Quote:
Originally Posted by
JK1 
Sony headphones are a mixed bag. Some are bad, but others are quite good. My Sony V6 is 24 years old and still works fine, although I did need to replace the earpads. the V6 is great. It sounds so neutral and natural. I disagree with you about the V6 lacking accuracy. Perhaps there may be something wrong with the one you have?
I haven't heard the JVC HA-M750. I used to be a big Sennheiser fan, however their recent pricing is much too high.
JK1,
I don't think there's anything wrong with mine. I've had them about 10 years and have also used others and they are the same. They are indeed a very neutral headphone for playback and listening. I was referring more to my experience with them in the studio for mixing tracks and mastering.
Take a look at the FR graphs:
(top to bottom) Sony V6, Fostex T50-RP, Beyedynamic DT770 Pro
The Fostex is by far the most accurate across the spectrum. Bass response is similar on all three. The V6 has a pronounced dip in the 200-500 range (The DT-770 Pro has a slight drop off). If I were to mix a song with these I would be overcompensating for a weak upper bass, resulting in a mix that sounds too boomy on playback. There are spikes in the 3K-10K range which translates into upper mids sounding too recessed in the mix. But the biggest problem with them is that dramatic drop-off at 11K. Without hearing what's really going on up there you can end up with a lot of sibilance and even hiss. It also makes it hard to tell if there is enough "air" in the mix. The other two reach a good deal higher as you can see. You may notice that big drop-off at about 6K on the DT-770 Pro. I'm sure some engineers dislike it, but I've learned to compensate for it and it also makes them much less fatiguing. Of course most of us don't mix exclusively with headphones. That's why we have mega $$ studio monitors. But these days there are more and more home studio owners who can't blast their speakers into the wee hours in the morning so "mixing" headphones are a big seller. But I think it's cool that many consumers are using these kind of natural sounding headphones for home use. And I do think listening to something like the V6 can be a revelation for those that are used to a "fun" signature.
By the way, I know that charts do very little to tell how a headphone actually sounds, but when flatness really counts it's good to see how they graph out. But I would not put much stock into charts like these when it comes to either portables or hi-fi headphones. It's just all about what your ears think.
P.S. - Sorry, I thought I was you that had reviewed the JVC HA-M750 and HA-S600, but it was jant71. I'll have to get in touch with him on those burn-in questions.
Edited by postrock - 7/30/12 at 3:12pm
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