[NavyASW02]

Today I just received my first pair of good quality headphones. To the advice of numerous posts and reviews, I went with the Sony V-6. I must say they are an improvement over my $20 Sony MDR-V250's, but the sound isnt mind boggling-ly better for about three times the cost. Possibly it's because of my source, I'm just running off my sound card on my computer as of right now playing mp3s and cd's. I even tried playing Queen's Sheer Heart Attack cd on my home stereo setup and I noticed an improvement, but not to the "holy ****" extent that I was expecting. What headphones or improvements in my current setup can anybody recommend to give this effect? Thanks

 

[beni]

Just use them constantly for a few weeks, then go back to your old phones. Then you'll see how much truly better the v6s are.

 

[Duncan]

I personally would give yourself some time to get used to the V6...

Try using them for a couple of weeks, WITHOUT using the V250s, and then try the 250s again, see if you can notice a difference then.

[Edit] Beni, you beat me to it... Quick draw!!

[/edit]

If i'm honest, I prefer the V6 to the Senn HD580 (I'm not sold on the Sennheiser 'Sonic Signature') and it is a close run thing about which 'phone wins between my V6 and my CD1700s which were worth originally about 4 times as much as the V6....

Other notey recomendations under $100 though... top of the list would be the Grados... SR60 ($69), and SR80 ($79), some people prefer the lesser model (60) as the SR80 seems to emphasise the bass more.

Its entirely your call, and obviously other people will post their opinions too... happy listening

 

[impoeticpoet]

They don't WOW you with their sound. They "wow" you with their precision and bass.

 

[Matt]

...I'm no longer a Grado fan for practical purposes, my first "wow"/"holy ****" experience was with Grado SR-80s. I was hearing tracks I'd heard a thousand times and was literally weeping. Of course, these days, they don't sound so great anymore, but I've spent a few thousand bucks since then.

The SR-80s "did it" for me, i.e. got me addicted to audio (probably the SR-60's will, too, if you don't want to do more than $69). The best part is they don't really need an amp if you get the 60's (and I was happy with the 80's, 125's and 225's ampless).

My bottom line: I was having a better, more "holy ****" time with SR-80s than I was with MDR-V6's. The Grados, IMHO, were clearer and more detailed, even though their bass response was less (I don't really like the whomping V6 bass, anyhow...sounds unnatural to me). The V6's are great for the price by any measure, I just think the Grados are better in qualities I care about, clarity, overall resolution, etc.

If you want to return those sateen-packaged wonders and get your $ back, you can get a good price on new Grados from hifiman69@aol.com and his prices include shipping.

Hope this helps.

- Matt

 

[Jeff Guidry]

The V6's are my headphones of choice, I have one pair I surgically alter to improve the sound and one for reference. I owned the Grado 225's for a while, and though I really appreciated the razor sharp detail of the Grados, ultimately the treble was searing and the bass, frankly, wasn't fat enough for me. I enjoy a somewhat loose bottom end for rock, and the V6's help me catch a good groove.

 

[impoeticpoet]

have you compared the orginal and beyer pads?

Quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Guidry The V6's are my headphones of choice, I have one pair I surgically alter to improve the sound and one for reference. I owned the Grado 225's for a while, and though I really appreciated the razor sharp detail of the Grados, ultimately the treble was searing and the bass, frankly, wasn't fat enough for me. I enjoy a somewhat loose bottom end for rock, and the V6's help me catch a good groove.

 

[Jeff Guidry]

I have. The Beyer pads are thicker and a bit wider, making them more comfortable. Soundwise, they open up the soundstage a tad, and smooth out the sound a nudge. If you like the V6's already, the Beyer pads will make your experience even better. If you don't like the V6 sound, Beyer pads won't convert you.

 

[joelongwood]

Quote:

Although......I'm no longer a Grado fan for practical purposes, my first "wow"/"holy ****" experience was with Grado SR-80s. I was hearing tracks I'd heard a thousand times and was literally weeping. Of course, these days, they don't sound so great anymore, but I've spent a few thousand bucks since then. The SR-80s "did it" for me, i.e. got me addicted to audio...

Matt's quote is my experience almost to a T (I don't recall weeping and I'm still a Grado fan)! I think more than a few of us here were WOW'd by the Grado sound. I had the V6s for 10 years before I got the SR-80s, and haven't stopped yet. Give 'em a try.

 

[redshifter]

i've had my v6 for over 5 years now, and i keep coming back to them. they've been extensively modded by me: beyer pads, foam filters in front of the drivers and sound dampening behind them. i also like to use a 1.5' run of markertek canare cable between the v6 & amp which colors the sound in a way i like. these mods bring up the v6 midrange, but preserve that analytical quality i like.

the most recent "mod" that made the biggest difference was using a cha47 amp with them. the amp gave me that "wow" factor even though i've had the phones for years.

 

[jona]

redshifter-

What kind of foam filter did you use in front of your V6 drivers? I have 2 V6's, one of which I have moded with Beyer pads & damping behind the drivers (took some experimentation to find the best effect- I used too much damping material at first). I have tried adding different types of foam in front of the drivers, but have not found anything I like better than the stock foam.

Jon

 

[redshifter]

jona-
for in front of the drivers i took the pair of foam filters from my sony cd1700 cans, placed them in foam earpads from some cheap sony cans, and put the whole thing over the transducers, then the v6 covers over that. the cd1700 foam filters are fairly dense open cell foam, about 1/8" thick.

the foam i used for behind the transducers was dense open cell packing foam from a shipped computer part. they are carved into cups in which the backs of the transducers hang, but don't touch. i found if the backs of the transducers touched the foam, bass diminished. i also tried cork circles in there, but they just increased the bass too much.

 

[NavyASW02]

Before I bought these headphones, I saw a few postings that said the V-6's have too much bass. I disagree. I dont think these headphones have as much bass as my cheap ones, either that or they're just better balanced. Any thoughts?

 

[Duncan]

The newer V series have got very little LOW END bass...

compare some really bass heavy music, i'm not talking dance and stuff, but say some orchestral music...

The newer Vs let you hear the bass, in their own congested manner, whereas the older Vs let you FEEL the bass...

That is what makes the difference

 

[Pepsione1]

When first got my V6 5 months ago, I did not get the "wow" effect neither. In fact, I was quite disappointed.

Five months later (which is now), I find myself in love with the V6. I am loving it even more ever since I bought the Alessandro MS1. It is true that the V6 is not for every type of music and you must recongize this.

I am just glad I did make this purchase, I think I will keep my V6 for another couple of years at least. I am using it on my computer every once in a while I watch movie because they certainly beats the speakers I have despite of the money I spent on those computer speakers.