Sony MDR-V6 Monitor Series Headphones with CCAW Voice Coil

I'm using it with a Macbook Pro and an iPod touch. I've had two V6s so far (both made in Thailand in 2012).

Packaging

The headphones, the cable, and the puch don't really fit in the box, and as a result they all show signs of stress out of the box. The puch was folded twice to fit and got creased, the cable got small dents and the straight sections got crooked, the headband got asymmetrical, the earpads got also slightly squashed. Both units were new, purchased from different sellers, same story. The gold colored box and shiny red cloth make the false and pretentious statement that they accomodate a premium product, but it's really just money wasted on masquerade. A more spacious and simpler packaging is needed.

      I got these in the mail 2 days ago. I got a pair of Sony XB800s last week and was blown away by the sound but the soundstage and comfort weren't there. I read about the MDR V6s on this site and ordered them to compare. I was pretty sure that I'd be keeping the 800s. They sounded that good.

     I plugged in the V6s expecting less. Wow they blew away the  800s except for the bass. It's not as strong in the V6s but tighter and cleaner. (The way I like it) I've been listening to my music collection all over again so I can hear all the little things that I missed before. Everything is so clear, never cluttered, and is reproduced with such ease. The soundstage is great, like I said above no clutter, just great separation and effortless space. Crank 'em and they won't miss a beat. They are the best

      I don't usually write reviews, but I'm just so happy with these I had to.

PS They sound OK with my phone to. The price above includes s/h and tax.

Important

     I don't listen to these without an equalizer. The sound is reproduced so perfectly that it's, ...well flat. I like to have a little punch in my music. These are a PERFECT match for an equalizer, because of the even reproduction, with the equalizer that PERFECT sound you want is there for the taking.

      Pure BEAUTY!! I can't get enough of these beauties. In my first 3 days I've logged in OVER 20 hours. Every chance I get I listen to them. I'm listening to them right now. Enough said.

Update

      I recently got the EQ app for my phone. Now they sound GREAT with the phone, not just OK.

Well, I've had these for 2 months or so, and they've served me well. Compared to my JVC's, these were crystal clear. I won't go into sound-stage and all of that, simply because I can't understand it at the moment. 

These are my impressions after using them for some time, so I can't say much about burn-in. Although at first, they did sound a bit weird when switching over from my JVC's. 

Highs & Mids:

Ever since upgrading from my $10-20 JVC's, I was awe struck when I did some A/B testing. These were a lot clearer. The muffled voices that heard on my JVC's were crystal clear on the V6. Tracks I'd once thought were good were actually bad. It was like bringing color to black and white TV (no, not literally, just using it as a figure since I'm not that old ). Vocals (jpop) sounded like they were supposed to. With my JVC's, I'd always thought that the singers had some pretty deep voices. 

Lows: 

I'm not by any means a bass-head. Bass hurts my head if it's too much or something like in rap or current day American pop. Well, they already hurt my head from the bad lyrics, etc, but the bass and synthesized stuff hurts it even more.

The bass on these cans are clear. Or refined if that's what you prefer :p They've pretty much handled all the bass that I've thrown at them. 

Build:

Nice stuff. Cups are magnesium or some metal/alloy. The extenders are made of metal too, so I'm pretty pleased with the build. Dropped them 2-3 times within the past 1-2 months, and they're still fine! I've yet to take them on a trip (which should be within the next few months). There's also a neat pouch that comes with it  something I wasn't expecting at all. 

This is also my first phone to have a coil cord, and man, I love it. It's not too long or too short! It's long when you need it, and it retracts when you don't need the extra length. 

Let me begin by saying that this was my first foray into quality headphones. Previously, I would use crappy earphones that have been passed down or that I'd find here and there, I've never paid much attention to the quality of my music. I've tested out different ones at B&H - best place to go to if you want to actually listen to headphones before buying them. I guess J&R is the same but I haven't been there yet. And after a long search, I am so, so glad that I chose these headphones. 

I'll preface by saying that these headphones require burning in. However, it's not a mechanical burn-in that I'm talking about, as I've had a set for a couple weeks, and then I returned them to get a better price from Amazon, so I've tested a new set with a "burned-in" set and they actually pretty much the same in terms of overall quality (I was surprised, since I expected some change in sound - I'll get to that in a bit). No, the burn-in is for the most part psychological. Expect about a week of listening before you get to the good stuff. But what a sound they create after getting used to them.

The trebles are sharp and sparkly. Some complain about sibilance. They are right - there is sibilance, but it does not take anything away at all from the overall quality of the sound, and when the music calls for it, you hear it well - as you should. The mids are pronounced and easily discernible from one another - it's easy to tell between mid range instrumentation. And the bass is exceptionally clean and warm. It isn't boomy or muddy and it doesn't bleed into the upper registers. Depending on the track and how it was recorded, I've heard instances where I didn't so much hear the bass but felt it coming from within me. The soundstage is pleasingly large and airy for a closed headphone. Speaking of that, when music is playing, it doesn't leak out. That is, you can use these in a quiet library without bothering anybody.

However, to be fair I will have to point out some cons in these cans. And they exist. First, if you are going to use these headphones outside, do yourself a favor and spare yourself the hassle. The card is super long, coiled, and somewhat heavy. You won't find a place to put it unless you have really large pockets. The way these are built, even though you can fold them, there really isn't a very neat way of storing them. They come with a pouch, but to be honest it's not very useful as I find it isn't big enough to contain the entire set. These are indoor headphones, plain and simple. Second, the ear pads may tend to hurt after some time of listening as the drivers are pretty close. But hear me out here. If you do go ahead and get these, do yourself a huge favor and get the Beyerdynamic Velour Padded Earcushions. Not only do these improve comfort as well as appearance (the headphones really do look like they would cost at least $30-50 more), but they also add some EQ to the sound for those who don't like a flat monitor sound. The only thing is they reduce the bass a little bit, but I didn't find this to be a huge letdown. Otherwise, sibilance is improved, mids are tighter, cleaner sound as the velour considerably dampens any lingering sound. This is a good thing. When the music calls for an abrupt stop, there is actually silence. When there is too much going on in the music, it helps to differentiate between tonality and timbre. Installation of the velour pads was somewhat aggravating, but with a bit of patience, you can get them on.

Ah, one more thing. I've mentioned I had a pair of these for about 2 weeks before getting a replacement to get a better price. I have found through testing both that the sound was only somewhat different. Now, I can't be too sure whether it was burn-in or just differentiation between the two, and I've read other reviews that mention that each V6 sounds different. The burned-in pair had more sibilance, the new one has more bass. Could be that the bass went away - however, my impression is that burn-in improves rather than removes bass. But your mileage may vary. Between the two though, after installing the velour pads, they sound equally amazing.

I can safely say that these headphones redefined my listening experience. I am enjoying music I've heard before so many times, but now in a new and different light. If you are going into quality headphones, I highly, highly recommend these. They will not break your wallet, and have been around for 2 decades - there's a reason for that. (There's also a reason for when you go to Wikipedia and search for the term "headphones", the first picture are the 7506 - the V6's twin.)

GET THEM!