The best headphone you can get for under $100
Here's a fact, wired headphones will get your amazing sound for much cheaper than the wireless version.
During my summer break in college, my childhood buddies Brent, Rob and I would do the 1.5 hour drive up Route 23 from Portsmouth, OH to Columbus, OH to spend the day in the “big city”. We would eat pizza and check out the hi-fi shops around High Street. It was the 80’s back then so this was before sound bars, wifi, and bluetooth. We are talking about old-school analog gear. Turntables from Audio Technica, amps, preamps and receivers from Technics, Onkyo, Marantz, and tape decks from Nakamichi (oh do I miss them). Speakers were from JBL, Cerwin Vega, Klipsch, or Yamaha. If we were lucky, the stores had some high-end gear such as NAD, Bang and Olufsen, or McIntosh gear that cost as much as our cars.
Time and technology has advanced, and we went from records, to 8-tracks, to cassettes, then to CDs. Now days, we are streaming audio to our smartphones.
While most people are happy to stream their music to their earbuds or Bluetooth headphones, I want to tell you a little secret. Right now as you are lounging around the house, I bet you have a favorite t-shirt, a pair of jeans or some sweats that are crazy comfortable. I want to tell you about this one particular headphone that you can get for under $100 that will make your ears feel the same way.
I admit, I have a headphone fetish. I currently have five pairs. My first pair were the Plantronics Backbeat Pro, then I got the Bose QC35 that I still use for flying and noisy environments (think two adorable but loud grand nephews). Then I have my Audio Technica ATH AD-700 affectionately called my “purple monsters”, and my AirPods that I use around the house and at night. Compared to all of them, my favorite is my Sony MDR-7506 headphone. After a busy day at work, these are my go to cans. Read on and I’ll tell you why.
History
The Original Sony MDR-V6
Even with a 9.8ft cord, they fold up and fit in a Sony pouch.
Back in 1985, Sony introduced the MDR-V6 studio monitor headphones for the professional market, and it was a big hit with many sound engineers, audiophiles and DJs. Then in 1991, Sony came out with the MDR-7506. What was the difference? The MDR-V6 and the MDR-7506 used the same samarium-cobalt magnet, but later Sony changed the driver on the MDR-7506 to a more powerful neodymium magnet. Since then, both the Sony MDR-V6 and the MDR-7506 have become favorites with the audiophile scene for their great sound and value.
Sound
Sound-wise, many audiophiles say that the MDR-V6 has a more mellow sound. I have both and tend to agree. Sadly, I broke my MDR-V6’s audio jack and that’s why I got the MDR-7506. The MDR-7506 have a more accurate sound with a little less bass, but I just love them. They have amazing vocal presence and great soundstage.
I use them plugged into my iMac with a special cable (more on that later) and they sound fantastic. The padded faux leather headband says STUDIO MONITOR and they say that for a reason. You are wearing hight accurate studio monitors and your ears will thank you. They have a long 9.8ft cord so they are not for walking around in public, unless you like getting weird stares from people, but for home listening with your stereo system, PC or laptop, they can’t be beat.
If you watch youtube videos with singers in a studio, often times you will either see the Sony MDR-7506, the Audio Technica ATH-MX50s, or maybe the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro. Here is Lee Suhyun singing “Sori” from Mr. Sunshine’s soundtrack:
Design, Durability and Comfort
The MDR-7506 materials are plastic, but as you handle them, they feel like metal and that’s a good thing. They are extremely durable, light on the head, and will last for many years. I wear them for 4-6 hours a day and they are extremely comfortable. For less than $100, these are one of the best values for truly professional headphones. Now some of you will say, “Wait a second, these are on $99 and so they are only $1 less than $100”. Yes, but often times, these headphones go on sale for $79 if you keep your eyes open. The same can’t be said for the MDR-V6 which are usually over $200
The Sony MDR-7506 next to the Bose QC 35. No fancy stuff here.
Negatives
The only negative issue about these headphones are that the standard ear cup material will tend to flake off into your hair after a week of use. I don’t know what Sony was thinking when they sourced this material for the earpads. I recommend that you replace them right away with something more durable. I replaced mine from a company called Brainwavz. The come in a variety of colors and are very comfortable.
The other possible issue is that the audio cable that attaches to the earcup is exposed. So as you are adjusting the headband, be careful not to tug or pull too hard on those wires since they may break.
