Closed Ear Design, Comfort

Too expensive

I like the headphones because they're comfortable, durable and have good sound quality. I mainly use them to listen to classical music and also when I play my digital piano.

However, I think for a lower price you can get the MDR-CD360 which are just as good. My friend has the MDR-CD360 and I tried them. If I were to choose again I would buy the MDR-CD360

Similar Products Used:

MDR-CD360

They sound good, have a fairly long cord and are the most comfortable headphones I've owned.

None.

I love these headphones. I can wear them for hours with no discomfort whatsoever. I can't say the same for any other phones I've owned. Their sound is great for me. I'm not a golden ear, but I am very sensitive to extraneous noise and distortion and to artificial sounding filtering such as electronically boosted bass. The sound from these phones is smooth, weighty and true to the source. I had a set of cheap JVCs and Kenwoods, each of which I returned. Both were very artificial sounding with a terrible bass effect. Neither could reproduce the weight of the music, they were very tinny sounding. I think the Grados and the Sonys sound very similar and are about the same price. The Grados might have a really slight edge sound-wise. I didn't find the Grados as terribly uncomfortable as some have suggested, but they really don't compare to the Sonys in that regard. Like I said before, the Sonys are really comfortable.

Similar Products Used:

Sony, JVC, Kenwood, Grado

Very comfortable. Price. Sound.

None.

These are nice headphones. They're inexpensive. Their sound is accurate and uncolored for the most part and they can be worn for extended listening periods without killing you. This is their big advantage over the Grados. I love the way the Grados sound, but even with the supposed comfort pad inserts they wear me out. I just can't listen for the amount of time I would like and I cease to enjoy the music too soon due to their discomfort. They sound really great, though. The Sony phones are close enough in sound and are so much more comfortable. I've experience the artificial bass bloat common in many low end Sony products and it bugs me a lot. I'm happy to say that I haven't experienced this effect with these headphones. I know other reviewers have commented on it, but if it's there I haven't noticed, and believe me this is something I'm very sensitive to.

Overall, I would say that these are excellent phones for the money. If you're on a budget I highly recommend them. The Grados and Sennheisers generally have better sound, particularly in regard to separation and putting air around the instruments of a piece. The Grados suffer from acute uncomfortableness. The Sennheisers that outperform these Sonys by any appreciable margin accordingly cost that much more.

Similar Products Used:

Grado sr60, Sennheiser

Price, closed ear design, comfort

can be bass heavy

For the price ($69.00), they are a decent pair of headphones. While they may not match up to Sen's 590's or 600's for balance, I prefer them over the Sen 490's (which cost more).

I found them to be comfortable, durable, and a good value. (Note that the frequ. response noted on Sony's homepage is in error -- the package reads that they have a response of 5-30,000hz, this was also confirmed by the tech support.)

A good choice for headphones under $100,

Similar Products Used:

Sen's 490's, 590's, 600's

Comfort... oh, the comfort!
Deep bass

Not as good sound as more expensive models/ grados

I like these cans a lot. With automatic adjusting and sinfully soft cloth earpads, they melt around your ears for unrivaled comfort in this price range. The sound is good, not stunning, but powerful with articulated highs and profound lows. Some slight power issues- due to a moderately high impedence (42 ohms, I think) I find that I can't crank them up on my portable (Nomad Jukebox) quite as much as I would like when I really want to deafen myself- but don't get me wrong- you can get a perfectly respectable volume from any audio device without an amp. The Grado SR60s sound better- sad, but true. However, they are not nearly as comfortable and lack the sony's deep bass punch that I prefer for my music. (My music consists primarily of classic rock- pink floyd, led zeppelin, dire straits, eric clapton and the like and techno/ trance- oakenfold, van dyk, sash!, sasha and digweed, dimitri from paris, bt, etc.) Also, since the Grados are far more rare, one usually must pay the 70 dollar retail price plus shipping- whereas these 100 dollar cans can be had for 60+ shipping at several online retailers.
I intend to use these for a few years and then upgrade to the Senn 580s or 600s with a HeadRoom amp. If you have that kind of dough go and get one of those. If not, I highly reccommend these.

