True Studio Monitor, reproduce sound as it was recorded.

Inferior ear pads. Have other around same age and ear pads are still good. These with minor use have completely deteriorated.

I’m writing as I have had these headphones for over ten years. Though I haven't used them very much, as other have stated before the ear pads have totally deteriorated. I saw the post that recommended the Beyerdynhamic 250/290 pads but that was 2 years ago and they don't make them anymore. So does anyone know where I can get replacement ear pads? As far as a review I really like these headphones. As I stated earlier I don't use them very often but when I do they always sound faithful. These are true studio monitors so they reproduce what is recorded, nothing more and nothing less. Some like myself enjoy this ability while others may find them cold or sterile. They don't color the sound they just reproduce what was recorded, the good, the bad, the ambience, and the lack of ambience. So for me they really are a good monitoring headphone. Now I just need to get the inferior ear pads replaced and I'm back in business. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

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Various Beyerdynamic AKG Sennheiser Models

As I have read other summaries pertaining to the MDR V6 I am somewhat surprised by what I read. I feel that these headphones have a tremendous capacity to deliver very accurate and warm sounds. I primarily use these for nightclub DJ work; however, I have used them outside of a professional environment for personal enjoyment. I have found that for their price range $300 range to find a better headphone. Audiophiles love to quip about small technical deficiencies in products and they can because they have a trained ear, but not all of us are audiophiles. I will attempt to give the best advice I can; for general home use or studio work you will be able to find several models for less than $200 that will be perfect for your application, of these I have found that the MDR V6 is best. Of course, if you are interested in better models Sennheiser and Grado are on top of the list. I recently bought a pair of MDR V900's to replace my MDR V6's because of the worn ear pads and the fact the drivers are starting to wear out and I have not been able to find another pair.

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MDR V900, MDR V700DJ, HDJ -1000, RP DH1200

Accuracy, price, comfort.

Too sterile sounding outside of professional studio applications

These headphones are extreemely accurate and revealing, which is why I have used them in the recording studio for many years. They let me hear everything that is being recorded. I can hear a vocalist pop a p, or a keyboard patch that has too much hiss, or a bass guitar distort, etc... All that being said, I would never choose these headphones for the sheer enjoyment of listening. This is because they are not good at "melding" music together into a single expression. They are so sterile (and at times a little harsh) that they are not really musical. They are technical. So there you have it, my love/hate relationship with these headphones. They are indispensable to me when tracking at my studio. They have helped me catch many audio problems before they go onto tape (or ProTools in my case). But outside of the studio, these would not be my choice for the ejoyment of listening to music.

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AKG & Fostex

Close your eyes and you're in the studio. Crystal clear highs. Amazing presence of strings (incl. piano) and brass. You'll hear qualities in music you've never heard before.

Earpads fall apart, and get hot after an hour. Very low bass can be overdriven at high volume.

I bought these back in the early-mid 80s when I was in television production at a major production facility. Almost everyone in the industry who ever tried a pair bought them. They are the almost-perfect production headphone. The qualities that make these a good production headphone also make it a good home headphone- mostly. The best feature is that they have an almost flat frequency response. This is a good thing, as it means that they do not favor one frequency over another- all frequencies are reproduced equally. This prevents them from being to bassy, too tinny, or too middy. They also allow you to hear things other phones don't. You can hear the drumstick hitting the cymbal. You can hear the fingers on an acoustic guitar. You can hear studio noises. Close your eyes, and you could be in the studio. Now, just about every comment I've read in these reviews is correct. The sound is unemotional, but it is also accurate. You could be hearing the sound the same way the engineers did (many used these phones), so you could be hearing it the way it was intended to sound. After I just couldn't stand the worn out earpads any longer, I recently went looking for a new pair in the same price range. Save your energy. These are still the best phones <$100 (or even higher). I found out where to get replacement earpads, and I am very happy to not have to buy a new pair of the same model. Other features that make them good for production crews: they fold up nicely, have just the right amount of isolation from outside sounds (but not too much as you also need to hear the director, etc.), spiral cord, both jack sizes, and they come with a carrying case. There are only two problems. The much reported earpad covering disintegration (first the inner speaker cloth decays, and then black plastic starts flaking off the earpads, then the foam inside breaks down, and finally they just open up and expose the inner foam. That's where mine are now, but I still wear them and they sound great. Problem #2: they make your ears sweat, and I didn't even know ears had sweat glands.

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Why bother?

The reason I am writing is about the replacement earpads. I can confirm that the Beyerdynhamic 250/290 pads ARE a correct fit. They also appear to be a bit deeper from pad surface to driver. Though I haven't tried the new pads out in a long term test, I think they'll be more comfortable for extended listening sessions. Cost was $21 + $7 shipping (IIRC) direct from Beyerdynamic in Farmingdale, NY (631-293-3200), stock number 422.704. Note: If the foam that covers the driver is bad, you'll have to get some acoustically fabric as the replacement pads are open in the center.

Very accurate. Bass extension. Nice build quality.

Treble a little harsh. Mids a little recessed. Sound is mechanic, robotic. Lack of life and emotion. Cord is too heavy.

