Over-Ear
Sennheiser HE-1
95Outstanding
$50,000
Full review dataSennheiser HE-1 vs Sony MDR-1A: which should you buy?
Specs, scores and condensed review verdicts for the Sennheiser HE-1 vs Sony MDR-1A, side by side. Where a product has no HearWiki score yet, not enough reviews have been aggregated to rate it.
Over-Ear
Sony MDR-1A
Not yet scored
Price n/a
Full review dataScore breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Sennheiser HE-1 leads on 4 of 4 measures.
- Sennheiser HE-1
- Sony MDR-1A
HearWiki score
95
-
Sound
10.0
-
Value
1.0
-
Price (USD)
$50,000
-
Generation & platform
The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?
Same generation
The Sennheiser HE-1 is 2 years newer, but it is the same generation of hardware: nothing in the radio, the codecs or the noise cancelling separates them. Nothing separates them on convenience features either, so the choice comes down to tuning and price.
- HE-120162 yr newer
- MDR-1A2014
Specifications
HE-1MDR-1A
- Type
- Over-Ear
- Over-Ear
- Price (USD)
- $50,000
- -
- HearWiki score
- 95
- Not scored
- Released
- 2016
- 2014
- Driver
- 2× electrostatic
- 40 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- electrostatic
- dynamic
- Driver size
- -
- 40 mm
- Drivers per side
- 2
- 1
- Frequency response
- 8 Hz - 80 kHz
- 3 Hz - 100 kHz
- Sound signature
- harman
- -
- Sensitivity
- 114 dB/mW
- 105 dB/mW
- Active noise cancelling
- No
- -
- ANC type
- none
- -
- Weight
- 550 g
- 225 g
- Detachable cable
- -
- Yes
- USB-C
- Yes
- -
- Connector
- -
- 3.5 mm
- Microphones
- -
- 1
- Microphone type
- -
- electret
What reviewers said
Sennheiser HE-1
The Sennheiser HE-1 is an ultra-premium electrostatic headphone system that delivers an exceptionally transparent and balanced sound, closely matching the Harman target curve. It combines a featherweight electrostatic driver design with a massive frequency extension, offering a level of detail and airiness that is virtually unmatched in the realm of personal audio. While its astronomical price places it in a category of its own, its technical performance sets a benchmark for neutrality and resolution.
- Pro:Reference-grade tonal accuracy with near-perfect Harman neutrality
- Pro:Exceptional transient speed and micro-detail retrieval
- Pro:Impressively wide frequency response extending beyond human hearing
- Con:Extremely high cost limits accessibility
- Con:Requires dedicated amplifier and DAC, adding setup complexity
- Con:Heavier than average at 550g, potentially affecting long-term comfort
Sony MDR-1A
No summary yet - we haven't aggregated enough reviews.
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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