[fraseyboy]

I was looking around my local auction site when I spotted an auction for some as-new Sony DR-S3 headphones for really really cheap. They look pretty old, so maybe that means they're good! This is the auction: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...px?id=81211723

Anyone know anything about these headphones?

 

[fraseyboy]

Bump...

 

[fraseyboy]

I suppose the answer is no...

 

[DeafBeef]

Hello fraseyboy,

It might be too late for you, but below is the link to the original
Sony catalog page (1981):

http://www.audioidiots.com/merk.appa...pparaatID=2312

According to the catalog they are rated 20Hz-20KHz.

I do own them since 1987, and I got them used. So, mine are probably at
least 20 years old.

According to my research they are Sony professional monitoring series (pre MDR-V6). If you check online they are still in use in some recording studios.

Phones are extremely well built. It is a pleasure to look at them, to my taste they look better compare to my ATH-A900. The pads are glued directly to cans, they are made from leather or synthetic leather, but they still look pretty good.

If you buy them online most likely you would need to replace the cable. I just replaced the connector and shortened the cable because it broke in the place where it enters the driver housing. You can totally disassemble phones, but you would need to remove pads
in order to do that.

They are closed type and cover my ears, but pads are very shallow and I need to take
them off after 2h or so. Compare to my Sennheiser HD 25-1 they are more comfortable. I can not listen to HD 25-1 for longer than an hour. Compare to ATH-A900 they are not as comfortable, I can listen to A900 for 3-4hours without taking them off.

I do not know their impendence, but they are very easy to drive, in fact they are by far
the easiest to drive phones I have.

Besides ‘Sony DR-S3’, I have the following phones: ‘Audio-Technica A900’, ‘Sennheiser HD 25-1’, ‘Panasonic RP-HT355’.

The sound I can not really judge because I am not an audiophile by any means.
I am almost 100% listen to my MP3/FLAC collection via Indigo Echo DJ CardBus card.

Still, here is my opinion. I think they sound pretty good for their age. After I fixed the cable I realized that the not so good sound I used to hear was due to the aging cable,
but not the drivers, in fact now I enjoy the sound signature they produce. Sony produces very warm, probably too warm mids, bass is there, but it does not stand out as in
HD 25-1. I use HD 25-1 with HD 650 cable and they produce way too mach bass to my ears. The same with highs, they are there, but they are not as visible as in HD 25-1. I think Sony have a typical vintage sound with a lot of mids where voices and classical would
be the best. For a lot of recordings I prefer DR-S3 to DH 25-1. To me they allow to enjoy music more and that is very important to me in the end of the day. Technically wise
I think HD 25-1 are superior (more detailed, extended lows and highs), but Sony just sounds better to my ears.

Compare to ATH A900 Sony is not to the same level. I think A900 are technically superior. However I do not like A900 mids. I do not know what is wrong with them, they sound too cold and analytical to me. Again there are some recordings there A900 are just a bliss to my ears. There some recordings there I can not stand them, yes I can hear all of details, but there is no body to the music. I think A900 have a problem to render nice warm mids and comparing them to Sony just makes it more pronounced.

Compare to cheap ‘Panasonic RP-HT355’, I would choose Sony any day, Panasonic’s pedestrian sound is just that, it does not carry you away as better phones do. One thing though, they are a bit more comfortable to my ears compare to Sony.

So far I did not find my ideal closed headphones yet. I was betting on A900, but their mids are not for my ears. HD 25-1 are way uncomfortable, tiny soundstage and bass hurting my ears. Sony DR-S3 have nice vintage sound, but technically outdated. So, till I find my ideal set I use DR-S3, HD 25-1 and A900 depending on my mood and type of music I am listening to.

In any case I think Sony DR-S3 are a good headphones for a collection. They have a very enjoyable sound signature and just looking good after many years of using.

 

[IronStomach]

I just found a pair of these cleaning out the basement, and figured that I might as well try them out. First track: Little Wing (studio, from Axis: Bold as Love).

