Hands-on: Sony’s MDR-3R are bringing back the 80s

Florian Bodoky

5/11/2026

Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson

Pictures: Florian Bodoky

Sony’s reviving the iconic MDR-3 headphones from 1979 – with a USB-C port instead of a headphone jack. First impressions? Light as a feather, nostalgic and great for calls. However, you’ll have to put up with some compromises.

Sony’s re-releasing the MDR-3. The mother of all over-ear headphones first hit shelves back in 1979. Together with the Walkman, they ushered in a new era of how people listen to music. The contemporary version is called MDR-3R (the second R stands for «Retro»). Sony’s capitalising on the buzz surrounding the animated spin-off of Stranger Things, which features the headphones. The company’s aim is to combine the vibe and simplicity of the past with today’s technological possibilities. I got the chance to try them out.

Colourful foam, slim frame

When the MDR-3 hit the market, I wasn’t even born yet. But I did get a taste of them later on. When I was just a little squirt, maybe four years old, Simone would occasionally babysit me. She’d rock up in a denim jacket, carrying a Walkman. Once in a while she’d let me listen to Bon Jovi anthems with her. Those are the memories that come to mind when I pick up the headphones. Their design, construction and shape all draw inspiration from the late 1970s. What’s new are the USB-C port and a small built-in remote control.

The box also contains two pairs of foam cushions in orange and blue. The aluminium and plastic frame feels incredibly thin and fragile, but by no means cheap. The cups are attached to a slim metal bar with cables extending on both sides, merging into a single cable. A little further down, there’s a small control unit. At 38 grammes, the headphones are so light, they weigh less than most in-ear headphones when they’re in their charging case. I’m gripped by the retro fever.

Turn on, plug in, check out

Popping the blue cushions on the cups is done in a matter of seconds. After that, I plug the USB-C connector into my smartphone; there’s no 3.5-millimetre jack. I launch the streaming app, and the music starts playing. There’s no power button, no pairing, no batteries – zilch. Just the simple life we had back in the day. Your device just needs to support USB audio, which is standard in today’s tablets, smartphones and laptops. The audio is digitally transmitted to the headphones. The DAC in the headphones takes care of the conversion from digital to analogue signal. Sony’s not revealing more than that.

Contrary to my concerns, the cable doesn’t get in the way at all during my first test sessions. It’s a 1.2-metre Y-cable, meaning it splits from both earbuds and joins back into one. Thanks to its ribbed and fairly stiff texture, it hasn’t tangled up in my backpack so far either (older readers will relate). The cable’s small built-in remote lets you adjust the volume, pause and skip tracks. It also has a built-in microphone that’s pretty decent to make calls with. You can even activate your phone’s voice assistant at the push of a button.

The controls host a dynamic driver that’s 23 millimetres wide. Sony’s combined it with a neodymium magnet. The goal being to preserve their «signature balanced sound» as well as delivering vocals and bass – often a weak point in open-back headphones – that are still clearly audible. However, there’s no Hi-Res certification, and Sony hasn’t yet provided any information regarding the frequency response, impedance or other specs.

First impressions: fun, surprisingly good, but unlikely to become my go-to headphones

I didn’t have time for a thorough sound test. What I like is that these headphones are fun and bring back a lot of fond memories. The audio is high quality, clear and neutral. If you’re accustomed to large ANC over-ears or use in-ears only, these ones will take a bit of getting used to. Don’t expect a thumping bass or spatial sound.

It’s also normal for the headphones to have a little noise leakage. If you like listening to music really loudly, the person sitting next to you on the bus will hear it. Sony’s been working to limit this as much as possible, but due to the open architecture, it can’t be prevented completely. A big plus is making phone calls. No matter how high the data throughput of Bluetooth headphones may be, nothing beats the call quality of a wired connection.

Headphones

Sony MDR-3R

No noise cancellation, Cable

1

Florian Bodoky

Senior Editor

Florian.Bodoky@digitecgalaxus.ch

I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue. more

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