[silencer]

I am looking to purchase a pair of sony headphones maybe another brand but i'd prefer sony, are the MDR-CD780's any good or would v6's be better?
Does anyone know any where in australia that sell these items as the sony store deny any knowledge of v6's or 7506's

p.s I'll mainly be listening to heavy music and stuff like REM and Radiohead

Please help!!!!

 

[silencer]

....please......

 

[stymie miasma]

Hi Silencer,

Welcome to Head-Fi. As far as I can tell, the Sony MDR-V6 are NOT available in Australia. The "professional" version of the V6, the MDR-7506 is available - but it will cost you. Mine set me back about AUS $220 but they retail for about AUS $250.

I tried the MDR CD780, but only briefly and in a noisy store. The comfort was impressive, as was the one-sided, removable cord. Sound wise, meh - it was OK. It certainly did not wow me, I'm sorry I can't recall any more details about the sound.

If you do want the 7506 headphones, they can be purchased from a professional audio/video store in Fairfield, Melbourne:

www.soundcorp.com.au

The guys there were pretty cool, and they let me come in an audition the phones at great length, and in relative quiet! I seem to recall they were available in QLD and possibly SA and WA. Use the search funtion link at the bottom of my message

I should have asked this earlier, but what do you want to use the headphones with and for? Listening at home? From a portable? In a noisy environment? The 7506s excel in that they are extremely verstatile headphones. They can be effeciently powered by almost any source, including portables. They fold down, so they are relatively portable. Also, being closed in design, they attenuate outside sounds to an extent that they can be used on public transport and in libraries (they don't leak sound as much as an open-air headphone). Sound-wise, they are very upfront and lively. Some complain of harsh highs, but I don't find this. One criticism I do agree with is that the mids are slightly recessed, so they are not the warmest sounding headphones around. In terms of bass response though, the bass is deep, tight and controlled and IMPACTFUL! This was a very important feature for me. FInally, they offer really superb instrument separation which I guess if why they work so well as studio monitors.

Depending on your requirements, there are a few other cheaper options around for you to audition:

Earbuds: Sennheiser MX400 - AUS $30.00
Clip ons: Koss KSC-50 - AUS $ 50.00 (ish)
Open headphones: Grado SR-60 - AUS $180.00

I have all of these headphones, and not surprsingly, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. If you can cope with open headphones that clip on, I am sure you will find the Koss KSC-50s will work extremely well with the sort of music you listen to. For more detailed reviews of these phones, use the Head-Fi search function

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/search.php?s=

Good luck! (and DO try to audition the more expensive phones using music YOU are familar with).

 

[silencer]

Ok thanks well, I'll be using them with my stereo at home and with my Md and Diskman, I've e-mailed Soundcorp for postage and things, But I won't be able to try them out if i order them

so im going to try and find a pair in sydney tomorrow and hopefully i will be able to find a pair!
otherwise i'm sure the 7506's will be more than what i could want even if the mids are recessed, Do you find this a big problem? I have only been using the supplied headphones with my equpoitment previously and so im sure i'll hear some difference in the 7506's.
Are the 7506's better than the CD780's ? sorry im a newbie to this and i thought they sounded good but that was probaaly because i was comparing threm to the other sony models on display on those booth things they have.
I'm wanting the best that i can get and i'd say the $250 - 7506's are the most im prepared to spend.

 

[Snufkin]

IMHO the 7506s aren't worth anywhere near the $220AU pricetag unless perhaps you need some for studio monitoring, in which case there are better options that only cost a little more anyway.

If you're after some headphones for portable use you should consider some Koss KSC-35s, or KSC-50s IMHO.

You should also consider brands other than Sony, have a listen to a few Sennheiser, Koss, Beyerdynamic, AKG or Grado.
That is if you can find any of these brands locally.

I can help you with Beyers, but most of the models I recommend are above $250AU.

 

[Duncan]

Snufkin...

Can you really say that the 7506 and the KSC-50 are really in the same class? to me the KSC-50 sounds VERY thin, and dull...

the only way the Koss' win me over, is their relative cheapness...

