Sony MDR-V55 DJ Stereo Headphones - Black

Bought these to replace my much loved MDR V700's, which must have been about 12 years old and still going strong - until some complete muppet snapped them at a gig. And now the MDR 700's are discontinued, I was very disappointed I couldn't replace them like for like However, the MDR-V55's are great for the price. Good sound reproduction, good volume where you need it. Does a reasonable job of cutting out background noise in the way the pads cover your ears, making perfecting that mix a good bit easier. In my view they are a little bit bass heavy, but that's probably because I prefer sub bass that speakers reproduce so much better than headphones can. Obviously they're intended for DJ use which explains the extra rumble in the 100hz range when it should be down around 60hz, so perhaps explains why Sony tuned them that way. When comparing channels in the cue mix you can get a relatively accurate match between channel 1 and channel 2 when tweaking with the treble, mix and bass on your mixer. When you hear what's coming out front of the sound system it doesn't need playing around with much. I would recommend these headphones over Beats, Skull Candy or whatever brand of the day is most popular - every time. Firstly because they sound WAY better. Secondly, you're not just paying for a brand to help some rapper/phone tycoon make extra pocket money. You'd have to pay around 5/6 times in consumer fashion brand headphone fees than you would to find the same quality of sound/build in the Sony MDR-V55. I was a little dubious about the flat cable, but having said that... the old MDR-V700 headphones with their telephone coil type cable used to get horribly knotted and twisted. I still don't think these flat cables will last long - I say that because it looks like the same cheap flat cables you get with coloured unofficial iPhone lightning cables that last only a few weeks if you're lucky. One year in and we're still doing great so far, but time will tell. All it takes is to walk away from the mixer while forgetting you're still wearing the headphones to break the cable inside. Or worse still the cable gets pinched in a flight case when you attempt to lock it. The MDR-V55 is reasonably well built and they're quite comfortable for extended periods. They also do a great job of keeping your ears warm! If you wear them back to front (R on L, L on R), then you can fold them in such a way they sit around your neck with the pads on your collar bones when you're not using them. They don't fold quite as well as the old MDR-V700's and they don't come with a protective bag either. I can't see these lasting 12 years, but for the price I'd be pleased if they last another 3 or 4.

I have not had time to fully bed these headphones in and check them out properly but my initial impression is that they are well made with a very good sound range - clear base and a clean high end; not mangled and drowned with artificial muddy base etc.. ( I have two other good headphones sets I use for reference - a pair of NAD 16's and some Denon portables - both very good for their uses). At the current lower price I seem to have got a bargain. Sony may have discontinued / superceeded them but since I'm not a 'fashion / poser' type user I don't have a problem with buying the previous model - as long as it is good, and especially if it's around half price :-) (having said that mine are black with a subtly understated thin red band round each ear cup and a nice matching red flat cable - I really don't think I could have worn the white ones :-)) .... but if the price was right who knows??? ) The headband / ear cup pressure seemed a little tight to begin with but after a few days usage they seem to have settled in well. Adjustment is via a click slide, notches numbered, metal band on each side and appears robust and secure. The earpads sit well (on my ears anyway) and at normal volume the sound leakage is not noticable. The outside world is still there but not obtrusive. The cable is flat with a right angled, gold plated, connector and, in real time usage, it is impressive - no bad tangles etc. and seems more robust than most modern lightweight twin cables I've seen. It is a fixed attachment to the left ear alone, not a separate plug in cable, with the right ear supplied via an internal cable running inside the headband. Promoted and advertised as DJ Headphones (and really used by many DJ's) you don't need to be a DJ to appreciate the versatility of swivel cups - nor the neat way the ear cups fold into the headband curve for transportation or storage. For me it's Sony at its' best - very good build quality and a very good (or better) sound performance. Definitely more value for your money - and it's a Sony!

