My car died a couple days ago. I need a new one. Therefore, I am selling a pair of headphones.
Only on Head-Fi could such a ridiculous statement be made!
Up for sale is a pair of Sony MDR-R10 headphones in outstanding condition. Now before you ask if these are bass-heavy or bass-light, the answer is the following: neither. The serial number on this pair is # 360, and I will refer you to the following thread:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/545314/busted-driver-on-a-sony-r10-what-to-do/15#post_7483636
You can start reading from Post #26, but the post to which I linked (#28) is most relevant. Here, purk, who has apparently had very extensive experience with the R10, describes the different sound flavors. He claims that the R10s with serial numbers in the upper-300s sound much bassier than other bass-light R10s he's heard -- and I'd have to agree. This pair (# 360) certainly doesn't sound bass-light to me.
These headphones need no introduction. Yes, they're over 20 years old, and yes, they're still the king of dynamic headphones. Their bass, while lacking some extension, is rich and full-bodied yet tight and articulate. And simply put, the mids and highs are unparalleled. So smooth and yet so detailed, so wonderfully balanced. The soundstage is far and away the best I've heard from any pair of closed headphones, and the imaging is truly incredible -- the best I've heard from any headphone, period. I cannot possibly praise these headphones enough. IMO, despite the advantages of 20 years of engineering and materials research, the T1, HD800, LCD-2, and HE-6 don't approach the level of performance offered by the R10.
I am the third owner of these headphones, and they have been used sparingly since they were made in 1989. This is evident in the condition of these headphones. As you can see in the pictures, these R10s are in outstanding condition. The wood cups are essentially flawless -- I can't find any nicks or scratches in them. Same goes for the Magnesium frame parts. The leather on the ear pads is a bit creased / wrinkled, but there are no scratches or abrasions there either. The leather on the headband is also without cosmetic damage. Even the black part of the headphone -- the part between the ear pads and the wood cups -- is in great condition; there are some variations in the color, but there are no scuffs or scratches, which tend to happen from people setting down / sliding the headphones on their side. Overall, I think it is rare to find an R10 in such outstanding condition anymore -- this is about as close to NOS as you can get.
Functionally, there are no problems -- both drivers work perfectly, and the headband mechanisms also work as intended.
The headphone case is also in very good condition, with the exception of a couple of minor flaws (both pictured). One is on the bottom of the case, where there is a roughly 1.5"-long scuff on the leather -- very minor, and it has no effect on the integrity / durability. The other flaw is on the metal nameplate on the interior of the case -- the plate has some fairly significant scratching on it. Those are the only two issues I could find.
These R10s are far and away my favorite headphones, and I will be extremely sad to see them go -- but alas, I need the money. I am asking for $5000 for them. That price includes insured shipping, probably via UPS, to anywhere in the continental United States. Payment would be via PayPal, and the buyer has the option of paying the roughly 3% PayPal fee, or sending the payment as a "gift" to avoid fees.
Thanks for looking! Please feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions! Also, please feel free to PM me with an offer -- the worst I can say is "no" 
Best regards,
Shane
Edit 9/4: per some queries I received, I added a few pictures of the manual. Please note that the manual is in German -- the original owner of these headphones was a Swiss gentleman.
Edit 10/6: the R10 is now sold. Thanks for all offers!
Edited by Sophonax - 2/14/12 at 12:48pm
