Sony's latest addition to the MDR lineup is a thoughtfully designed, exceedingly comfortable headphone pair made with luxurious materials. At $299.99, the MDR-1A isn't cheap, and given the lack of Bluetooth or noise-canceling circuitry, that price could only be reasonable if the audio performance were exceptional. Thankfully, it is. The MDR-1A brings powerful bass and balances it with crisp high-mids. While purists may scoff at the boosted lows and sculpted higher frequencies, most listeners will find very little to complain about. 

Design

It's clear Sony put quite a bit of effort into the design of the circumaural (over-the-ear) MDR-1A—it is one of the more simple, beautifully executed headphone frames currently available. The first thing you notice when holding the good-looking MDR-1A is how exceedingly cushioned the earpads and headband feel. You almost can't wait to put them on, and the fit doesn't disappoint: The MDR-1A is very comfortable, even over long listening sessions.

Offered in black with red metallic highlights, or in silver with brown leather, the construction of the MDR-1A feels sturdy, but light and seamless, like a sports car. The earpads swivel gracefully to a flat position, and the headband can be precisely adjusted to ensure a proper, symmetrical fit. Inside the earpads, the 40mm drivers are visible through a thin mesh speaker grille cloth.

Two detachable cables ship with the MDR-1A—one with a single-button remote designed for Android devices (it works for basic functions with iPhones, as well). The connection point for the cable on the headphones' frame, located on the left earcup, looks like a mini pipeline, delivering audio through the thick cabling to the drivers.

Also included with the MDR-1A: A drawstring carrying pouch that the headphones fold down flat into for easy stowing.

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Performance

On tracks with intense sub-bass content, like The Knife's "Silent Shout," the MDR-1A delivers a thunderous low frequency response. At top, unadvisable listening levels, the headphones don't distort, and at moderate-to-loud volumes, the bass response is still powerful without overpowering the mix—in testing we heard full-bodied, subwoofer-esque bass balanced by plenty of contour and clarity in the high-mids and highs.

Bill Callahan's "Drover," which brings far less deep bass presence, sounds nonetheless like it has plenty of hefty low-end. Callahan's baritone vocals, which hardly need boosting in the low-mids to sound full and rich, get plenty of it anyway, and the drums on this track get an added bass boosting as well. This could be a potentially disastrous over-indulgence of low frequencies, but Sony saves things by giving the high-mids and highs plenty of sculpting and presence as well. Thus, Callahan's rich voice also gets plenty of treble edge to keep it clear and in the forefront of the mix, while the guitar strumming remains bright and crisp. So yes, there is plenty for purists to gripe about—this is not a flat response sound signature. It is, however, a superbly balanced sound, with round, substantial bass response and wonderfully crisp high-mids and bright highs. Bass lovers seeking a balanced mix will be thrilled.

On Jay-Z and Kanye West's "No Church in the Wild," the kick drum loop's attack gets plenty of sharp high-mid edge to slice through the dense mix, while the sub-bass synth hits that punctuate the loop are delivered with a powerful subwoofer-like presence. The vocals on this track manage to float cleanly and clearly over the aural onslaught.

Classical tracks, like the opening scene in John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary, sound fantastic, with the lower register strings receiving just enough low-mid and low frequency presence to bring them out of the mix a bit, while the vocals, higher register strings, and brass remain bright, crisp, and in the spotlight. The sound here is dynamic and immersive, we hear the sound of the room the music was recorded in, implied as much by the lower instrumentation as by the higher register brass stabs. Again, purists who want a flat response may not be thrilled, but if you like balance with some added bass presence, the MDR-1A gets it right.

At $300, with no real extra features, the MDR-1A had better sound phenomenal, and it does. However, if you like the idea of the MDR-1A's bass-boosted balance, but would like to spend less money, the Sennheiser HD 558 delivers excellently for the price. You might also consider the more expensive Master & Dynamic MH40 ($172.80 at Amazon) , the Blue Microphones Mo-Fi , or the Shure SRH1540 in this elite tier of headphones, but there's no denying the MDR-1A is fantastic, worthy of your consideration and our Editors' Choice award for high-end headphones. 

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