[Bencrest]

I'm going to give the Sony PFR-V1 another shot - I was thinking about what I want from headphones, and in the end I've decided to try a pair of PFR-V1, and also a nice pair of closed cans (still not made my mind up on which ones).
 
The PFR-V1 seem to be going for really low prices at the moment - I've not received mine yet (should be here Friday!), but a new boxed pair from the USA to the UK for £145 all in seemed very good! ($179 + $39.99 S&H on eBay) - when they first came out, people were paying $500 or so for them :O
 
The only reason I sold mine, was because they were causing me ear pain during long sessions, however I'm now wondering if that was my own fault (incorrect fitment / not using foamies). I'm going to persevere with this set, and if needs be, mod them (I've seen, for example, a Japanese site where someone threaded a foam from what I imagine was a pair of IEMs over the bass tube).
 
Anyone still got theirs set? There must be some PFR-V1 love out there somewhere!
 

 

[4L3X]

I own a pair, bought it used, but in 'as new' condition for 120€. Pretty good price for what you get.
 
btw, i got small foam thingies with them to stick them over the bass pipes.
You should also get them, I'm pretty shure that's a standard accessory.
 
However, I use them without these without any comfort issues.

 

[Bencrest]

Quote:

I own a pair, bought it used, but in 'as new' condition for 120€. Pretty good price for what you get.
 
btw, i got small foam thingies with them to stick them over the bass pipes.
You should also get them, I'm pretty shure that's a standard accessory.
 
However, I use them without these without any comfort issues.

120€ ?! :O
 
Damn, I wish I spotted some at that price
 
You do get foam 'sleeves' which cover most of the tube up, however the mods I've seen are more to do with where the pipe pushes against / sits on your ear. My discomfort might have been because I was wearing them wrong though, hence why I'm giving them another shot
 
I see you've got a K1000 - if you don't mind me asking, how do you think the 120€ PFR-V1 compares to the AKG K1000?

 

[4L3X]

I found a picture with the foams here:
 
http://images.trustedreviews.com/images/article/inline/7138-IMG2749s.jpg
 
 
The K1000 outperforms the PFR-V1 in nearly every aspect.
The Sonys have more mid bass and sound a bit warmer, but both lack deep bass (~<50Hz).
 
The PFR-V1 is my everyday phone, because they are very comfortable and lightweight and can be used straight out my soundcard!

 

[Bencrest]

... missed the Fedex delivery man (they weren't due to arrive until tomorrow!).
 
Oh well, will have to wait another day to get my hands on them

 

[haloxt]

To wear them properly, adjust the slider between top of your head and top of your ear (like where the hinges of eyeglasses would be), then adjust bottom slider into ear. Push the ducts forward, against the tragus (red arrow). You may have to repeatedly do this if you listen while laying down.
 

 
A mod I like is to put felt pads on the balls, so that the balls rest against my cheekbones, and the ducts hardly press against my ears. This will slightly alter the soundstage. But if you adjust the sliders properly, and make sure the ducts are against your tragus, and your ears don't happen to just have a bad fit with the pfr-v1, you may not need to do this cheekbone padding mod.
 
If you believe in cables, I suggest getting a thicker extension cable, maybe use a shirt-clip if it's a very heavy extension cable. It's possible to replace the stock headphone cable, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have good experience recabling headphones and feel certain you won't poke the drivers and kill the headphones.

 

[Bencrest]

Quote:

To wear them properly, adjust the slider between top of your head and top of your ear (like where the hinges of eyeglasses would be), then adjust bottom slider into ear. Push the ducts forward, against the tragus (red arrow). You may have to repeatedly do this if you listen while laying down.
 

 
A mod I like is to put felt pads on the balls, so that the balls rest against my cheekbones, and the ducts hardly press against my ears. This will slightly alter the soundstage. But if you adjust the sliders properly, and make sure the ducts are against your tragus, and your ears don't happen to just have a bad fit with the pfr-v1, you may not need to do this cheekbone padding mod.
 
If you believe in cables, I suggest getting a thicker extension cable, maybe use a shirt-clip if it's a very heavy extension cable. It's possible to replace the stock headphone cable, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you have good experience recabling headphones and feel certain you won't poke the drivers and kill the headphones.

 
... fantastic advice, cheers!
 
Just got back from work  (23:00 in the UK) and have got the parcel, definitely new and sealed, and very happy with the service from the seller (I won't name-drop, but I'm sure you can find the seller on eBay if required).
 
It's a bit late but I'll take them upstairs and give them a quick listen, using the fitment advice above, and probably report back in the morning before I'm back at work
 


 

 

[Bencrest]

Well, after a couple of days use, following the fitment advice above - no ear pain at all!
 
(I've been using for a couple of hours a night, typically 11:30>01:30)
 
Love the imaging of them, however am finding (contrary to others) that the bass might be overwhelming the treble a tiny bit, I think it's due to using the included Sony foams

 

[XXII]

I just bought a pair of pfr-v1's from ebay. It took me a while to get a proper fit but now it feels reasonably comfortable on my head. To my ears, the bass is slightly weak (but not unacceptably weak in my opinion). However, the highs are a bit too piercing to my ears. These headphones are best for chamber music or vocals in my opinion -- they also don't do too well with poor recordings. As expected, the soundstage is very realistic like the K1000 (convert cd/dvds sound very good in particular). They are also very clear and detailed but not at the level of the K1000s. 
 
They also scale very well with amplification. I have also reterminated them balanced and the sound great. These are actually not particularly easy to drive despite the low impedence -- the sensitivity is only around 90db. 
 
At 179.99, these are such a great deal. I originally bought them for the gimmick/geekiness factor as well as the fact they would be a great pair of headphones to collect etc. I didn't think they would be spending so much time on my head. For the price K1000s are going for, I definitely would rather get a pair of these.

 

[loremipsum]

Dang, these look nice, especially considering the price difference between them and other earspeakers. I might have to get myself a pair when my birthday rolls around, hopefully the price doesn't go back up to $300 between now and August 

 

[DjAmTraX]

I was just about to start a new thread about these. I've been eyeing it for a while. Is it safe to buy on eBay? Are there fakes out there?

 

[haloxt]

It's not popular enough to be faked.
 
I agree with XXII, these earspeakers are clearly lacking in things like bass detail, but imo they redeem themselves with superbly clear upper mids. I've never heard better female vocals, even though it does sound like it is coming from a distance instead of how normal headphones present sound.

 

[dogwan]

I was going to start a new thread on these also because all the threads I was reading looked a little old.
 
Just ordered a pair from Amazon for $149. Merry Christmas to me! 
 
Seems like a good price if it's really true that they were originally  anywhere between $300-500. And since it looks like Sony has discontinued the product the window of opportunity may be closing.
 
It's a sickness, I really don't need another pair of headphones. But I'm so intrigued by these that I couldn't resist. Here's to hoping I get some of that same feeling I get from my "panel" speakers.
 
-Dogwan

 

[Amarphael]

Nice find dogwan, At that price it's almost too good and I wish i had the spare bucks to spend on them as i really dig the like-minded MDR-F1. And yes, Retail was indeed at 500$ when they hit the market.
 
I don't suppose one listen to it comfortably on the side and w/o it affecting the soundstage?

 

[Vegeta55555]

i have my pair for 119€ (as new with everything)
 
but i don´t have an amp yet...
 
the K1000 is just too expensive...
 
Any suggestions for an amp? 
 
@ Dogwan: 150$ new? yes, a super deal!