What Hi-Fi? Verdict
High in luxury, with slightly mixed noise-cancelling
Pros
- +
Lovely build quality
- +
Excellent detail
Cons
- -
Noise-cancelling brings brightness
- -
High price
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These aren't cheap, costing £450 if you buy them from Sony. It's lucky, then, that we've found them far cheaper by shopping around.
First impressions for the MDR-1RNC are good. They certainly look like £450 headphones – build is impeccable, plus they're comfortable and just the right weight.
Switch on the noise-cancelling and it's a peculiar effect. All the low frequencies are drained from your surroundings, but midrange and treble remain – so in an office you can hear the tippity-tap of keyboards.
There's also a brittle quality to high frequencies in this mode. Bass is fast and tight, but lacks punch.
These headphones are a real mixed bag. We don't like the brightness that the noise-cancelling brings, but we love the luxurious feel and warm, friendly sound you get without it.
