Sony MDR-V6 Monitor Series Headphones with CCAW Voice Coil

Main Features

It was time to replace them since the cord is finally shorting too much to ignore any longer and my ears are always covered with black stuff and foam from the disintergrating earcups. I asked around and a colleague who is the audio technician on a popular TV show told me without hesitation, these are the ones to buy. It's what he uses on the set and at home. I'm glad Sony still makes 'em. Maybe I should buy another pair for ten years down the road...


My favorite headphones   July 8, 2004
M. Chabot (USA)
101 out of 105 found this review helpful

The Sony MDR-V6s were the first really good headphones I owned. After about 15 years of use, the foam padding was a bit run down. After doing the exhaustive search for the best headphones, I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD580s (I also own Etymotic ER-4Ps). Comparing the HD580 to my MDR-V6s, I would say that the MDR-V6s are better for two reasons. 1. The MDR-V6s are more comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and 2. The MDR-V6s have a telephone-like cord, which is easier to deal with than the straight HD580 cord. The sound quality was very good on both headphones, and about equal. I ended up buying new foam pads for my 15-year-old MDR-V6s, which made them feel like brand new headphones. I also bought a second pair of MDR-V6s, and shelved the HD580s for now.

Do not buy the MDR-600s by mistake. I have never used them, but I have read numerous reviews that state that the MDR-600s are inferior to the MDR-V6s. You can still buy the MDR-V6s, but they are harder to find. I bought mine at millionbuy because Amazon did not have them in stock. For some reason, the MDR-V6 product name at Amazon magically changed to MDR-600, even though it is an entirely different product. I am not sure why this happened.

The audioreview Web site has a great collection of headphone reviews.


Still making them... because they're still amazing...   November 29, 2005
russdog (Gulf Shores, AL)
25 out of 26 found this review helpful

My pair is 20+ years old. I've tried others, including some that are very expensive, and I keep coming back to the V6s. They are not the equal of a couple others I have, but the others are much more expensive. The V6's just might be one piece of A/V equipment that's been in production the longest. There is a very good reason for that: how they sound. It's no accident that they're used as studio monitors.

Three things to keep in mind:

1. One thing that makes them very good for iPods is that they don't require much power. So, unlike many other good headphones, these can be driven by an iPod without needing a headphone-amp.

2. Three other features that makes them especially good for iPods: (a) they come with a mini-plug, not the big phono plug that many headphones have, (b) they fold up and become small (for headphones, not for earbuds), and (c) they are CHEAP (so you don't feel it's too risky to carry them all over creation).

3. The ear pads fall apart after a few years, but that's really a blessing because you can then spend about $25 and get replacement cushions for the Beyer DT250 or DT280 that are much better. They have a velour surface rather than Sony's plastic. If I'd known this back then, I would have gotten replacement cushions before the original ones fell apart.


Sony MDR-V6   February 6, 2000
Stephen Misel (Southern California)
29 out of 31 found this review helpful

I purchased my Sony MDR-V6 headphones in my very early teens (if not earlier) after reading a review in Stereo Review (I believe). Since then, they've gotten tons of use and I've seen them everywhere. I've gone through 3 or 4 cords over the years and they're finally falling apart. I wanted another pair but settled (ha!) on MDRV600's, which are very muddy - all mids. They're going back today to Best Buy and I'm getting a new set of V6's from here -- I can't believe Sony has kept this model alive so long. These are incredible 'phones. Trust me.