just got mt sony mdr-7506 headphones

You must have a defective pair.

There is no way in hell they sound worst than the Behringers. I have Sony MDR 7506, Behringer HPS 5000, and two different Sennheiser models. The Sonys easily blow them all away as far as natural sound and comfort is concerned. Granted, they are not perfectly flat, but they don't sound awful, terrible, and unbelievably cheap and disgusting as you say.

I would send them back for a replacement. You obviously got a "lemon".

Or, examine them closely. Maybe you got some cheap knock-offs.

RD
 
We use the MDR 7506 in the studios where I work....once they get thrashed, the high end gets really bad, but when they're new, they're fairly balanced, if a tad hyped for some tastes....a little too much sizzle, but it's much more pronounced in the ones that have been used and abused.....
They also fit my smallish noggin better than most others I've tried - most are too big, and hang lower over my ears than is optimal for listening....
....we work 'em to death, day in and day out - there are certainly better phones out there, but these are a workable tool for us, and industry standard...
Everybody's different though - if you're not stuck in a one-size-fits-all situation, it may be worth spending a bit more, or shopping around other brands....
 
One thing to consider is that you are 18, whereas many of the respondents here (me included) are older, and thus don't hear high end as well anymore. I use aluminum dome tweeters for the same reason, so I don't experience a difference between the cans and the monitors. In these days when there are more than a few mics out there with overhyped highs, I find a little bias towards harshness in the monitoring chain helps root that out quickly.
 
Ah, so that's why it's the hyped bass that offends me more than the hyped treble - I can't hear that high any more! :)

Actually, I use the hyped bass on my pair as an analysis tool for double-checking the bottom end against references.

My opinion of these headphones is that they are probably designed for spoken-word applications such as radio. The hyped bass exaggerates proximity effect and makes people back off from the microphone.
 
It just goes to show that we all have different taste. I did not like the AT headphones very much. I did not like the way they fit, and they sounded very dull to me. I still attest the the sony headphones do not sound nearly as bad as Melsi says. Over the years I have had hundreds if not thousands of singers use them and not a single one has complained about this. Maybe for the first time you are finally hearing what you have going on in those upper registers and should be addressing that issue. What is your vocal chain. Are you using something like an MXL through a Behringer preamp?

In the end, I would return the Sony headphones. Try a pair of AKG 141 or 240's (which I also have a bunch of laying around, but prefer the Sony's). At this point I do not think you will ever give the Sony's a fair chance, so I would cut my losses right now and switch to something else. Just be aware, that if the Sony's sound that bad to you, it is very likely in my opinion that you have something else going on that is really the cause of all of the problem.
 
As for hearing goes, I have my ears fully charted every 6 months or so and my hearing is still pretty flat up to 18k where they check them, so i do not think that is an issue at least on my end. I still hear higher and lower than most any of my clients can. Then again, hearing at those extreme frequencies almost takes some learning to decipher.
 
As someone earlier suggested, I'd run the headphones with a good, loud source for at least 24 hours to break them in before making the final judgement. Headphones, as well as speakers (and mics) have critical moving parts, just like a car engine, that need to be broken in. My hunch though, unfortunately, is that if you think the Sony cans have too much top end and bottom end, it won't become minimized after they're broken in.

My own opinion is that the AKG 240 is a much more accurate headphone, and much more comfortable on the melon. They are a bit fragile (don't drop them on a concrete floor), but they'll probably be more to your liking.
 
Xstatic, there is nothing wrong with my vocal chain, im running SE Electronics Z5600a mic through a focusrite platinum voicemaster pro, into my esi waveterminal breakout box into my pc.

I have spoken to a few sound engineers today and they all said to me that, if i dont like the sonys i should go for the beyerdynamic dt 770 pros.

I have been listening to the sonys for hours now, all music that passes through them is ok and actually sounds not too bad but any vocals even on cd's from lots of different artists sound horrible through them, unless its a very bassy vocal then it sounds ok.

at the end of the day i am extremely dissapointed with them, i would expect more from sony, but that is imho.

and its not that i havnt given them a chance as i have compared them with some other headphones i have!
 
