Sony MDR-V6: Worth it, or can I do better for the money?

Bump on this. Do the MDR-7510 and ATH 50 need headphone amps to drive them, or are they good on their own? My paycheck came in and I'm set to order; I just need a confirmation that what I'm buying will work with my system!

 

Both will play just fine from headphone jacks on most components. They will not be at their best from portable players. As always a dedicated headphone amp is a good investment.

 

I definitely plan to get one within the next year, but money's tight right now. As long as my receiver can power them, I can live with that for now.

I just finalized my order for the 7510s. I'll let y'all know my impressions once I get them!

 

I do think the V6 is still worth owning. I am going to do a video on aftermarket ear pads., velour & lamb skin. Stay tuned.

 

Just thought I'd bump this thread to say that I just got a pair of V6's for DJ'ing with and taking on the road. I'm really impressed with them so far, even straight out of the box. Lots of nice detail, fairly smooth frequency response, VERY comfortable, and they look awesome. I love the quirky "for Digital" sticker. I'm looking forward to testing them against my AKG K550's

 

I like the V6's - I bought a pair in 1987, to go with my Sony D-100 Discman portable CD player, when they were still a very new model.



The fabric inserts started to dissolve about a decade later, and the ear pads a few years after that. I lived in LA by that point and didn't walk or ride the bus much, so lived with earbuds until I moved back to San Francisco and into a noisy office a few years ago.

I thought about getting new pads for the V6's, but honestly technology has marched on. They were astounding for 1985 and are certainly one of the most durable, good-sounding set of cans anyone has or will ever build, but you've got better options today. I settled on AT's ATH-M50s, which present a substantially more detailed soundscape than the V6 ever managed. The Sonys actually have a flatter frequency response - at least out to the far treble, where they get wobbly - but the Audio Technica's have much better deep bass, not too much of a mid-bass hump, and much, much more usable treble without the Sony's unfortunate 9kHz peak, which makes them bright but fatiguing in my opinion.

I listen to rock and dance and electronic music among other things, and I think strong bass performance is vital. Because you don't get the visceral sensation of bass slapping against your body like you get with loudspeakers, I feel that headphones need some extra deep-bass emphasis - even with classical material - in order to replicate the same emotional experience. I could actually do with substantially more emphasis than the ATH-M50s provide, but that would probably tick the audiophiles off.

Also, unlike the Sony's, the AT's seem very linear and swift in their response (in spite of their superior bass, which is surprising). Everything just sounds more detailed and less "smeared" as a result, and the bass seems tighter and more natural - often revealing things I've never heard distinctly before.

 

I have a pair of the virtually identical MDR-7506s, but have had a bit of problems with the jack part of the cord so lately I've been using Sony MDR-V55-DJs which are surprisingly good for an open ear phone and were only like $50 if my memory serves me correctly.

 

Auditioned a bunch and finally went with the Senn HD380 pros. They're marked down to around the same price point.