Sony MDR-F1 Full-Open-Air Headphones with Impedance Compensator

 (5 customer reviews)

The Sony MDR-F1 Headphones are a respected headphone in the industry, and for a good many number of reasons. You don't know what 'music to my ears' really means until you hear these. In this review, I compare them to many of my large collection of headphones, which I reference in the review, and major differences are included. I rated the sound of the MDR's without an amp on a 1-10 scale, with 1 at disgusting and 10 for unbelievable.

For lower frequencies like a bass guitar or the main beat of an R&B song, they get the job done, but not perfectly. In their description from Sony, it is pointed out that they have a special driver on the speaker that aids in clarity and pronouncement of the bass. They work wonderfully, and make those Bose cans sound like garbage. If you are a person who demands bass, go Sennheiser HD 595 for can style or Ultimate Ear triple-fi's for in-ear design, but these still work great. 8/10 for bass.

For mid-tones Sony did what they do...Read more

I use these with my Astro Mixamp connected to my Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 to deliver 3D soundscapes that really blow my mind. I have tried the Audio Technica's ATH-AD700 and Sennheiser's HD555 which I'm aware are less than half the cost of these Sony's, but the sound is not as great. The Sony's are just not clearer, but the sound feels more elegant and subtle, not to say they are a lot more comfortable.

On games and movies, the positioning of the sound sources is clear and the distances between one sound and another are really palpable. It's so natural that you don't feel anything special until you try another pair of headphones that aren't as good as these ones. Their sound has this quality that I like; it feels natural, not bombastic nor plain. I can wear them for 8 hours straight and not get a headache, thing that I had got using other headphones that crush your skull or overwhelm your hearing, or even worse, make your ears sweaty.

Another great feature is...Read more

To this day, I have never felt strongly enough about any product to write a review about it.

But, for anyone considering this set of headphones, i must tell you this.

You will never find a better sounding AND incredibly comfortable set ANYWHERE.

I purchased more than one just in case the one i had somehow broke.

You cant go wrong!