I am going to revive this long-dead thread as it exactly addresses my question and I didn't see another one like it and thought that there was no point is starting a new one.
My question: I have some Sony MDR-V600's and I really love them. I got them for $30 at Unclaimed Baggage on a whim. My apologies to anyone who hates them or thinks that this isn't possible that anyone could truly love them or that I am an idiot and thus not worthy of feedback. Back in the day I was actually a professional live sound-reinforcement guy for 6 years, so you can get technical with me if you want.
I own the following cans: DT880 600ohm (driven by Fiio E9), AIAIAI TMA-1, Koss Pro-4A (from back in the day...), MDR-V600's, also Klipsch S4is (something is strange about the mid-high transition in them to my ears...), Apple Ear Pods (actually like those well enough for what they are...)
I find the DT880's somewhat boring at times and not nearly as comfortable as the MDR-V600s for long (multi-hour) listening sessions.
I find the TMA-1s nice for electronica (which they were obviously designed for), but they clearly have a somewhat colored sound that I just can't quite get over at times. They are a touch dark, as has been mentioned before here, and there is also something about their high-mid cut that sounds odd to me. I do like their bass better than the MDR-V600's, which are somewhat bass-light for my slightly bass-head tastes. The TMA-1s on-ear pads do eventually get somewhat painful on my ears after an hour or two, so I would prefer over-ear pads instead.
With the DT880s and the TMA-1s I realize that I am wearing headphones, something which the MDR-V600s actually allow me to often forget, and forgetting that is a real plus.
I prefer the imaging of the MDR-V600s to any of my other cans. The TMA-1s I find small, and the DT880s are somewhat vague to my ear if somewhat larger and more open. The MDRs seem to place things in a medium-sized space and I can pick out exactly where things are easily.
The midrange on the MDR-V600's just sounds clear to me. Weird? Just got used to mids sounding that way through long hours of listening to them? Hearing loss from my music business days? Maybe they actually have neutral mids... Images of the frequency response of the MDR-V6s seem to have a really flat curve, but I can't find any image of the frequency response of the MDR-V600s.
Some aspect of the MDR-V600s top end can get a bit too much at times, hence my owning the TMA-1s, which do have their uses.
I would think that I would like the DT880s more, and they are great cans, no question about it, but they are not as comfortable as their over-sized puffy ear pads would seem to indicate and at times I just feel they are missing something that I get with the MDR-V600s, as well as driving them is a bit of an issue.
The Koss Pro-4As are not comfortable at all, as I need to replace their fossilized ear-pads, and they are a bit harsh anyway... I rarely use them except for playing my bass guitar through when I need to make no noise: somehow they sound great for that.
So, what gets me something with uncolored mids like the MDR-V600s, that same amazing level of comfort for long listening/mixing (this is really important), somewhat better bass (I like bass that extends down low but is not so heavy as with the TMA-1s), and are easy to drive by things like a MacAir and an iPhone (my primary sound sources), as the MDR-V600s are way easy to drive and so listening on the fly is no problem.
Price is not too much of an object: could handle anything below, say, $600 if the cans were worth it. I am interested in what else is out there. If someone wanted to try to talk me into the $1000 or so price-range, I would definitely listen, but it would have to make that sort of difference to justify that price and meet all the requirements (extreme comfort, very easy to drive, good low-extending but not crazy bass, clear mids and highs, something uncolored-sounding) in spades. I don't need a lot of headphones, just a few good ones.
Help educate this relatively new headphone enthusiast as to the wonders of great headphones. Thanks for your expertise and guidance. Bass-head-bashers: please be gentle: I am not a total bass-head, just a mild one. I listen to a lot of electronica, but also blues, funk, classical, singer-songwriter, rock (such as Dire Straits and the like). I also use them to master some of my own electronic music on Logic Pro Studio, so something on the more-analytical and neutral through the highs and mids end of things would be helpful. I often listen to music on headphones as I am waking up in the morning and going to sleep at night with my wife right next to me, so something closed-back is probably best to avoid disturbing her.
Perhaps suggest two different cans? One for iPhone/late-night listening and one for studio analysis of mixes?
As an aside: does anyone ever use a subwoofer along with their headphones? At times I miss the body-felt aspect of music, but love the imaging and clarity of headphones over speakers...
Any constructive comments welcome,
Daniel
