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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.

I can't recall how long I've owned my MDR-V6 phones, but it's easily been ten years. The sound is excellent, virtually uncolored, and unlike other top of the line headphones like Sennheiser's (which are VERY nice and well over $150.00) these sound as good used with a portable CD player as with a well powered home system.

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...

I've owned these headphones for over 10 years and I consider them to be one of the best electronics purchases I've ever made. If your experience with headphones has been limited to whatever was packaged with your portable player, you'll be amazed at how these open up the experience of listening to music.

You can get a more detailed sound out of headphones, but these are remarkably good for the price. Considering the prevalence of these headphones in studio environments, they've become somewhat of a standard. You could get better, but you'd have to spend considerably more money.

These headphones also shine in their efficiency. Essentially a headphone's efficiency relates to how much volume of sound is produced by a given amount of input. This is probably one of the most important specs to concern yourself with in headphones. Many portable audio devices have relatively low-powered outputs that are not able to adequately drive larger headphones. Most can drive these Sonys very well.

Some have complained about these headphones being prone to falling apart. I disagree. While mine have taken a beating, I've also taken them all over the place on my travels and used them heavily for years. From salty and humid tropical beaches to far too many airplane flights, these headphones have accompanied me. If you've worn out these headphones it's probably due to the fact that you've subjected these headphones to far more use than any previous headphone.

Lastly, these headphones are a bargain price. You can't easily find headphones this good under $100.

If you use personal audio devices or enjoy a lot of media while at the computer, do yourself a favor and order these headphones. They will open the detail of the music to you in a way that will pleasantly surprise you. To get anywhere near this quality of sound from desktop loudspeakers would require an investment many times the price of these headphones.