Sony - 1AM2 Wired Over-the-Ear Hi-Res Headphones - Black

The Sony 1AM2 headphones are an exciting entry in Sony's long dedication to high resolution audio, catering to those of us who prefer music quality over lacking convenience. Thus, the 1AM2 is uniquely positioned to satisfy the needs of audiophiles, yet without the typical excruciating price tag. Despite some initial reserves that I had, I can affirm that the 1AM2 performs exceptionally well and should be considered for your next headphone purchase. Perhaps the most immediate reaction upon opening the box was that the 1AM2 is extremely compact and considerably smaller than I was expecting, despite its rather large box and misleading stock images. Physically, they are roughly the same size as Sony's WH-CH700N as opposed to some of the larger noise cancelling headphones. They are also extremely lightweight, which helped facilitate comfort considerably during extensive listening sessions. Nonetheless, if you are expecting large or bulky headphones, you will not find that here, quite the contrary actually. For me personally, however, I was extremely impressed with how comfortable they were. Construction wise, the 1AM2 felt strong and sturdy. The headphone adjustment is extremely responsive and the frame that it retracts over is perhaps the strongest that I have felt on any pair of headphones. It did not bend at all. Towards the top of the headphones, the frame gets thinner as it is replaced by a large amount of cushioning on the inner portion. Simply put, it feels amazing and of high quality. The external side of the ear cups are smooth and have a nice texture to it. On the inside, the synthetic leather cups almost feel foam like to the touch and are extremely soft. In addition, on either side of the headphones, the cups are able to swivel so they can be positioned flat. Lastly, the 1AM2 comes with a standard headphone cable with remote and microphone. The cables also felt slightly thicker than standard cables, yet seem of high quality. In addition to the standard 3.5mm, It also comes with the larger balanced cable that will work with any compatible device or with digital Walkman players. It also comes with a nice carrying case. Overall, I have no complaints with the 1AM2. With any choice of headphones, sound quality often takes precedent when choosing which particular model to buy. I am confident that most will be extremely pleased with the sound quality of the 1AM2. As a music enthusiast of various genres, I was quite excited to hear how the 1AM2 sounded. For my sound test, all the music that I used came from my personal physical collection. All files that I listened to were encoded to FLAC, and were additionally scanned with a spectrogram and frequency analysis to verify that they are indeed of proper lossless quality. While not the best of playback equipment, I used my Sony Xperia Z3+ as well as directly plugging the headphones into my computer's Soundblaster ZXr. For software, I used MusicBee 2.4 with player output set to WASAPI. Overall, I think most will be extremely satisfied with the sound quality. Immediately, I was pleasantly surprised that on my phone I did not have to turn it up near full volume, especially on highly dynamic rock music. The clarity was strong as I was able to clearly hear the middles and highs. The sound presence was fleshed out towards me as opposed to sounding thin or further back in the headphones. In addition, the 1AM2 even did an exceptional job on severely dynamically compressed rock songs. The music was not as muddy or drowned out as you would typically expect. The clarity was definitely staggering! Furthermore, I swapped to my WH-CH700N that I mentioned earlier and you can definitely tell a difference between the two. On the same volume level, the 1AM2 are definitely louder. Vocals were especially crisp and were noticeably stronger in sound clarity. Comparatively, on the WH-CH700N, rock music was muddy and seemed to have a more hollow sound as opposed to the 1AM2. I definitely was not expecting such a drastic difference, but I clearly prefer the 1AM2. Switching genres, I also tried more bass oriented tracks such as rap and electronic music. Overall, I was pleased with the results. The bass was there and punchy, but not so much to where it rattles your ear to death. For me personally, I do not like earth shattering bass to where it starts to eat through the middle and higher frequencies. Thankfully, the 1AM2 does a fabulous job with the bass and yet still manages to maintain a sense of clarity. The separation was amazing. Thus, for those who do prefer headphones that emphasizes more bass, I caution you to keep your expectations reasonable. The 1AM2 are not DJ headphones or a subwoofer replacement! However, I believe most will be pleased with the results. In addition to rap and electronic music, I also tried classical and jazz. The 1AM2 really shines here and does an incredible job with the soundstage. Each instrument section of the orchestra was clearly heard, even during solo performances. Conclusively, I think the 1AM2 does an exceptional job across a multitude of genres, especially softer songs with their dynamics intact. The 1AM2 was clear and crisp in all the music I listened to. Moreover, on my Xperia Z3+, I did not have to vigorously max out the volume; at roughly half volume, the 1AM2 was loud and punchy. Lastly, during my listening session of five hours, I did not once experience any discomfort or pain while wearing the 1AM2, nor did I feel like I was even wearing them. They also rarely worked themselves loose even if I would try to shake them off. Personally, these are easily one of the most comfortable headphones that I have ever used. Overall, I think the 1AM2 does an exceptional job all around. In conclusion, the 1AM2 are an excellent choice for anyone who prefers to have high quality wired headphones without the traditional high cost that inevitably accompanies such models. With its compact and lightweight design, the 1AM2 are extremely comfortable, easily allowing you hours without any discomfort. In addition, the 1AM2 provided excellent clarity and depth to all of the various genres that I listened to. Connectively, while sound quality does differ from person to person, I would strongly suggest to keep your expectations within reason. However, I feel extremely confident that as an all around high quality headphone solution, most will be pleased with the performance of the 1AM2. For the price, the 1AM2 comes highly recommended.

