Sony MDR-7506 Professional Headphones

I had a pair of these that I bought new in the late '80s and they were incredible even back then. And back then it seems like I paid something like $150 for them, which would be well over $200 today. They were workhorses and the comfort and fidelity was beyond anything else out there. Some 20 years later they were showing some pretty ragged signs of wear with missing earliners and foam padding falling out of the earpads. But they still sounded great. Nonetheless I started researching replacements and was about to buy a pair of Sennheisers when I read some review of the 7506. On top of that, I work p/t in radio and we use these babies at the station. I went with my gut, and for less than $100 (Beach Camera) I had a new pair in less than a week. They sound better than ever. The audio is phenomenally well balanced with no booming bass or tinny highs. Everything is right where it should be and the phones are amazingly comfortable. you can wear them for HOURS on end. I loaned them to my 13 year old son to listen to on his .mp3 player and his eyes lit up. He wants his own pair now.

Bottom line: I'm sure the Sennheisers rock, and there ARE a lot of good over-the-ear cans out there, but the fact is, you can't go wrong with the MDR-7506, ESPECIALLY at this price. These are the most comfortable, durable, reliable and best-sounding phones I've ever worn.