Sony MDR-V500DJ Monitor Series Headphones with Swivel Earcups

Sony has installed several key features to these headphones to enhance their sound quality. The forty millimeter drive units delivers a deep bass sound and a wide dynamic range (the frequency range extends down to 10 Hz.) Both the stereo mini-plug and the UniMatch phone plug are gold-plated to make sure sound is transported fully and accurately. The gold-plated treatment also helps resist corrosion and supports the headphones' high conductivity and low noise. The neodymium magnets allow for superb power at a minimum size; these magnets provide more magnetic energy than other inferior magnets. Finally, the PET diaphragm works to deliver low distortion.

Excellent fit, excellent compatibility, excellent portability and excellent sound: these headphones fit the bill for a sound professional.

What's in the Box
Sony MDR-V500DJ headphones and UniMatch plug adaptor

I have an old pair of Sony MDR-M77 headphones which are quite good, but I wanted something new. So, I studied what was available and settled on the MDR-V500DJ headphones. After purchasing a pair, I regret my choice and I am returning them.

When I got these headphones, I immediately plugged them into my iPod and picked a favorite cut from XTC (Mayor of Simpleton). As I listened to the song, I kept wondering what was wrong, Then, it dawned on me, the treble was entirely muffled. I grabbed the MDR-M77 and did a A-B test with several tracks. Same result. The MDR-V500DJ has little or no high-end. Just as a sanity check, I grabbed my Sony MDR-V6 phones and did the same test. I consider the MDR-V6 one of the best headphones ever made by the way. Yeah, the bass was definitely richer than the MDR-M77, which seem bright in comparison, but both were much closer to what I expected than the MDR-V500DJ.

I thought it might be the iPod, so picked a coupled of CDs (MFSL Dark Side of the Moon & Bernstein in Berlin-Beethoven Symphony no.9) to try in my portable CD player. Same result. While the MDR-M77 was the brighest of the three, the lack of high end on the MDR-V500DJ made neither CD sound good. Once again, the MDR-V6 was the best and most balanced of the three.

Still seeking the perfect lightweight headphones, I went to a local Magnolia Hi-Fi to try a better comparison. I tried both noise cancelling models from Sony, several Sennheiser models, the MDR-V600, MDR-V500DJ, and MDR-V300. First of all, forget the noise cancelling models. None of them sounded as good as MDR-V500DJ. The MDR-V600 was the best of them all and reminded me of the MDR-V6 (which I understand they replaced). The MDR-V300 is definitely better than the MDR-500DJ by a long shot, and I would say the MDR-V300 is comparable to Sennheiser HD-212. I am going to try them side-by-side at home soon.

Although many of the Sennheiser phones sounded good, they seemed over-priced compared to the MDR-V600. The only one that was close in price and quality was the HD-280. By the way, the HD-280 was uncomfortable and put a lot of pressure on my head.

Unless you like listening to bass only, do not buy the MDR-V500DJ headphones.


great sound / hurt the ears   November 28, 1999
Matt Newell (mp3 raver in soma)
17 out of 19 found this review helpful

i've always been skeptical of sony sound products, but these are really great sounding - with a lot of range and not choking on big bass beats. my only complaint being that they dont cup the ear like i had expected. listening to music for more than 7 hrs a day while coding a website can make your ears a lil sensitive.


Pros and Cons -   December 22, 1999
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

There are some pros and cons to these headphones. Most importantly though, the sound quality is quite good. Strong Bass performance and clear, smooth sound. Bass is strong and defined without being overly agressive.

The headphones don't cup your ears quite as well as a lot of other headphones; for instance, I doubt you could listen to these too loudly on a plane or a train without others around you noticing. Although I found them generally comfortable to wear, they don't grip your head that well - if I lean forward, they fall off.

What I do like though, is the fact that these can be folded up so if you need to put them in your bag like I do, then they won't get crushed and they won't take up so much room.

All in all I feel positive about these, but they are a little on the expensive side.


Too quiet for their intended use   January 9, 2003
Andrew Hamada (Seattle, WA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Let me begin by saying that these headphones are advertised as "for DJs/for studio use." Given this, one would expect Sony to be targeting their DJ audience with these headphones.

Which they most certainly did not!

While the audio quality of these headphones is quite impressive for the price (surpassing the similarly priced v600s, if you ask me), the fact that these are designed for DJ use bothers me because they lack in volume. Even with both headphone & master volume maxed on my mixer (pre-amp), I find myself struggling to hear what's happening on the channel B while channel A is playing over the speakers.

Kick in the extra cash and get the v700s, which outperform these in every way possible and are much better suited for live performance use. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a set of headphones for home use, these are a reasonable consideration.


Sound is OK, uncomfortable to wear   February 1, 2006
Robin (Los Angeles, CA)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

The sound is fine enough (maybe a little lacking in substance) and it seals off any outer noise very well. However, my biggest complaint is that I can't really wear them for more than an hour at a time. They pinch quite tightly around my ears and if I'm wearing glasses as well, it's downright uncomfortable. I'd say they were the opposite of cushy. In hindsight, I should have spent a little more and gotten a pair of headphones with the double headband.