bong
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2003
- Posts
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After ordering a pair of the D66sl's for a friend's birthday, I was so impressed with the quality right out of the box I went and bought a pair for myseld the very next day. Besides, I crumbled under the peer pressure from Lou and Bangraman. See? I only joined this forum for a month and went and spent $100 I didn't really have. Now I know what "sorry about you wallet" means!
But seriously, after receiving my brand new Sony Eggos and getting acquainted with them for a two weeks, I thought I’d submit some thoughts on these headphones, and comparing them to my SR60 and MDR-7506.
look how happy robert smith looks with his mdr-d66sl eggos on...
look how happy robert smith looks with his mdr-7506 on...
look how happy the guy from "killing an arab" looks with his grado sr60 on...
SOURCE: Sony MZ-N505 MD recorder
MUSIC: New Order - 1981 1982 EP - Everything's Gone Green
Ride - Nowhere - Dreams Burn Down
The Cure - Faith - All Cats are Grey
DESIGN:
There's no doubt about it; the D66 are definitely one of the most amazing things in industrial design I’ve ever laid eyes upon. These eye-catching headphones are the coolest things you can strap onto your head. The earcups are made from a gray rubberized material (plastic?) and has a great feel and the upside down egg shape is aesthetically pleasing, as is the chrome metal adjustable bands. The only thing I can complain about are the chrome circles on the earcups, and even that is not such a big issue. The Grados, though uniquely designed by its own right with its machined look of its grated earcups and the metal "antennae" adjustment posts, seem pedestrian by comparison. The 7506 look like big, black earmuffs with one too many graphics ("for professional," "studio monitor"). Seriously, I always do a double-take every time I see someone with Eggos on, and now I'm the one being stared at!
MDR-D66sl > SR60 > MDR-7506
COMFORT:
I don’t know why, but the D66 easily creates “Hot Ear Syndrome,” even more so that the 7506. Also, the D66 grips the sides of my head like a vise; my jawbone becomes painful after an hour or so. On the other hand, the 7506 always feel as if they are going to fall off any second, they feel really loose. The SR60’s feel just right with its thick foam earpads (replacement) and easily stretchable headband. The D66's two thin rubber covered headbands have less contact surface area with my hair than the other two, but leaves two dents in my hair; they are the worst for causing ruined hair. I hate “headband hair!”
SR60 > MDR-7506 > MDR-D66sl
PORTABILITY:
Basically, I use headphones on the go, so portability is a must. The D66 weighs next to nothing, and they fold up into a nice little package when not in use. The SR60 are also fairly lightweight, but they do not sport a folding design. However, the earcups can swivel so they can lay flat inside a bag. The 7506 do fold up, but instead of a neat little ball like the D66, you still get a blob of thing with lots of coiled wire in you bag. All three still require a bag of some sort, so I use these while commuting to and fro work. As for out on the town weekend listening, they suck! Seriously, earbuds are still the way to go if I don’t need to lug a bag around; I just stuff them inside my jacket pocket along with my MD unit. The SR60 leaks sound like there’s no tomorrow, so they’re not too ideal on a daily commute when I’m stuck in a NYC subway full of people less than six inches away from me. The 7506 seals in very well, but again size is an issue. The D66 are not exactly sealed headphones, but keeps in enough of your music not to disturb others.
MDR-D66sl > SR60 > MDR-7506
SOUND:
Out of the three, the D66 seem to have the most neutral sound. The SR60 have an exaggerated midrange while the 7506 needs more.
Bass: The D66 has nice tight bass; it doesn’t have any of that blob of pounding noise mainly experienced in other headphones. I wish they had more bass extension like the 7506. When listening to The Cure’s “All Cats are Grey,” Simon Gallup’s bass guitar sounds more prominent and Laurence Tolhurst’s bass drum has more presence with the 7506’s without having the “dum-bass” sound. The D66 doesn’t have that impact, but the bass is well heard and sounds natural anyway. If the SR60 have a fault, it’s that it overemphasizes the midrange so much that the hump extends into the upper bass region, making the music sound a bit bloated.
