In a jumbled cloud of childhood memories, I can still picture my father’s home office. It was clean and considered. A free-standing desk, made of oak, sat facing the window. Behind it, a leather chair, dyed blue and faded from the sun. Dad’s diploma hung on the wall next to an old drawing he made in elementary school. It depicted a lone saxophone player, eyes closed, playing in the park.
In the corner towered a glossy stereo rack. As a boy, its contents looked like treasures — a Yamaha A-1000 amplifier, a T-1000 tuner, a Dual 1229 turntable and a large, Teac X-7 reel-to-reel tape deck. A few of his favorite records stood upright to the side. He was a student of doo-wop. And he loved Perry Como.
Some nights after dinner, we’d escape there. He’d switch on his equipment and the lights would glow in the darkness. I’d sit on the floor wearing a pair of Sony MDR-V6 headphones. Over the years, the ear cups had cracked to expose the foam underneath, but my dad refused to buy replacements. He liked things as they were and his Sonys worked just fine.
Sony MDR V6 Headphones
Specs
| Cord | 10 feet, with oxygen-free copper ends, 1/8-inch plug with 1/4-inch adapter |
| Driver Unit | 40mm |
| Frequency Response | 5Hz – 30,000Hz |
| Sensitivity (db) | 106dB/mW |
He’d play a song and tell me to listen to the lyrics, asking me afterward to describe what they meant. I always found that to be a difficult exercise. I was drawn to melody, not meaning. When I didn’t know the answer, I’d fumble with the long coil cable on the headphones. The first time he played me Como’s “Happy Man,” he said it changed his life. Some nights, I would find him alone in his office, headphones on, the rest of the house still with silence.
Sony introduced the MDR-V6s in 1985, and only retired them in 2020, some 35 years later. As studio monitor headphones, they’re used by everyone from DJs to producers. They’re comfortable during bouts of extended wear and fold down in transit — though that cable could be shorter.
The sound is clear and neutral, without unnecessary frills. You hear things as they were made to be heard.