 

[Buddha]

Its weird Duncan how these V6/7506 come so highly recommended on this board, but my pair are virtually never used ... they seem to suck the life out of music (flat, compressed, colourless?) ... these may be desirable attributes for a studio monitor but I find my koss 35s are a much better option when it comes to "music for pleasure".

 

[Snufkin]

Duncan: the issue I have is price! Basically here the 7506 goes for around $110US whereas the KSC-50 goes for around $30US, the 7506 has it's merits, but I think it's far from good value for money - especially for portable use. The KSC-35 is an even better option compared to the 50, it's just a little harder to find these days.

And if we're talking slightly higher priced headphones, there's plenty just a little more expensive than the 7506 that sound many times better.

 

[stymie miasma]

Another point to consider is what type of music you listen to most often. For electronic music, I think the 7506s are fantastic, but for guitar-based music/vocals, I tend to reach for my Grado SR-60. In another post, Purk mentioned that the Meta42 improved the midrange of the 7506, so that is something to keep in mind. As for the MDR-780s, I think you wil find that the 7506 are consideraby more revealing and less muddy, plus they will have much better bass response. That's all I can offer you there as I auditioned them ages ago.

As for the KSC-50s, I enjoy them considerably, but they just aren't that great for me in the comfort stakes. The sound is closer to the Grados than the Sonys in that they are particularly 'warm' sounding as opposed to the more clinical Sonys. Once again, this is very dependent on the style of music you are listening to. I hope to one day get my hands on some KSC-35s, but until that day comes, I will reserve my KSC-50s for portable/exercise use.

Someone might be able to recomend some of the cheaper Sennheisers which may be worth while considering. Unfortunatley I have had no experience with these. HD497??

Once again Silencer, good luck, but take your time so that you can be confident you are making the right decision. Ring around pro-audio stores to see what they carry. Also, keep in mind that unless you are prepared to purchase a dedicated headphone amp, some headphones are just going to sound **** with your sources. Once again, the Sony 7506 and the Koss KSC 50 are stupidly easy to drive, so you wil have no problems there.

 

[silencer]

I found they stock 7506's in chatswood sony center so im awaiting a call so i can go try them out when they get some in, i tried sennheiser 500 fusions and found them too bassy for my liking i also tried a pair of 7509(?) if thats correct and they sounded good to me but they cost $450!!!!!

 

[Snufkin]

I almost bought a pair of HD497s today at JB hifi, but I don't have the funds at the moment

silencer: it's worth trying to get a listen to a few pairs of Beyerdynamics - they're very well priced here in Oz - pairs I'd recommend without amplification would be the 250-80 and the DT531

 

[silencer]

Ok i'll keep my eyes open, but i haven't seen any around sydney tho, any good sites you know or good shops ?

 

[Snufkin]

Not in Sydney, sorry

You can get Beyer stuff from me, but you'd have to trust my judgement

 

[Magicthyse]

BTW folks, I've been listening to the Beyer DT231 over the last couple of days, and I have to say it's pretty awesome, if you're not in the States (too expensive... $90?)

In Europe, it's half the list of the Grado SR60. And I say it will whip the SR60's ass for that money. I'm presuming that in Australia, the price ratio is going to be somewhere inbetween the Europe level and the US level in comparison to the SR60.

It's roughly equivalent in treble and mid response (OK, maybe if I was being picky the mids are slightly occluded in comparison), it's bright without being ear-ringingly harsh, and the bass is strong - sub-level strong if you have the EQ for it (otherwise it's well balanced).

It's also quite comfortable once you figure how your ears sit within the cups.

There are two major demerits, both of which ain't going to matter if you were considering a Grado - one is looks. Boring. I've only seen this and the 250-80 in the flesh, but Beyer seems to do "terminally boring and solid" really well. The other is that despite being 'closed' it has only marginally more isolation than the SR60, which itself doesn't have any isolation.

 

[Snufkin]

Magicthyse: prices here would be something like $50US for the DT231 and about $85US for the SR60... I haven't heard the SR60, but I didn't mind the DT231galactic - I am interested to hear the SR60 though.

I agree with the comment on isolation, or lack of.. the DT231 is also very comfy for a supra-aural headphone.