The only thing I really dislike about them is how moving around makes the plastic creak. Sounds cheap. If you’re lured-in by the promise of high-resolution sound, we recommend considering the Audio Technica ATH-M50X instead. They offer better bass control and greater treble definition.

I am very happy to say that even one year after having owned these, they have held up beautifully and remain my favorite pair of cans I have used in the price range. So much so that I have had no desire to search further, higher, or wider to find a better pair.

The Sony MDR-1A is an excellent pair of over-ears and sounds top-notch no matter what your choice of genre may be. Bass is punchy and both mid and high-level frequencies are clear and crisp. Although it is not very neutral, the pomp the headphone does add serves to enhance overall experience. Given its excellent sound quality and sensible price point, the Sony MDR-1A is an excellent buy.

Design-wise, there is nothing spectacular about the MDR-1A. They look exactly as you would expect from a Sony-branded headphone at this price point. The metallic exterior and large ear cups manage to give it an attractive and chiseled appearance. My only (slight) issue with the comfort is that the pleather on the ear-pads is prone to making the ears get warm and sweaty. This is a common issue with over-ear headphones with pleather (rather than velour or alcantara or the like) ear-pads, so it's something I really don't mind very much at all, and it's not to an excessive degree since the pads are still quite breathable. You'll notice that I still gave these headphones maximum marks in the comfort category on the rating-scale here, so obviously the warmth/sweaty-ears issue is only a slight one, IMO. YMMV, however.Incredibly light yet with touches of premium pleather and metal, these look a lot more expensive than they are. But enough about the build, comfort is where it’s at with these cans. See the full article here: https://jamesfiorucci.wordpress.com/2023/05/07/simple-audio-review-sony-mdr-1a/ The case it comes with is basically just a bag. No hard case. Not a fan of soft carry-cases since they don't actually protect headphones. Putting these on for the first time, it became immediately apparent that these are the most comfortable headphones I have ever worn. After having listened to them for a few weeks and putting these things through some long listening sessions (had these on for almost 12 hours in one day), I have to say that my claim stands. This thing is king. As a design choice, Sony chose an almost all plastic body and housing (aside from metal headband) and it feels incredible to wear. These aren’t clear-sounding headphones, and as mentioned previously the elevated bass bleeds into the mids and kills dynamic range. You aren’t going to hear the hiss of the singer’s mic, or even the distant footsteps in your favourite first-person shooter.