From sound replay point of view there really isn't much to complain about: These cans have very little sound coloration comparing with many other cans (except some AKG models)under $150. Bass is tight and deep. Treble is good although a little harsh at times. Mid is a little recessed. These cans sound very fast, but also mechanic and robotic. These cans do not stir emotion like the Grados do. These cans are not as smooth as the Sennheisers either. It's just an accurate, trustful and lifeless sound replay ear piece. For sound recording, I think this should be the perfect choice. However, for musicability, I think it does not have too much. These cans are more appropriate for tranch, tech music and other music with a lot bass. Not very suitable for classical music and vocal. To be fair, considering its price, accuracy and build quality, I would have to rate it 4 of 5. However, I listen to music for emotion. Music without life is really not my cup of tea. The build quality is very good. The cans are very heavy considering its small size. The driver is a little small which could not fully cover my ears (I have giant ears). The cord is very strong but also pretty heavy for protable use.

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Tons of Grado and Sennheiser models, some Beyer, AKG and Koss models.

Clarity, balanced freq output. Spatial clarity on live recordings. SOLID bass tones/notes. Very articulate bass. On live recordings the bass lines stand out from the kick drums, and rhythm guitar remains separate from snare drums and toms. They dont seem to impose any acoustic "signature" of their own... just good solid presentation of recorded material. they sound better the louder your crank em up.

cant think of any... Im used to the coiled cord. My KOSS phones had this as well.

Overall great phones for the money. IMHO you can do a lot worse than these and spend a LOT more $$$. As a guitar player I had been using Koss PRO4X-Plus faithfully since 1986. They were my studio workhorse. I had heard the V6's countless times in various studios and was always impressed. Their articulate presentation of guitar tones/notes was very good for a phone in this price range. Never harsh, fatigue-ing, over bassy, over "middy". Just a good accurate presentation of the 100-4000 Range. As a casual home audio enthusiast (10-20000 Hz), my impressions are the same. Their detail and articulation is still very impressive. Come 2003... my Koss workhorses are falling apart after 100's of studio hours. I demo'd various AKG, senheisers and other Sony models... but for the $$$ the V6's were still my favorites, outperforming others that cost more. Im jazzed that Sony still makes them. Icredible phones for $80.

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Koss Pro 4x Plus

Beautiful, natural, one-of-a-kind sound. I swear there's something magic inside of them. Durable too, mine are still going strong after over 10 years of hard use.

Faux leather ear coverings will flake off and make you think you have leprosy. Can hurt your ears if you wear them for hours at a time...need to take short breaks here and there.

I've been doing professional broadcast video production for 13 years now, and these are STILL the best headphones I've heard. Way back then I started noticing them popping up on every gig, and later I found out why: they are the best. I've used much more expensive models from AKG, Sennheiser, and others, but although some were nice 'phones, nothing sounds like the classic MDR-V6. Once you become intimate with how they respond, nothing else sounds quite right. As others have said you WILL begin to notice things in recordings that you never did before, including the bad stuff like hiss, timecode bleed, and bad MP3 encoding artifacts. But also incredibly detailed nuances like fingers lightly brushing guitar strings while moving from one to the other. They can be had for around $70 new, and at that price point, nothing can even compare. Do NOT mistake these for the unfortunately-named MDR-V600 model, which are completely different and utter crap (and for some awful reason are the ones pictures here masquerading as the MDR-V6). If you can't find the V6s, go get some MDR-7506 which are virtually the same but will cost you a few more $.

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Many other headphones from various manufacturers. These aren't the only good headphones on the market but if you gave me $500 and said "take your pick", I'd still order these.

sound, sound, sound

earpads a lil small, comfort, the adapter or plug gives static

THese headphons are NICE! I bought the grado sr60 but had to return them since they are too loud for the ppl around me. THese headphones sound as nice as if not better than the grado sr-60. my only problem is.. the plug that goes into the outlets is quite bad. Whenever i touch the plug, i get static from the headphones, almost like the mp3 player skipped. This wouldnt happen with the grado sr60. Also.. does any1 notice how wearing them backwards is more comfortable? to me they messed up putting the R and L for right. If you wear it propperly with the R and L on the right sides, the headphones are quite uncomfortable and the headband is near the front of your head. THe headphone set is tilted more for wearing hem backwards i though. any1 else notice this? plz email me if u got the same problems. azngig0L0@aol.com ( the 0's in azngig0l0 are zeros ) thx

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grado sr60

Accurate. Response is flat as a drive across Kansas. Pretty bulletproof as well.

Pads

Pretty much the same as the other 3000 reviews. I was told about these headphone by a guy who takes television and film sound for a living. He had a pair of BIG DOLLAR Beyer's or something that had to be sent back to Germany for repair and needed some cans while they were in the shop. He picked up a pair of V6's and never looked back. Personally I've worked in media for way too many years and I wish I had a nickle for every pair I've used and seen over the years in studios and control rooms. Worth noting is a thanks to all who got the replacement pad info., because that's the only thing that blows about these. I think I might buy another pair in the future and put them in storage just in case Sony screws around with the classic design. At least I'll have a pair to last until I retire....

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