the moment you plug them in and pop them over your ears, everything sounds exceptional whatever your musical genre of choice. Bass response is top drawer, punchy without being over the top, while mid-level and higher frequencies are crisp and clear. The separation of sound gives an all-encompassing stereo listen that's really engaging - more so if you have high-resolution audio files - and although it's not a neutral listen, the Sony MDR-1A add the exact kind of pomp we like our audio to have. As long as you’re not after lean, accurate bass we think most people will sink into the Sony MDR-1A very happily. In balancing a warm, fairly easy sound with a nice mid-range tone and sophisticated-sounding treble, it offers sound that reflects the characteristics of the set’s look and ear-hugging comfort.

User reviews

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. 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. 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. One other feature you may have heard of is LDAC, a higher-resolution Bluetooth codec of Sony’s. It sounds terribly exciting, claiming to use up to 3x the data rate (it’s only that high when the source is at a certain quality itself, mind) as standard SBC, which is the default codec for Bluetooth audio. However, it’ll only be of use if your source also supports LDAC. And right now that means Sony’s latest top-end phones/tablets or MP3 players. See the full article here: https://jamesfiorucci.wordpress.com/2023/05/07/simple-audio-review-sony-mdr-1a/

Sound test is based on the cable without the control button as the cable with button sounds awful. I will talk more about the button cable later. I will be mostly comparing the 1A to the Sony mdr-zx600. Throughout this review I may refer to the mdr1A as the '1A' and the mdr-zx600 as the '600'. While we didn’t have the Sony MDR-1A for direct comparison, from memory it also seems that Sony may have toned down the bass a little this time. There is a bass emphasis here, but only a slight one. The impression they give off is of a balanced, and fairly natural-sounding headphone.Very soft protein (ie synthetic) leather pads large enough to encompass most ears and a fairly low-tension headband make the Sony MDR-1A fit quite sumptuous. These are headphones you can wear for an 8-hour stretch without feeling any discomfort. In the trade-off, they are not perfect for exercise. There’s almost nothing to say for how comfortable these are, for they simply disappear on your head. I can imagine people with massive ears or a particularly large head may find the cups and headband a little restricting, but for me it does absolute wonders. These headphones do add a bit of bombast to sound and if you are an audiophile looking for a set that perfectly recreates audio, the MDR-1A may be a bit of a disappointment. But, most people won’t have any complaints. Note that these are overall a notably huge improvement in nearly every way (less rolled-off treble, more solid bass-texture, less bleed from bass to mids, less distortion, more clarity, a bit mroe soundstage) over the MDR-1R which they replaced in Sony's product-line. Vocals don’t have as much presence as 600. Too smoothed off for my likings. As a result, less detail and clarity. This vocal recession is evident when looking at the frequency graph which shows a dip in mids with the lowest amplitude at the low-mids.

Around same bass as mdr600 though 600 may have a tiny bit more boom due to on ear design which position driver closer to ear and seals better. Quality wise both are same, no bleeding or overwhelming of other frequencies. The bass is very nice on both headphones, i'm a big fan of Sony's bass. The pads are the softest material I have ever felt, and because the headphones are so light I forget they’re even on my head. No pressure points to speak of. The only headphone I can wear for an entire day non-stop. This is a massive achievement by Sony; I know I’m not the only one to compliment the comfort on these. From the specs, we can see a huge frequency range, a relatively low nominal impedance, and a decent sensitivity – in theory translating to more detail, the ability to play from portable devices, and a fairly standard level of volume, respectively. These Sonys? They have bass in spades. Nicely controlled, and taut. They have a silky smooth midrange. The treble is very, very clear and detailed. They are tremendously dynamic. But the thing I like the most is how very well balanced they are. For all the fun they bring to the mix, they never color the sound too much. The sophisticated look has a lot to do with convincing you the Sony MDR-1A are high-end too, because the materials used are largely concerned with keeping the headset light. The outer parts of the cups are covered with cast aluminium, as the parts you’re likely to touch most often, but the rest of the set’s seemingly metallic outer parts are plastic.

Why is Sony MDR-1AM2 better than Sony MDR-1A?

Overall the 1A has a 'V' shaped sound with elevated bass and slightly elevated highs. It could be considered as a warm sounding headphone. Treble: Slightly rolled-off, but not nearly as rolled-off as with the MDR-1R. Very smooth sounding but still with decent levels of detail, much like the mids. In fact, simply refer to my description of the mids in that regard to understand how the treble sounds with regards to detail vs smoothness. The highs do also have a surpringly good amount of upper-end sparkle, extended well into the lower parts of the top octave, too! They're able to give a pretty nicely shimmery effect to things like cymbals. The sparkle is a nice surprise along with the powerful bass, giving them a somewhat v-shaped signature from the mid-bass up to around 11k or 12k (at least). DesignIt's clear Sony put quite a bit of effort into the design of the circumaural (over-the-ear) MDR-1A—it is one of the more simple, beautifully executed headphone frames currently available. The first thing you notice when holding the good-looking MDR-1A is how exceedingly cushioned the earpads and headband feel. You almost can't wait to put them on, and the fit doesn't disappoint: The MDR-1A is very comfortable, even over long listening sessions. A timely elevation in the 8-10kHz region of the treble cuts through the bloat in the bass, preventing the MDR-1A from being a muddy disaster of a headphone. Mids: Quite prominent sounding, despite the boosted bass, due to the slightly rolled-off lower and mid treble. Very smooth and creamy sounding. It makes for a very pleasant, fun, and easy longterm listening experience, but I myself prefer greater levels of detail in exchange for some of that smoothness, as long as a headphone still sounds engaging and fun. Some detail is certainly sacrificed in achieving that smoothed-out sound, especially a good bit of micro-detail. But, for those who want something with very sweat and creamy mids (and treble, see below) which will always be completely non-fatiguing and make for very easy listening, these headphones are great.