MacDEF
Headphone Hussy (will wear anything if it sounds good)
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2001
- Posts
- 6,761
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- 13
I am the proud new owner of Flumpus' famous Sony MDR-V6/MDR-7506. For those who don't remember the HeadWize discussion, these are the famous "hybrid" specimens that came, out of the box, with a left driver/enclosure that says "MDR-V6" and a right one that says "MDR-7506" -- leaving no doubt that the two headphones are indeed identical
Anyways, I've been using them for a couple days with a variety of sources. They have the Beyer pads on them (I had previously ordered a pair, so the first thing I did after receiving them from Flumpus was switch the pads out). The Beyer pads are indeed much more comfortable, and they do block more external sound than the stock pads.
These are very comfortable cans. They completely cover my ears, but my ears have yet to feel hot or sweaty (the velour Beyer pads probably help with this). They aren't featherweight, but I've had them on all day and they are still comfortable. They also block out a substantial amount of noise (again, I think the Beyer pads help in this respect -- they allow the cans to completely cover my ears).
OK, the sound. Keep in mind that this is my *first* set of "closed" full-size headphones. If you look at my profile, I've owned Ety's, but all of my other cans have been open. So some of my comments below might just be me commenting on the sound of closed headphones.
I listened to the V6/7506 out of the following sources:
NAD CDP/X-CANv2
Yamaha @PET computer receiver (gaming)
Sony MZ-E900 MD player
Apple iBook 2001 (MP3's/DVD)
Radio Shack 3400 portable CDP
Sony portable radio
JVC FS-1000 microsystem
My main points of reference (i.e., those phones I listen to most often):
Senn HD600
Grado SR60
Koss KSC-35 and 50
I listened to a bunch of stuff, but a few choice CD samples:
Nick Drake: Way To Blue
David Byrne: Rei Momo
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (Salerno-Sonnenberg)
Peter Gabrial: Passion
This Mortal Coil: Blood
Cowboy Junkies: Trinity Sessions
When I first listened to the Sony's, I was very disappointed. They just sounded cold and, well, flat. Out of my NAD/X-CANv2 system, they were just plain bad to my ears. I could tell I was spoiled with my 600s -- there was simply no comparison. The 600s had better everything. Out of my computer rig, the Sony's had a narrower soundstage and less "impact" and warmth than the Grados (I wasn't surprised by the difference in warmth, given the rep Grados have in that area, but I was surprised by the bass, since the Sony's have a rep for strong bass, and Grados aren't known for excessive bass). On the portables (CD, MD, iBook, radio), the Koss KSC-35 and 50 just seemed to be warmer and less prone to causing fatigue.
That was my initial reaction. After about six hours of listening last night, I softened a bit to their sound, but I wasn't convinced they deserved all the praise they receive. The Sony's definitely had a good deal of clarity, but they sounded almost sterile -- I just couldn't get excited about them. And the X-CANv2 didn't really do much to improve on them, other than giving them a bit better bass response (which is to be expected). On the other hand, they were clearly a cut above most headphones for under $100 (faint praise, I know).
I figured it wasn't fair to evaluate them after one night of use, so I brought them to work, and I've been listening to them all day (6 hours now) with the JVC system, MD, and PCD. One thing I've concluded: I thought that the sterility of the Sony's would be fatiguing, but it actually isn't. It's becoming clear that the headphones are simply very, well, clear.
For example, when listening to the Nick Drake CD, which is well-recorded and has a lot of acoustic guitar, the individual plucks of the strings are much more noticeable on the Sony's than on my HD600s. You can definitely hear them on the HD600s -- the 600s are very detailed and clear cans -- but you're more engrossed by the music as a whole. On the Sony's, you *notice* every pluck of the guitar string. Maybe "analytical" is a good word for them.
I guess the best praise for these headphones is that, as Mike Walker has said, no one area of the phones jumps out at you -- there is no obvious bump in the treble or midrange, there is no boomy or emphasized bass. In fact, I was surprised at the way the Sony's present bass. It's clearly there, but it's so un-boomy that you almost miss it (this includes the mid/upper bass). As an extreme example, I turned on the local hiphop station -- full of music that has been compressed for FM with emphasized mid/upper bass (some of which I like, don't get me wrong
). This was the first time I actually "noticed" the bass on these cans. I think this may be a drawback for many people considering the V6 for portable use, since bass (and often excessive bass) is important to a lot of portable users.
On another note, people often recommend the V6 as a "gaming" headphone. I'm not sure if I would agree with this recommendation. When using the Sony's as a gaming headphone on my computer, they simply didn't have the soundstage of the Grados, let alone the Senns (bad for games where spacial/directional cues are vital), nor did they provide the "impact" the Grado's provided when it came to explosions, engines, and the like.
Re-reading the above, it looks like I'm not a big fan of these phones. That's probably not too fair. The longer I listen to them, the better they sound -- which means, to me, that they are more accurate than they are colored. They aren't as "exciting" as my Grados, nor are they as lush and overwhelmingly enjoyable as my HD600s; however, I'm now going on 6.5 hours straight, and they're still comfortable and they aren't giving me a headache
They are also easily driven by the built-in amps on all of my equipment. They block a lot more external noise (especially with the Beyer pads) than I expected, and I like they way they fold -- not small, but the smallest "full size" cans I've used. I would say that despite my criticisms, they are a good all-around headphone that may not do any one thing exceptionally well, but do a lot of things satisfactorily.
