A few months ago, I was hired to work on the audio engineering team at a production camp put on by Sony. One of the events at this camp was a demo of Sonyās immersive audio tools, and this was my first experience with theirMDR-MV1headphones. Sonyās immersive audio team has been pushing hard to develop tools for producing and mixing in immersive audio formats. This definitely isnāt a review about immersive audio, however, if youāve dabbled with 360 Reality Audio or Atmos you know the challenges of getting these formats to translate into stereo headphones. In search of a solution, the team at Sony set out to design a perfect pair of headphones for monitoring spatial audio. Let me be extra clear: TheMDR-MV1sare just stereo headphones. All the specs that help these headphones translate audio in 3D also allow them to reproduce the same stereo format thatās been around for over half a century. To help our ears hear spatial audio, our monitoring needs to be remarkably transparent, and these open-back headphones have noticeably minimal acoustic resonance. Theyāre incredibly detailed and rated by the manufacturer as flat from 5 Hz to 80 kHz. Bonus comfort features include a detachable cable and an incredibly lightweight headset (approximately half of a pound). Seriously, these are the lightest headphones Iāve ever trusted for professional work. If you think this all sounds nice, even just for normal stereo work, youāre absolutely right! While trying to build best-in-class headphones for immersive audio, Sony just happened to make my new favorite stereo headphones. These have been my daily drivers since I first tried them on.
Iām learning to be comfortable mixing in headphones. Out of caution, I first began using headphones while working in unfamiliar studios. Iād pack a pair of trusted headphones (that I reference often) to prevent any surprises when returning home to familiar monitors. More recently, Iāve begun taking extended trips away from home with the confidence that I can deliver mixes to my clients (while wearing headphones) anywhere I can power up my computer. As Iāve grown used to long hours in headphones, Iāve formed strong opinions about what I need if Iām going to keep these on my ears all day. The first time I put on theMDR-MV1s, they kind of blew my mind. The light weight and neutral sound can almost fool you into thinking youāre not wearing them! Iām pretty cautious about changing my monitoring, and I only trust what Iām familiar with! Yet somehow, I immediately recognized that theseMDR-MV1swere just voiced so naturally, and they really are extremely comfortable to wear. Itās been nearly three months, and theyāre still my primary headphones for working both at home and abroad. I couldnāt be happier.
($499 MAP;pro.sony/ue_US/products/headphones/mdr-mv1) -Scott McDowell fadersolo.com Buy From Sweetwater!