[50an6xy06r6n]

It seems like the Sony MDR-V6 and MDR7506 get rave reviews among the general public, but I almost never hear about them here on Head-Fi. I'm sort of curious as to how they would compare to some Head-Fi favorites, like the Shure 840s or the M50s or something... Gah... I'm catching some kind of sidegrade-itis or something... >.<

 

[zyxwvutsr]

Years ago, when I still lurked head-fi, MDR-v6 was a pretty popular entry level headphone. In fact, the MDR-v6 was my first decent headphone purchase. I don't know how it compares to the newer entry level headphones that are currently favored on head-fi, but I still enjoy music with it while on the go (these headphones can really stand up to abuse). I wouldn't recommend it as a side-grade if you already have a similar portable set of headphones. If you're on a budget, maybe consider an entry level open-air set of headphones for a different experience.

 

[Kukuk]

The V6's are probably the most polarizing headphone I've seen on head-fi. Some people think they are total garbage, others think they are very good for their price.
 
I fall into the latter category. I think they are really quite good, but overall I don't think they would be quite a good as the M50's. I think their mids are more present, but the overall sound can be a little on the harsh side. If you EQ the highs down a bit, they really come into their own though, to me, absolutely within the same league as the M50's.
 
If you're finding the M50's are less than ideal for portable use, the V6's might be something to look into. They are less bulky, build very tough, and I think they probably have better isolation. If you're looking for something with a total different sound, you might be better off looking elsewhere.

 

[Kevin Brown]

I quite like the V6's, but not the 7506's.  They are made from the same parts, but the 7506 has a dual grounding scheme, where the V6's have a common ground.  I personally found that the V6's had more (and better bass), and softer/warmer highs.  I personally found the 7506's hard to listen to.  Very forwards mids and highs, but not much low end.  The V6 is a much more balanced headphone IMO.
 
With that said, I'd personally still recommend the Grado SR80's over them.  I just find the Grado's a more "fun" headphone.
 
Someday I need to hear the M50's. 

 

[warubozu]

I have a pair of V6's but they're in storage and I haven't listen to them in years. To me they sound good for their price range and they have a neutral sound to them. I haven't had the the chance to audition the 840's or M50's so I can't comment on how the V6's would compare against them. The one thing that I found kind of annoying on the V6's is it's coiled cable. While the coiled cable helps it from being tangled or twisted, it does add some weight to cans that you can feel when it's on your head.

 

[EternalEmpire]

They're a good headphone for the price but there was too much bass for my liking and the highs had a tendancy to become harsh at times. I'm currently using the AKG K240 MKII which are an improvement over the Sony V6 in all areas.

 

[headhog]

with 7506 the sound is up front there is no space separation with instrumentation and if you like to listen to your music loud these headphones will just hurt your ears not saying there terrible but there not great either.

 

[Argyris]

The reason they don't get as much press on Head-Fi is that they've been superseded, in value at least, by quite a few modern entries. Did you know that the V6/7506 is almost 30 years old? It's a testament to their merit that only in the past five or six years or so have real closed competitors emerged. Both the higher-end Shure models, the Audio-Technica M50, the old DENON AH-D1001, the Sennheiser HD4x8 series, and numerous other closed headphones now compete in the general price range of the Sony offerings.
 
The most common complaints you'll read about these two Sonys are that the upper midrange is hard/strident and the overall signature is bright. Comments on the bass are all over the place. I tried a 7506 for about half an hour and I found it quite grainy and overly present in the upper mids. Compared directly to a couple of the other selections from the list above, they were no competition.
 
They're still not bad by an objective standard, at least when compared to the overwhelming majority of (cheap and/or fashion-forward) headphones. They come from a time when most headphones, even the "good" ones, sucked hard. But we don't live in that time anymore, fortunately, so we expect a lot more from our cans than we did in the 80s.
 
EDIT: I'll address your specific concern. Next to an M50 and an SRH440, the Sonys were noticeably worse. The former two have similar curves, though the M50 has more bass. The Sony was the odd man out, with that upper midrange I mentioned, the grain, and somewhat fuzzy imaging and a smaller soundstage compared to the M50 (and the SRH440 as well, though I didn't give it much credit at the time).

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

 

[Kevin Brown]

 
Quote:

They're a good headphone for the price but there was too much bass for my liking and the highs had a tendancy to become harsh at times. I'm currently using the AKG K240 MKII which are an improvement over the Sony V6 in all areas.

Interesting, I also prefer the AKG K240 Mk II's over the V6's but for exactly the opposite reason, if that's possible. 

 
While I liked the V6's over the 7506's, because they had more and better bass, and softer, warmer highs, they still don't have enough low end oomph for me.  But the AKG's do.  I think the Mk II's are very underrated around here, specifically because they are priced so low.  I like them much more than the more expensive K501, K601, and K701.  They are a very balanced headphone.  And the K240 Studio's are the exact same headphone as the Mk II's, without the included velour pads and extra cable.  Cheap as dirt but a very excellent headphone !!