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR60, cheapos

Excellent Sound, Great Comfort

Cloth Pads Can Get Warm

This review applies to the MDR CD580 Model.
I am very picky about sound quality, so it took me several tries to find my way to the 580's. The first thing you will notice with this set of cans vs. other models is how comfortable they are on your head. The large cloth coverings on each ear feel wonderfully silky smooth (albeit a little warm!). One of the major complaints I have about headphones in general is fatigue, as shrill highs and pounding lows can leave me pulling off my headphones in a matter of minutes. This is where the 580's shine. Highs and lows are well defined, but do not cause your ears to ache. Simply put, these are wonderful headphones to live with on a daily basis. Unlike others (including a set of Senn's that was returned), these Sonys will relax you, allowing you to enjoy music as it should be. Sure, there are better headphones to be had (Grados come to mind), but overall the 580's are an excellent choice for sweet sound on a tight budget. Consider these a "best buy" in the under $100 category. Overall, an excellent headphone choice in this price range

Excellent sound quality, freakin cheap

Uhh...

These are excellent cans for the price I paid and for what they are listed for. Treble and bass are represented well and can handle as much bass as you can pump into them. I use them in conjunction with my SB!Live Platnum 5.1. Excellent for games and especially for music. I've tried many cans within my price range (upwards to 150 bucks) and I find this set equals and supasses some of the other cans on display at the Tweeter I went to. At 80 bucks they are excellent cans, at 48, they are a steal.

Closed ear design, comfort

Better than the Sen's by a long shot. Probably need to go to the 590s or 600s to better these, but that's more dinero. I switch off between these and the Grado these days. The Grado sound better with some musical genres, most especially Jazz and Classical. I prefer the Sony for rock music. The Grado headphones were uncomfortable when I purchased them as others say. I got a pair of pads that usually come with the model 60 and they are fine now. The pads do diminish the sound, so you would probably want to do what I did and cut a hole in the center with an exacto knife. This helps a lot.

SOUND: The Sony has a nice, accurate sound. Separation and balance are good. No headphone gives the sort of body-thumping bass that speakers do, but these do a fairly good job of reproducing impactful bass. If your into bass heavy techno or dance music you might look elsewhere, though where I don't know. Those types of music are difficult for headphones.

COMFORT: It's a closed ear design with foam-padded earcups. It automatically adjusts to head size and for me it works perfectly. It's a good design. Very comfortable and they seem to be pretty durable.

Conclusion: I think these and the Grado 60 and 80 are the only headphones that I've had a chance to listen to that worth owning for under 100 dollars. There are other headphones that I think sound better, but they are all over 300 dollars. Definitely worth auditioning.

Similar Products Used:

Sennheiser 490, Grado 80

The MDR-CD570 has a really weird scoop in the mid-high region that is guaranteed to give you a giant headache after a few minutes of listening. The bass is strong but artificial and pumped-up, characteristic of pretty much all Sony headphones that're made today. With a frequency response curve that is completely screwed-up, this headphone is spectacularly un-flat.
Considering the price, there is very little redeeming value in this headphone. Save your money for a Sennheiser or Grado.

Great, uncolored sound
VERY Comfortable
Great Bass

Not too many...

These cans have it all, comfort, price, and most importantly, sound. I recently had the Grado SR-60's but returned them because of a lack of bass and the fact that they were open. The 570's are closed and have great, well defined bass. They can be easily powered by a portable (they work great with my MD). Don't listen to the people who say that these don't compare to the Grados; these headphones ARE MUCH BETTER. Better bass and no outside noise is heard. Two words for u guys GREAT CANS!

Similar Products Used:

Grado SR-60, Sennheiser HD 500