Sony MDR-1AM2 first impressions: Sony, bring these beauts to India

“The Sony MDR-1AM2 are the company’s high-res, audiophile-grade headphones”

I’ve always been a fan of Sony’s headphones. In fact, the company’s WH-1000xM3 (review) is quite possibly the best pair of wireless cans I tested last year. But – and I say this with a heavy heart – it’s not the most accurate-sounding headphone. Don’t get me wrong, the pair is extremely fun to listen to, which is part of the reason why I was (and still am) all praise for them. However, if you’re a more discerning listener, then you’ll be better suited to the company’s MDR-1AM2 – a pair of wired earphones which sound phenomenal. I managed to audition the headphones at the company’s booth in MWC Barcelona and here’s what I make of them.  

Design-wise, Sony has outdone itself. The MDR-1AM2 is feather-light as it weighs in at just 187 grams – that’s a full 73 grams lighter than the company’s WH-1000xM3. I know the difference doesn’t sound like much, but trust me, you’ll be able to immediately appreciate the lightweight build. What’s more, the company is leaving no stone unturned in the comfort department as the headphones ship with plush ear cups and thick padding on the headband. That, and the fact that the unit formed a comfortable seal around my ears and had just the right amount of clamping force. Suffice it to say, you will be able to lose yourself in music for hours with the MDR-1AM2.

As for the rest of the design, the headphones look the part of an expensive product. Sony has constructed the unit in parts using plastic, however, that doesn’t take anything away from the unit’s luxurious appeal. What’s more, the cans ship with detachable cables and therefore, you won’t have to throw away the entire headset on the off chance your cable breaks. Speaking of which, the Sony MDR-1AM2 ships with two cables, one of which is a standard 3.5mm cable which comes with in-line remote control and a microphone. The other, is a balanced-output cable which for the uninitiated, is considered the golden standard amongst audiophiles owing to its lower signal-to-noise ratio.

Coming to the meat of the matter, the Sony MDR-1AM2 is driven by a pair of 40mm drivers positioned inside each ear piece. The drivers boast a remarkable frequency response, ranging from 3Hz to a 100,000Hz – that’s FIVE times the peak listening range for humans. Furthermore, the headphones can be driven by pretty much any smartphone, as the cans ship with an impedance of just 16 ohms. Lastly, the unit features an aluminium coated Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), which in a nutshell, adds to the rigidity of the diaphragm, thereby minimizing the resonance and allowing the headphones to reproduce more precise sound.

During my brief stint with the unit at the crowded MWC show floor, I couldn’t quite test the headphones to the fullest. However, the handful of songs I heard on the device left a positive impression on me. While most of the headphones from the company’s stables favour the low-end, the Sony MDR-1AM2 feature a more balanced sound output. The bass has a kick to it, but it isn’t as intense as what you’d get with the company’s WH-1000xM3 or the brand’s MDR-XB series of headphones. Moreover, I was in awe of the unit’s excellent imaging too, which was instantly evident when I listened to St Lucia’s ‘A Brighter Love’ on the unit. About 45 seconds into the track, the listener is blasted with a slurry of instruments, which all sounded coherent and distinctive on the headphones.

The vocals and the mid-range sounded excellent too. In Hugar’s ‘Suga‘, the strums from the acoustic guitar and the violin zoned me out completely from the chaos at MWC.

As I mentioned previously, there’s more to the MDR-1AM2’s then meets the eye. I could only audition the unit for a few minutes at a time but the headset’s brilliant acoustics made me want to visit the company’s booth every single day – and I did. The MDR-1AM2 is available online and costs around $299 (~Rs 21,299). And should the company decide to bring the headset in India at that price, I’ll be the first one standing in a queue to get myself a pair.

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