The MDR-V6 has had a long production run and I have owned three pairs over 15 years. The first was stolen after I only owned it for a year, around 1989, and I immediately replaced it. This second pair has been durable and I continue to use them now (2004). I bought the last pair recently as a backup but I now use it at my office.
What strikes me about these headphones is that they are easily the most useful audio accessory I own. I have used it with my stereo (vinyl/tape/CD), with many computers (CD/DVD/MP3), on the airplane, and with other devices such as a DV camera and of course, the iPod. While other full-sized headphones I have tried have certainly sounded good--even better in some ways--none have the versatility of the folding design coupled with great audio quality. My music taste varies widely and I have found these headphones to reproduce orchestral or jazz acoustic instruments and still be happy listening to the bass drive of overproduced techno or rock.