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Sony MDR V500DJ Studio Open Air
Sony MDR V500DJ Studio Open Air
MSRP: $

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Rating
Reviewed by:

soupnazi

(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
January 21, 2005

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.20 of 5, 5.00 votes

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Review 1 of 11

Price Paid:  $70.00 from visions electronics

Summary:
1st higher quality headphones I have owned, so I have nothing to compare to except other reviews. I do not agree that these can not handle bass. I found the mids and highs to be unrealistic. Dialogue has very tincan sounding when watching a movie. Comfortable but a little heavy after a while.

Strengths:
lots of bass

Weaknesses:
A little heavy Unrealistic mids and highs

Similar Products Used:
NOTHING


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Rating
Reviewed by:
H4V0C
(AudioPhile)

Review Date
December 25, 2003

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

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Review 2 of 11

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Fry's Electronics

Summary:
I got these headphones for christmas that i really wanted, these are perfect for games but not much good for a music enthusiast. The bass really sucks, i used it on one of my cd players that kicked in a WHOLE bunch of bass but the earphones couldnt take it, it was extremely distorted and the bass wasn't crisp. If you want to use these headphones for gaming, this is a great choice, other than that... dont get them

Strengths:
great for gaming and watching movies on a portable

Weaknesses:
the bass is really distorted, it can't take the low basses of hip hop music


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Rating
Reviewed by:

(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
August 2, 2003

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

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Review 3 of 11

Price Paid:  $39.00 from London

Summary:
A sonic travesty. Unlike the higher-end MDR-V700DJ which actually delivers decent dynamics, impact and bass, the V500 has nothing. It's a limp-wristed, scratchy pretender of a DJ phone. I'm not a DJ but I have tried these out of a mixing (not DJ, studio) console. No dynamics to speak of, and early to distort. Similarly a huge disappointment with portables compared to things out there for the same price. It does look nice enough, modelled after the bigger brother the V700 yet not as big nor heavy. Comfort is marginal, not so different to HD497/212. The folding system is an exact copy of the V700, but it works less well on the V500 as the earcups are so much smaller. Mine now rests in pieces, ready for DIY modifications. I took great pleasure in mangling the drivers which would have been considered low end for a £25 phone, let alone something that retails for £50. All things considered, I would have to say they are the worst phone I've listened to for the price. Avoid. If you want something flashy and reasonably good, save for the V700. If you want something really good, save for the HD25.

Strengths:
Looks and folding capability Good build quality for this price

Weaknesses:
Sound Value

Similar Products Used:
Own/owned: Sennheiser PX200/PXC250/HD212/497/280/25/600/etc, Sony MDR-V700/CD1700/CD3000/etc, Grado SR60/80/325/RS1, Beyerdynamic DT250-80/770Pro, Audio-Technica ATH-EM7/W100/W1000/A100/A900/A1000/W20


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Rating
Reviewed by:
dhrto
(Audio Enthusiast)

Review Date
May 16, 2003

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

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Review 4 of 11

Price Paid:  $110.00 from RAF (Netherlands)

Summary:
First, the price is in Euros I got these for my birthday. Tried 'm in the store before, since I was planning on buying them. First, the design is very attractive. They don't look so big and clumsy like those from other brands and they fold up nicely for easy carrying. The sound is they produce is OK. I say OK, because I did expect more for the money. The range is excellent. The low bass is excellent. The mid bass is somewhat lacking: a bit dull. It lacks a bit of punch. The mids are good and that highs are also OK. I also tried some other models in the store. The Sennheiser's in the same price range definately sounded better. However, the design was not that great, and in the end, that also matters. The V300's sounded very cheap. It was like having loudness turned on on the amplifier. The low and high's were definately overdone, leaving the mid's untouched. The V700's sounded better. Of course, they are also almost twice as expensive. The mid bass sounded excellent, with enough punch to 'em. The high's also sounded a bit better. One thing to keep in mind: These headphones are not really meant to be used with portable audio devices. They need a decent amplifier or HiFi system to do them justice. The V500's sound like crap with my portable MP3-player, while they sound excellent (relatively speaking of course) with my Technics amplifier.

Strengths:
attractive design, handy folding mechanism, decent sound

Weaknesses:
mid bass a little lacking, design feels a bit fragile, unsuitable for long continued periods of use due to pressure on the ears, resulting in pain.

Similar Products Used:
Sony MDR-V300, Sony MDR-V700, Sennheiser HD 212


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Rating
Reviewed by:
Karl
(Casual Listener)

Review Date
April 5, 2003

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

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Review 5 of 11

Price Paid:  $67.00 from Futureshop

Summary:
For those ordinary joe listeners who want a good and reasonably priced headphone, these are for you. I don't know why anyone would give these headphones a bad rating. Everyone loves the v700dj's, and I have no clue why they don't like these. These headphones have a nice base with a relativley nice treble. Sure the V700's are more money and are a little bit better, but they're a lot more expensive. If you want good quality discman headphones, these are the ones for you.

Strengths:
nice base, folds into a nice size, pretty good bang for your buck

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
v600, v700dj


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