Sony's new headphones are a retro revival – with one hugely important detail
The MDR 3 are reborn, and they're still very much wired
A truly iconic design isn't an easy thing to nail in the world of headphones, and it's also quite hard to test – you don't really know if it's iconic until years later. Apple's AirPods probably tick the box, but looking further back, I think it's fair to say that Sony managed the same with the MDR-3 back in 1979.
These foam-topped on-ear headphones are so closely associated with the early days of the Walkman lineup, and they've become pop culture icons thanks to their memorable colours (blue foam or orange being particularly eye-catching).
Now, in 2026, Sony's launching a revival of the headphones (just as some people guessed), named quite simply the MDR-3. It's keeping a huge amount the same, including almost every element of their design, but swapping them over to a USB-C jack and adding some other tricks.
For example, they now have a microphone for calls, and an inline remote control on their cable, which bundles in some controls to ensure they don't massively compromise on functionality compared to wireless options.
Like the original, they're hugely lightweight, coming in at just 38g, and made largely out of incredibly thin slices of aluminium. Looking at the actual on-ear sections, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between the old version and the new, not least because the box will come with both orange and blue pads for you to swap between as you like.
Sony's gone deep on the faithfulness to its original headphones, too, right down to the packaging. The headphones will come in a near-identical box, with even the insert instruction manual deliberately looking extremely similar.
Amusingly, given the fact that the MDR-3 featured heavily in a couple of seasons of Stranger Things, there will also be a limited edition version of the MDR-3R that features red and black foam cushions, a black headband, along with a little Stranger Things logo. It's a cute tie-in if you're a fan of the show.
Of course, wired headphones like these need to thread a pricing needle, and Sony's aiming for an interesting niche. They'll cost £49 or €59 for the standard version, while the Stranger Things edition will cost £59 or €69, both of which do feel appropriately entry-level.
They should be out this month, and seem like they're perfectly timed given that we're spending this week celebrating our 30th anniversary – retro tech couldn't be more apt. Sony also isn't the only one making wired headphones again; we just tried out Bose's new wired earbuds and found them pretty impressive.
