OT: Sony MDR-V6 headphones (great value reference headphones)

[ErinH]

$50 shipped if you have prime:
Amazon.com: Sony MDR-V6 Monitor Series Headphones with CCAW Voice Coil: Electronics

They were $40 shipped this morning but they went up to $70 again... now at $50. Perfect if you want a good value set of reference headphones.

This is a good price on a set of 'phones that many people refer to as a the best value reference headphones. you can find reviews for days... some of the audiophile types saying they suck and engineers who swear by them.

Again, not the best headphone ever but for $50, they can't be beat. Even at twice that price...

Maybe someone here will dig 'em.

- Erin

[AJ]

Re: OT: Sony MDR-V6 headphones (great value reference headphones)

Thanks for the heads up Erin. I had a pair of these but they got ruined by kids..... $50 and free two day shipping if you sign up for Prime (free for the first month, easy to cancel after that).

They are pretty good for studio monitoring and basic listening. I'm sure there are better headphones, but not for $50.

[clydethecat]

Re: OT: Sony MDR-V6 headphones (great value reference headphones)

I can't imagine anyone considering the midrange balance of the Sonys to be a "reference" for anything.

That's a good price though If you need them for what they're good at - playing loud in a noisy environment. They were an industry standard for live music mixers and for recording cans (for tracking only...) for a couple of decades.

[r-carpenter]

Re: OT: Sony MDR-V6 headphones (great value reference headphones)

Erin, for a laugh, can you stick a mic in these and take a quick nearfield FR?

[ErinH]

Sure. Buy me a set and ill do it. :D

[rone]

Re: OT: Sony MDR-V6 headphones (great value reference headphones)

Sure. Buy me a set and ill do it. :D

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/sony-mdr-v6.php

Shocking lack of tonal balance there....

I have a set from '88 and they are bright, but only as compared to crap from koss. I actually compared them to a bunch of different phones at an audiophile club and I think they sound a lot like some of the beyerdynamic phones and just a tad brighter (with boomier bass) than the ~$400+ Sennheisers. Pretty good sonics for $100. I think the new ones may not be the exact same model as the old - thought I saw triangular earpads on the new ones? [EDIT: The triangular look was just a perspective illusion in a photo - also maybe boomy is a bad word for the bass - it is deep and punchy, but sealed cans have a bass that sometimes sounds a little less neutral, almost over-punchy, but not one-note]

[bmaupin]

Re: OT: Sony MDR-V6 headphones (great value reference headphones)



I have a pair and I like them fine. From the graph I'd say not too bad - especially if you can adjust the treble a hair.

[eyekode]

Wow, I am surprised how bad the frequency response is on all those cans. I had assumed cans would have a better FR then speakers. The dip/peak followed by a nosedive in the upper frequencies is terrible compared to the DIY speakers I have seen measured.
Salem

[Face]

Re: OT: Sony MDR-V6 headphones (great value reference headphones)

Wow, I am surprised how bad the frequency response is on all those cans. I had assumed cans would have a better FR then speakers. The dip/peak followed by a nosedive in the upper frequencies is terrible compared to the DIY speakers I have seen measured.
Salem

Headphones that are flat from 20 to 20k would be awfully bright. You can't decipher headphone FR graphs the same way as speaker FR graphs.

The T1 is considered one of the most neutral headphones. Meanwhile the HE-6 are my current favorite. And check out how awful Beats look in comparison to both.

[eyekode]

It is the peaks below 10k that are crazy to me. I looks like cone breakup which is clearly audible if not dealt with in the crossover and not "good" in loudspeaker designs. I can't see how these could sound "natural". Wild!!
Salem

[rone]

Re: OT: Sony MDR-V6 headphones (great value reference headphones)

It is the peaks below 10k that are crazy to me. I looks like cone breakup which is clearly audible if not dealt with in the crossover and not "good" in loudspeaker designs. I can't see how these could sound "natural". Wild!!
Salem

They would change considerably depending on outer ear (pinna) shape and ear canal dimensions at those frequencies, so measurements of headphones are hard to interpret, which is why few do it. I believe Headroom measures on a dummy head, so the measurements are applicable to that pinna/canal shape.