why not u purchase via sony store online? free shipping, price rm1099

Sony store SG after discount + member discount => SGD450 => RM1350++ (that is not sure whether got stock or not)

I tried my luck after testing the demo unit:

1. Sony Centres in Malaysia + Maybank 0% easy payment + stacking promotion => RM990
Result: No stock even in Warehouse, looks like they waiting for launching new MDR-100 BT h.ear headphone?

2. Sony Online store + forget about MBB installment => RM1099
Result: after filling out all the details, they not allow me to check out the order. Looks like really no stock in Sony Warehouse...

3. Finally located 1 unit from Lazada, seller: Foto-Shangri-La(5 stars rating), hopefully it went smoothly and supposed brand new unit => RM1099

the result 2 i can't give comment much. yesterday i go sony store klcc, and i saw there's still have MDR-1ABT new stocks

This post has been edited by vincentlee90: Jan 25 2016, 06:46 AM

sony store KLCC have new stocks available immediately or only pre-order?

What I know from 2 other Sony Centre, they said warehouse no stock, this means only some other branches have these units for sales. Afaik, Johor branches only accept pre-order (without demo unit for buyer to test) if warehouse got stock.

yup. there's new stock available at KLCC for sale, not pre-order

Just checked today morning, no available stock nor pre-order can be made at KLCC Sony Centre...

Will go hunting on other branches then...

probably they sold out the 1ABT. you're out of luck

Just brought the MDR 100AAP from lazada for around RM500. Wondering is any DAC/AMP required/recommend to drive this baby?

Found it and bought 1 unit from Sony Store The Curve~ thus 1 unit remaining left, those who want MDR-1ABT better be fast grabbing it asap...

LDAC bluetooth is definitely a must for those prefer music on the go, without the hassle of the wires...

welcome to the club

If LDAC is really that powerful, I guess the wireless music era has come...

Headphone AMP now is facing challenge from Balance Armature + LDAC...

100aap is suitable to play direct from portable devices. let it play continuously for several days, it will settle down in proper sounding.
u want improve, aim dac first. but it will largely depend on which device as the digital input port are different.

Try to get at least a Govibe Martini/Rivo for any decent headphone. Portable player mostly cannot drive a headphone fully unless there is an AMP built inside the player.

i saw one unit at sony store IOI Mall Puchong, left one unit as well...

honestly tempted to get MDR-1A at 699 (after rebate) but at the end i bought XBA-A2 instead...
really liking it, though sound wise, i prefer the MDR-1A better (though both is differ from one another)...

Eh why pick the other while you like MDR-1A sound signature?

The reason I give up IEM, coz my XBA-1 is belong to J cord type, longer side accidentally dropped on hard surface when being taken from my IEM pouch, thus there goes my 1-year old RM200 IEM...

Previously I was soooo against wireless due to massive data loss across bluetooth over AptX and SBC codec, but LDAC I can really enjoy the music without data-loss, and ultimately, save all the hassles of being wired.

cause i wanted something that i can carry around (to cafe and when i go outstation), and headphones are not that convenient to carry around

LDAC is really that good? will try to test it out one day

Wired headphone definitely quite a hassle for all those thick wire, portability-wise, detachable cable is not really helping other than changing to a better cable...

But the sound quality of the MDR-1A definitely worth the hassle of carrying around if your budget aim for getting only the sound quality part.

Well I am a careless person on small items, so very often I will swing my IEM around accidentally and hit it with other surface, thus I choose to pay more for solving all these hassle.

How good is the LDAC? Comparison of the Sony BT headsets I tested so far.

Sony XB950BT(RM688, RM550 after max discount) => AptX (384kbps)
Sony MDR-10RBT (RM794, RM694 after discount) => AptX (384kbps)
Sony MDR-1ABT (RM1299, RM969 after max discount) => LDAC (990kbps???)

After testing and consider the main factors of being portable VS sound quality:

Device: my A-15 + XBA-1 iem (very neutral and detailed except lacking bass even when DSEE activated)
Setting: Clear Audio ON (to compensate from lacking bass TO Good bass and LIVE details)
Song files: 320kbps/FLAC/other CD rips


Battery life wise:

XB950BT => 20 hours approx., 4 hours charging
MDR-10RBT => 17 hours approx. 2.5 hours charging (pay more for less battery life, seriously?)
MDR-1ABT => 30 hours max approx., 4 hours charging

Weight-wise:

XB950BT => 280g
MDR-10RBT => 210g(the only advantage among 3, but at the significant cost of other features)
MDR-1ABT => 300g

Sound Quality wise: (ClearAudio OFF, DSEE ON)

XBA950BT vs XBA-1 ==> Wins in bass department, but other sound details really lacking, even under AptX setting, which 320kbps MP3 not suppose to suffer any quality loss.

MDR-10RBT vs XBA-1=> slightly better than XB950BT overall performance except bass, but the gap can be ignored.

MDR-1ABT vs XBA-1 => LDAC(quality) setting selected, sound details even better than XBA-1 quite a chunk, bass part much much better than previous 2 headset.

My feel on these 3 headset + my iem:

XBA-1 iem => Purchased with RM160, 1 of the best bang for the bucks, its sound quality can literally rival many of those RM400-RM600 headphone, as long as ClearAudio is ON. No AMP needed.

XB950BT => AptX sound quality alone, I wont pay RM550 for this, maybe at most RM475 I might consider for the sake of battery life.

MDR-10RBT => even more expensive than XB950BT and still using AptX? Seriously? imo MDR-10 series is 1 of the most epic fail that not even PHA-1 AMP can save them.

MDR-1ABT => LDAC alone, I would gladly pay over RM700++ for this feature alone, combined with premium build quality and long battery life, RM969 is a well-spent and you got everything about BT headset with 0 quality transfer loss.

thanks for the great explanation...seems like LDAC is pretty good...
if i read your post earlier i might even pick up the MDR-1A, but looks like i will need to wait a longer to get it..

Not yet tried XBA-A2 yet, but after checked the spec and hybrid features from Sony Website, what setup you used with this iem?

Source & quality:
Type of player:
Sound setting:

So far XBA-1 need ClearAudio from Sony player in order to bring out the bass details due to single BA driver setup.

MDR-1A is pretty impressive, but then you need to consider to top up another DAC/AMP for portable players, which is another RM400-RM800 at least, and additional bulky amp to be bundle with your player.

BA iem + player:
=> best portable combo, no AMP needed, but bass lacking(maybe not on hybrid version), However, being portable doesnt mean user is free to move without being tangled and iem is more prone to damage from dropping it.

Wired cans + AMP + player:
=> Worst combo in portability, but Sound Quality guaranteed. Ultimate hassle of being restricted with wires and bulky bundle. Extra cost & weight/space needed on AMP+player bundle.

BT headset + Player/Smartphone:

==> With SBC/AptX, you are paying a premium for a Subpar sound quality, might as well as get a All-in-one walkman headphone (NWZ-WH505), this way you can save a lot unnecessary cost from AMP/external music player. Even with AptX supported, the sound quality loss still quite noticeable. Recommend do not spend more than RM500 for AptX, unless you really a wire-hater.

==> With LDAC, basically you paying a premium price to solve every issues from both iem/wired cans, no wires/AMP needed + no loss on sound quality.(actually quite worth the bucks)
BUT both the player & headphone are required to support LDAC (thats the only limitation).
Currently only MDR-1ABT supports LDAC, and the incoming MDR-100ABN(coming soon), most smartphones support up to AptX only.

After above certain price range, when sound quality is no longer an issue to worry, its all about portability/freedom VS Wired.