Sorry if this was a bit rambling -- I was trying to write down all my reactions quickly. I am at work, you know
And, again, remember that this is my first set of closed cans, so some of what I wrote above could be simply par for the course for a closed headphone.
Anyways, I've been using them for a couple days with a variety of sources. They have the Beyer pads on them (I had previously ordered a pair, so the first thing I did after receiving them from Flumpus was switch the pads out). The Beyer pads are indeed much more comfortable, and they do block more external sound than the stock pads.
These are very comfortable cans. They completely cover my ears, but my ears have yet to feel hot or sweaty (the velour Beyer pads probably help with this). They aren't featherweight, but I've had them on all day and they are still comfortable. They also block out a substantial amount of noise (again, I think the Beyer pads help in this respect -- they allow the cans to completely cover my ears).
OK, the sound. Keep in mind that this is my *first* set of "closed" full-size headphones. If you look at my profile, I've owned Ety's, but all of my other cans have been open. So some of my comments below might just be me commenting on the sound of closed headphones.
I listened to the V6/7506 out of the following sources:
NAD CDP/X-CANv2
Yamaha @PET computer receiver (gaming)
Sony MZ-E900 MD player
Apple iBook 2001 (MP3's/DVD)
Radio Shack 3400 portable CDP
Sony portable radio
JVC FS-1000 microsystem
My main points of reference (i.e., those phones I listen to most often):
Senn HD600
Grado SR60
Koss KSC-35 and 50
I listened to a bunch of stuff, but a few choice CD samples:
Nick Drake: Way To Blue
David Byrne: Rei Momo
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (Salerno-Sonnenberg)
Peter Gabrial: Passion
This Mortal Coil: Blood
Cowboy Junkies: Trinity Sessions
When I first listened to the Sony's, I was very disappointed. They just sounded cold and, well, flat. Out of my NAD/X-CANv2 system, they were just plain bad to my ears. I could tell I was spoiled with my 600s -- there was simply no comparison. The 600s had better everything. Out of my computer rig, the Sony's had a narrower soundstage and less "impact" and warmth than the Grados (I wasn't surprised by the difference in warmth, given the rep Grados have in that area, but I was surprised by the bass, since the Sony's have a rep for strong bass, and Grados aren't known for excessive bass). On the portables (CD, MD, iBook, radio), the Koss KSC-35 and 50 just seemed to be warmer and less prone to causing fatigue.
That was my initial reaction. After about six hours of listening last night, I softened a bit to their sound, but I wasn't convinced they deserved all the praise they receive. The Sony's definitely had a good deal of clarity, but they sounded almost sterile -- I just couldn't get excited about them. And the X-CANv2 didn't really do much to improve on them, other than giving them a bit better bass response (which is to be expected). On the other hand, they were clearly a cut above most headphones for under $100 (faint praise, I know).
I figured it wasn't fair to evaluate them after one night of use, so I brought them to work, and I've been listening to them all day (6 hours now) with the JVC system, MD, and PCD. One thing I've concluded: I thought that the sterility of the Sony's would be fatiguing, but it actually isn't. It's becoming clear that the headphones are simply very, well, clear.
For example, when listening to the Nick Drake CD, which is well-recorded and has a lot of acoustic guitar, the individual plucks of the strings are much more noticeable on the Sony's than on my HD600s. You can definitely hear them on the HD600s -- the 600s are very detailed and clear cans -- but you're more engrossed by the music as a whole. On the Sony's, you *notice* every pluck of the guitar string. Maybe "analytical" is a good word for them.
I guess the best praise for these headphones is that, as Mike Walker has said, no one area of the phones jumps out at you -- there is no obvious bump in the treble or midrange, there is no boomy or emphasized bass. In fact, I was surprised at the way the Sony's present bass. It's clearly there, but it's so un-boomy that you almost miss it (this includes the mid/upper bass). As an extreme example, I turned on the local hiphop station -- full of music that has been compressed for FM with emphasized mid/upper bass (some of which I like, don't get me wrong
On another note, people often recommend the V6 as a "gaming" headphone. I'm not sure if I would agree with this recommendation. When using the Sony's as a gaming headphone on my computer, they simply didn't have the soundstage of the Grados, let alone the Senns (bad for games where spacial/directional cues are vital), nor did they provide the "impact" the Grado's provided when it came to explosions, engines, and the like.
Re-reading the above, it looks like I'm not a big fan of these phones. That's probably not too fair. The longer I listen to them, the better they sound -- which means, to me, that they are more accurate than they are colored. They aren't as "exciting" as my Grados, nor are they as lush and overwhelmingly enjoyable as my HD600s; however, I'm now going on 6.5 hours straight, and they're still comfortable and they aren't giving me a headache
Sorry if this was a bit rambling -- I was trying to write down all my reactions quickly. I am at work, you know
