Sounds good

Around the ears is a little small - the ear padding is probably going to suck real soon.

Well after a month I still love them. Some people hate the coil, but personally like it. I use these on my computer, plugged in to my way too expensive klipsch promedias. Anyway, they sound very good and I have had no problem in the sound reproduction area.

One thing I am concerned about is the comfort. I would love if I could change these to make them more comfortable. I read where someone said to switch the pads with some Beyerdynamics Beyr 250 headphone pads. I would love to do this - but how does one go about replacing them? Email me please.

These also sound good without a amp.
Simply put, if you are looking for closed, good sounding headphones that do not *require* a amp, check these out.

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crap - this is my first good pair.

Very good in bass, treble and mid. Nice colorful label to distinguish left and right, very accurate, good looking.

Twisting cord too heavy for portable use. Driver to small to cover up big ears, makes you sweat a lot.

Got Grado SR60, Koss A200, can't resist the temptation to get a pair of MDR-V6 for the glowing review. Nice package, clean looking. Looks so much smaller than V-600. The sound is very nice. Seems to have more details than Grado SR60, also stronger in Bass. Mid is good but can not touch grado's. Grado SR60's sound is much more spacious, it has beautiful upper mid, very seductive. Maybe MDR-V6 is more accurate, but Grado SR60's upper mid sounds more beautiful, for sure. Looks more durable than Grado, however the pair I got has some quality problem: there is a small hole in the cover of the driver. There are two problems with this headphone though: First, the driver is too small to cover my ears and my ears got painful after short time of listening. And because of its closed design I sweat a lot wearing it. Second, the twisting cord is too heavy for portable listening. Overall a very good pair of headphone. Could be more accurate than Grado SR60 but lacks Grado SR60's personality (life).

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Grado SR60, Koss A200, Sennheiser 490, Koss porta pro, Koss Sporta pro, Koss the plug, Jensen JR30 and tons more.

Flat frequency response, very clean sound

Earcups are slightly on the small side

First, that picture above isn't the Sony MDR-V6. I sent the webmaster an e-mail, so I guess we'll see if they ever change it. The real picture of the MDR-V6 can be seen at http://www.djmart.com/noname5.html. If you're going to review these cans, know what you're reviewing at least. Some of the reviews on here are pure drivel and need to be thrown out. Didn't anybody read the review guidelines? Now on to the review:

Before these headphones, I mainly used cheap Sony earbuds around the $10-30 range when I couldn't listen to a speaker system. The higher end Sony earbuds have some very crisp, detailed mids and highs, and these MDR-V6 cans are the same. But in addition, they also have some of the cleanest, tightest bass of any headphones around. These studio monitor headphones have proven themselves time and time again, as the number of disc jockeys, sound engineers, and recording artists you'll notice wearing these will attest by example. [On a side note, the Sony MDR-7506 is built the same as the V6 except they have gold plugs and come with a parts replacement warranty.] These are the cans to get if you do a lot of sound editing and need to hear exactly what is on the mix and nothing more or less. Notice the name on the headband, "STUDIO MONITOR."

The other headphones around this price range I've used are the Grado SR80's, Koss A/200's and the Sony MDR-V600. None can match the V6 in neutrality and crispness. The Grados, you all probably know, while great headphones, are famous for coloring the sound, and the discontinued Koss A/200 has a depressed midrange and very harsh, washed out sounding treble. The MDR-V600 was obviously designed to cater to consumers who are always hankering for "BASS! BASS!" because they want their headphones to sound like speakers at a club. You feel low bass, not hear it. Headphones that put out a lot of 'bass' are exaggerating the low mids and nothing more. Also, if you want your headphones to hit hard in the low regions, a headphone amplifier is a must, even for low impedence cans like these. Anybody who thinks the V600 is better than the V6 or in the same vein probably drives around with 2 15" subs in the back of their car is not even remotely an audiophile, I'm sorry to say. If you fit this description, crank up your Mega Bass and blow your ears away and go on listening to distorted, boomy, "consumerized" sound. Great headphones like the V6 will never satisfy you, as they're not sell out cans.