The sound is really good, the drivers in the speakers are definitely good quality - I've played a song full volume off my computer (so pretty loud, and despite getting a little deafened, the quality remained good. So for sound alone, yes these are awesome. However there are obviously more parts to the headphones, and I am not too confident about the build quality. Yes it's good and will take some generally wear and tear, but they do creak while moving you head/jaw which can be annoying. The plastic build is..yeah and the band over the top is soft and can be pushed in. The bare wire can also be seen going up around to each speaker unit on the inside bit of plastic that holds the speaker unit which allows it to swivel(though true when on your head they are hidden) but maybe if this was covered all the way it would just give it that bit more quality feel to it. The next problem is the sound, well no, the sound is awesome but the same can't be said for the noise cancellation. Yes these speakers don't have said feature, however walking along a busy road, in the car or on the train you do pick up on outside noise which means to get a good quality sound you have to turn up the volume pretty loud (3 bars off full on my xperia) which is pretty annoying (and I have quite good hearing, so obviously this isn't cos I'm half deaf! in quite environment I have it pretty low) I don't really have experience with over ear headphones so if this is a common issue with them then sorreh! I like the cable design, I had a pair of sony LiveSound headphones which also had this design meant for non-tangling of wires. But it also means that at both ends of the cable it attaches with another plastic overlap. I think this makes it a lot better for durability then your standard headphones and as everyone who has owned inear headphones knows, most of them break because of the joint at the 3.5mm jack. Of course sony could have solved this problem completely by making the cable detachable (like proper DJ headphones are!) not saying these aren't of course ;) but it would have been nice. Oh yeah and also properly worth mentioning, for those who care, but the headphones have the standard L and R to show which way to stick your headphones on obviously. But on my set, the R logo is painted red, but this isn't the same on the left side, where the L is just black. You are properly thinking, man this guy is sad to even mention something so trivial. However for some this may annoy, and definitely doesn't scream high quality manufacturer at you (and would be something expected of a fake pair of headphones, not sony ones) I hope these aren't fake actually, I really doubt it, but this imperfection does suggest that. So yeah for £50/£60 these are, well okay I guess considering rival headphones are far more dear, the driver units are definitely the expensive part of these, but I would have liked the quality of the rest of the headphones to be, just more sturdy I guess. Also coming from inear headphones which block out all noise, now having these which let a lot of noise in, is such a shame, because listening in a quiet environment the sound is awesome. So yeah they are really good otherwise for the price are pretty decent value for money. So get them, if you want a cheap pair of cans, just take into account the downsides to the product

These headphones produce outstanding sound quality, i use them on a daily basis at home, on the bus and at school and they are great for producing crisp and powerful sound which i have found out first hand, these produce better sound quality than the beats solos as well as matching the beat pro's which seem to be on the top of the market to the masses. These headphones looks very nice upon your head, nothing too large and bulky or too thin and flimsy looking, perfect size, shape and design. I love the retro looking, bold SONY logo that stretches across the headband, it makes me proud to wear a product of SONY'S because of their amazing quality, technical goods and the logo sure is something to show off. The headband is made of a rubbery/plastic material whc=ich seems to be very durable and still maintaining a high level of comfort on your head. There are a few downsides i have found out about these headphones while using them, that is the sound leakage. i love to have my music very loud, i feel the sound quality gets better the louder it is and that it helps block out more sounds around you. when turned up over 3/4 of the volume bar on my iPod, the music can be easily distinguished by someone sitting next to you. The short cable is a small problem, i'm not a DJ or anything so i don't want a long cable curling up on the floor next to me or filling up my pockets but at times, a long cable does help. One more small issue i have found out is after long use (maybe around 4-5 hours) of using these headphones, they begin to hurt your ears. now i don't know if that's because of the tension of the headband or because of the circular cups, but it is something that happens over time. For this price i would most definitely recommend them, they are a superb piece of equipment and do exactly what they are suppose to do to a very high degree. well worth the money so i'd suggest you go buy them now because they're something i cant live without!! hope i helped :)

These headphones look really well manufactured and modern. I was actually surprised that they were not as large as I expected. They seem significantly smaller than the Sony MDR-V700. This however makes them great for carrying around. They are far lighter than I expected as well but still maintain a good quality feeling about them. The cable is also a great idea and never gets tangled and also feels quite sturdy. The cable is not detachable from the headphones however which may be a negative for some. In comparison to the Sony MDRZX600 they feel like they are of a significantly better quality, the head band is also much more resilient than those of the MDRZX600. If you are concerned about using this headphone with an mp3 player or laptop, don't be. This headphone has amazing volume sensitivity. I tested this product against my in ear Sennheisers at the same volume setting and find I only need to raise the volume very slightly to achieve the same volume in these headphones as I do with my in-ear headphones. In ear headphones are notoriously easy to drive so this says a lot about a headphone with a much larger driver. In terms of the sound this headphone is excellent. In my opinion the sound was more neutral like that of a studio monitor. I had read many reviews saying they are bass heavy headphones so I was surprised by this. These do however respond extremely well to equalizers and with a little tweaking you hear exactly what these reviewers are talking about. These give some incredibly heavy, yet clear bass. These are also fantastic if you want to get immersed in a movie and have the sound envelop you and pull you into the film. I do not feel that the passive sound isolation is that great. They do however prevent sound leakage up to a fairly high volume which is essential for me as I like to listen to my headphones while in the library and would not like to share my music with everyone around me as I am sure they would not appreciate this. Even other than this, sound leakage is annoying for anyone and I appreciate this aspect of the headphones. The first few days of wearing these I must admit they were a bit tight on the ears. They do stretch a bit over time and are now quite comfortable. I do wish these headphones came with a carrying pouch however. Other than that, for the value and quality of these headphones they deserve nothing less than 5 stars. Excellent product!