Midrange: Very nice and clean midrange on the D66, with just a slight increase where the upper midrange and lower treble meet. I didn’t notice it at first, but it does get fatiguing after over an hour of listening. But the midrange as a whole is warm, thought not as warm as the SR60. The 7506 are decidedly darker than the two, with a dip in midrange. The guitar blasts on Ride’s “Dreams Burn Down” sounds nicely organic on the D66, though not as warm and ethereal as on the SR60. Mark Gardener’s hushed vocals are very nice as well. The music on the 7506 however, sounds a bit mechanical.
Treble: The D66 has nice, smooth and crisp treble that is very musical, if a little bit too bright. The 7506 has much more detail though, and extends a bit further than the D66. The pulsating sequencer line on New Order’s “Everything’s Gone Green” sounds great on both Sonys, thought the treble seems to linger around just a bit on the D66. If there is a fault in the music, you’ll definitely hear it on the 7506. The D66 can compensate by glossing over sibilance fairly well, but not as well as, say the MDR-E888 earbuds. Though by far not a detail-less headphone, the SR60 sounds just a bit muddy compared to the two Sonys.
All three has its strengths and faults, but I can’t decide which outweighs the other. It’s a tossup.
Soundstage: Hands down, the SR60 is the best in soundstage. It’s obviously by its open design. The D66 is more open sounding than the 7506, providing a wider soundstage. However, the D66 seems to mesh the instrumentation together, I get a better instrument separation and imaging on the 7506.
Again, it’s a tossup.
Conclusion: Wow, it’s pretty difficult to say which one I like the most, they all have nice qualities. I love the MR-7506’s overall sound, although it needs more midrange. They also have gobs of detail; however, they remain analytical sounding and I find myself dissecting the music, not listening to it. The other two are definitely more musical. Conversely, I love the SR60’s warmth, but wished it had more detail. The D66 seems to be a compromise between the two, yet leaves me wanting just a bit more. However, since my main use is for portables, unamped at that; with the D66 being the easiest to drive and combined with its eye-catching design, it narrowly slides into first place.
MDR-D66sl > MDR-7506 and SR60 tie.
Cheers!
EDIT Dec-07-03: I realize that this review is almost a year old, so I updated the content to reflect my views of these phones.
But seriously, after receiving my brand new Sony Eggos and getting acquainted with them for a two weeks, I thought I’d submit some thoughts on these headphones, and comparing them to my SR60 and MDR-7506.
look how happy robert smith looks with his mdr-d66sl eggos on...
look how happy robert smith looks with his mdr-7506 on...
look how happy the guy from "killing an arab" looks with his grado sr60 on...
SOURCE: Sony MZ-N505 MD recorder
MUSIC: New Order - 1981 1982 EP - Everything's Gone Green
Ride - Nowhere - Dreams Burn Down
The Cure - Faith - All Cats are Grey
DESIGN:
There's no doubt about it; the D66 are definitely one of the most amazing things in industrial design I’ve ever laid eyes upon. These eye-catching headphones are the coolest things you can strap onto your head. The earcups are made from a gray rubberized material (plastic?) and has a great feel and the upside down egg shape is aesthetically pleasing, as is the chrome metal adjustable bands. The only thing I can complain about are the chrome circles on the earcups, and even that is not such a big issue. The Grados, though uniquely designed by its own right with its machined look of its grated earcups and the metal "antennae" adjustment posts, seem pedestrian by comparison. The 7506 look like big, black earmuffs with one too many graphics ("for professional," "studio monitor"). Seriously, I always do a double-take every time I see someone with Eggos on, and now I'm the one being stared at!
MDR-D66sl > SR60 > MDR-7506
COMFORT:
I don’t know why, but the D66 easily creates “Hot Ear Syndrome,” even more so that the 7506. Also, the D66 grips the sides of my head like a vise; my jawbone becomes painful after an hour or so. On the other hand, the 7506 always feel as if they are going to fall off any second, they feel really loose. The SR60’s feel just right with its thick foam earpads (replacement) and easily stretchable headband. The D66's two thin rubber covered headbands have less contact surface area with my hair than the other two, but leaves two dents in my hair; they are the worst for causing ruined hair. I hate “headband hair!”
