When I read this, I was thinking "What, has Sony gone completely nuts??" I've heard all sorts of things about these headphones, and I eventually intend to get a pair, but the GALL of Sony to discontinue these legendary headphones just tips over my outhouse. Just shy of their 30th anniversary, they quit making them. That's just stupid.  

Yep, they quit making them last year, I think. They're still in stock on Amazon and on Sony's web site, though. I got mine for Christmas in 2012 when they were only $55. Now you'll pay $100 for a pair, I guess because they're running out of stock.

I believe Sony still makes the nearly-identical MDR-7506, though.

By the skin of my teeth, I was able to extract a pair of Sony MDR-V6 Studio Monitor Heaphones from my mother. I convinced (persuaded) her to purchase them now from Amazon.com while they were on sale for $79.99 with free shipping. But I can't have them until I get my grades up. 

I got these headphones today, and they are AMAZING! I'm hearing things in my music that I didn't even know was there! I'm using them right now to listen to Vivaldi's Bassoon Concerto in E Minor. You can hear every instrument. You can even tell if the bassoonist is breathing through his nose or his mouth!

I know right!  And they'll get better as they break in. Just don't bring them too close to fluorescent lamps; that's how I lost one of my 1974 GE F15T8/CW's...

Yesterday, I was given the opportunity to listen to "Chase" from The Midnight Express (my test song) through a pair of Beets by Dr. Dray. After getting used to the superb sound quality of my Sony headphones, I was at how bad the Beets sounded. There was zero high end. It sounded like total crap. And they were cheap plastic to boot.

Yeah, Beats are very tuned towards the low end. Maybe they sound decent with the appropriate music like dubstep or hiphop, or maybe they don't.   Their purpose is fashion more than sound quality, at any rate.

I lol'ed at the photo.

Maybe I'll bring my headphones to school one day and show those stupid teenagers what real headphones sound like.

I was at how bad the Beets sounded.

this is caused because they are designed for an target which doesn't include studios: their market is consumers which want stilish (and costly) headphones (something comparable with some early iDevices).
Do you wonder why consumer grade headphones cost twice than professional studio headphones? Spot the differences between styles: compare an AKG K240 with same price ranged consumer headphones!

Now, i'm using my (old) K66 headphones for studio recording, they have an exceptionally flat response on bass

I use a pair of 3M Tekk WorkTunes earmuffs...those are pretty decent-sounding IMO (I'm listening to them as I type).  AM/FM tuner as well as an AUX input.  The tuner has excellent reception too, at least on FM. 

Either my headphones have spoiled me, or I've spoiled my headphones. I'm not sure which, but something isn't quite right. I've noticed a certain "whispiness" that I can't explain. There just seems to be a very small lack of clarity that I haven't noticed before. It probably doesn't help that I have the volume at 100% most of the time. It probably isn't good to be able to feel my eardrums vibrating either. 

Indeed, it's probably not doing favors for either the drivers or your ears. 

After 2.5 years of heavy daily use, my earpads are finally starting to fall apart. Impressive really; they've lasted about twice as long as most people get out of them (or maybe I've let them get twice as bad as most people do). As long as they're still attached to the headphones I'll keep using them. After that, I'll get the replacement Beyerdynamic pads.

Wow. Those earpads have seen (heard?) some action. Mine aren't even close to that.

My go-to headphones unless I'm biking or otherwise exercising are my in-ear Shure SE215s. They are not advertised as noise-canceling but they do a fantastic job of that nevertheless. I had Shure SRH440s (traditional, large headphones) before but I gave them to my brother as I needed something that was more convenient to carry around.