Holy crap. They look like they're at least as old as I am, but damn, they sound pretty good to my ears. All of my other cans are open, so it's interesting to hear the difference between these and, say, the SR-60s. Music is definitely much more veiled than with the Grados and even HD555s, but has a richness to it. Plus, someone was talking to me for a good 30 seconds and I didn't notice it until they threw something at me, so they do a pretty good job of sound isolation.

Anyone else have a vintage pair of these?

 

[fraseyboy]

Wow... Thanks your your opinions!

They aren't for sale any more though. Oh well

 

[TheMiddleSky]

The biggest BUMP I ever did since I was born 

 
ok, so now I've got this sony some hours ago...
 
umm yeah, it's really not bad headphone, it's a bit heavy, very warm sounding (smooth too), the bass is pronounce but not until for basshead
 
so, what I can do for make the treble more sparkle? recable? adding amp? (note that I still use the original coil cable)

 

[earerror]

Quote:

 
so, what I can do for make the treble more sparkle? recable? adding amp? (note that I still use the original coil cable)

Best way is to add a good amp. You can also try Eq software...but its not the same. 

 

[Landis]

Quote:

Best way is to add a good amp. You can also try Eq software...but its not the same. 

This. Like a lot of vintage speakers, headphones seem to benefit from an old powerful amp. My recommendation would be just to try it on an old receiver you might have kicking around or even swing by your local pawn shop, flea market or salvation army store to see if they have any kicking around that are still functional. Cheap and will do a fine job in most cases.
 

 

[TheMiddleSky]

powerful amp? hmm.. but this sony is easier to drive even than Aless MS1i, and when I plug this Sony to Fireye, it hiss a lot.
 
so with amp ya? ok I'll try with amp first, then if I still feel treble less, I think I'll go to recable.
 
thx.

 

[Landis]

Quote:

powerful amp? hmm.. but this sony is easier to drive even than Aless MS1i, and when I plug this Sony to Fireye, it hiss a lot.
 
so with amp ya? ok I'll try with amp first, then if I still feel treble less, I think I'll go to recable.
 
thx.

Where are you getting the specs from that say these are easy to drive? Most vintage headphones, especially studio monitors, will not drive out of an iPod or basic sound card-- you will without a doubt get sound, but it doesn't mean the headphone is being powered properly. The specs I was able to Google off them lists the sensitivity as 102db/mw, which doesn't exactly make them highly efficient headphones, couldn't find any other specs other than FR though.
 

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Yeah, the spec says 102db/mw, but that doesn't matter for me, I own this headphone, I already test it, it's so easy to drive through my DAC, and even my Clip can drive it really well and so loud.
 
well, I'll try to other amps later.

 

[Landis]

Quote:

Yeah, the spec says 102db/mw, but that doesn't matter for me, I own this headphone, I already test it, it's so easy to drive through my DAC, and even my Clip can drive it really well and so loud.
 
well, I'll try to other amps later.

Just because you're getting sound doesn't mean it's being driven to its potential. Heck, you could probably get sound out of a vintage ortho headphone by plugging it into an iPod Shuffle, but it doesn't mean it will sound as it should!
 
I'd probably only worry about recabling if you suspect that the copper has deteriorated or oxidized. If you can do it yourself, then excellent and I'd say do it for the fun of it, but otherwise, I wouldn't expect a noticeable difference if the current cable is in fine shape.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

uhmm yeah, but I still so newbie about recable, so how can I know if the cable is still good or not? (note that from physical side, it's still looking great)

 

[Landis]

Quote:

uhmm yeah, but I still so newbie about recable, so how can I know if the cable is still good or not? (note that from physical side, it's still looking great)

That I couldn't be much help on. I'd suggest possibly swinging down to the DIY forum and starting a thread asking about the signs of cable corrosion or the search feature may prove fruitful as well. 
 
If there are no obvious signs of cable damage, I wouldn't worry too much about it.