 

[Doorbell]

I have been really curious about the v6 lately. I want to try them but I'm a little hesitant to pull the trigger on them. I'm sure they are good phones though. They have been getting praises for decades so they must be doing something right.

 

[EternalEmpire]

I got mine for about £90 inc. shipping which I wouldn't say is dirt cheap (at least not for a student with no income

), but like you said they come with 2 cables and an extra set of velour earpads which would be about £30+ otherwise so you get a very good deal for your money.
 
As for them having more low end impact than the V6, I'm not sure what to make of that, I like them because they don't have as much bass impact as the V6 while still keeping the low end well controlled, so they don't become fatiguing after long listening periods like I often found my V6 did. I also like that the highs don't make my ears bleed and the vocals sound so much more natural. Overall it's a much improved listening experience. I tried the Alessandro MS1i before these and honestly didn't feel much of an improvement over my V6, the improvement was there, especially in how they handled the highs, but they were so uncomfortable that I could only wear them for half an hour at a time and they had this really 'congested' sound to them. I sold them soon after, bought my K240 and never looked back (*hides from vast Grado/Alessandro fanbase here*).
 
Quote:

 
Quote:

They're a good headphone for the price but there was too much bass for my liking and the highs had a tendancy to become harsh at times. I'm currently using the AKG K240 MKII which are an improvement over the Sony V6 in all areas.

Interesting, I also prefer the AKG K240 Mk II's over the V6's but for exactly the opposite reason, if that's possible. 

 
While I liked the V6's over the 7506's, because they had more and better bass, and softer, warmer highs, they still don't have enough low end oomph for me.  But the AKG's do.  I think the Mk II's are very underrated around here, specifically because they are priced so low.  I like them much more than the more expensive K501, K601, and K701.  They are a very balanced headphone.  And the K240 Studio's are the exact same headphone as the Mk II's, without the included velour pads and extra cable.  Cheap as dirt but a very excellent headphone !!

 

[Kevin Brown]

Quote:

As for them [AKG K240] having more low end impact than the V6, I'm not sure what to make of that, I like them because they don't have as much bass impact as the V6 while still keeping the low end well controlled, so they don't become fatiguing after long listening periods like I often found my V6 did. I also like that the highs don't make my ears bleed and the vocals sound so much more natural. Overall it's a much improved listening experience. I tried the Alessandro MS1i before these and honestly didn't feel much of an improvement over my V6, the improvement was there, especially in how they handled the highs, but they were so uncomfortable that I could only wear them for half an hour at a time and they had this really 'congested' sound to them. I sold them soon after, bought my K240 and never looked back (*hides from vast Grado/Alessandro fanbase here*).
 
 

Any chance you had fake V6's?  I had fake 7506's, and the bass was overwhelming, obnoxious, and bad.  Bassheads might have like them, but I sure didn't. 

 
But I also had legitimate Sony V6's, and the K240 Studio/Mk II had more and better bass.
 

 

 

[EternalEmpire]

No, I looked up a comparison between legitimate V6s and fake ones and there was no doubt that mine were the real thing. I also bought them from a 'Fulfilled by Amazon' seller so I'm guessing they would've had to prove to Amazon that the V6s they were selling weren't fakes; another head-fi'er bought his pair from the same seller I remember. The bass wasn't overwhelming or bad, it was well controlled but there was just too much of it for my personal preference (sorry if I didn't make that clear).
 
The best example of a headphone (or headset in this case) with overwhelming and terible bass that I own is my Turtle Beach X1 headset which I use occassionally when playing online with friends. The bass on them is horrible, it's ill-defined and spills into the other frequences, and the mids and highs are barely even noticable over the muddy, bloated bass), I can safely say that my V6 sounded nothing like that.
 
Quote:

Quote:

As for them [AKG K240] having more low end impact than the V6, I'm not sure what to make of that, I like them because they don't have as much bass impact as the V6 while still keeping the low end well controlled, so they don't become fatiguing after long listening periods like I often found my V6 did. I also like that the highs don't make my ears bleed and the vocals sound so much more natural. Overall it's a much improved listening experience. I tried the Alessandro MS1i before these and honestly didn't feel much of an improvement over my V6, the improvement was there, especially in how they handled the highs, but they were so uncomfortable that I could only wear them for half an hour at a time and they had this really 'congested' sound to them. I sold them soon after, bought my K240 and never looked back (*hides from vast Grado/Alessandro fanbase here*).
 
 

Any chance you had fake V6's?  I had fake 7506's, and the bass was overwhelming, obnoxious, and bad.  Bassheads might have like them, but I sure didn't. 

 
But I also had legitimate Sony V6's, and the K240 Studio/Mk II had more and better bass.
 

 

 

 

[Kevin Brown]

Wierd.  Well, we both preferred that K240S (Mk II) to the V6's, so that says something.  (Maybe manufacturing variation of the V6's?  Who knows ...)