Sony MDR-7506's vs. Sennheiser HD280's

B

BRX rad

New member
Yes, everyone. I thought first, and used the search feature. Found lots of hits, but not on the specific question I have. Most reviews were about how well or how bad the isolation is in a set of headphones like these, but that's not what I'm looking for. I want a pair of headphones that will be good for listening to a mix coming from my home recording rig. I have no need for isolation, I already have in-ears for that.

My questions are are....

1.) Can anyone compare/contrast these two sets of headphones? I've read all of the reviews, and they seem to be neck and neck for the most part. The MDR-7506's seem to have a bit more flat response for recording purposes, which brings me to my next question...

2.) Which set will give a better flat response for home recording, and listening to drum tracks, as well as other multiple instrument tracks? The reviews seem to point out that the sound quality may be a tad better in the Sony's as well.

At this point, the Sony's sound to be a little better clarity-wise. But of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. So let's hear it!

Thanks.
 
I have the Sony's. They sound really great....in fact, they make everything sound good, making it terrible to mix with. But that goes for most headphones.
 
If you want isolation, get isolated headphones. If you want "good sound" and such, don't get isolated headphones. Go with Grado's or something along those lines. There's really no contest.

That said - There isn't a headphone in the universe that I'd consider mixing on... Listening to, "making some mental plan" with, checking for pops & clicks and such, fine-tuning fades, sure. Otherwise, they're okay for listening.
 
I don't have a pair of Sennheiser HD280 phones, but the MDR-7506 is anything but flat. for tracking, they are Okay as the top and bottom are hyped.
 
I have the Sony's as well, and I like them quite well. My only complaint is that for me they are not super-comfortable for extended wear, but honestly that's more because I have a rather wide head (seriously) that makes any closed pair of phones tighter on my head than on most. But if you have a normal-sized skull, this should not be an issue.

G.
 
BRX rad said:
The MDR-7506's seem to have a bit more flat response for recording purposes, which brings me to my next question...
Click to expand...

IME the 7506's are anything but flat. Wicked high end - not a lot of bottom.

They will get "very" loud though, and that's why they are great for tracking loud music.

I've owned quite a few pairs of these, and someone is more likely go deaf before these ever blow.

oops. just saw this:
Sonixx said:
the MDR-7506 is anything but flat.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks everyone. Like I said, these wouldn't be for in-detail mixing and whatnot. They'd just be for a quick listen, but with quality, unlike a pair of regular cheap headphones.

Maybe I should just forget headphones and get some studio monitors?
 
for a Monitor-y (is that a word) sounding headphone, look at the AKG K701. the sound field is pretty wide and deep. they're open back so no isolation, but if you're spending time on phones instead of monitors, these are very descent.
 
I always found the Sony MDR-7506 to be quite harsh and spiky...they hurt my ears...but that quality lets them cut through during tracking, though I'm not sure that it's good the way they do it.

Not sure about the Sennheiser HD280.

I tired a bunch of headphones when I was looking for my "main" listening headphone, and I settled on the Fostex T50RP, which I think sound better than most anything else in that price class...and even better than some costing 2-3 times as much.
They are a semi-open headphone, so not the best choice for tracking if there is more than one person playing/singing...but I track solo with them all the time...they work great for both tracking and critical listening.
Fostex also has the T40RP, which are closed-back.
They have them on sale right now at Zzounds:

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--FOST40RP - $58

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--FOST50RP - $62

Those are great prices...the T50RP was selling for $100 when I bought mine.
I have 3 pairs of the T50RP.

I also have 8 piars of the classic Koss Pro4AA headphones, which I use mostly for group tracking. They sound good and offer terrific isolation, but they are much heavier than most of your current crop of headphone offerings...though they really stay on your head and will not "flop" around as you move and as the cable gets dugged. These have been studio staples for over 30 years, and they offer limited lifetime warranty...no questions asked. I sent in 3 pairs that had some issues (ones that I had from back in the 70s)...got basically 3 new pairs sent back to me, only for the cost of shipping. :cool:

http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf/p?openform&pc^fs^PRO4AA - $100
 
miroslav said:
I always found the Sony MDR-7506 to be quite harsh and spiky...they hurt my ears...but that quality lets them cut through during tracking, though I'm not sure that it's good the way they do it.

