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Home > Reviews > Sony > Over-Ear
Sony MDR-DS6000 Headphones Review - In Use
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By Mark Brezinski
Published on April 30, 2008
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Summary
The Sony MDR-DS6000 headphones suffer a bit in the comfort department because of its band. The band attaches to the cups with springs, so when you put these on the springs will pull taut. The result is the cups never sit well on your ears; they feel loose, but the band is taut, as if it's being pulled down slightly. They are also hard to maintain or clean, since you really can't dismantle them easily (this includes removing the cup padding). As wireless headphones, the DS6000s received a poor mark in the "Cable Connectivity" section. Also, these headphones don't come with any sort of cables, so you'd better have a set of phono plugs or digital inputs lying around your house. They do have wireless connectivity and surround sound, which are both nice features.
Comfort (4.0)
Comfort is very subjective. We therefore highly recommend you try on any headphones before you buy them. In case you're unable to, you can use this section as a relative guide.
First of all, there really isn't much to customize before you slide these cans onto your ears. As soon as we did so, we noticed two things: the band felt tight, and the cups felt loose. Both these sensations are caused by the rubbery, internal band, which is held in place by springs. The springs and rubber hold your hair/scalp tightly. The springs also try to pull the cups upward, which creates an odd sensation for the first few minutes. If you try these on, wear them for a few minutes at least, so you can get used to the sensation. While the tight/loose sensation is never totally ignorable, it isn't torture either. Also, the cups are ridiculously comfortable. If it weren't for that tight dome grip, these headphones would've provided a very comfortable wear experience. As they exist, however, we thought they were slightly uncomfortable.
Extended Use (4.0)
From the 1-6 hour range, the sensation described above waned a bit as we got used to it. Considering our initial discomfort, we were surprised these headphones actually held up so well; after a few hours of use, they did not get uncomfortable or painful to wear.
Cable Connectivity (0.0)
The Sony MDR-DS6000 is wireless, so it seems obvious it'd get a zero in this section. We were suprised, however, that the setup didn't come with the audio cables necessary to hook the base station up to an output. The base station has phono ports (which accept a red/white audio cable), and an optical digital input (and matching output), so you'll have to pick up an appropriate cable along with these headphones.
Portability (0.0)
These are not portable headphones. The headphones themselves are over-ears and noncollapsible, so they're bulky. In addition, the base station is a large, thick disk that takes up a lot of room.
Of course, bulk is the least of your worries. These things need to be plugged into an outlet at all times, via a gigantic plug. Needing to plug something in is pretty much the definition of not being portable.
Long story short: these aren't headphones you should bring out on a jog. They're meant for wearing around the house, and their design basically necessitates this limitation. Maybe you could jog with a generator.
Customizability (2.25)
There really aren't many options for customizing the MDR-DS6000 headphones. The cups have about 35º of a tilting arc, and can extend an additional 1.51 inches on either side. The cup movement is rather limited compared to the Bose QuietComfort series, whose cups can fully swivel. The band movement would normally be adequate, but since it's held taut, there aren't any other pad options included.
Maintenance (0.0)
It's really hard to either clean or maintain these headphones. The cups don't come off, and there's no easy way to get at the sound element. If you have a special screwdriver, you can disassemble the band to some extent. In most cases, however, if something breaks, you'll have to buy new headphones.
Other Features (18.56)
Battery Dependency
As wireless headphones, the DS6000s require a battery charge in order to function. Compounding this necessity for power, the base station needs to be plugged into the wall. Though neither of these restrictions should be a detriment for home users, it does mean you can't simply pick them up and use them elsewhere without taking the entire system with you. We discuss the battery life below.
Wireless
 The wireless connection is initially established by putting on the headphones: the on/off switch is actually linked to the extension of the interior band (which we've discussed above). When you put them on, they'll try to establish a connection with the base station automatically. You'll know when they've found it, because they'll stop beeping intermittently. These headphones run on the 2.4 GHz frequency, so they could interfere with cordless phones and WiFi connections. We didn't encounter any problems with this while writing our review, but the possibility exists. The DS6000s do, however, actively change frequency to try and work around any interference.
In terms of performance, we were able to get good reception out to about 64 feet from the base station. This is pretty good, and should enable you to wander at least a room or two away from the base station. We also tested the battery life of the headphones' rechargeable battery by setting our test album to repeat, and letting it play until the battery dies. The DS6000s sang themselves to sleep after about 7 hours and 20 minutes. This is middling performance (many cell phones outlasted these in terms of music playback), but it should be enough for most users; it's enough for all but the longest movies or a day in the office. For those who go for marathon gaming sessions or watching entire seasons of Babylon 5 in one sitting, you might want to look at a set with a bit more longevity.
Surround Sound
The DS6000s feature digital surround sound. They are compatible with the following formats: Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic II, DTS, and MPEG-2 AAC.
We gave a few test DVDs a listen using the cinema mode, and found the surround sound effect was a bit inconsistent. There were times when missiles or arrows would fly across the screen, but not create a strong sense of depth or movement. There were also a few times when two monsters standing shoulder-to-shoulder in dead center and grunting would elicit a strong left/right channel separation, which seemed slightly at odds with what was on-screen. We were impressed by how deep, boomy sounds like thunder or the footsteps of an orcish army sounded, however; they had a strong, earth shaking feel. Overall, it did create a good cinematic experience, but at times the surround sound either got carried away, or felt a bit lazy.
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