Picked up a pair of MDR-EX1000 from Sony in KLCC last weekend.



According to Sony KLCC staff, overall supply is very limited - only 2-3 units allocated to them.

For a Sony flagship item, these were retailing for a not unreasonable RM1499 before discount and also Made in Japan no less, so I said "what the heck"...

nice item bro

How does it sound?
It's metal innit? Magnesium IINM? I wonder about the price tag though, considerably higher than the XBA-4, a 4 driver BA. Either Sony has found a way to make a very cheap BA (considering it's a 4 driver) or that Sony has done so much work into making the best dynamic driver they have to offer that the price is ridiculously high.

What is the warranty for this earphone?

Reviewer in headfi claimed that they preferred this unit than the XBA-4...and it build more solid and nicer than XBA-4

One thing's for sure, this thing looks BADASS!! I mean, if you wear it out and about, it will definitely be a conversation starter. People will stare at it, friends will ask about it and want to hear it. I'm not surprised if your friends who haven't came across such an IEM will want to take a pic of it and post it on Facebook!

The Ex1000 sounds better than the XBA-4s definitely. To my ears and preference at least.

The dynamic driver of the EX1000 is made of some light yet strong crystal matrix polymer, developed by Sony.

This is one of the best ever dynamic driver IEM available. IMHO.

1500 is not a bad price indeed, considering everything else in Malaysia is overpriced due to some phantom tax.

If I have the money, I may just forget my "that brand is over-hyped" kinda approach when looking for IEMs and might just dive in and get a Sony MDR -EX1000.
That is, If I have the money. Or else I might just settle for a top-tier single BA or high-mid market dual BA.

Removable cables too IINM? For RM1500 I think no other 3-way BA has that feature nor as well equipped accessory wise as the EX1000.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: May 28 2012, 03:57 PM

Sorry, no SQ impressions yet coz I picked these up on Sat nite and Sunday was a heavy workday for me *sigh*.

These days, Sony is seen more as a casual "consumer" brand rather than a "audiophile" brand when it comes to headphones but they have a good track record in high-end headphones and the EX1000 has been pretty well-regarded among the head-fi crowd.

I've generally been spoilt by Jaben - heh! - where I get the chance to audit headphones with my own gear till I'm truly satisfied before I buy so this was not normal for me to just "buy without trying." But I have good vibes for the EX1000s.

Packaging, as par for Sony flagship products, is very stylish & presentable - you'll still sayang & jaga the box nicely after taking out the 'phones

It comes with 10 - yes, TEN - earbud sizes: 7 normal silicone tips and 3 noise-isolating tips.

Comes with two cables; the default 1.2m cable with L plug and a much shorter 0.6m cable with straight plug.

Okay, will be back with some solid sound impressions after I've had a chance to do some critical evaluation against my library of 24/96 HD flacs



P/S
I have the Sony Style loyalty card which gave me an automatic 10% off the RRP, so I only paid RM 1,350 for anyone who's curious.

This post has been edited by jwcy: May 28 2012, 04:40 PM

Alright!
I'd be watching this thread closely. State what equipment you use to listen it with, that'll help in giving a general idea of what it is best matched with.

Loyalty card ay? Interesting...makes it an even better buy.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: May 28 2012, 04:42 PM

One year direct from Sony themselves.

In other words, biasa lah

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Added on May 28, 2012, 4:56 pmBro, this link:

https://store.sony.com.my/CustomerService/termCondition.aspx

This post has been edited by jwcy: May 28 2012, 04:56 PM

Bro jwcy,

Impression is the most important here~ compare to your other iem.

I might consider to get 1 if possible.

Thanks

Dang...when was this launched? I bought an EX300 and EX500 in a single purchase and this should've made me eligible years ago.

@tunertoobe: I think they've had this since the day they launched ! In one form or another.

Dang....I should've asked them about it.

Dropped by Sony KLCC.

Tried their EX1000 demo unit. 2 problems.

1. Can't use own source, and they are playing britney spears on the phones.

2. Right side is dead.

I don't bother to test headphones anymore unless I'm using my own gear coz most times I find the demo unit source quality at most places to be pretty shite. Plus you don't know if the demo unit has somehow been damaged before by other customers.

For what it's worth, I did have a quick listen to the EX1000 briefly at KLCC and it sounded worse to me than the bundled Apple earbuds, LOL

But I bought a set anyway

The EX1000s have been on my head for the past 2 days now - will post some firm impressions by this weekend !

what about ex600? how much is that?

i audition ex100 with RSA shadow at SG. i find it technically very musical.

It is neutral with boost in lower treble-upper mid area. However, im not too sure about this, i think there is big drop in treble after that which makes it not harsh.

There is a lot to like about it. I like it for its dynamic and smooth sound.

Unfortunately because it is neutral sounding, it is Not suitable with modern music though.

i tried hd800 with darkstar after ex1000, and they sound quite similiar. However ex1000 much smoother with lesser treble.

Can we ask the dealer to bring an EX600 in?

Can ask either Sony or Jaben, I suppose...

MDR-EX1000 2012 model?

It is Sony 2010 model.

I wonder when they're gonna produce another flagship dynamic?
Just, not a 20+ mm driver IEM...that's just silly.

With a size that big (EX1000), they should've tried and compete the Radius DDM. Two dynamic drivers, with 2 ports. Oh god, if only I work there.
But knowing Sony, It'll cost as much as a custom.