To put this in context i have a pair of in ear earphones (not the bud type but the loose in ear which in my opinion are best design as they allow a good bass) made by Sony. I got these with an old Sony Walkman mobile 10 years ago and are the headphones I compare all others. The clarity of sound and depth of sound is almost perfect with just a slight weakness in punchy bass. I went by the reviews of the MDR-V55 and thought I couldn't go wrong. After listening to the new MDR-V55 i was hoping they would grow on me over time. In fact it's got to the point where they annoy me with the sound they produce and make listening for longer periods unpleasant. Sound is woefully dull flat with flabby bass. Absolutely no depth of sound or isolation in the sounds. Just a mess especially at higher volumes. Many good sounding records become awful to listen to with these headphones. Seriously. Consider seriously or at least try them first somehow. What I was most disappointed with is that the bass is over the top and fuzzy. Punchy bass is in fact not, it sounds very loose and also low frequencies overpower and drown out any depth of sound or clarity that can be noticed at times. Perhaps a good amp and equaliser could coax some decent balanced sound out of these, good luck. There is the glimmer of something good in that at times sound can infrequently be quite "nice" but never exciting or rewarding. Average for the money i would say. Okay comfort. Bottom line is that sound is fairly clear and bass but ultimately woefully shockingly unforgivably flat and dull. 3 stars only because price and design. 1 or 2 stars for sound.

I was hoping to get a set of headphones so I can wear in the office and concentrate at the work as others talk on the phone, etc. This was an excellent purchase - it looks so funky with the red, fat cable that looks like a red linguine; it is relatively comfortable wearing for a long time (I had it for 1.5 hours the longest); the sound quality was so good, you can't hear any noise around you with them on (even when you aren't listening to music)! Another feature that I didn't expect was that it comes with a speaker-microphone. I discovered when someone called me when I had these one listening to music on my iPhone, I answered the call and greeted the caller with a whisper (as colleague was on the phone with a client), the caller heard me very well, without the headphone he would almost certainly have complained and asked me to repeat what I said. Certainly a very nice surprise feature. I have also plugged these to my digital piano at home (with an adaptor), they are so much better compared to the set that came with the piano itself, those that would have costed me £69 if I had to buy them separately, the sound quality was not as good as the SONY, as well as that they gave me earache by the time I finished the first movement of Mozart K545. I would certainly prefer these SONY ones over the other ones. The only downside is that when I had these on, I missed a couple of phone calls on the office landline - just so you know how good the soundproofing is. These might be double the price to the basics that you will find from SONY on Amazon, but there are certainly features that I would recommend and would pay extra for (the microphones, for instance).

I am no audiophile but have bought many headphones over the last year, searching for the perfect pair. I tend to prefer in ear mainly due to portability on the bus to work and own both pair of Ultimate Ears and some Sony MDR EX700 Both pairs cost in excess of £150.00. Together with some Bose In Ear (terrible no bass)which were £80. Comparing in ears to on ears is difficult and everyone has their favourite so I will compare the sound. The MDR-V55 are without doubt the best phones I have ever heard. I have just put them on and listening to Jean Michelle Jarre Aero. The sound is full, bass very deep but not over powering, mids and tops perfect too even at high volume. What blew me away is the sound separation. to the point where your tummy is turning. You feel like sound is coming from behind you in parts. I understand these need a little time to settle in so I guess the brilliant sound already will get better. I have read and seen many reviews on line that state these are better than Monster Beats. I have not heard Monsters but were always put by the price, sound leakage and the big badge I'm 46 looks a little daft. Lets face it Sony have been making headphones for years and know how to do it. OK these will never be as isolated as in ear buds but the pads do cushion ears well with very little leakage. Another thing about the sound is they need little powering. Volume on Iphone just at half volume which is plenty loud enough. They also sound good at low volumes which many don't. Regarding build and comfort. Yes they are plastic but not cheap. Lightweight and feel comfortable on. Some reviews say not which I don't understand at all. The cord is pretty short but perfect for iPod in the pocket. Its fixed unlike Monsters but looks OK I don't have a worry there. Flat and tangle free. Also 1 cord down the left side not tangled v cord. So you have just spent in excess of £200 on your phone/Ipod. Ditch the headphones that came with it and buy these. Fantastic.