The Sony 1AM2 wired headphones are a great addition to the already-great selection of headphones Sony has to offer. These headphones, however, rival some of the big other big names out there but for a fraction of the price. The packaged box comes with the 1AM2 headphones, soft carrying case/bag, 2 detachable audio cables & warranty papers. PROS: ----------- * Incredible sound. The highs and lows of the sound spectrum are distinct. * Pressure-relieving earpads provide a ton of comfort - feels like memory foam around your ears and they are not too tight. * Very lightweight - after a while, you barely know they are there. * Nice low-profile look on the side of your head...they don't stick out like bigger ear pieces. * Ability to take phone calls if hooked up to your cell phone. * Swivel design allows you to pack them in flatter areas without damaging. * Headphone size adjustments on each side are of good construction/quality and feel solid. * The bag that the headphones can be stored in are not of a felt-type material, but a material more like polyester cloth so the headphones slide into the bag easier and are actually better protected. More of a rigid feel than floppy... and more durable. CONS: ----------- * Phone call audio quality was well below subpar. I was wired to a Samsung Galaxy S9+ and it was nowhere near HD quality as it was without using the headphones. I also tried the headphones on another phone/device and the phone audio quality was the same. Seems to be a defect or flaw with the headphones. When using another pair of Sony BT headphones I own with the same phones, they worked great, including audio... so the issue appears to be with this 1AM2 pair of headphones. Perhaps I got a bad pair? Not sure. OTHER OBSERVATIONS: ----------------------------------- * Cord length is ~4 feet and is acceptable for most purposes. There are times when a bit longer cord would be nice to have. * Included in the box is a balanced-connection headphone cable (also ~4 feet long). I am unable to use this connection for added audio clarity. Based on what I have read, this type of cable will allow for an even more enhance listening experience. CONCLUSION: =================== Overall, Sony did an outstanding job with these headphones, both in style, performance, weight, storage, and price point. The only gripe is the call quality if connected to a cell phone. Being a wired device, I feel that that feature should have been as great as the rest of the product. Still, a great product, Sony.

I bought these headphones as an alternative to the Bose QC25. They sound fantastic. I listen to lossless files on an iPod Classic, and have tested the headphones on the desktop, laptop, and my stereo receiver, playing original CDs and vinyl. I can really hear the difference compared to the QC25s. These cans bring out the best in high-quality audio. They have good bass (not overbearing), and a well-balanced sound. It’s fun hearing subtle details from instruments and background sounds in tracks that may not appear so clearly in lesser headphones. The Sonys are light and well-constructed. They don’t get hot on the ears and can stay on the head for extended listening sessions. They’re great for office use and at home. I’m used to the headband folding from the Bose, but it’s not a big deal that the band on the 1AM2 doesn’t fold. The headphones come with a soft pouch which may not be enough to really protect the product in a backpack for travel, so I recommend just getting a hard case off Amazon. If you’re looking for a great set of closed-backed headphones and this is in your price range, go for it. You won’t be disappointed. They rock! Some songs that these headphones made delightful: Bodysnatchers - Radiohead We’re In This Together - Nine Inch Nails Human Highlight Reel - NAAVI While We’re Young - Jhene Aiko

I bought these right along side an Audio Techinca ATH -M50xBT pair of headphones. Tell you what I'm keeping both of them!! These feel like high quality for sure. They are super lightweight. Love the bass in the headphones. Sounds great. The multiple audio input/output options are sweet. I use them for gaming on my switch /laptop and the Hi Res is freaking awesome and adds to the depth of my game play!! Especially gameplay sound effects! I use them for mixing vocals & music, watching producer tutorials and the highs and lows all sound excellent in my opinion. Listening to music I feel the audio is representing near perfect clarity and tune to what the original track had been. They stay comfortable and don't bother my glasses. They make movies sound immaculate and studio quality like the directors want you to feel. Built in microphone works very well from the few phone calls I've used it on. My favorite part is that if you are laying in bed they feel like they aren't big, or in the way, I can find comfortability while using these against a pillow. I had a previous pair of Sony MDR wired pair that were amazing. These definitely top them and I give the 5 Star all day! Orignal purchase was around March 13th, return exchange pricing puts me on the 17th on here though. Very happy with these headphones.