This post has been edited by tunertoobe: Jun 6 2012, 10:48 AM

Why bother competing with Radius on dual drivers?

Sony's single dynamic crystal matrix polymer driver takes RAdius' dual driver out of the equation completely. Its not even close.

Yeah you're right. The DDM is in a lower price segment.

But I can't help but feel that the R&D cost was spent more towards 'fiddling' around. The little things like that 'crystal matrix polymer' diaphragm, 'magnesium casing', 'bigger drivers' and stuff. A lot like what the Japanese likes to do in their cars. Trimming the edges of the rear view mirror to save weight, have the radio antenna retract halfway down at high speeds to reduce drag. Actually the Japs do that to a lot of things really. All little improvements add up to one big one, but this costs a lot to do. For a company that makes so much, I can't help but feel that they're ripping us off a bit compared to other small companies out there.

Still.....having the bragging rights of having the world's largest IEM driver shoved in your ears, and have that bass punch that can envy your fellow friends does have its merits. They do have that 'oh that's got to be Sony' look, crazy, dramatic, futuristic. Personally, I like it, A LOT! If only I have the money. Then again, I wish that was money well spent because RM1500 is halfway into getting a custom IEM. It's at that price point where it's a fine line between indulging yourself in new IEMs, or suffer just a little longer and go for the ultimate. For anyone who's as budget stricken as I am at least.

MDR-EX1000 vs dual BA driver can ah?

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Added on June 7, 2012, 1:18 amThank Bro, last time hear this model b4

This post has been edited by wkkm007: Jun 7 2012, 01:18 AM

I tried in KLCC, compared with XBA-4, this baby won with no dispute to my ear.

And in my personal preference, I think XBA-3 sounds better than XBA-4.

Doesn't have a chance to try Sony earphone

I feel my BA 200 overall are better all of the Sony XBA line-up

Useful review/comparison link:
Two Flagships Pass in the Night: Sony XBA-4 Review VS the MDR-EX1000

Read the entire thing so long man~ but nice review very detail thanks for the link bro

IMHO, Radius DDM is tuned not for studio monitoring, it is tuned for "fun", with a lot of airy soundstage which some may say "too wide to be unreal". Studio monitors stick closely to the source and remain as neutral as possible.

Btw, DDM, or other dual dynamic drivers, are new technology which isn't really stable yet. There are durability issues, as this technology may be susceptible to problems compared to single dynamics. I can say DDM is a wonderfully tuned iem to me personally but then, was very disappointed because it broke down too soon (>1 year) and also, I was told that that's the reason why many stores do not carry DDM anymore.

Hence, as good as Sony over DDM, we are talking about two different sound sig. Sorry for sounding defensive, maybe lack of sleep maybe?

noprobs bro

The DDM sure does have a very weird soundstage. I can hear instruments and vocals scattered everywhere, and not even at the same altitude as our heads!

Ex600 really makes me open my eyes while listening to music~

yeah i understand there, the width n openess is just so not IEM like sound at all!

Too bad both EX600 and EX1000 have been discontinued.
I have tried looking for the leftover stock but to no avail. I even went as far as Penang.

Slevin Sent is selling his EX600 i guess

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=2525582&hl=

No source, and no money.
Nah I don't think I'll be buying anytime soon, too distracting.

I sure hope Sony is coming up with something to replace them though. It's been a while since I've appreciated Sony's range of dynamic IEMs. The highest I've had was only the EX500. Pretty nice, but dunno why it's a tad over sibilant for me.

Sorry for reviving this old thread. If anyone is interested in buying a pair. Really awesome price, if you managed to sneak through our Kastam and not get taxed.

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/Sony...6/pricegrabber/

An independent reviewer and a hardcore one. This IEM scored quite handsomely, despite the price bracket.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-...-added-12-16-12

Usually we are not that lucky Kastam is eyeing at our goods

There are some forwarder service that allow you to *cough* specify *cough* the amount to declare, if you know what I mean.

That seems like a really good deal. I wished haven't just bought mine, else I would jump onto this one straightaway.

At first I was like, go go Sony EX1k,
then i realize, hey, ocharaku... You're from Sony too?
And then... I still wanna try Sony EX1k some day, despite just giving up my EX600 to a very good friend.

I would say, the treble on MDR-EX1000 is unforgiving on highly compressed sound stream (videos from Youtube) especially on dialog. Can be ear piercing. Not sure if my CriCri+ DAC plays a role on that as well.

But music listening is very pleasurable, definitely. I thought my MDR-EX90 was good, until I heard this. Demo it at Sony Center, sounds good. Side by side with my EX90, then I realised my EX90 sounds muddy.

Such an old thread, I heard that they have already discontinued this product but by far I have a love hate relationship with this iem.

SQ
It's fairly laid back but it's analytical
Bass is aplenty and yet it doesn't overpower the sub-bass
Mid is well articulated and highly detailed
Sibilance is high and transparent, need some time to get used to it
Soundstage is wide and warm and dry

Almost has no isolation at all, I've modified it with comply ear-tips and it's still the same.

VS XBA4, the XBA4 is more aggressive (but not as good as a W4)
XBA4's have a v-shaped soundstage EX1k is neutral or more like what an iem should be.
XBA4 is more isolated than EX1k
XBA4's mid in comparison to EX1k is almost world's apart, which kinda reminds me of SM3