fiddler
Headphoneus Supremus
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- Jun 24, 2001
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Sony MDR-D66 "Eggo" Review
Initially, I was very impressed with these headphones. Compared to other sub-$100 headphones, they seemed to convey to me far more clarity and detail without sounding grainy or analytical. They have some good qualities that can't be found in other headphones in this price range, such as the MDR-V6 and the Koss Porta Pro line, including the KSC-35. However, with extended listening I've found a few quirks about this headphone that I find troubling.
Personally, I don't find these headphones particularly appealing aesthetics-wise. They're been obviously geared towards teenagers and younger. They just don't quite look like $100 headphones in my opinion. When I first picked them up, they felt plasticky and cheap. The plastic earcups feel hollow when you tap them. Despite all of this, they are built quite solidly, just not on the same level as say, the MDR-V6. They fold up into a ball which makes them somewhat portable. They might fit into a coat pocket, but I wouldn't try shoving these into your pants. If you want something more portable, you should consider the Koss KSC-35.
The Eggo earcups are rather narrow and takes some time to put on your ears, particularly if you have larger ears like me. You have to tuck the cartilage of your ears into the cups for them to fit comfortably. They feel quite comfy after that. They are completely circumaural on me, but they don't block out a whole lot of sound. If my memory serves me correctly, the MDR-V6 had more isolation than the Eggos. They are closed however, so they will give you more isolation than any open phone. They leak a lot less sound than say, the Sennheiser HD600. Listening at "normal" volume levels, I'd say that sound leakage isn't a major issue with the Eggos.
From my initial listening, the first thing that hit me was seemingly smooth midrange. They seemed to have good treble extension, and tight, controlled bass. I know many people have complained about the Eggos lacking bass, but I don’t quite think this is the main weakness of these headphones.
Let’s talk about that midrange. This is where the heart of the music lies, where most of the “emotion” is conveyed. Cymbal splashes accentuate, while double bass drones form harmonic foundations, but neither are usually the main feature in most pieces of music. In my view, how a pair of headphones conveys midrange defines to a large extent its overall character. In the Eggo’s case, midrange performance varies wildly from source to source, from amp to amp. I’ve come to the conclusion that the Eggos have a general upward tilt in the frequency response (hence “bright”), with a peak somewhere in the upper midrange. I often heard an artificial glossiness in this region of the spectrum, such as when the violin section of an orchestra is wailing away on high notes. This was particularly apparent using a brighter source (CT570) and a brighter amp (META42 with AD8620). The result was utterly unpleasant; the aforementioned violins sounded glossed over with no definition or details whatsoever, yet at the same time they were in the forefront because of the slight brightness I sense in these phones. On the other hand, switching over to a rather bottom-heavy source with rolled off highs, my Sony SRF-S84 pocket radio with Fixup’s mods, the same glossiness in the midrange becomes pleasant, and the audible spectrum from bass to treble is far more balanced. With anything more high-rez than this radio, the sound becomes thin, tinny and “meatless”. For example, listening to a string quartet piece, if it’s only the cello, viola and second violin playing lower notes, the sound is well balanced. However, as soon as the first violin enters (particularly if it’s on the higher end of the instrument’s range), the balance is thrown off; it sounds as though the first violin just doesn’t belong in the music. This sort of reminded me of my first audition of the Grado SR325 which I found to be unbearably bright. Perhaps fans of Grado’s SR series would appreciate the Eggo sound, but being an HD600 kinda guy, the Eggos are just too bright for my tastes. Despite the brightness, I didn’t hear any obvious harshness in the treble. They seem to have more treble extention than the Koss KSC-35. The result is a lot more “air” around instruments, and a better sense of the recording venue and its acoustics. The bass doesn’t go as deep as I’d like it to go, but this is a minor quibble in comparison with the upper midrange problem. All in all, they just sound too artificial and incoherent to my ears. But hey, what can ya do? There’s really not much other choice when it comes to headphones that cost under $100. With headphones in this price range, you have to make compromises, and it’s all up to your taste to decide which compromises should be made over others. Personally, I don’t think I can live with the Eggos and their smeared upper midrange. I think I might stick with my KSC-35 for portable use, for now.
