Customer Ratings & Reviews

Purchased headphones at a suburban Milwaukee BB in August. Very lightweight and comfortable; can wear for long periods without any discomfort. Superior audio range (3 Hz to 100,000 Hz) -- very noticeable difference compared to the model replaced (a supposedly high-end Audio Technica pair, 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz). Sony model is excellent for those who are as adamant about treble as they are about bass. Took one star off for high price: on sale, they were still $250. Otherwise, outstanding.

These headphones have great detail retrieval while maintaining good low end. I primarily use these with my PC with an external DAC, but also sometimes with my phone. They’re excellent with music, movies, and all media. Having previously used mainly gaming headsets with my PC these are way better. I now use a Blue Yeti Mic on a microphone stand and don’t think I’ll go back to a gaming headset. These are very well detailed And if you haven’t owned a high end pair of headphones or speakers you’ll be likely to hear things you never knew were there in your favorite music. The amount of detail retrieval can be a double edged sword if you watch a lot of YouTube Or Twitch as you will notice microphone peaking that you may not have heard before luckily I’ve only run into this with a hand full of creators/streamers. Definitely give these a recommendation especially if you find them on sale. These are also very comfortable and light I’ve worn them for 6-8 hours at a time with no hot spots or any other discomfort.

A great pair of headphones with good build quality and comfort. The sound is balanced and has clarity. Treble detail is good and Bass is deep and rich without being overpowering. The mids are clear and precise. Would recommend.

The MDR-1AM2 is an entry level, dynamic, closed-back, "audiophile" headset. It's a significant leap forward from the Sony MDR-1A (which I briefly demo-ed in a BestBuy Magnolia showroom and was left unimpressed). Ultra-lightweight (6.6oz), yet not obviously cheaply fragile, despite so many plastic shell components. Not highly travel-rugged, either (all plastic bridge and cup hinges are worrisome things that merit a two-year warranty, rather than Sony's standard one-year). Each 40mm, aluminum coated, liquid crystal polymer diaphram driver can reproduce the 3Hz-100kHz frequency range, with balanced overall clarity. (Normal human hearing is 20Hz-20kHz, with most people's real hearing not as wide as that.) Five co-centric Fibonacci-spirals form the pattern for the grills that protect these exotic, low mass drivers, supposedly without any sonic absorption/resonance issues that might dampen or color driver output. I'll take Sony's word on that. Synthetic leather covered memory foam cup pads are super soft over the ears. The skinned ends of these pads fully extend around the *exterior* of each cup (almost all the way back to the hinges), rather than tightly slipping into the outer side edges of the cups, closer to the ears. I predict greater than average abrasion wear-and-tear, in this wrap-around region, as a result of that peculiar design choice. During handling, you will almost always be touching this area with your fingers and the thin wrap-around skin parts will also make contact with the inside of the headset bag that Sony provides. I've replaced enough Sony ear pads, over the decades, to be able to make this prediction. "Balanced" 4.4mm (audiophile) and generic, common-negative 3.5mm silver-coated, oxygen-free plugable cables come out-of-the-box. Each cable is 47-1/4". The 3.5mm cable has an in-line microphone for hands-free smartphone use. (I made all of my tests using the 3.5mm cable.) Other specs: 16 ohm impedance, 98dB/mW sensitivity. The sonic resolution of the 1AM2 far overmatches most smartphones. It's perfectly suited for listening to lossless, extreme HiRes 192kHz/24-bit FLAC, DSD-DFF, WAV audio sources. Why the extreme frequency response for headphones, far beyond the range of acute human hearing? Think advanced DSP processing of soundfields, where *constructive/destructive interference* of frequencies, beyond the range of normal human hearing, have *humanly audible net effects* (20Hz-20kHz) directly outside your ears. Think super-resonances and psychoacoustics. Or, think audiophile headphones for dogs. Extreme high frequencies for the woof-woofers. I A/B compared the MDR-1AM2 with my workhorse Sony MDR-V7, a personal favorite from my former studio/performance recording/mixing days. The V7 is famous for having a very flat frequency response, with only a mild low-bass emphasis, that adds no coloring/artifacts when setting up for performance and/or recording and monitoring. The closed ear cups on the 1AM2 and V7 are single piece enclosures, with no float between the smaller, hinged cap piece and the larger ear/driver mount piece. I always welcome fewer moving parts in an headset. Fewer things to rattle/break over time. There is slightly more exterior sound bleed emanating from the closed backs of the 1AM2 than the V7. The closed cup V7 has 50mm evaporated sapphire drivers (which cannot be seen when looking through the mesh covering), a radially symmetric grill geometry, neodymium magnets, oxygen-free copper wire, 24 ohms impedance, 107dB sensitivity, reasonably flat 10Hz-20kHz frequency response, with a slight bass emphasis. It weighs ~11oz or so. When capturing and dialing in a final master mix, in studio (or out in the wild outdoors), the V7 firmly supports accurate and detailed capture/mixing/balance of specific instruments during dense, complex musical passages. I'd then spend hours switching between open air studio listening on Meyer Labs monitors and the V7, to EQ for a CD master and a vinyl master (greater tonal warmth and wider frequency response). I've replaced the V7 ear pads 4 or 5 times over decades of use, along with careful storage. I prefer the steel headband, metal hinges and fold-in cups of the V7 over the all-plastic headband/hinges and fold-flat cups of the 1AM2. (Fold-flat cup drivers are best protected against accidental puncture/damage by an hardcase, not a soft bag.) The V7's heavy duty coiled cord is hardwired 1/8" with a screw-on 1/4" TRS adapter. These are all important considerations for daily production and/or field use of headsets. Once upon a time, I had very acute hearing, 15Hz-20kHz. I've done as much as humanly possible to take good care of my ears. At this point, my hearing is nominally 15Hz(>+3dB)-15.3kHz, which is still considered "excellent." My frequency sensitivity is fairly flat, up to a roll off ~13.5kHz, with a slight bump between ~5.5kHz-9kHz, and a bass roll off from ~30Hz. I mention this because I judged the 1AM2 against the V7 by ear only, not according to a dB meter. You may hear something very different with your ears. (When judging headsets, all that finally matters is what YOU hear.) At any given gain setting, the MDR-1AM2 is significantly hotter than the MDR-V7. "Loud enough" for all day listening on the MDR-V7 is "too loud" on the MDR-1AM2, by nearly 3dB for me. VERDICT I like both the MDR-1AM2 and the MDR-V7, but very differently. For system setup/calibration/tuning and recording/mixing duties, I strongly prefer the uncolored accuracy of the V7. I would never use the 1AM2 for these jobs, because, although you can still hear everything, there are definite colorations and accents that would only complicate production/capture/recording matters. For general everyday listening, I favor the 1AM2. That's because you *can* hear everything, when listening to an already delivered/produced soundscape. The art and science of *just listening* comes together with the 1AM2. The low frequency emphasis of the 1AM2 colors jazz music closer to what the bass player actually hears within an ensemble (which I don't mind). The spacious soundscape of the 1AM2 preserves the clarity of mids and trebles, in the face of that beefed up bass, without resorting to a simplistic "smiley face" EQ. (I'm still going to EQ down 190Hz-150Hz a bit.) The extreme wide frequency response of the 1AM2 much more distinctly conveys the rear sound vectors of Dolby ATMOS mixes. A whole lot of constructive and destructive harmonics, happening beyond the range of human hearing, producing sonic cues that accompany whatever we really "hear" in the real world, seems to leap out. As a result, even though they are somewhat pricey (most headsets these days are, for what you actually get), I do recommend the MDR-1AM2 for uncomplicated consumer use. You can hear it all. [ TEST RESULTS REPORTED IN COMMENTS ]

