Sony MDR-M1 by Graham~
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Sound Quality
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Ease of use
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Features
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Bang for buck
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Overall:
Back in April last year we looked at the then recently announced Sony MDR-MV1 studio headphones. These open-back headphones, which were designed for the mixing and mastering of both spatial and stereo sounds, reviewed well and I encourage you to check out Matt’s review here! This time around I have the pleasure of checking out Sony's latest addition to their professional headphone range, the MDR-M1 closed-back headphones.
During an online press presentation that I attended a number of weeks ago Sony explained that the MDR-M1 would sit between the ever popular MDR-7506 and the MDR-MV1 in the range. Built with creators in mind they were created in collaboration with industry professionals including Mastering Engineer Mike Piacentini (Battery Studios) and Recording Engineer Akihiro Nishimura (Power Station at Berklee NYC).
Aside from the headphones and a couple of manuals, in the box you’ll also find two detachable cables and a 3.5mm to 6.3mm screw-in plug adapter. As you can see in the image on the right, the packaging is minimalistic and contains no plastic, which I appreciated. It is designed and bundled up in a way that it does seem to do a good job holding the contents safely in place.
Those hoping for a carry pouch or case to be included will be disappointed. Personally it's not something I’d have expected anyway, all things considered, and not a massive biggie for me...but I said I’d mention it.
Upon picking up the MDR-M1’s the first thing I noticed is how lightweight they feel. They come in at approximately 216g (without cable) yet feel sufficiently sturdy in the hand. They have soft chunky ear pads that are easily replaceable when the time comes. Much like the MDR-MV1, they feature specially developed 40mm drivers with an ultra wide frequency response of 5Hz to 80kHz and due to their low impedance (50 Ohm) they can be easily driven by a mobile device or laptop. There’s a tuned ventilation hole present on each ear cup (see image) to control air resistance at low frequencies. Sony claims that this optimizes diaphragm movement, which makes it possible to accurately reproduce sound with a very tight bass response.
The cushioned headband is comfortable and makes a clicking sound when adjusting. Speaking of adjusting, doing so to suit your head size is easily done but you also have the addition of numbered markings on either side of the metal part of the headband that act as visual cues if you require them. You can fold the MDR-M1’s flat by folding them inwards. This makes the task of packing them away safely in your gig bag or backpack a little easier to do for those times when you need to travel with them.
In Use
I found them extremely comfortable even after wearing them for prolonged periods. I have literally worn them for hours. The clamping pressure was just right for me and the fact that they feel so light really helps the experience. As a glasses wearer there have been times where certain headphones I have tried on tended to clamp down a bit too hard for me, enough to make them uncomfortable to wear with glasses. That was not the case here.
In use they performed really really well, delivering a solid low end, clean mids and clear detailed highs and I'm confident that once you get to know them you'd have no problem getting some work done with them. The soundstage was decent for closed back headphones. Better than I was expecting for this type of design.
As the sound is not hyped in any way they are not a pair I'd reach for casual listening. This is not their forte in my opinion but for critical listening they again performed admirably.
Conclusion
Look, the bottom line is, these are a fine all rounder in the studio that can assist you whether you're recording, mixing or mastering. Given their price–performance ratio I have no doubt that much like the classic Sony MDR-7506, these too will rightly find their way into many, many studios. Recommended!
