Sony MDR-M1

A redefined and refined closed back studio reference from Sony

I have been on ongoing challenge to find the perfect closed back headphone and this year has been an excellent year for reasonable priced “good” closed backs with the Sennheiser HD620s, FiiO FT1 and possible the recently launched Aune SR7000 (though that is a bit more expensive). But now Sony enters the game from “left field” (i.e. the pro-audio world) to possibly stir things up a little more. Each of these headphones has their pros and cons but after using the MDR-M1 for a few weeks now I thought I would share my opinions in this review.

Not to spoil the rest of the review, but the MDR-M1 is a fantastic “daily driver” headphone and I don’t just mean for Pro-Audio users but anyone who wants a great sounding headphone (though bass heavy for a studio reference) that is comfortable and built to last.

But please read on to find out more.

A replacement for the MDR-7506?

So, the Sony MDR-M1 faces a challenging task in proving itself as the latest addition to the MDR series, stepping in to replace the iconic MDR-7506—a renowned studio reference closed-back headphone that has been a staple for 33 years. Since its launch in 1991, the MDR-7506 set a high bar for studio monitoring and I believe especially in live recording environments, where the closed back and the good bass response meant it was a favourite of studio engineers. With so much to live up to, let’s see if the MDR-M1 can carry forward this legacy.

Sony has made a very smart move by building on the well-loved MDR platform for the MDR-M1, while introducing substantial updates to this closed-back model. The result is a headphone that feels both new and familiar. This approach gives users confidence in the MDR-M1’s ruggedness, durability, repair-ability and comfort.

Before we get into what you get the details about the MDR-M1 lets have a bit of a nostalgic look at some Sony MDR headphones from the recent past:

A brief history of MDR headphones:

I thought it might be interesting to have a breakdown of the various Sony MDR headphones that have been released since the release of the MDR-7506:

But enough of the past, let’s get into the future and what you get with the MDR-M1.

Unboxing Experience

The Sony MDR-M1 arrives in a nice professional box:

With some specifications on the back:

Inside, the packaging is very minimal but also eco-friendly with some soft paper wrapping for the contents:

The MDR-M1 comes with 2 cables (a 1.2m and a 2.5m), both are durable with a nice feel to the cable and I really like the screw mechanism to firmly attach the cable to the headphone (this is optional):

Zooming into the connection you can see the screw mechanism around 3.5mm connection:

The left hand ear cup has the matching screw where you can (optionally) screw the cable into the earpad for a more solid and permanent connection:

Design and Comfort

One of the first things that stand out with the MDR-M1 is its familiar yet super lightweight design at only 216g:

Earpads:

You can get a sense for how comfortable the MDR-M1 when looking at the ear pads:

These are my measurements of the internal dimensions of each ear cup:

The soft, thick ear-pads provide a good fit around most ears though they are not the largest ear cups.

Note: if you were glasses you might find the seal is easily broken, for this reason I did investigate alternative earpads as you will read later in this review.

Headband

The headband offers a reasonable comfortable fit with enough padding:

There is both good flexibility of the angle of the earpads:

But also a good extension mechanism to allow the headphone to fix large heads and I like the clearly marked measures and the satisfying click as you move between the positions:

As a daily driver

As I mentioned earlier, for the past 3 weeks this has been my daily driver headphone, when not working from home, I work in a fairly noisy shared office, so there are long periods where I need some isolation to get things done but then other times during the day when I seem to be taking it off my head every few minutes to talk to people, so I have been looking for a closed back with a lightweight yet rugged design. I do have some other lovely headphones, but I don’t think most of them would last this constant 7-8 hours of variable usage every day.

Maintainability

One of the MDR-M1’s standout features is its easy repair-ability, everything is put together in a way that looks like it will be easy to both upgraded but also do self-repair for many years to come.

The earpads come off easily revealing the drivers:

Then there screws to dismantle the headphone are clearly visible around the driver:

And even on the headband has easily accessible screws:

The MDR-M1 feels both rugged enough for daily use but also the MDR platform has been using similar parts for so long, that spare parts and modifications can easily be found very cheaply. This ensures that they’ll serve you well for years, even after heavy use. This to me is a crucial advantage of this closed back headphone over say the similar priced FiiO FT1 or the AKG K371.

Custom Earpads

A few months ago, I decided to buy a bunch of different earpads of different sizes (usually deeper ones) from AliExpress and since I was investigating the driver on the MDR-M1, I decided to have a bit of fun replacing the earpads on the MDR-M1. These medium-sized plush earpads one fitted nicely and worked must better with my glasses:

Comparing against the stock pads you can see they are larger but with roughly the same volume around the ears (as I did not want to change the sound signature of the MDR-M1 too dramatically):

This was a nice enhancement which as you will see in the measurement section does change the sound signature a little but also makes it easier to wear glasses and keep a seal while using the MDR-M1.

Sound Quality

Note: These sound impression where with the stock pads!!

