swaffleman
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2008
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http://img.tomshardware.com/us/2007/...mdr-v300dj.jpg
Alright, today I picked up a pair of these for very cheap from a friend. He got them for Christmas but never used them, as he prefers to use the apple i buds. They retail for about $50, but you can get them for nearly half that online, easily. I paid $10.
Essentially, they are a modified version of the infamous MDR V150s, which are very popular with consumers but trashed by the majority of audiophiles. I personally think they are an ok choice for people who aren't particularly picky about sound, but want something more than stock ear buds.
We all know the general gripes about the V150s: bloated bass, muddied mid range, rolled off highs, and the impression that there is an overly "glossed" or smoothed out veil over the sound, making everything in general sound a bit muffled (which also hides imperfections in mp3 recordings and generally poorly recorded or mastered audio).
I myself got the V150s as my first step up from my stock headphones that came with my Walkman years ago.
I got these out of curiosity, so as to see if the V300 would be any improvement.
Here's the rundown: Yes, they are a noticeable improvement. There is still that heavily colored sound "veil" evident in the V150s, but the V300s seem to remedy several of the issues brought up with the V150s. First and foremost, the sound is much more clearly defined. I have been testing them with just about every genre of music (from Brahms to Guns n' Roses to Duke Ellington, etc), and I can nearly clearly distinguish every part.
Second, the bass, while still lacking a sharp punch to it, is not as overwhelming. I perceive the bass to extend a good deal lower than the V150s did, and it sits well within the mix. The mids are much clearer, and the problem of "muddyness" is gone. For instance, in the heavily layered song "14 years" by Guns n Roses, I can actually hear all of the little piano licks and layered guitar effects, whereas on the V150s it sounded like a wash of sound with bass.
Because of the increased clarity of sound, the heavily colored signature of these headphones lends to a rich, although somewhat dry sound. Whereas on the V150s, the colored sound lent more to a dull sound, because it sounded more like a wash.
Certain things will sound more vibrant than others. Jazz and Classical sound great, while rock in general will sound a bit dryer, but will have a good edge. Clarity is normally not an issue, except on the most complex of tracks. There is not much of a soundstage, as it's very intimate sounding, which is to my liking.
Interestingly enough, they sound very similar to the HD 205s.
Differences from the V150s: They have a silver color scheme as opposed to all black. They also utilize neodymium magnets as opposed to ferrite, and they have a sensitivity of 102 db to 24 ohms. I believe the V150s are around 98 db. These are also listed as having a slightly wider frequency range.
I would recommend them for portable use, especially as a cheaper phone for running or working out.
The build quality seems quite sturdy to me. I've read multiple accounts of them being weak, but they seem very solid. Perhaps it's just my individual model that is put together well?
Summary: Pros-warm sound, detailed, can get very loud, very comfortable (I find them to be anyway), decent isolation, and they are lightweight and small enough for portable use.
Cons-they don't have the widest frequency range, and highs are still fairly recessed, although they are still pleasant. Even though they are warm sounding, they are too heavily colored in sound, and it makes things sound less sharp than they could.
Alright, today I picked up a pair of these for very cheap from a friend. He got them for Christmas but never used them, as he prefers to use the apple i buds. They retail for about $50, but you can get them for nearly half that online, easily. I paid $10.
Essentially, they are a modified version of the infamous MDR V150s, which are very popular with consumers but trashed by the majority of audiophiles. I personally think they are an ok choice for people who aren't particularly picky about sound, but want something more than stock ear buds.
We all know the general gripes about the V150s: bloated bass, muddied mid range, rolled off highs, and the impression that there is an overly "glossed" or smoothed out veil over the sound, making everything in general sound a bit muffled (which also hides imperfections in mp3 recordings and generally poorly recorded or mastered audio).
I myself got the V150s as my first step up from my stock headphones that came with my Walkman years ago.
I got these out of curiosity, so as to see if the V300 would be any improvement.
Here's the rundown: Yes, they are a noticeable improvement. There is still that heavily colored sound "veil" evident in the V150s, but the V300s seem to remedy several of the issues brought up with the V150s. First and foremost, the sound is much more clearly defined. I have been testing them with just about every genre of music (from Brahms to Guns n' Roses to Duke Ellington, etc), and I can nearly clearly distinguish every part.
Second, the bass, while still lacking a sharp punch to it, is not as overwhelming. I perceive the bass to extend a good deal lower than the V150s did, and it sits well within the mix. The mids are much clearer, and the problem of "muddyness" is gone. For instance, in the heavily layered song "14 years" by Guns n Roses, I can actually hear all of the little piano licks and layered guitar effects, whereas on the V150s it sounded like a wash of sound with bass.
Because of the increased clarity of sound, the heavily colored signature of these headphones lends to a rich, although somewhat dry sound. Whereas on the V150s, the colored sound lent more to a dull sound, because it sounded more like a wash.
Certain things will sound more vibrant than others. Jazz and Classical sound great, while rock in general will sound a bit dryer, but will have a good edge. Clarity is normally not an issue, except on the most complex of tracks. There is not much of a soundstage, as it's very intimate sounding, which is to my liking.
Interestingly enough, they sound very similar to the HD 205s.
Differences from the V150s: They have a silver color scheme as opposed to all black. They also utilize neodymium magnets as opposed to ferrite, and they have a sensitivity of 102 db to 24 ohms. I believe the V150s are around 98 db. These are also listed as having a slightly wider frequency range.
I would recommend them for portable use, especially as a cheaper phone for running or working out.
The build quality seems quite sturdy to me. I've read multiple accounts of them being weak, but they seem very solid. Perhaps it's just my individual model that is put together well?
Summary: Pros-warm sound, detailed, can get very loud, very comfortable (I find them to be anyway), decent isolation, and they are lightweight and small enough for portable use.
Cons-they don't have the widest frequency range, and highs are still fairly recessed, although they are still pleasant. Even though they are warm sounding, they are too heavily colored in sound, and it makes things sound less sharp than they could.