Currently, I've mated the MDR-V6 to a Creek OBH-11 headphone amplifier connected with Monster Cable M550i RCA interconnects with a M Audio Audiophile 24-bit/96kHz sound card, and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. Don't understimate what an amplifier will do for your headphones, even with low impedence monitoring headphones like this Sony. The midrange really blossoms, and the bass hits wicked hard, but never bloats or goes out of control. The OBH-11 is a solid state amp, but is not harsh at all and sounds very smooth, as well, the M550i interconnects also are designed to not reveal the harshness of current digital recordings, so as a result, my chain of components sound very robust, full, and smooth for all musical recordings except for the worst POP music offenders or just badly mastered discs. Someone mentioned the V6 was designed for vinyl recordings and are out of date in the digital world; what a bunch of useless double talk. You choose your audio components based on what you want it to sound like. Some of the best (and most expensivie) audio interconnects made today reveal every single harsh mistake in digital recordings, and audiophiles savor that. You can have the most revealing system possible, but something like the V600 will still sound muddy and boomy. Headphones like it are designed to work with and more importantly to compsensate for flawed components, not work with other quality components.

The build quality on the "Made in Japan" Sony MDR-V6 is exceptional to the last. The leather headband is supple yet sturdy. The metal driver back is strong yet light. The coiled cord is heavy duty and can extend about 3 meters fully stretched. The screw on 1/4" adapter is just so obviously versatile, you wonder why all headphones don't have it. However, the one nag I have about them is that the ear cups are a bit on the small side, and your ears will get sore on the tips if you wear them for long periods of time (this is 3-4 hours or more for me), yet I still find myself coming back to these classic cans over and over again. It's truly a sweet agony! ;D I've gotten so used to them that I can go to sleep in them. But people who complain about their ears getting hot wearing the MDR-V6 should realize this is normal for *all* closed headphones. If you're so hot, turn up the air conditioning for pete's sake. In conclusion, the MDR-V6 is the best of class in everything it does and one of my most cherished audio purchases. Go to www.djmart.com and buy yourself a pair of these or the MDR-7506 today.

Thanks for reading my review.

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cheap Sony earbuds, Grado SR80, Sony MDR-V600, Koss A/200

I love these headphones. Had mine for around 6 years. Bought 2 so I'll have a spare in case they stop making them. Bought the v600's too. Totally different headphones. Big waste of money. NEVER use them.

Quality sound reproduction. Better than contemporaries at treble reproduction.

Bass could go lower

I bought MDR-V6's 10 years ago after they topped Consumer Reports tests. They worked great, and I recently planned to replace them with the successor model, the MDR-V600. The V600's cushions were bigger, leaving more room for my ears. However, one was pressed against my ear more than the other - they felt odd that way. While the bass was better than my 10 year old headphones, the V600's lacked clear treble reproduction. They went back to the store and I recently bought new MDR-V6's from ebay. They are the best I've heard (and I did try a Sony band-behind-the-neck $60 model and the $90 Sennheisers from Circuit City).

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MDR-V600

The Sony MDR-V6 headphones are by far one of the cleanest sounding pair of headphones that I have listened to. Although I have had these for 6 years now I still use them on serious listening. I was surprised that Stereophile's mag did not include these in their recommendations. I have listened to a few of their lower end recommendations and for the money and sound the Sony has them beat.

I have had the V6's for over 6 years now and have absolutely no complaints! They have a beautifully flat response all across the band and are comfortable as well as durable. These days, it's fairly easy to pick up a pair between $60-$70, which is a relative bargain! All sounds come through true to life and natural. A definite best buy... can't do better considering the price!

MDR-V6 is a very good product for professionals. I think that Sony headphones are the best option but don't believe me, because I'm a SONY fanatic.

I have had a pair of MDR-V6 phones for about 5 years now. I find them very goodfor the price. But not for the retail price of $110. (Most stores do discount
them below $70). If you are a constant headphone listener, the higher end
Sennheiser would be a better choice. But the Sony has a fairly flat response
across the band. I find them to be quite accurate. My only caveat would be the
foam inserts (over the elements). They will deteriorate over time, just like
the older speaker surrounds. Sony wants $34 a pair for replacements (including
the oval cushions)! I replaced mine with some acoustically transparent cloth,
since the cushions are still fine.

Good design, good sound

Larger size

For the combination of comfort, design, durability, sound and price, these cans are hard to beat. The sound quality is unusually light and snappy for sealed headphones, and they make great headphones for rock music as they reproduce drums and percussion well. The bass is tight and defined. There are better headphones out there, but not for the price, and most headphones this good will not sound good from a non-amped portable. These are the best sealed headphones for portable listening (without an amp). There's supposedly a cross-feedback problem with the V6s that make binaural recordings not reproduce correctly, although I've never noticed a problem. These have been studio standard headphones for YEARS (the pro version, which is virtually the same), I'm sure many of the recordings you listen to were monitored in the studio when they were recorded with these very cans.

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various Sony headphones, other brands