Features and Specs
These are old-school headphones, so other than the 9.8 ft long cord and a 3.5mm plug and a 1/8 inch jack, there is nothing else. No noise cancellation, no bluetooth, or smartphone call controls, but trust me, once you hear them, you won’t miss the features.
Here are the MDR-7506 specifications from Sony’s Website.
Headphone Type | Dynamic, closed |
Magnet Type | Neodymium |
Driver Size | 40.0 mm |
Frequency Response | 10-20kHz |
Impedance | 63 ohms |
Sensitivity | 106 dB/w/m |
Power Handling | 1,000mW |
Plug Type | Gold, Stereo Unimatch plus 1/4” and 1/8” |
Cord Length | 9.8 ft |
Weight | 8.1 oz |
Competition
What about the Audio Technica ATH-MX50s? Certainly, they a great pair of headphones, but they retail for $149, fit larger on the head which may not be comfortable for people with a smaller noggin, and in my opinion, have a bit more reverb in the vocals. The Sony MDR-7506 are a bit lighter at 8.1 oz while the ATH-MX50x are 10 oz. Wireless bluetooth headphones such as the Bose Quiet Comfort (QC) 35 IIs retail for $299 and the QC 700s retail for $379. While they have many features and sound very good, they won’t sound as good as the Sonys. Plus, on some days you will get a great connection with your Mac or PC and on others, the connection will constantly drop out or not work at all. With wired headphones, you will never have that issue.
A Nice Addition
The Sony MDR-7506 headphones sound great on their own, but as Steve Jobs use to say, “There’s one more thing”. If you buy a little headphone amplifier, you can really upgrade the sound of the MDR-7506 or whatever headphones you own. Now the ones I am going to recommend may raise your eyebrows a bit, but my goal here is to keep your overall cost low in order to get the best sound per value for the money. My headphone amp recommendation is the Turtle Beach Ear Force DSS 7.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound Processor. This unit came out in 2010 and retailed for $80. These days you can get them for under $15 used all day long on eBay. I recommend this processor due to the following reasons.
Besides being a good sound processor for your gaming PC, PS4, or Xbox, this little device really enhances the MDR-7506’s sound and provides a smooth increase in volume and bass due it the device’s amp and separate bass control. The Ear Force DSS 7.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound Processor is extremely light at 1.4 oz (40g), and only needs USB power.
The Ear Force DSS’s front has a USB passthrough port for powering USB headphones. There is a standard 3.5mm headphone jack next to it and then a smooth, rotating volume knob.
On the top of the unit are the indicator lights and the Dolby Bypass indicator light and button. Below the Dolby Bypass button, you have the following indicators:
Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic IIX decoder, and Digital In indicators. The Dolby Bypass button turns off any Dolby processing. The two Dolby processing lights will alternate depending if the audio or digital audio source is being process by the Dolby Pro Logic IIX or Dolby Digital decoder. The Digital In indicator lights up only if the audio source is digital such as when you are using an optical (Toslink) cable.
The left side has the On and Off button and the right side has the bass boast turn wheel.
One the back of the unit, there is the Analog In port, an Input Volume slider for analog signals, a Digital In Optical (Toslink) port, and a Micro USB in port for power.
Putting it all together
So how does this all work? In my case which is listening to music, here is what I use. Remember that special cable I mentioned earlier? Most Macs that have a headphone jack that also supports digital output. I use a 3.5mm to mini optical (Toslink) cable that runs from the headphone jack of my iMac to the Ear Force DSS processor’s optical input port. This produces a cleaner sound from your Mac or PC with no interference from your PC’s other components such as a spinning hard drive.
If your PC does not support digital output, use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable from your headphone jack to the Ear Force DSS processor.
If you are using the optical (Toslink) cable, your Digital In and the Dolby Bypass indicator light will be on. If you use the standard audio cable, only the Dolby Bypass light will be on.
That’s all you have to do. So get yourself these Sony’s and that little amp and you will have amazing sound for all your devices. When you are at home, you need something that you can count on to bring you some tranquility and happiness.
The 3.5mm end goes into my iMac and the optical end plugs into the back of the Ear Force DSS. For stereo sound, you want to have the Dolby Bypass light turned on. The Digital In indicator should also be lit.
Products from this article
Sony MDR-V6
Turtle Beach Ear Force DSS 7.1 Channel Dolby Surround Sound Processor
Brainwavz Replacement Earpads for Sony MDR-7506
3.5mm to Optical (Toslink) Audio Cable
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