Initially, I was very impressed with these headphones. Compared to other sub-$100 headphones, they seemed to convey to me far more clarity and detail without sounding grainy or analytical. They have some good qualities that can't be found in other headphones in this price range, such as the MDR-V6 and the Koss Porta Pro line, including the KSC-35. However, with extended listening I've found a few quirks about this headphone that I find troubling.
Personally, I don't find these headphones particularly appealing aesthetics-wise. They're been obviously geared towards teenagers and younger. They just don't quite look like $100 headphones in my opinion. When I first picked them up, they felt plasticky and cheap. The plastic earcups feel hollow when you tap them. Despite all of this, they are built quite solidly, just not on the same level as say, the MDR-V6. They fold up into a ball which makes them somewhat portable. They might fit into a coat pocket, but I wouldn't try shoving these into your pants. If you want something more portable, you should consider the Koss KSC-35.
The Eggo earcups are rather narrow and takes some time to put on your ears, particularly if you have larger ears like me. You have to tuck the cartilage of your ears into the cups for them to fit comfortably. They feel quite comfy after that. They are completely circumaural on me, but they don't block out a whole lot of sound. If my memory serves me correctly, the MDR-V6 had more isolation than the Eggos. They are closed however, so they will give you more isolation than any open phone. They leak a lot less sound than say, the Sennheiser HD600. Listening at "normal" volume levels, I'd say that sound leakage isn't a major issue with the Eggos.
From my initial listening, the first thing that hit me was seemingly smooth midrange. They seemed to have good treble extension, and tight, controlled bass. I know many people have complained about the Eggos lacking bass, but I don’t quite think this is the main weakness of these headphones.
Let’s talk about that midrange. This is where the heart of the music lies, where most of the “emotion” is conveyed. Cymbal splashes accentuate, while double bass drones form harmonic foundations, but neither are usually the main feature in most pieces of music. In my view, how a pair of headphones conveys midrange defines to a large extent its overall character. In the Eggo’s case, midrange performance varies wildly from source to source, from amp to amp. I’ve come to the conclusion that the Eggos have a general upward tilt in the frequency response (hence “bright”), with a peak somewhere in the upper midrange. I often heard an artificial glossiness in this region of the spectrum, such as when the violin section of an orchestra is wailing away on high notes. This was particularly apparent using a brighter source (CT570) and a brighter amp (META42 with AD8620). The result was utterly unpleasant; the aforementioned violins sounded glossed over with no definition or details whatsoever, yet at the same time they were in the forefront because of the slight brightness I sense in these phones. On the other hand, switching over to a rather bottom-heavy source with rolled off highs, my Sony SRF-S84 pocket radio with Fixup’s mods, the same glossiness in the midrange becomes pleasant, and the audible spectrum from bass to treble is far more balanced. With anything more high-rez than this radio, the sound becomes thin, tinny and “meatless”. For example, listening to a string quartet piece, if it’s only the cello, viola and second violin playing lower notes, the sound is well balanced. However, as soon as the first violin enters (particularly if it’s on the higher end of the instrument’s range), the balance is thrown off; it sounds as though the first violin just doesn’t belong in the music. This sort of reminded me of my first audition of the Grado SR325 which I found to be unbearably bright. Perhaps fans of Grado’s SR series would appreciate the Eggo sound, but being an HD600 kinda guy, the Eggos are just too bright for my tastes. Despite the brightness, I didn’t hear any obvious harshness in the treble. They seem to have more treble extention than the Koss KSC-35. The result is a lot more “air” around instruments, and a better sense of the recording venue and its acoustics. The bass doesn’t go as deep as I’d like it to go, but this is a minor quibble in comparison with the upper midrange problem. All in all, they just sound too artificial and incoherent to my ears. But hey, what can ya do? There’s really not much other choice when it comes to headphones that cost under $100. With headphones in this price range, you have to make compromises, and it’s all up to your taste to decide which compromises should be made over others. Personally, I don’t think I can live with the Eggos and their smeared upper midrange. I think I might stick with my KSC-35 for portable use, for now.
