No volume control

Very comfortable. Closed headphones usually irritate my ears after 30 minutes of wearing but I had no problem with the MDR-V6. The low end bass was better than other headphones I've used. (Sony specs them down to 5 Hz). I got mine at a clearance sale for $43. They usually sell for about $80 if you can find them. A good value at $80.

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Koss

loud, clear, comfortable, no frills all business,

i'd prefer a punchier more defined bass

I spin records for fun and these are really fantastic headphones.... they keep exterior sound out SO well... its amazing... and they are very comfortable for headphones of this size, (tough to compare against my senn 580's that encompass your ears).

Sometimes i wish the bass hit a bit more instead of being a little soft.... but really thats a bad trait i should wean myself off of.

I like how the V6 is more simple then the new V600's which has far too much plastic and padding... and the 600's are a bit heavy and bulky compared to the V6 which is better in every respect.

one thing i have to mention cause its so small and trivial but something i find to be SUCH a good idea especially for a dj who's plugin' and unplugin' his headphones from the mixer constantly........ a screw-in 1/4" adapter... so the 1/8" won't slip out or partially come out (which is worse).

did i miss anything? =]

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most of the sony's above these, and many sennheisers

Deep controlled bass, fairly neutral sound. Includes carrying pouch. Folds. Comfortable. Good isolation like EVERY closed headphone should. Pretty nice build for what you pay.

Slight upper midrange glare.

These are really nice headphones, probably the best closed type available at this price. Compared to higher end cans the soundstage and detail just isn't there, and the slightly bright upper midrange is annoying. Though bass is about as low as it goes and has great slam, I've heard better. A very competant headphone, especially suited for PC use.

Similar Products Used:

Grado RS-1, SR125. Sennheiser HD545. Koss TD80.

I bought these headphones thinking that they would be as good as the original Sony headphone series that preceded the V6. I've also used the MDR-7506 and thought that it was reasonably good. The V6 is stuffy and flat. I can't seem to regulate the tones of my system enough to clean up the sound. A London fog is visually clearer than these headphones are aurally. Sony seems to have cut the quality out of these headphones just to keep the price point. Hershey tried to cut the weight of their famous chocolate bar until it couldn't ship to candy stores without breaking. Congratulations, Sony....how's your Hershey bar?

Best sounding headphones I have ever owned..

Earpads start to flake and wear off after some years

The Sony MDR-V6 (which are NOT the headphones pictured at the top of this review page at the time I type this), are simply the best sounding, most accurate pair of phones I have ever owned. Period.

If you own these records or CDs, try them through various sets of headphones and decide which give you the most prodigious, clean bass:

a) The first few bars of The Beatles' "Baby You're A Rich Man" (Stereo mix) from "Magical Mystery Tour." Listen to McCartney's basslines..

b) "Firth of Fifth" from Genesis' "Selling England By The Pound" - Listen to the instrumental section, especially the thunderous tons of Mike Rutherford's bass pedal work..

c) "Brain Salad Surgery", the hard-to-find single by ELP..

d) "Queen of the Hours" from the very first Electric Light Orchestra LP.. listen to the bass lines..

I could name a dozen more examples of classic rock tunes with incredibly wide dynamic range which are show-off tracks for high quality speakers and headphones..

These headphones, or "cans" as some like to call them :) have been in my home audio arsenal for close to ten years. I've had to replace the earpads once as the originals' covers disintegrated.. Sony still stocks the pads. Check other postings here for how to order them directly from Sony.

I can wear these phones for hours on end. They are sublimely comfortable, lightweight, shut out most outside noise, and fold down for storage in a provided string-drawn pouch.

Absolutely worth every penny I paid for them many years ago and worth buying a second pair just for a backup spare.

I've owned and listened to an awful lot of headphones in my time.. these are, by far, without a doubt, the best I have ever owned or heard. Period.

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Many

In addition to having been an audio enthusiast since the age of twelve, I am a radio personality and producer, as well as an independent studio owner. Since most of my waking hours are spent around pro audio gear, and most of THAT time is spent wearing headphones, I feel qualified to pass judgement on the Sony MDR-V6. I've used MANY different kinds of phones...from the new Grado SR-60s and 80s, to BeyerDynamic DT-990 Pros, to Sennheiser 545s. And for my money, the less expensive Sony MDR-V6 is far more accurate. I'm not alking just GREAT sound...I'm talking ACCURATE sound. My voice coming out of these phones sounds like me. When I add sound effects and processing to a recording, I can clearly hear each new layer. The mixes I do on the Sonys hold up on other systems from high end stereos to boom boxes. Because the Sonys tell the truth, I KNOW what my productions will sound like at the listener's end. Midrange is uncolored, bass extends to the bottom without boom, and the highs are accurate. BUY THEM!!!

many

few

Ignore the post by "R.L., Audiophile from Melrose Park, IL." dated 12/29/00. That person (who I doubt had the initials R.L. and who obviously doesn't live in Melrose Park, IL. and uses an e-mail address that nobody can currently access) must be f@$#&!? retarded.

While the Sony MDR-V6's aren't the very best headphones I've heard (but then, most sealed headphones don't sound as good as the better open-air headphones) they - along with their currently available professional variant, the MDR-7506 - are among the best sealed headphones you can buy for around $100. Granted, they sometimes rest on the ears and are sometimes uncomfortable, but they are so much more accurate than the muddy, boomy, ringing, honky (in a bad way) MDR-V600.

There are better-sounding headphones at this price level, but not sealed designs - and most sealed headphones at this price frankly sound like way cheaper headphones. The MDR-V6 and MDR-7506 at least sound like they're worth their asking price.

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piece-of-c*** MDR-V600 (SONY)

Nice sound good base

Expensive

These were great till they broke!! cheaply made now I have no money for new ones! oh well what are we going to do!

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allot of phones

Great sounding headphones. Have never heard any distortion from these even with the the many systems I've had.

The ear pading material peals after a couple months or so. Replacement pads are 13 each and made also of vinyl. It would be better if they offered leather replacements.

Nice headphones that will compair to many other more expensive headphone.

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Koss electrostatic headphones and a nice pair of sennhieser headphone.

Great sound, foldable

As everybody else has said: the earpads

There's not much I can add to the 74 reviews before this one; like most of the other folks here have reported, these phones have a very even, honest sound to them. When I bought them (around 1990), I knew them as the best "consumer" model Sony sold at the time. It's nice to see that hasn't changed...

Not long after I got them, I replaced the coiled cord with the cord from another pair of Sony phones (don't remember the model - 74s maybe?). This cord is great, straight and about 10' long - no kidding. I highly recommend this change - it's not too difficult if you're not afraid to do a little soldering.

As with everybody else here, I've had the peeling earpad problem, though I must admit it took me a while to figure out where those black flaky things one my face were coming from...