Great headphones, don’t let the plastic fool you. These headphones are great. Out of the box, I thought maybe they were a downgrade from the past headphone model at this price point Sony no longer makes, as these headphones went to an almost entirely plastic design, and do not weigh as much. After using them now for a few days, I can say I have put all those worries aside, I can have these on my head for much longer that I could some other heavier headphones. These are not headphones that are totally for bass fiends. But if you want bass driven music on them, and have an audio source, like a LG V20 or LG V30 phone, that have built in DAC, the best in any smartphone out there, you are in for a treat after turning up some equalization settings. You really fantastic amount of sound from highs to lows with these. I also tried them on an iPad for watching some movies and shows, and was still impressed considering it is not a high end audio source. The headphones come with two cables, one has a microphone and play/pause button. I love that this cable it just about the right length, because I always seem to yank ones that are longer. The cables look to be of very conductive metal too, especially on the side of the left ear piece, where the cable goes. I do wish the ear cups were a little bigger, and slightly deeper. I could see them potentially rubbing some people’s ears, though I didn’t have this problem myself. The packaging on these headphones is pretty cool too, but I was disappointed that headphones at this price did not come with a hard travel case. They only come with cloth bag you can put them in. I would not feel very comfortable putting that bag with the headphones in them in my backpack. Other than that, these headphones are great. An absolute pleasure to listen to music in!! My Bloody Valentine - Loveless never sounded better! Also fantastic for hip-hop, after some equalization settings.

I've used several types of over the ear head phones before. Ive never experience a product to this caliber before. Before i get into the product it self i need to note one quick thing - the unboxing of these headphones has been the best unboxing that i have ever experienced. Felt everything, hinged box, padded display inner box. It was a joy to open these. I do some music creation as a hobby, my other headphones were getting run down. I replaced them with these. It was like going from VHX to Blue-Ray on a 4kTV....but for my ears. I neever knew what i was missing. Low, Mid, High all high extremely accurate. Base pounds, and treble is spot on. If i were a musician professionally, id consider these. The fit of these is also extremely comfortable. I have a bigger head and i was able to easily fit into these with room to spare. All in all, top notch, high performing headset here. Highly Recommended!

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 ]

I’m gonna knock out the bad stuff first. These headphones are not Bluetooth, they are not noise cancelling, the box feels a little cheap and they are not water resistant. Ok, now that that is out of the way I can talk nothing but praise for these amazing headphones. My first thing I have to say, go out and buy these. These are probably the best sounding headphones I have ever put on my ears. I have used a lot of high end wireless headphones over the years but I always fall back to wired for listening to high quality music. My library consists of a lot of music from HD Tracks and 7Digital so I had a lot of 24 bit audio ranging from 44khz to 192khz used in my testing. My equipment used ranged from my PC which had on board audio (with support for HD 24bit 96khz) and on my phone which has a quad DAC on it. Unboxing was pretty basic but not bad. The outer packaging looks nice but feels rather cheap and tears apart pretty easily. You then find a nice box inside of the cheap layer that folds open with heavy duty cardboard. The headphones are resting inside on a pillow of cloth and soft materials. You will find a warranty booklet, a carrying case and the cable inside. I first did my testing on my phone since it has support for HD Audio and a quad DAC to power these babies. I loaded it with HD Audio tracks from Kacey Musgraves, Khalid, the Hamilton Soundtrack and Daft Punk to get a decent range of audio. My mind was instantly blown with each sample. I think the biggest improvement from my old set of cans is the ability to easily separate the harmonics. I am used to those types of audio blending together nicely, but these Sony headphones make each part of the track stand out distinctly with no loss of quality allowing them to blend together just like a live performance. I felt most of the audio had a flat feel to it with no portion of the audio feeling overpowered. The bass was loud but clear and a little more punchy than normal but not to the point where it overwhelms, the highs are crisp and stand out distinctly. The mids are extremely clear. I felt no need to mess with the EQ on my device as everything just feels like it sounds like it was originally intended. These headphones made me want to listen to all my favorite albums all over again to see what tiny parts of the audio I have been missing out on over the years. Supposedly they support 3hz to 100khz so your pets might like it since I am pretty sure no human can hear sounds in those ranges. As for the hardware itself, my first impression was surprise on how light they are. There is a lot of plastic, memory foam and leather all over these but I feel it works pretty well. I am used to high quality headphones trying to integrate lots of metal for a more premium feel and heft, but it is kind of relieving having a high quality pair so light you barely notice them when you wear them. The plastic is obvious, but it does not feel cheap by any means. The foam on the ear cups is stunning. Most of us have felt memory foam before but this is some of the softest memory foam I have ever felt. It is like a soft pillow on your ears. I have been listening to them for about 5 hours today along (I should really take them off) and I feel zero discomfort or overabundance of heat. Though these have no ANC, they block a lot of the outside sound out due to their design. The design itself is rather pleasing with a lower profile on your head (I can’t stand cans that stuck out and make my head look even bigger than it is). The cord is detachable from the headphones and sticks out of the back of the left side creating a nice streamlined look. If the cord matters to you it fells high quality with a durable rubber coating. There is an inline remote on it with a single button for pausing/skipping and a microphone to take calls on. There is also a cable with a four band connector used for their Walkman lineup, I did not get a chance to test as I do not have one of their newer HD Walkmans. Again, this is the best set of headphones I have ever heard, it is very hard to find a fault with them if you are in the market for a wired set of high quality headphones