Not sure about the Sennheiser HD280.

I tired a bunch of headphones when I was looking for my "main" listening headphone, and I settled on the Fostex T50RP, which I think sound better than most anything else in that price class...and even better than some costing 2-3 times as much.
They are a semi-open headphone, so not the best choice for tracking if there is more than one person playing/singing...but I track solo with them all the time...they work great for both tracking and critical listening.
Fostex also has the T40RP, which are closed-back.
They have them on sale right now at Zzounds:

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--FOST40RP - $58

http://www.zzounds.com/a--2676837/item--FOST50RP - $62

Those are great prices...the T50RP was selling for $100 when I bought mine.
I have 3 pairs of the T50RP.

I also have 8 piars of the classic Koss Pro4AA headphones, which I use mostly for group tracking. They sound good and offer terrific isolation, but they are much heavier than most of your current crop of headphone offerings...though they really stay on your head and will not "flop" around as you move and as the cable gets dugged. These have been studio staples for over 30 years, and they offer limited lifetime warranty...no questions asked. I sent in 3 pairs that had some issues (ones that I had from back in the 70s)...got basically 3 new pairs sent back to me, only for the cost of shipping. :cool:

http://www.koss.com/koss/kossweb.nsf/p?openform&pc^fs^PRO4AA - $100
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot!
 
MDR7506 > Instant 'Alligator Records' blues tone.
:p Not really, but just a little rough analogy my head does. :p

BRX rad said:
Thanks everyone. Like I said, these wouldn't be for in-detail mixing and whatnot. They'd just be for a quick listen, but with quality, unlike a pair of regular cheap headphones.
Click to expand...
Get ye some that feel and sound like you like.
I’ll throw in AKG240. A lighter, open feel (vs. HD280 for example), curve tends (to my ear- insert big YMMV) toward light on the low end, but at least not smiley curve hype.

Maybe I should just forget headphones and get some studio monitors?
Click to expand...
That is a whole 'nother fight. The general feeling is yes... you'll be wanting to hear you mixes on some speakers... :)
 
miroslav said:
..I tired a bunch of headphones when I was looking for my "main" listening headphone, and I settled on the Fostex T50RP, which I think sound better than most anything else in that price class...and even better than some costing 2-3 times as much.
...
Click to expand...
Tempted to try one then.

A side note. Straight vs coil cord- Straight's fine, and lighter, but I hate when they step' and rip the frickin phones off their head.
 
Yeah...I hate that too! :mad:

The Fostex T50RP has a straight cable, and they've been yanked off my head a few times...but I love how they sound...so I put up with it. :D
One thing about their cable, it is detachable at the headphone, so you can easily replace it if needed...plus, you can use any stereo chord that has a stereo mini at one end in place of it if needed in a pinch.

I use a short mini-to-1/4" cord when tracking guitar and I have a harness that I made out of a long headphone extension cable and a guitar cable.
I used a bunch of spaced 2" rings of larger heat-shrink tubing to hold them together and then I kinda hook that harness at my waste, and then just plug the short mini-to-1/4" headphone cable into the extension cord…that way...I can move all around the studio and have both headphone and guitar cables stay together and "follow" me without a big pile of "spaghetti" all over the floor. :)
 
I like the way the MDR-7506's sound for tracking. Hyped yes; but to me they inspire better performances because things do sound good. Now of course no headphones are good for mixing, so how they sound during the recording process should be the paramount concern.
 
Yes, everyone. I thought first, and used the search feature. Found lots of hits, but not on the specific question I have. Most reviews were about how well or how bad the isolation is in a set of headphones like these, but that's not what I'm looking for. I want a pair of headphones that will be good for listening to a mix coming from my home recording rig. I have no need for isolation, I already have in-ears for that.

My questions are are....

1.) Can anyone compare/contrast these two sets of headphones? I've read all of the reviews, and they seem to be neck and neck for the most part. The MDR-7506's seem to have a bit more flat response for recording purposes, which brings me to my next question...

2.) Which set will give a better flat response for home recording, and listening to drum tracks, as well as other multiple instrument tracks? The reviews seem to point out that the sound quality may be a tad better in the Sony's as well.

At this point, the Sony's sound to be a little better clarity-wise. But of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. So let's hear it!

