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Interesting... they don't seem to be produced anymore?
The Sony MDR-V6s are still very much around, but any time you try to say something nice about them on a public forum some real smart guy thinks you’re an idiot for saying so and has no idea who they are talking to and has no sense of humor and you kind of have to bite your lip and take notes as to who has a really problematic personality. Or at least that’s been my experience. Sony has tried to discontinue them a couple of times but the audio community screams bloody murder and they come back from the dead. They’ve been around since 1985 and run about $90, $80 on a good day. They get their own Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_MDR-V6 . Here’s a review of their twin brothers, the Sony MDR-7506. https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/mdr-7506 . They are a classic headphone if ever there was one. The fit is a little tight when they are new—you can either let them loosen up over the decades (yes, they will last that long) or buy some nice soft Beyer DT-250 velour pads for them. They fit well for lying down in bed, which I really appreciate.
The Wirecutter lists the MDR-7506s as the best headphones for under $200, full stop.https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-headphones/#best-wired-headphones-under-200
In the price range you are talking about, I have come to enjoy the Beyer DT990s the best, hands down. This was after being very disappointed with them initially. Somehow, there they are, in reach, and I just keep reaching for them. Maybe the sound is a little juiced toward being ”fun.” https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/beyerdynamic/dt-990-pro. With the DT990s you’ve got a choice of three impedances—I think 32, 250 and 600 ohms. If you’re going to get a pair, think closely about which impedance best suits your purposes and use case best. It’s a luxury feature to be able to choose your impedance. If I were asked by a non-audio-enthusiast friend who just wanted some high quality kick-a$$ headphones to enjoy some tunes (or a symphony or jazz quartet) at home, in the $100-$250 price range, that’s what I’d recommend to them.
I am persuaded from what I have read that the AKG-371s and Senn HD599s may be excellent as well, with more of a reserved sound.
I see I just duplicated a prior post but in greater detail. Sorry about that. At least I’m consistent?
I paid less than $200 for the Sennheiser HD580s, many years ago, but I’m afraid that the closest modern equivalent is the Senn HD600s, which run bit more, at $300. If I could recommend that you get only THREE headphones it would be the Sony MDR-V6s (or MDR-7506s), the Senn HD580s (or HD 600s or maybe now the HD599s), and the Beyer DT-990s. All very different and all very enjoyable (for me) sounding phones and will serve you well for decades. All have had great staying power in the audio market and among the audio community and are built well. All have their cult followings and vociferous detractors. If I were like, a super-serious type of dude, I’d get the Senns.
If you want to try something cheap and fun and pretty good the $30 Superlux HD681s are eternal marvels of goodish sound in a comfortable but comically flimsy package. The bass goes nice and deep without being out of proportion, if you think you might like that—they are genuinely big-league impressive in that way.https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/superlux/hd-681
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