Overall, the MDR-M1 delivers a sound signature that is more engaging than the typical neutral profile expected of a studio reference headphone. But let’s get into the details:

Bass:

The low-end is surprisingly prominent for a reference headphone, with good depth and control. This emphasis adds body to tracks without muddying the overall sound. I believe this is similar than the bass profile on the MDR-7506 with a touch more bass but with that good separation between the bass and midrange.
On bass-heavy tracks like “Royals” by Lorde, the MDR-M1 performs exceptionally well, offering a solid low-end foundation without muddying the midrange of that track.

Midrange:

The mids are clear and accurate, making vocals and instruments sound natural and balanced. Whether it’s Norah Jones’s “Don’t Know Why” or acoustic pieces, the MDR-M1 presents the midrange with transparency, allowing you to enjoy the intricacies of each note.

Treble:

The high frequencies are smooth and well-extended, offering enough detail to capture subtle nuances without becoming fatiguing. The MDR-M1 excels with cymbal crashes and string plucks, presenting them with a crisp but controlled treble that complements the rest of the frequency range. I believe the MDR-M1 has a slighly more relaxed treble than the MDR-7506 which is probably welcome by the majority of listeners given there was some treble peaks on that headphone.

Soundstage and Imaging

For a closed-back headphone, the MDR-M1 has a reasonable soundstage. It offers a good sense of space for instrument separation and some precise imaging, allowing listeners to locate sounds within the mix accurately. The imaging is particularly satisfying on live recordings, where the MDR-M1 reproduces the spatial cues of the performance with precision.

Specifications and Measurements

It’s an easy-to-drive headphone, working well with both mobile devices and desktop setups, and its high sensitivity of 102 dB/mW allows it to perform well across different sources.

Let’s get into the measurements:

Measurements

Note: All these measurements were taken with my KB501X soft ear pinnae with my 711 clone coupler and these are available on my measurement database here

Frequency Response

So the frequency response shows good channel match and that little bass boost I mentioned from my listening sessions:

The little dip in the mid-bass region while it could be EQed out I think is added specifically to provide that clean separation between the slightly elavate bass and the midrange, so there is no chance of muddying the midrange.

The midrange is excellent and I found it interest that Sony went with a more relaxed treble, more on this in some comparisons in a second, but I also think it’s crucial with a new headphone model to check even roughly for unit variations:

Note: Please excuse this chart above as it does make the cardinal sin of measurements, comparing 2 other measurements of the MDR-M1 from other measurement setups (though I believe they are all similar Gras KBXXXX clones), So only use this graph to see that 3 different units measured (so far) of the MDR-M1 generally follow the same trends so that is what you should expect.

Also, I added a measurement (not mine) of the MDR-7506 so illustrate at a high level the changes that Sony have made, increasing the bass response while relaxing that pinnae gain region significantly, though my measurements in that region show less of a drop than the 2 other MDR-M1 models added to this graph.

Alternative Earpads

As I mentioned earlier I had a bit of fun swapping earpads and settled on a large earpad, I also measured an even larger earpad.

Here is a comparison of the frequency response change it caused:

I actually then used a FiiO JA11 usb-c dongle dac (which has EQ capabilities) to then normalise this change much closer to Harman.

Note: You should always expect a change in FR with a different sized ear pads and while it will vary I usually find the different is mostly in the treble region, though how a typical no-name ‘Aliexpress’ earpad changes the sound signature will be very random, but as the MDR-M1 get more popular we will see third party ear pads which will keep much closer to the default sound signature.

Distortion:

The MDR-M1 exhibits minimal distortion, limited to the bass: As a percentage it is very typical of dynamic driver headphones:

Compared with some other headphones:

And finally in this section, I thought people might be interested in comparing with some of the other closed backs: But for clarity let me remove the 2 Hifiman Closed Backs and the Beyerdynamic as these have lots of features that you might not want on a graph.

So with a smaller group we get:

And compared with some other open back studio reference headphones I that have measured recently: Obviously an open back will have much less bass than a closed back but otherwise the MDR-M1 does well in this comparison.

Rating

Priced at $249 I have given the MDR-M1 a pragmatic rating of 5 stars. Basically Sony have given their new closed back model some very nice sonic enhancement both in the bass (more) and treble (less) and bringing the overall design up to date while keeping the lightweight, comfort and repair-ability.

While there is strong competition from other recently released closed backs (like the FiiO FT1) I think the biggest competition for the MDR-M1 at least for the next few months might be from old stock of the MDR-7506 which seems to be discount now.

Conclusion

The Sony MDR-M1 is an excellent addition to Sony MDR range, providing an accessible, comfortable, and reliable listening experience. With its durable build, practical design, and subtly warm sound signature, it’s an ideal choice for both professional studio use and audiophile enjoyment. Whether you’re working in a bustling environment or enjoying music at home, the MDR-M1 is a good pragmatic and rewarding investment, now and for many years to come.