Sony MDR-MV1 Open-Back Reference Monitor Headphones

The MDR-MV1 is an open-back monitor headphone made for mixing and mastering, including immersive and spatial audio work. Because the open housing generates no internal reflections, it reproduces the reverberant character of a virtual space accurately and behaves much more like a speaker-based room than a closed headphone does. Frequency response runs 5 Hz to 80 kHz for high-resolution material.

Sony developed new HD driver units for the open structure, with a curved corrugation diaphragm and a tri-duct arrangement that keeps low-frequency output rich despite the open back. The housing is a lightweight, high-strength aluminium alloy and the earpads are soft suede, so long sessions stay comfortable and cool. The 2.5 m cable is detachable with a screw-lock mini-jack at the headphone and a stereo phone plug at the other end; a mini-jack adaptor is supplied. Impedance is 24 ohms, sensitivity 100 dB/mW, and weight about 223 g without cable.