Sony MDR-1AM2 over-ear headphones (black)

The lightweight Sony MDR-1AM2 headphones team up nicely with a Sony Walkman portable music player (sold separately). Back to the basics Sony designed the MDR-1AM2 headphones to do two things right: Sound good and feel good. Those happen to be the characteristics I value most in a set of headphones - and Sony delivered on both. (In fact, we recently named them one of " Top 5 most comfortable headphones .") I give so-called "trickle-down technology partial credit for the sound quality. Sony borrowed much of the driver design here from breakthroughs they made while developing their flagship closed-back Sony MDR-Z1R headphones . As for the comfort? Sony headphones have always been known to fit pleasantly and fuss-free, but this model feels especially lightweight. The lightest over-ears I've ever worn? Maybe it's recency bias, but I don't remember ever wearing a lighter pair of over-ear headphones. They don't seem fragile or delicate - I'd be comfortable toting them in a backpack - they just feel ultra-light. It's like they forgot to put anything inside them, my editor quipped as he held them. Of course, I knew that wasn't true the moment I put them on and played music. My listening session There were a number of things that surprised me when listening to the MDR-1AM2, but I was first struck by the size of the soundstage. It usually takes physically larger headphones to produce an outside-the-head experience like this. And the dynamics, imaging, and separation within were all splendid, too. While I auditioned these headphones, the sad news broke that we lost Aretha Franklin. I immediately felt compelled to throw on Amazing Grace, one of my favorite live albums . S he recorded this in '72 at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. It felt as if I was sitting in the congregation, watching the magic unfold before me - applause and shouts of "Amen" all around. I powered the headphones with my Audioquest DragonFly Black V1.5 headphone amp , and the performance