[Shalmaneser1]

Can someone post pics of the interior of the headphone, showing the soldering and wiring of a genuine pair of the MDR-7509? I'm debating getting a new harness (clipped a wire too close to repair) or replacing. Thanks!

 

[unbiased]

  Hello. I have just purchased what I believed to be a genuine pair of Sony MDR-7509HD headphone from eBay but am looking for guidance as I believe these to be possibly fake. I have noticed that nearly all the photos I have seen for these headphones have a blue "Professional" label on each side but my pair appear to be turquoise in colour with the label appearing to have a slightly angular aspect in proportion to the "MDR-7509HD" text printed above. What first arose my suspicions was discovering that the left and right channels of these headphones had been swapped when listening to them and controlling the balance of the channels using my amplifier.
 
I have took a cap off one of the side of the headphones and would like to ask anyone who may own a genuine pair of these headphone if the details I have already described and the following photo below of the soldering looks fake. Many thanks.
 
For the record these headphone were not purchased from Chine but from a seller here in the UK.
 

 
 

Reviving this thread since I just discovered that the Sony MDR-7590HD headphones I bought off of amazon.com back in 2007 probably are fakes. I always wondered why they sounded like pure crap when there were so many rave reviews for their sound.  I was so disappointed in them that I threw them aside in my junk box for all these years (it is now year 2015).  I had burned them in for hundreds of hours when I first got them trying to see if the bright harsh trebly tinny sound would get tamed. They had no bass what to speak of nor hear!  I just threw them aside.  I recently started another headphone listening craze and just dug them out to compare with all my other mid to high end headphones.  They still sound bright and tinny with no bass.  So I did a search for reviews again on this model and found all these threads talking about Fake knockoffs!  I checked mine and although from all outward appearances look like the real Sony's, mine do have on the headband "Made in China" from which I read from most postings, should not be.  So I believe I got ripped off by amazon.com back in 2007 and I never even knew it back then.  I decided to open the Left ear phone cup to inspect and took some photos of what mine look like. I have no idea which one is the real McCoy and which ones are the fakes.  So anyone else that knows for sure that they have a real Sony 7509HD please confirm how yours looks if you will.

 

 
The simulated leather headpads on mine have also deteriorated and are flaking pieces off.  Partly visible in the picture of the speaker in my left ear cup shown above also.  My speaker element looks way different than the original UK poster's speaker!  I believe mine are fakes because they sound so terrible.

 

[cdsa35000]

You ppl are funny calling fake=real and real=fake!

The top/op one is FAKE: looks crap cheap construction, magnet and random cheap wire/wiring.

The SONY has manufacturing datecode: 534 = month: may, third week of may, year 2004 made!
My SA3000 drivers has same type date code and driver construction:

As rotting earpads seems normal for SONY after like 5year, because weak (biocellulose) soft pleather.

---
You can try new burn in with better burn in audio: DeMagic, play it in continuous loop 24+hrs with max bass EQ at usual or a little bit louder volume to recover more bass etc.:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/215556/pink-noise-works-wonders-for-burning-in/345#post_11506568

Now I found the BEST and safe burn in and electronics demagnetizer at same time:
Demagic from Densen, its really good as the audio (loop) will graduate decreased till 0, I even EQ boost low bass max for faster burn in.
Example I burn in 24+ hrs this in ear Creative ep630 that have no bass before and after there is hearable much more bass, the tiny diaphragm foil did loosen up!
So Demagic is for me the best!

http://www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/demagic_e.html



[VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BTaK3TsuoA[/VIDEO]

To tame the shrill brightness you can tape with wall paper repair tape any bare plastic/metal parts in the cup, chamber and drivers, this wil stop inner reflections thats causing excess distorted brightness!

http://www.head-fi.org/t/128397/the-sony-mdr-sa5000-appreciation-thread/285

 

[unbiased]

Here are a few more pictures of my particular set of Sony MDR-7509HD headphones with "Made in China" stamped underside the headband purchased in year 2007 on amazon.com...
Are they like the real Sony's or are they fake?! I think these are fake ones since the sound is terrible out of them.  But then again who knows?

 

 

 

[cdsa35000]

Its the real thing, made in china was everywhere and als made malaysia was common for headphones, only the most expensive top of line headphones is made in japan, like new Z7!

 

[unbiased]

You ppl are funny calling fake=real and real=fake!

The top/op one is FAKE: looks crap cheap construction, magnet and random cheap wire/wiring.

The SONY has manufacturing datecode: 534 = week 53, year 2004 made!
My SA3000 drivers has same type date code and driver construction:

Hi , wow! So you are saying that the ones I have and have shown here are the real Sonys? Then I can't vouch for everyone raving about the sound quality out of them. Mine sound like crap from day one to now 8 years later when all the materials in them should have settled out and mellowed out.  They still sound like crap compared to my other mid and high end headphones. 
 
For all interested, here are a few more pics I took of my set (deteriorated ear pads).  I bought new replacement earpads from an ebay seller in China for abut $3.10. Just got the new ear pads today and they are almost the same but the ear openings are a bit smaller than the original ones I took off and show you in the pictures.  The pictures show the original deteriorated ear pads. Each one has a different color rim where the red striped one is from the Right ear cup and the blue striped one is from the Left ear cup.  The new replacement ear pads I got from ebay are all black and do not have color coding rims on them.

 

 

[cdsa35000]

Im 1000% yours is a REAL SONY, the typical mold plastic construction, the red/blue ring earpads and the date code on the driver.
I corrected the date code decoding, mine is 338= march, third week in 2008, I bough the SA3000 in 2010.

