Good Day,

Newbie here, if this sort of focused reccomendation is available elsewhere, please direct me to it.

I have a pair of Sony MDR-V700's that I really enjoy, but they are falling apart.

I am looking to replace them, and I am wondering what you would suggest, in terms of similar or slightly better sound quality

I want a sealed design.

I have a reasonably flexible budget, with a soft upper limit of $200 dollars, though I do not feel the need to spend all of it, and the lower the price of the cans, the better the chances that I will be able to purchase an amp at the same time.

I would like a pair of cans that have more padding (aka less pressure on my ears) than my Sony's.

And I would like a pair that are reasonably durable, I will toting them around a good bit, but a folding design is not a priority (in fact, the folding aspect of my Sony's is the part that is causing the problem).

And, if possible I would like them with washable pads or washable pad covers.

Marion David Poff

"When in the domain of the twins, Chaos and Confusion, the Falcon and the Wolverine hunt the center, the eye of the hurricane." -Personal Motto

"We will either find a way or make one." Hannibal 210 BC.

"...the sun will rise, who knows what the tide will bring." from the movie "CastAway"

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu

Durable, (semi) portable phones include the Sony MDR-V6, Panasonic RP-DJ1210, Sennheiser HD25, Beyerdynamic DT250-80 and Sennheiser HD280 and more. They all have different sound characteristics, which may mean you like them more or less than the V700. I think if you can give an indication of the music you listen, and what you listen out of, it would help to give a good recommendation.

Quote:



Sony Portable Walkman CD Player.

Tool/APC
Rob Dougan
Springsteen/Crow
Cold
Soundtracks; Legends of the Fall, Last of the Mohicans

In terms of sound, I prefer a balanced sound across the range, especially given that my player can boost the bass.

Marion David Poff

And if you are retailer, feel free to email me with any ideas you might have.

mdpoff hotmail.com

Marion David Poff

the only sealed cans ive heard are the V6's(which i own) and they do pretty well for rock, lots of impact(you probably wont be needing the bass boost). they arent too bad for the price, which is about $70 new but they do have a wierd kindof "smiley face EQ" sound to them, as someone before me said. meaning lots of treble, lots of bass, less midrange. its strange when you have better cans and you can compare but if thats all you listen to, ignorance is bliss and you will get used to it.

if you really want to spend more money, maybe look into the Beyerdynamic 250-80 or the Sennheiser HD280. i know nothing about the sound of these but there is a decent review of all three sets mentioned here in the forums, do a search and youll find it.

good luck!

The one that comes most obviously to my mind is the Ultrasone HFI-650 which I liked in a fairly brief audition. Some shops have it now, but the best way to get one is from Meier Audio in Germany (by clicking on the links at the bottom of the page). It folds as well. I wasn't tempted to buy it in the end, but if it was more easily available within the UK at the end of last year I probably would have got one.


All the rest of the phones here I've owned for a while before replacing them with the Sennheiser PXC250.


The Sennheiser HD280 is another cheaper semi-portable phone with a similar look and feel to the HFI-650, but after the V700 it might be a bit of a culture shock. It's much flatter response might leave you feeling cold, especially without an amp. The detail is superior to the V700 all around... It's just that it's not as 'entertaining'.


The Sony MDR-V6 is good, and it's cheap too. However it can be a bit strident when compared to the relatively easy to listen to V700. It definitely reveals more detail than the V700, gives you a more precise bass, is smaller and folds too.


The Beyerdynamic DT250-80 is a non folding phone. It's response is less than the V700, so you get less of a sense of air and separation in recordings. Detail is superior, construction is durable but it has an annoyingly large plug on the side, nearly guaranteed to jab you in the shoulders occasionally. Being quite inefficient, it needs a portable amplifier with a recent discman.


The Sennheiser HD25 is a non folding portable phone. Not strident in a V6 way, but it can sound quite sharp at times. Apart from that it sounds pretty good. It's very lightweight, quite durable, stays on the head better than the V700 and has all-round superior sound. It's also the most efficient phone here, and has the best chance of getting to volume levels that you're used to with the V700. All the other phones mentioned above are significantly (but not unusably) quieter since they are less efficient.


The PXC250 is also a good sounding phone but it may not be exactly what you want. It's not as detailed as some of the phones here and it is more for purely portable use. It works for me as a replacement to the above for my uses but I'm not sure if I should include it here. Post back if you want to know about the PXC250. It's a noise cancelling phone.

Thank you very much for your recommendations.

If you liked the V700DJ, you will like also the V6, V900, 7506, 7509, all of them sounded similar, and are built very similar also, the overall sturdiest is the V6/7506 IMO....Beyer DT770 also will fit there is is amped...