Fair enough. I say go fopr the Beyerdynamic headphones. You obviously will not like the Sony's so you should not keep them and that is OK. I am just trying to present another side of the story here because you have been very extreme about how "horrible" the Sony's are. The fact is, you are the first person I have EVER met that has been that put off by them. I just wanted to make sure that the other side of the coin got represented as well. At this point I am prone to beleiving that you either have a bad pair, or what you find to sound harsh like you are describing is very differnt than what most people think.
 
Got my Beyerdynamics 770 Pro's today and they are excellent, much happier with them than the sony's, the low end on them is incredible!

The only downside of them compared to the sonys is you cant turn them as loud without distortion, and the sonys are a bit more isolated.

But for sound quality the beyers smash it!!

:D
 
I like my SONY MDR-7506.
It was a purely unbiased purchase, from comparing different brands...no article reading, no reviews only my ears....

What I really like about the SONY's si, est the fact they have a large decal that says P-R_O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N-A_L thats really the only ones that had a GOLD sticker that said PROFESSIONAL. :p

...love 'em, seriously.
I was just kidding about the MARS store thing, their a great store.

Some claim these Beyer ear pads improve the SONY 7506...their $2 more than the Sony replacements. My Sony ear pads are pulling apart after about 34,000 hrs, or so... :D

here's the Beyer/Sony ear pad link.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=313962&is=REG&addedTroughType=search
 
hhhmmmm.... This thread is a really good idea. If we all write bad crap about equipment, maybe the manufacturers and vendors will think they need to lower the prices. :D Please don't write anything good about those AT-M40fs. I'm getting ready to buy a couple more. Thanks. :p
 
I know I'm resurrecting an older thread, but I feel I may have something to add that might be of use to those who read this thread and think poorly of the MDR-7506's.

Before I got into "real" audio, I got myself a pair of Sony MDR-V700's from Best Buy (most expensive non-Bose's when I worked there). I thought they were frickin' ridiculous! I loved 'em so much I bought an extra pair in case mine broke! They were so much clearer and bassier than anything I'd heard before, I couldn't imagine listening to anything else.

Fast forward to sometime last year when I started to get into mixing/recording/audio "for real". I read some reviews on my beloved V700's and found that basically everybody said they were complete garbage. I was intrigued (for obvious reasons), so I went and bought a used pair of MDR-V6's (same as 7506's as far as I've been told). I plugged 'em in... holy crap there was so much treble! And the bass was gone! I felt like I'd been sold a broken pair or something (much like the OP was describing). The cymbals and the vocals were so harsh I couldn't even listen to them at loud volumes. But I was determined to hear what everybody was talking about. So I gave myself a week of listening to these, and only these headphones with countless CD's/mp3's/movies/video games/etc. You know what? I love these things now! I can hear so much detail it's not even funny. Sure, it's because of a slightly hyped high-end, but for recording, I'd rather have my headphones give me accurate tracking, and let my monitors get me accurate mixing.

I put the V700's on again the other day just to see if my hearing and tastes really had changed: holy crap it's like I've got pillows in my ears. They're terrible!

Food for thought for those who make split-second judgments on headphones and speakers. Just 'cause you're used to something, doesn't mean it's any good!
 
Yeps....

Due to lack of privacy and space I have to mix with a headset.

I'm recording and mixing usually with Beyerdynamic 770 M.

Closed enough for drummers, or band practice, nice sound. I borrowed them to a friend, and when he started stalling the return, I gave them to him and bought another pair. :D Best, IMHO.

I do, however, reference to a pair of Sony headphones too, as someone said, because of the more audible low end. AND a pair of those button-type "walkman" earpieces, so I can kill any "ear-piercing" high-middle and high frequencies.... :D
To still get more reference, I use the visual indicators, trying to get them somewhat level.... Works for me.
 
xstatic said:
The way the Sony headphones are tailored actually works very well in many circumstances.
Click to expand...
I agree, I have these phones ,and for getting loud source tracks done without breaking up, they do the job. Other brands may sound great for
listening to end product music but distort when doing this live and studio recording process.

Yes I have had these phones as long as the previous posts have been here
 
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