Could be you have the early or later driver year production that sound different or mismatch synergy between your ear/gear/impedance etc.

BUT DO the above burn in and damping mod, that should bring the full potential possible ever out of it!

 

[unbiased]

Its the real thing, made in china was everywhere and als made malaysia was common for headphones, only the most expensive top of line headphones is made in japan, like new Z7!

Okay, thanks for confirming that some were made in China. I was concerned because I had read that folks with original Sony's had "Made in Thailand" on the underside of their headband.  I guess they started manufacturing them out of various locations. Maybe the ones made in China sound worse than the Thailand versions. I don't know.  All I know is my set sound terrible no matter how many times I try to give them a chance, as soon as I put them on and listen, I say "blah" and take them off real soon and throw them aside again. I wasted over $200 purchase price back in year 2007 when I bought them.  Oh well.

 

[cdsa35000]

Do the DeMagic and mod, you'll hear the wow of it, what you have to lose?

 

[unbiased]

Do the DeMagic and mod, you'll hear the wow of it, what you have to lose?

Actually I believe I had really broken these headphones in a long time ago as I said.  I ran them for hours and hours on end with all kinds of loud music (bass, midrange and treble) and even ran my pink noise and white noise tests through them.
It's not that they sound horrible. Just that I was expecting a way more balanced spectrum of sound from them.  They do have highs, they have bass but no sub bass to speak of, but I think the root of the problem that bothers me about them is that there seems to be an emphasis in the upper midrange that sort of fatiques my ears. I notice it more because I have so many other headphones to A/B comparison test them against.  Anyway, I guess if they were the only pair I had and didn't know how anything else sounded, they would think that they sounded okay.  But I am wearing them now as I type and the midrange emphasis is just too much to my liking.  The highs are there, the upper to middle bass is there, sub bass is absent it seems or way diminished, but that midrange stands out above all the rest of the spectrum too much and colors the music.  Ear fatigue sets in too early for me on these.

 

[cdsa35000]

Than throw the fruking phone away begone with it!

But if you're a true diy modder, you need those damping tape cover all those smooth surface and close that front (open) vent grill besides the diaphragm, those causing sound reflections and disturbance.
Deep bass is only possible with closed and big cups, but abit BAF wadding inside will balance the lower bass responce better..

 

[unbiased]

Than throw the fruking phone away begone with it!
 

I've thought about that idea many times! But I feel bad about the $200+ USD that I wasted on them lost!
 
I may one day try putting the dampening mod in place to see if it would diminish some of that midrange peak.
However, I don't think covering that vent up would increase the bass, it most likely will diminish the bass by raising the drivers resonant frequency. If indeed that is a bass port that is.  I didn't really examine that part of it when I had it open. It's all closed back up now and I don't really feel like messing with it at this time. One day I might do that though just to see if it has a chance to improve.
 
BTW, I am not upset over the deteriorating ear pads as I've come to expect that on just about all headphones that use this fake leatherette and foam ear pads.  All my Grado headphones that sat for years unused in bags, when I took them out recently all the foam ear pads on them were disintegrating.  I had to order new foam pads for all my Grados and will expect to have to do it again in another few years when they disintegrate again! I don't like that paying like $600+ for a Grado RS1.
My AKG K701's have nice felt earpads and as well as my Sennheiser HD600 and HD650.  Those are lasting just fine, no replacement needed.

 

[SSandDigital]

Missed out on the $120 deal for AKG K553 Pro that would have been genuine from AKG's factory.

 

[Sony MDR-V900]

 
Actually I believe I had really broken these headphones in a long time ago as I said.  I ran them for hours and hours on end with all kinds of loud music (bass, midrange and treble) and even ran my pink noise and white noise tests through them.
It's not that they sound horrible. Just that I was expecting a way more balanced spectrum of sound from them.  They do have highs, they have bass but no sub bass to speak of, but I think the root of the problem that bothers me about them is that there seems to be an emphasis in the upper midrange that sort of fatiques my ears. I notice it more because I have so many other headphones to A/B comparison test them against.  Anyway, I guess if they were the only pair I had and didn't know how anything else sounded, they would think that they sounded okay.  But I am wearing them now as I type and the midrange emphasis is just too much to my liking.  The highs are there, the upper to middle bass is there, sub bass is absent it seems or way diminished, but that midrange stands out above all the rest of the spectrum too much and colors the music.  Ear fatigue sets in too early for me on these.

 
hi, i Have the same as yours (bought SH as a real),better finish inside,made in thailand,i bought it as a second pair,i own a MDR-V900 i bought 20y ago and these sounds amazing,super detailled ,open,en all the low freq you can dream of.
 
the MDR-7509HD i have sounds exactly like you describe: 'They do have highs, they have bass but no sub bass,emphasis in the upper midrange'
 
I also bought a fake MDR-V900 ,these are unusable,but i have impression there are beter made fake MDR-7509HD's and we both have one of these,its impossible this HP can't handle bass because it should VS the specs..like the MDR-V900.
 
I dind't need to burn in my MDR-V900 when i bought it to enjoy all the Lo freq,it was mega bass from the first second.
 
I also have a MDR-7520,has another sound but again like the MDR-V900,megabass,so definately it becomes very dificult to track real MDR-7509's to have that MDR-V900 sound
 
I use these HP for mixing am used to the sound since 20y,so realy need these but it looks am forced to swap from brand.