In 2014, Sony launched the MDR-1A wired headset, whose comfortable wearing and clear and sharp sound quality won the praise of the market. It has been four years since the MDR-1A was released. It is not only a benchmark product of the MDR series, but also a brand of Sony earphones. After four years, Sony launched the MDR-1A upgrade - MDR-1AM2 at the beginning of 2018. According to the official statement of Sony, this MDR-1AM2 is a product that greatly upgrades the sound quality and wearability while continuing the traditional design. It is a new brand headset that Sony is proud of.
Sony MDR-1AM2 hereinafter referred to as 1AM2
Iron triangle MSR7 (non noise reduction version) is selected for comparison in this evaluation.
appearance
In terms of official support, in addition to the headphone storage bag and 3.5mm wire controlled headphone cable (1.2m), 1AM2 also provided users with a 4.4mm balanced headphone cable (1.2m).
1AM2 has simplified and adjusted the lightweight direction on the basis of the design concept of the previous generation. At first glance, the main part has not changed much. The head beam and earmuff parts are obviously 1A designs, but it is obvious that 1AM2 has replaced the red part of 1A with gray silver in color matching, Sony's official explanation for this is that "users will not show excessive tool sense when wearing and using".
A big feature of the design of 1AM2 this time is that it is "lighter". As a 40mm drive unit, the covered earmuff earphone has a bare weight of only 187g (without ear cable), nearly 40g lighter than the already light 1A (227g).
The Sony logo is still clearly printed on the earmuff
The design of the earmuff of 1AM2 is basically the same as that of the previous generation. The earmuff adopts a covered design. The ear pad is made of low elastic polyurethane foam, and the leather part is synthetic leather that absorbs moisture and dissipates heat. We can directly see the 40mm HD driver unit and Fibonacci pattern grille inside the earmuff from the outside.
The Iron Triangle MSR7 uses a circle of bright red in the earmuffs. We have seen such a design on 1A, but it has been removed by the 1AM2 generation.
The inner unit structure of the iron triangle MSR7 cannot be seen in the earmuff.
The overall size of 1AM2 is similar to that of the iron triangle MSR7, even in the earmuff area. However, because the iron triangle MSR7 uses more metal materials as a whole, its ear pads are not lightweight materials. As we can see, the overall structure of the Iron Triangle MSR7 is much thicker than that of 1AM2. Its earphone weighs 290g, more than 100g more than that of 1AM2.
Wear
The problem of "ear clip" is basically common for the wrapped (ear clip) earphones. No matter how the earphones are designed, if users wear them for a long time, they will still feel the ear clip. However, from the manufacturer's point of view, although the problem of "clip ears" cannot be avoided, it can be alleviated through design.
At present, the problem of "ear clipping" of wired earphones is basically solved from two aspects: one is the overall weight of earphones; The second is the design and materials of earphones
In the above, we also mentioned that the weight of 1AM2 is very light, only 187g. What is this concept? Basically, in addition to the fake earphones that cut corners, the number of wrap earphones of well-known brands is generally higher than this value, which is more than 220g, compared with the Iron Triangle MSR7, which is 290g.
In design, 1AM2 adopts the same ergonomic 3D three-dimensional cutting ear pad as 1A, which can increase the contact surface between the ear pad and the head and reduce the pressure on the ear. In the material of ear pad, 1AM2 is much softer than the iron triangle MSR7.
In actual wear, the 1AM2 gives the author the feeling that it is very light. The comfort is much better than the heavy iron triangle MSR7. It is even light enough to make people wonder whether it is a fake headset. However, its voice tells me that it is genuine Sony. As for the Iron Triangle MSR7, its wearing feeling is really different from that of 1AM2. It cannot be said that the overall design of the Iron Triangle MSR7 is defective, but the Iron Triangle MSR7 obviously does not consider too many wearing issues in terms of design, materials, and weight. It chooses the traditional wrapped headset wearing design. If not for the sense of wear of Sony MSR-1AM2, in fact, the Iron Triangle MSR7 is not bad, only because its opponent is too strong.
The NW-ZX300A is used for the sound quality evaluation. Both of them use 3.5mm ear wires.
tone quality
Since there are many users listening to music on their mobile phones, let me first talk about the power of 1AM2. The 1AM2 is the kind of headset that is easy to push, with an impedance of 16 ohms and a sensitivity of 98 dB/mW. If you just want to push with a mobile phone, then the iPhone is easy to push. Just as a Sony brand headset, I certainly don't recommend that you do so. Good push is one thing, and good push is another.
The sound quality of 1AM2 is more comprehensive than that of 1A. The three frequencies have been improved, but if it is the biggest improvement, I think it should be the high-frequency and intermediate frequencies.
The performance of the mid-range voice of 1AM2 is very clear, with rich details. It is a very bright and broad voice. The voice has obvious protrusion, which is separated from the low frequency of background sound and dynamic beat. When it comes to preferences, the author believes that 1AM2 should be the taste of male voices. The high-frequency part of 1AM2 has a very natural transition. The sound continues to moderate and fade. It is also a very clear and bright high-frequency.
In terms of low frequency, 1AM2 keeps Sony's consistent low frequency of "cheerfulness without ringing". It has a sense of speed and atmosphere, but the sense of quantity is not great. The diving performance is normal. In short, it does not ringing, but it is definitely not the low frequency of "knocking on the wood floor". This low frequency can be said to be more in line with the listening preference of most people.
The overall feeling of the performance of 1AM2 in high frequency and intermediate frequency is that its resolution is much better than that of the previous generation. Although this 1AM2 is still a 40mm drive unit, this 40mm drive unit was re developed by Sony, which is completely different from the previous generation. At the same time, the aluminum plated liquid crystal polymer coating used by 1AM2 this time is likely to be the main cause of this sound quality improvement of 1AM2.
The Iron Triangle MSR7 is not a loud earphone, and its characteristics are also in the middle and high frequencies. The MSR7 is slightly lacking in the sense of low frequency and atmosphere. The overall feeling is weaker than that of 1AM2. Although low frequency is not the strength of both, the low frequency of Sony 1AM2 is better than that of Iron Triangle MSR7 in the sense of atmosphere and speed.
In the middle and high frequency part, the middle and high frequencies of the Iron Triangle MSR7 have a sense of distance. It feels that the middle and high frequencies are deliberately separated. The middle frequency is a kind of empty low frequency category. The voice tastes more female, which is suitable for popular female voices. The overtones in the high frequency part are less and extend higher, but the sound is too transparent and the image is not strong. Sony 1AM2, on the other hand, is a clear, natural medium and high frequency, with a strong sense of atmosphere and standing.
summary
As Sony official said, Sony MDR-1AM2 is a new brand headset, which not only has a significant upgrade in sound quality, but also enhances the comfort of wearing. For the covered earphones, the wearing and sound are the two sides of the scale. The heavier the covered earphones with good sound quality are, which will affect their wearing. Sony MDR-1AM2 can further reduce the weight of earphones while improving the sound quality, which is really rare. No wonder it is officially defined as a new brand earphone.