SR60 > MDR-7506 > MDR-D66sl
PORTABILITY:
Basically, I use headphones on the go, so portability is a must. The D66 weighs next to nothing, and they fold up into a nice little package when not in use. The SR60 are also fairly lightweight, but they do not sport a folding design. However, the earcups can swivel so they can lay flat inside a bag. The 7506 do fold up, but instead of a neat little ball like the D66, you still get a blob of thing with lots of coiled wire in you bag. All three still require a bag of some sort, so I use these while commuting to and fro work. As for out on the town weekend listening, they suck! Seriously, earbuds are still the way to go if I don’t need to lug a bag around; I just stuff them inside my jacket pocket along with my MD unit. The SR60 leaks sound like there’s no tomorrow, so they’re not too ideal on a daily commute when I’m stuck in a NYC subway full of people less than six inches away from me. The 7506 seals in very well, but again size is an issue. The D66 are not exactly sealed headphones, but keeps in enough of your music not to disturb others.
MDR-D66sl > SR60 > MDR-7506
SOUND:
Out of the three, the D66 seem to have the most neutral sound. The SR60 have an exaggerated midrange while the 7506 needs more.
Bass: The D66 has nice tight bass; it doesn’t have any of that blob of pounding noise mainly experienced in other headphones. I wish they had more bass extension like the 7506. When listening to The Cure’s “All Cats are Grey,” Simon Gallup’s bass guitar sounds more prominent and Laurence Tolhurst’s bass drum has more presence with the 7506’s without having the “dum-bass” sound. The D66 doesn’t have that impact, but the bass is well heard and sounds natural anyway. If the SR60 have a fault, it’s that it overemphasizes the midrange so much that the hump extends into the upper bass region, making the music sound a bit bloated.
Midrange: Very nice and clean midrange on the D66, with just a slight increase where the upper midrange and lower treble meet. I didn’t notice it at first, but it does get fatiguing after over an hour of listening. But the midrange as a whole is warm, thought not as warm as the SR60. The 7506 are decidedly darker than the two, with a dip in midrange. The guitar blasts on Ride’s “Dreams Burn Down” sounds nicely organic on the D66, though not as warm and ethereal as on the SR60. Mark Gardener’s hushed vocals are very nice as well. The music on the 7506 however, sounds a bit mechanical.
Treble: The D66 has nice, smooth and crisp treble that is very musical, if a little bit too bright. The 7506 has much more detail though, and extends a bit further than the D66. The pulsating sequencer line on New Order’s “Everything’s Gone Green” sounds great on both Sonys, thought the treble seems to linger around just a bit on the D66. If there is a fault in the music, you’ll definitely hear it on the 7506. The D66 can compensate by glossing over sibilance fairly well, but not as well as, say the MDR-E888 earbuds. Though by far not a detail-less headphone, the SR60 sounds just a bit muddy compared to the two Sonys.
All three has its strengths and faults, but I can’t decide which outweighs the other. It’s a tossup.
Soundstage: Hands down, the SR60 is the best in soundstage. It’s obviously by its open design. The D66 is more open sounding than the 7506, providing a wider soundstage. However, the D66 seems to mesh the instrumentation together, I get a better instrument separation and imaging on the 7506.
Again, it’s a tossup.
Conclusion: Wow, it’s pretty difficult to say which one I like the most, they all have nice qualities. I love the MR-7506’s overall sound, although it needs more midrange. They also have gobs of detail; however, they remain analytical sounding and I find myself dissecting the music, not listening to it. The other two are definitely more musical. Conversely, I love the SR60’s warmth, but wished it had more detail. The D66 seems to be a compromise between the two, yet leaves me wanting just a bit more. However, since my main use is for portables, unamped at that; with the D66 being the easiest to drive and combined with its eye-catching design, it narrowly slides into first place.
MDR-D66sl > MDR-7506 and SR60 tie.
Cheers!
EDIT Dec-07-03: I realize that this review is almost a year old, so I updated the content to reflect my views of these phones.