Wide frequency response and great sound from these headphones. These headphones sound very natural and true to the source. They are much more comfortable than my previous headphones and I highly recommend them.

These are perfect for audiophiles who do not wish to pay the premium price. They have a nice clarity to them on the lows, mids, and highs. They are rated to hit the low end of 3Hz all the way up to 100,000Hz. With that being said they can handle anything you throw at them. These are the second generation and they lowered the OHM requirement to drive these boys and that equals more sound for your listening pleasure. I have the first version and immediately I can tell they upgrade the band to fit more tightly against your head. The leather has been changed and upgraded. I like it a lot. I still do not trust Sony's build quality to last a few years, so the $50 Geek Squad protection is a must, please take the dive and add that.

I run the stream for my church’s worship services and I needed a solid pair of studio monitors to make sure our audio is spot on. It is a solid pair of headphones when it comes to isolating despite not being noise canceling. I loved my $100 Sony studio headphones before and I am so thankful for these as an upgrade. Much more rich and full. The mids are so much better than before. The cable is a bit short for my taste! I miss the extra long coiled cord on my precious pair. I have had no buyer’s remorse with this pair of headphones. Clearly they were made for audiophiles and professionals.

Great Bass, clear mids and highs. I grabbed these on sale for $199, which made them a screaming good deal. They are also very lightweight, without feeling cheaply made.

Many good headphones sound excellent. These headphones sound excellent. The bonus is they are light weight and very comfortable. Easy to wear for hours.

Super comfortable. Impeccable sound. A little spendy, but you get what you pay for in this case. Use it for gaming, late night i-padding, music, etc. Sound is superior. Not noise cancelling, fyi. Def recommend.

Outstanding sound quality. Very lightweight, compact when folded, and comfortable. For the price, a case instead of a cloth sack would be nice.

Nothing bad to say. I got sick of ANC headphones since ANC often affects the sound. These are classic, 1/8 jack, plug and play. Great Sony sound, you cant go wrong!

Our company uses these headphones to help us edit wedding videos all day long. They are comfortable for all day use and sound wonderful. Great low end and helps us get a good mix of our footage.

First off, these headphones sound amazing. They deliver studio quality sound and are very comfortable. If you are using for your phone or tablet you won't be disappointed. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I was hoping they would come with a 1/4" adapter to use with traditional sound equipment. The Sony MDR series has generally been reserved for Studio grade headphones. Much to my surprise, they didn't come with any adapters and Sony support recommended to not use with a 1/8" to 1/4" stereo adapter, so I can't use them for everything I wanted.

Amazing quality and and comfort. Used for gaming music.

Great sound, light weight and fits great. They are a bit pricey but incredibly comfortable. Solid choice for someone that uses headphones regularly.

These headphones sound amazing... are extremely light and very comfortable to wear.

Bought it on a holiday deal for $200. Impressed with the sound quality - especially the wider sound stage, deep/tight bass and clear pronunciation of all the nuanced notes / vocals. I would recommend this with a DAC + headphone amplifier for experiencing the full spectrum sound. I liked the quality of 1AM2 better than that from XM4.

Have owned the 1am2's for over a year now and have had zero major issues so far. The cord is intact and the headphone leather shows no signs of tearing. Only minor concern is some slight static noise when no audio is being produced, but that sort of thing is mostly inevitable.

Light weight, comfortable, and an affordable product. These were perfect headphones for what I wanted. I always preferred wired product as I am old school and I do not believe wireless products can carry the signal as well as a wired product, but I may be wrong. The signal is clear and precise and that is what I prefer. I can not address the longevity of the product as they are new and I do not mishandle headphones or and stereo equipment.