I’m rocking the Hifiman Sundaras. What about you guys?
For at least the last 20 years my main cans have been a pair of the Sony MDR-V6.
As a kid growing up, my grandparents gave my brother (older) and I each some nice headphones. He got Sennheiser 595s, and I don’t know what I got, But I liked them a lot and brought him to school in my backpack one time.
Don’t put full sized over ear headphones in backpacks. They break.
My parents bought me a replacement. Sony MDR-V600. I didn’t know how shitty those were for a very long time.
They are not the same as the Sony MDR-V6, but I honestly don’t know how different since I’ve never heard the V6. There’s a pretty big price difference and the V6s have way better reviews.
I miss my V600s. I still have them, but their fabrics are in shreds just from age, and there’s no room in the ear cups, at all. The main cable insulation broke open years ago and I’ve since gotten new headphones…
But man. That Sony sound, even on my shitty old V600s. Kind of makes me want to get a pair of 7506s or V6s.
Have you had to repair anything on your V6s?
I love a good story about headphones that mean something to someone. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve replaced the ear pads twice and the most recent one have been amazing. Very light on my head and more breathable that the originals and the first replacements I found. I can find out which one I have on them now and link them here if you’d like.
I also like to tinker a bit and was looking for a soldering project around the same time I kept seeing everyone with their headphones and cool detachable cables. So I bit the bullet and modded my V-6s with the detachable cable mod. Certainly something I didn’t have to do but it came out great and made these cans even more special to me.
I am curious. If it wouldn’t be too much hassle, I’d be interested in what you found are superior.
BRAINWAVZ Perforated Replacement Earpads for Sony MDR 7506, V6 & CD900ST with Memory Foam Ear Pad & Suitable for Other On Ear Headphones (Black) https://a.co/d/5z8ZVVe
These are the most recent Earpads I have on my V-6s.
No signs of of wear at all and I’ve had them about a year and a half.
HD6XX on a Schitt stack for the home, WF-1000XM4s on the go, and Pixel Buds A for choring.
That doesn’t stop me from going into the drawer of shame to pull out something else from time to time, but that’s my current rotation.
6XX on a Schitt stack is like THE entry level audiophile deal of the last several decades. I’ve suggested that to so many people, all of whom still daily drive and are still happy with it.
Good old Sennheiser Game One, but looking for something new soon.
Man I remember when those came out. Heck of a headset, even today.
Yeah it’s incredible how they’re so comfy yet so good even today!
Xm4-1000
Rotating between the HD800S, LCD-X 2020’s, and Aeon 2 Noire depending on if I am watching videos, gaming, or listening to music. The Noire’s are the newest to me, and have been getting the most head time while I’ve been on a rock/metal and electronica bent lately. Source is Amazon Music into an SMSL SU-8 to Singxer SA-1. I finally hit my perfect trifecta… until the bug gets me again.
I, too, have a pair of 800Ss. Even with EQ, have you ever gotten them to have any sort of slam? Or are they truly incapable of that?
There is a subjective component there, but I just don’t think Senn’s ring drivers are capable of really digging into a true slam. They are just too refined to do it I think. A bass shelf in EQ combined with a warmer signature and powerful amp helps, but they excel with jazz, classical, orchestral, and electro swing where slam doesn’t matter as much. That was one of the driving forces that caused me to try the Aeon 2 Noire, as even the LCD-X was not quite there to me in the slam factor for some songs. That said, no regrets with either of the 3 as they each complement each other well.
For reference I also have a Focal Elear (using Elex pads) and a Focal Elegia with Dekoni’s Stellia pads since Focal is known for dynamics and slam. Both are very enjoyable and still get some head time, but were not able to scratch that itch for me on slam. I still want to try the Clear OGs one of these days to find out if they are truly the holy grail that can slam as hard as rumor states.
Oh dang. My current daily setup is an Elear powered by a Valhalla2. I also mix audio with them sometimes, so I need them to be reference leveled so I’m not fighting my monitors, and so use that one software, SoundID Listen or whatever to get them “professionally” to flat, and then use EqualizerAPO for minor taste and hearing-loss tweaks (I got COVID in Jan 2020 and after recovering, my left ear, and kind of my right, have permanent 2-4db loss UNDER about 3khz. I had to go to an audiologist. I am very sad).
I’ve never switched out any parts at all, and have also always wondered how much better the successor Focal headphones in the Elear family are. I’ve heard the Utopia a few times, but it just sounded so damped in the highs.
I know the tech is constantly getting better, but, after Tyll retired (InnerFedelity), I feel like headphone culture kind of cooled off since there was no anchor point. He wasn’t perfect, but he made those reference charts and measurements that were super helpful.
