HD280 / MDR7506 comparison

[StevenLindsey]

Just got a pair of Sennheiser 280s for tracking and compared them last night to the 7506s. I was kinda expecting them to be better than the Sonys, but...... to my ears, the Sonys had more detail. The bass and the highs were more clearly defined ( I'm not talking about the hype but about definition. ) There seemed to be more of a spread between the different instruments with the Sonys - easier to hear specific sounds. The Sonys just sounded more musical to me. The 280s seemed a bit fuzzy....almost phasy sounding at times. I checked them both for bleed using an identical source and the isolation seemed to be exactly the same for both. I think I'll use the 280s for drum recording..may help cut the highs a bit. The 280 "ear things" are quite a bit bigger and heavier feeling than the Sonys. But they're fairly comfortable. Anyway, I think I like the Sonys better. But I'm glad I have both. I think you could accomplish the same thing with either set. Of course, these are just my perceptions and opinions. Yours may differ.

[Dr.Grace]

I haven't tried the Sennheisers. However, I have the MDR-7506, as well as the AT ATH-M40fs and AKG K240DF. I bought the Sony cans after reading lots of good reports about them, but I was disappointed with their overly bright sound, which I'd even call _harsh_. I've since seen similar comments from others, who tend to call them _brittle_. However, with some EQ they can sound pretty good, and they have a nice extended bass response. On the other hand, the AKG and AT cans are much flatter. The AKG240DF (semi-open design, so maybe not good for tracking) sound very sweet but lack extended bass. The ATH-M40fs are probably the best all-around of the three, and the ones I rely on most for tracking.

Don