These things seem quite sturdy. The housings may be mostly plastic, but you can feel the sturdyness of the metal frame underneath, and while light they do have good heft. I wouldn't recommend tossing them around or anything, but they can take their fair share of abuse. Also included with the MDR-1A: A drawstring carrying pouch that the headphones fold down flat into for easy stowing. Sat at our desks and the large nature of the earcups delivers sound in an almost surround-sound kind of way. The spatial soundscape here feels more immersive, clearer and separated than many competitors. It makes for a great listen with glorious bass without ever being over the top, and there's exceptional clarity in among the mid-level frequencies.

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. The Sony MDR-1A is a newer, updated version of the 1R which is lighter, smaller and more affordable. While they don’t have the “prestige” tag associated with them like the 1R, the MDR-1A is more than capable of delivering high-res audio no matter what you are listening to. It’s been over three years since Sony introduced their MDR which was headed by the MDR-1R which were described as being able to produce “prestige” sound. Even though they were pricey, the MDR-1R was an impressive pair of over-ears and delivered in both performance and build quality. The only thing I really dislike about them is how moving around makes the plastic creak. Sounds cheap. I just got these cans and I'm liking them so far. I'm not an audiophile by any means, my daily drivers are the HD598. I don't have much experience with other cans, so I can only make direct comparisons to the 598s.

At 7.94 ounces (225 grams) without the cable attached, the MDR-1A is also slightly lighter than the MDR-1R (240 grams), which was already considered lightweight for an over-ear model. The headphone fits snugly but not too snugly and should fit a variety of head sizes well. Putting these on for the first time, it became immediately apparent that these are the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn. After having listened to them for a few weeks and putting these things through some long listening sessions (had these on for almost 12 hours in one day), I have to say that my claim stands. This thing is king. As a design choice, Sony chose an almost all plastic body and housing (aside from metal headband) and it feels incredible to wear. The tone of the mid-range is great too. They are pretty-sounding headphones that are able to make voices – both the spoken and sung king – sound natural. 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.

Somewhere in between decent Hi-Fi headphones and price-conscious over-ears, the MDR-1AM2 seek to find the perfect balance between audio precision and a price that most can afford. It seems to strike the balance well - but, of course, one can only hear so much with 180,000 attendees speaking loudly right outside a listening booth. Look forward to the full review later this year for a comprehensive analysis of the highs, lows and mids of Sony's new flagship cans. The highs are surprisingly detailed on the sonys, and even more present than the 598s. I found myself dialing down the treble frequencies on the sonys by about 2-3 db. Incredibly light yet with touches of premium pleather and metal, these look a lot more expensive than they are. But enough about the build, comfort is where it’s at with these cans.I've heard a sound demo of it through Youtube (Thanks, Zeos!), and it sounded quite soft. Go see it for yourself with different headphones, I'll have the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4Ls4kawqus 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. As this headphone is usually compared to MSR7, I don't recommend MSR7 on comfort aspect. I am Asian with regular size head but MSR7's earcup pressure feels like torture. The Sony MDR-1A are headphones that marry an overemphasised bass with otherwise refined sound. There is some resonance to the bottom-end that stops it from sounding entirely balanced. It is quite obviously ‘larger’ than intended, especially when doling out dance beats.

Honestly, I haven't had a chance to listen to the bluetooth version of these headphones so I really can't comment. I would be inclined to think that they would still sound very good and fun, mostly due to the sound signature of these headphones. If they were more analytical or flat, I would imagine that any degradation in the sound quality from using bluetooth would be more apparent. 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. 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 Sony MDR-1ABT are wireless Bluetooth headphones that don’t scrimp on sound quality or tech. They’re about as up to date as you could hope for, offering features in line with the current Hi-Res Audio trend. I am very happy to say that even one year after having owned these, they have held up beautifully and remain my favorite pair of cans I have used in the price range. So much so that I have had no desire to search further, higher, or wider to find a better pair.Coming from Sennheiser HD-600, 580s, Ety ER-4s, Fiio X1s, AKG 701s, Momentum 2.0s, etc. I didn't know exactly what to expect out of these headphones. They are, after all, Sonys. And Sony can build really bad stuff. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. See how we test. 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'. As a happy owner of the MDR-1A, I am really looking forward to hearing these as soon as they come out later this spring! The ear candy factor is its own lure, though, and the smooth, expansive-sounding Sony MDR-1A are a great choice if enjoyment is a greater concern than pure accuracy.