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I think I have something to add:

I currently own both pairs and I think they are good headphones separately in their own right. I agree with John, I never really consider headphones as a main mixing reference.

To be honest with you, I really don't like the voicing on the Sonys. The entire thing just sounds too unnatural for anything that involves mixing. Sure, like anything, you can work out the trick to making them work for you.

I will say this from personal experience though, as a constantly studying engineer that uses reference headphones mainly to get sounds during the tracking process:

If you plan on using your headphones as a means to setup your tones and timbres, both of these models will yield two completely different results in the end.

Since the sennheisers are a flatter response, flatter voicing, less hyped headphone set, you might tend to go more extreme on the EQ settings because you tend to hear everything a little more naturally and evenly dispersed among the frequency spectrum. You might find yourself going a little more extreme on dynamic settings as well, cause again...these are totally un-hyped headphones. You do get a better overall tonal balance.

They also do well in tracking because of this. Better tonal reference tends to help pitch reference in vocal recording.


The Sony's on the other hand are a different beast with one of 2 outcomes:

1) They can make things sound awesome right off the bat, if you can work out the "trick" to using them. Much like working and massaging the hyped mid-range on Yamaha NS-10s.

or

2) you can end up getting completely unnatural and unbalanced tones throughout the whole spectrum. You risk getting damp and/or brittle tones. Lacking sufficient body.

Again, because of the hyped nature of the Sonys. They sound tailored to make things sound good, but not as they really are. Which kind of defeats the purpose for me, since I'm in the practice of hearing things as they really are to make good judgment calls.

I mean, I think they are a great low end reference and are particularly good for editing (easier to listening for pops, clicks, bad edits) etc. Of course, they make good tracking headphones for the artist because of the hyped EQ.

I personally migrated to a pair of Beyer Dynamic DT 990 Pros 3 years ago, which I'm totally in love with. Open air design. It's almost the equivalent of getting sounds on good mains in any good control room. But those are strictly tracking and reference headphones for me.

But If I had to choose for an overall balanced headphone between the Sennheiser or the Sony, I'd go with the Senheiser.
 
LeeRosario said:
I think I have something to add:

I currently own both pairs and I think they are good headphones separately in their own right. I agree with John, I never really consider headphones as a main mixing reference.

To be honest with you, I really don't like the voicing on the Sonys. The entire thing just sounds too unnatural for anything that involves mixing. Sure, like anything, you can work out the trick to making them work for you.

I will say this from personal experience though, as a constantly studying engineer that uses reference headphones mainly to get sounds during the tracking process:

If you plan on using your headphones as a means to setup your tones and timbres, both of these models will yield two completely different results in the end.

Since the sennheisers are a flatter response, flatter voicing, less hyped headphone set, you might tend to go more extreme on the EQ settings because you tend to hear everything a little more naturally and evenly dispersed among the frequency spectrum. You might find yourself going a little more extreme on dynamic settings as well, cause again...these are totally un-hyped headphones. You do get a better overall tonal balance.

They also do well in tracking because of this. Better tonal reference tends to help pitch reference in vocal recording.


The Sony's on the other hand are a different beast with one of 2 outcomes:

1) They can make things sound awesome right off the bat, if you can work out the "trick" to using them. Much like working and massaging the hyped mid-range on Yamaha NS-10s.

or

2) you can end up getting completely unnatural and unbalanced tones throughout the whole spectrum. You risk getting damp and/or brittle tones. Lacking sufficient body.

Again, because of the hyped nature of the Sonys. They sound tailored to make things sound good, but not as they really are. Which kind of defeats the purpose for me, since I'm in the practice of hearing things as they really are to make good judgment calls.

I mean, I think they are a great low end reference and are particularly good for editing (easier to listening for pops, clicks, bad edits) etc. Of course, they make good tracking headphones for the artist because of the hyped EQ.

I personally migrated to a pair of Beyer Dynamic DT 990 Pros 3 years ago, which I'm totally in love with. Open air design. It's almost the equivalent of getting sounds on good mains in any good control room. But those are strictly tracking and reference headphones for me.

But If I had to choose for an overall balanced headphone between the Sennheiser or the Sony, I'd go with the Senheiser.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot man, that really helped :D
 
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