[Skedgy Sky]

I've been looking for headphones to buy and long story short, searched for headphones and have narrowed choices down to these two:
SR80i 
MDR7506 

What I'm looking for most importantly is which pair of headphones have better sound quality overall?

 

[Jacques]

Both can sound good but I would go for the Sony's because of comfort and durability. In my experience Grado's were uncomfortable and did fall apart quickly.

 

[burnliff]

I've owned both (V6 instead of 7506) and I preferred the Sony.

It really depends what type of music you like though, not sure what I was thinking buying the SR80i cause I hardly listen to rock..

I absolutely wouldn't discount the Grados just because of build quality or comfort! They're very basic in their design, and while they aren't the most comfortable in the shape they are out of the box.. The headband can be bent in any way you want, once it's bent in a way where it just lightly rests on your ears it's quite comfy. I could wear it for longer than my V6, just due to the light clamping force and the fact that my ears stayed ventilated.

They're very different headphones in terms of design and sound. The Sonys have very sharp highs (some people can't stand the sound) and nice bass, but recessed mids. The Grados aren't very bassy at all, very pronounced mids, and average highs. The Sonys are closed cans, and they fold up.. The Grados can lay flat, but they're completely open. The V6 have a decent soundstage for a closed can, the SR80is have absolutely no soundstage. Also, the Sonys got better with an amp, the Grados didn't.

What made you pick the 7506 over the V6? They are nearly identical, but the 7506 costs more.

 

[jerikl]

I found myself deciding between these two pairs of headphones about 10 years ago when I first became interested in better audio. I ended up with both the Sony V6 and Grado SR125.
 
burnliff is right on with the descriptions of each. Unless you listen to a lot of classical, I'd recommend the Grados. Why? Grados, for most, are a love 'em or hate 'em kind of sound. But if you love them, you really, really love them. The Sony's, while good, just aren't very exciting.
 
But if you really care about comfort, or have the need to block out the world, go with the Sony's. For me, 10 years later, I sold my Sony's a long time ago (w/upgraded Beyer pads), and came back to Grado's with the SR225, and will soon be upgrading to the RS1s.

 

[flyonblues]

I had both at one time and now only the 7506, but I only use the Sony when I record guitars at home. It is really a studio headphone in my opinion. I remember I really liked the sound of SR80i but it's shy on bass, which is why I upgraded to a 325i afterwards. The Sony has a lot more bass, but not really tight enough. MDR7506 is pretty widely used at recording studios as reasonably priced monitors. By the way, the pads on the Sony chipped very badly after a few years and less than 200 hours of usage... Not sure why, maybe I wasn't lucky on this one.
 
If I were to do it again for around 100 bucks, I will probably buy an used SR125i. Just my 2 cents...

 

[Skedgy Sky]

Thanks for the posts and opinions.
So which headphones do you guys recommend for me? I don't mind the comfort or sound leakage issues from the SR80i's, I'm only looking for which give a better sound overall. (I listen to many different genres of music in case that helps, so I'm not looking for which is better in a specific area; just overall.)

 

[Jacques]

I would say go for the 7506 (or V6). I kept mine in spite of all my stash. But Grado did not do it for me. If you have a good source the highs are OK and the bass is bottomless. IMO, the Grado's are aggressive. But some like them.

By the way, get the V6 if you can, there is no difference other than cosmetics.

 

[flyonblues]

Well, if you have to choose between these two, I would suggest the MDR7506 as it has a few advantages:
1. Closed back - You can listen to it anywhere you go
2. Foldable with a bag - Easy to carry on the road
3. Good amount of bass, efficient for monitoring use - Important if you want it to cover various genres of music
4. Easy to drive - Sounds good just with an iPod