Sony could also be sometimes often known as a developer of shopper merchandise, however the electronics large has a protracted and respected historical past within the professional audio and video worlds. Now getting into the studio are the model’s new MDR-MV1 Reference Monitor Headphones, with a deal with immersive audio and audiophile-grade playback – which is arguably mirrored of their £420 price ticket.
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The MDR-MV1s are a unique prospect completely to, say, Sony’s much-admired WH-1000XM5 wi-fi noise-cancelling headphones. They provide a way more conventional strategy to listening, with out the various bells and whistles we anticipate from trendy headphones. Although appropriate for informal listeners, they’re actually designed for mixing and mastering engineers.
These headphones are remarkably light-weight and so are designed for prolonged durations of listening; producers will know you’ll be able to spend numerous hours going again and again the identical observe, and a few cans will begin to really feel sizzling and heavy after some time. Not these although – it’s not fairly that you just don’t know you’re sporting them, however they’re as snug as any skilled headphones you’re more likely to discover. The breathable ear cups are mushy and the match is safe with out feeling tight or restrictive, although they don’t appear to be user-replaceable.
As famous, there’s no wi-fi connectivity of any variety – these are strictly old-school. The left ear cup has a mini-jack enter with a screw fastener to make sure the cable stays securely connected always (simply watch out to not stand on it!). It additionally comes with a 6.3mm to three.5mm adapter and this can be a brief cable quite than a double-ended plug, that means whenever you plug right into a laptop computer or one other transportable machine you received’t have an enormous, stable plug sticking awkwardly out of the facet.
Sony’s headphones use specifically designed driver models with an ultra-wide frequency response of 5Hz to 80kHz, far exceeding the 20Hz to 20kHz commonplace of higher-end shopper fashions. Being wired-only means you don’t sacrifice any of this constancy or quantity for wi-fi transmission. It’s at all times stunning switching again to wired headphones and listening to simply how loud they can go.
The very first thing that strikes you concerning the sound of the MDR-MV1s is simply how balanced it’s. Years of sporting closed-back headphones or earbuds can situation us to get used to a extra boomy, boxy sound. Throw within the noise cancelling all of us use and it’s an much more enclosed sensation. These cans are fairly the other; their open-backed design means there’s no colouration of playback in any respect, with a backside finish that’s correct quite than exaggerated. Initially, this may be barely stunning, since we’re so used to listening to massive, stable bass. In fact, whereas that could be tremendous on your commute, it’s not helpful for mixing and mastering the place it is advisable to be proven essentially the most correct model of the sign attainable, not a beefed-up model. That colouring will likely be added by your listener in line with style, however your job is to offer a clear finish product. This can be a basic distinction between good shopper headphones and fashions which are designed for mixing and mastering.
Most shopper headphones, bar the audiophile-level ones, aren’t open-backed since – spoiler alert – an open-back design means they leak lots of sound. In fact, that additionally means these Sonys aren’t actually for recording, the place undesirable noise spill into the mics can be important. And shopper fashions are supposed to sound sympathetic, whereas reference fashions like these prioritise accuracy.
However, boy, what accuracy. The audio playback is solely very good, revealing with startling readability the myriad methods by which tracks from totally different artists and eras have been combined and mastered. If the combo or mastering engineer meant it, you’ll hear it on these. The location and separation of sounds are outstanding and current a splendidly gratifying listening expertise. They’re forensic however not in a manner that detracts from their musicality.
Beck’s Colours, with its lush and verdant manufacturing, positively oozes from the drivers, its heat shining by way of. Rapsody’s Eve, then again, reveals its punch and power, bursting with life. The mids are crisp and clear and that additional top-end headroom fizzes with life. The low finish is tight however managed; as famous earlier, it’s correct and balanced with out feeling artificially enhanced or boomy.
Sony touts the potential of this mannequin to work with immersive encompass manufacturing, each its personal 360 Actuality Audio system and others corresponding to Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio. Listening to music that had been correctly combined in considered one of these codecs – or the net demo movies that Sony and others make out there – they effortlessly dealt with the digital encompass. Aural components transfer not solely from left to proper, however up, down and across the sides and again of the listener. Testing Logic Professional’s Dolby Atmos mixer with the headphones achieves the identical pleasing outcomes, and we’re in a position to place sounds precisely into 360-degree area and listen to this mirrored within the headphone drivers.
The MDR-MV1s are very good reference screens with correct copy and a impartial character that permits you to belief that the combo and mastering selections you’re making are based mostly on fact and never the colouration of a room or different elements. They’re additionally remarkably good at coping with 360-degree and encompass mixing, and playback of economic tracks in these codecs. The worth is affordable for skilled reference headphones and they’re supremely snug, that means that neither your head nor your eardrums will get drained throughout prolonged periods. When you’re severe about manufacturing and even simply wish to hear your music assortment because the artists meant, these are nicely definitely worth the funding.
Key options
Value: £420
Specifically designed drivers
Frequency response of 5Hz – 80kHz
Wired-only operation
Open-backed design
Breathable ear pads
Light-weight
Designed for 360-degree copy
Cable with 3.5mm adapter
Adjustable headband
Lockable headphone cable
Study extra about Sony MDR-MV1 headphones at professional.sony.
