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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Sony MDR-1A vs Sony MDR-7520
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sony MDR-1A
Sony MDR-7520
Tested using Methodology v1.4
Updated Aug 07, 2021 12:25 AM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.3.1
Updated Aug 07, 2021 12:25 AM
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Amazon.com
TypeOver-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
Noise CancellingNo
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeOver-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
Noise CancellingNo
WirelessNo
TransducerDynamic
MicNo
Variants
- MDR-1A (Black)
- MDR-1A (Silver)
- MDR-7520 (Black)
Our Verdict
Sony MDR-1A
Sony MDR-7520
The Sony MDR-1A are a better closed-back critical listening headphones than the Sony MDR-7520. The 1As are a lot more comfortable and sleeker looking than the 7520s. The 1A also have a better-balanced sound than the 7520s. They pack a bit more bass and do not sound as sharp on already bright tracks. On the upside, the 7520s feel a bit more durable than the 1As.
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MDR-1A
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MDR-7520
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MDR-1A
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MDR-7520
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MDR-7520
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Finding storeMain Differences forMixed Usage
Mixed Usage
Threshold
Mixed Usage
5.8
5.8
Controls
4.9
0.0
Noise Isolation
4.7
5.7
Comfort
8.0
7.0
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Over-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
No
No
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
8.0
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.49 lbs
0.6 lbs
Clamping Force
0.7 lbs
1 lbs
Controls
4.9
0.0
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Decent
N/A
Feedback
Okay
N/A
Call/Music Control
Yes
No
Volume Control
No
No
Microphone Control
No
N/A
Channel Mixing
No
N/A
Noise Cancelling Control
No
N/A
Talk-Through
No
N/A
Additional Controls
No
N/A
Breathability
6.6
6.4
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
5.5 °C
6.1 °C
Portability
6.0
5.9
Portability Picture
L
7.9"
7"
W
7.3"
5"
H
1.8"
3.2"
Volume
104 in³
112 in³
Transmitter Required
No
N/A
Case
6.5
6.5
Case Picture
Type
Pouch
Pouch
L
N/A
N/A
W
N/A
N/A
H
N/A
N/A
Volume
N/A
N/A
Build Quality
7.5
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
6.0
6.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
1.55 dB
-0.17 dB
Treble Amount
-1.47 dB
-0.88 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
7.8
6.2
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.44 dB
0.85 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Raw FR L
Raw FR L
Raw FR R
Raw FR R
Bass Accuracy
7.2
8.2
Std. Err.
3.87 dB
2.49 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
10 Hz
21.19 Hz
Low-Bass
3.28 dB
-0.23 dB
Mid-Bass
4.55 dB
3.28 dB
High-Bass
4.46 dB
2.53 dB
Mid Accuracy
8.6
8.6
Std. Err.
1.88 dB
1.91 dB
Low-Mid
0.5 dB
-1.82 dB
Mid-Mid
1.24 dB
-1.3 dB
High-Mid
2.51 dB
-0.05 dB
Treble Accuracy
7.6
5.3
Treble
Treble
Std. Err.
3.18 dB
5.62 dB
Low-Treble
0.12 dB
-0.53 dB
Mid-Treble
2.22 dB
0.73 dB
High-Treble
-6.23 dB
-2.39 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.4
5.8
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.74 dB
2.88 dB
Dips
1.15 dB
2.18 dB
Imaging
7.8
7.6
Phase Response
Weighted Group Delay
0.27
0.33
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.6
0.39
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.61
2.75
Weighted Phase Mismatch
6.15
19.4
Passive Soundstage
5.7
5.9
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
2.04 dB
2.52 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
4.34 dB
5.36 dB
PRTF Distance
8 dB
9.73 dB
Openness
5.2
4.1
Acoustic Space Excitation
3.7
3.7
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
Speaker Modeling
No
Room Ambience
No
Head Tracking
No
Virtual Surround
No App
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.2
7.5
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.110
0.239
WHD @ 100
0.144
0.212
Test Settings
Firmware
No Firmware
Power
Passive
Connection
Wired
Codec
PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz
EQ
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Default
Microphone
In-line
Isolation
Noise Isolation
4.7
5.7
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-12.3 dB
-14.68 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
0.09 dB
0.55 dB
Mid
-7.47 dB
-13.6 dB
Treble
-30.01 dB
-32.33 dB
Leakage
6.7
7.1
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
41.13 dB
39.29 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
No
N/A
In-Line
Yes
N/A
Boom
No
N/A
Detachable Boom
No
N/A
Mic
Yes
No
Recording Quality
6.9
0.0
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
N/A
LFE
479.46 Hz
N/A
FR Std. Dev.
1.56 dB
N/A
HFE
4,122.85 Hz
N/A
Weighted THD
0.126
N/A
Gain
17.32 dB
N/A
Noise Handling
6.5
0.0
Speech + Pink Noise
N/A
Speech + Subway Noise
N/A
SpNR
17.13 dB
N/A
Active Features
Battery
0.0
0.0
Battery Type
No Battery
N/A
Continuous Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Additional Charges
N/A
N/A
Total Battery Life
N/A
N/A
Charge Time
N/A
N/A
Power-Saving Feature
No
N/A
Audio While Charging
No
N/A
Passive Playback
Passive Headphone
N/A
Charging Port
None
N/A
App Support
0.0
0.0
App Picture
App Name
No App
N/A
iOS
No
N/A
Android
No
N/A
macOS
No
N/A
Windows
No
N/A
Equalizer
No
N/A
ANC Control
No
N/A
Mic Control
No
N/A
Room Effects
No
N/A
Playback Control
No
N/A
Button Mapping
No
N/A
Surround Sound
N/A
Surround Support
No
Connectivity
Bluetooth
0.0
0.0
Bluetooth Version
No Bluetooth
N/A
Multi-Device Pairing
No
N/A
NFC Pairing
No
N/A
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (SBC)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
N/A
iOS Latency
N/A
Android Latency
N/A
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
0.0
0.0
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
N/A
Wired
9.5
9.5
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
Yes
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
Yes
Yes
Length
4 ft
4.6 ft
Connection
1/8" TRRS
1/8" TRS
Wired Latency
0 ms
Analog/USB Audio Latency
0 ms
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC/PS4 Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio Only
PC/PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox One Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
Audio + Microphone
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
0.0
0.0
Type
No Base/Dock
N/A
USB Input
No
N/A
Line In
No
N/A
Line Out
No
N/A
Optical Input
No
N/A
RCA Input
No
N/A
Dock Charging
No
N/A
Power Supply
No Base/Dock
N/A
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Black
MDR-1A
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MDR-7520
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MDR-1A
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MDR-7520
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MDR-7520
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MDR-7520
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MDR-7520
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Sony MDR-1A
Sony MDR-7520
Comments
Sony MDR-1A vs Sony MDR-7520: Main Discussion
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