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Topic: Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better (Read 6453 times) previous topic - next topic
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Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #1
I don't know the AT. The Sonys are all over. Most folks at the local NPR station, including me,  use them for studio recording, editing, etc. (Classical, jazz, and folk)

If I lost mine, I'd get the same or the V6. Substantially the same but cheaper, I think the difference is just a shared ground in the cord.

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #2
I don't know the AT. The Sonys are all over. Most folks at the local NPR station, including me,  use them for studio recording, editing, etc. (Classical, jazz, and folk)

If I lost mine, I'd get the same or the V6. Substantially the same but cheaper, I think the difference is just a shared ground in the cord.


So since you use the Sonys for studio recording, editting, and other stuff, doesn't that make them better than the Audio Technica  i posted ?  And what do you mean by shared ground in the cord?

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #3
I haven't heard either of those headphones...

Hydralisk86,  Have you heard either one?  If at all possible, you should LISTEN before buying and make the decision yourself.  Specs for headphones or speakers are practically useless.   The frequency response of headphones is particularly difficult to measure, since the sound waves reflect-around and interact with the ear.

If you can't listen, you can go by reviews and reputation, but different people have different taste.  (Comfort is also going to vary from person-to-person.)  So unless you can find-out something specific like, "Headphone A has more bass than headphone B", reviews and recommendations can be useless too.    And you can read lots of useless audiophile nonsense like, "This headphone is highly detailed and has a good soundstage".

But if you want to read some stuff, GoodCans.com has reviews & recommendations for headphones in various price ranges, with a minimum of audiophile nonsense.  But they only review/recommend headphones that they sell.

Many years ago, I decided to upgrade my headphones.  But when I went to the store and listened to some "better" more expensive headphones,  nothing in the store sounded as good as ones I already had!  If I had ordered some without listening first, I would have wasted my money.  (Eventually those died, and since they were no longer made I replaced them with Grados.)


Although I don't often use headphones, I have 4 pair.  They all have a reputation for being bargains... i.e. for being some of the best (for sound quality) in their price ranges:

Grado SR225 (~$200)
Sennheiser HD280s (~ $100 USD)
Koss Pota-Pro (~$50 USD)
Superlux HD688B (~$50 USD)

I have not carefully compared them so I won't attempt a "review" or make a recommendation, but I'll make a few comments...  I "like" all of these headphones, and the Grados are my favorite.  The Grados are "open" (hear-thru), which I prefer, but they look cheap and old-fashioned.  Most Grados have a reputation for being bargains, especially the lower-price models. 

I use the Sennheisers when I want/need isolation.

The Koss are small and they live in my laptop carry-bag.  The Porta-Pro has been popular for almost 30 years, so it's probably got something going for it.    (All Koss headphones have a lifetime warranty.) 

I bought the Superlux because they were cheap and they were getting good reviews.  I have only listened to them a couple of times.    They are acceptable, and they probably have more bass than any of the others.

Quote
Most folks at the local NPR station, including me, use them for studio recording, editing, etc. (Classical, jazz, and folk)
Quote
So since you use the Sonys for studio recording, editting, and other stuff, doesn't that make them better than the Audio Technica i posted ?
For professional use, ruggedness, reliability, and comfort are at least as important as sound quality.  (These things may be very important to you too!)

Sometimes sponsorship is important too!  If you are a pro, or you run a radio station, maybe you can get 'em free, or maybe even get paid to use 'em!

The "rule" for recording studios is, "Never mix with headphones!".  Headphones are for monitoring (by the performer) or for when listening for small defects/details.    When they want to know what the mix "sounds like", they use monitors.  That makes overall sound quality less-important than you might think.

  ...Speaking of ruggedness...  When I worked at the college radio station we had to supply our own headphones.  My 1st day on the air, I broke mine trying the get the earpiece turned-around in a panic!

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #4
If I lost mine, I'd get the same or the V6. Substantially the same but cheaper, I think the difference is just a shared ground in the cord.

One has a samarium cobalt driver, the other has a neodymium driver.

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #5
So i am getting a headphones, but i don't know much about technology, so i need some help deciding which one to get.  Here are 2 i am looking at:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Profess..._pr_product_top

and

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M...io+Technica+M50


Both are good headphones, and both are devices that I have owned and used for years.  I seem to recall that I have even worn out and replaced at least one pair of 7506s. I believe that the M50s are somewhat more accurate, at least to my ears.  It is not unusual for some people to criticize the 7506s for being colored and harsh. The 7506s may be the most frequently used of all headphones for recording and broadcast use. One sees them on-screen not infrequently.

A third comparable set of headphones would be the Sennheiser HD 280s.  The 280s are different from the other two in that they tend to more tightly close around the ears and head and therefore provide more isolation and often have deeper, stronger and usually in my opinion more accurate bass.

You should be aware of the fact that the frequency response of headphones is somewhat dependent on the details of the dimensions of the user's head and ears, so there is a tendency for us to hear them at least a little differently.

In my own experience my preferences for these devices depends on the actual nature of my intended use, whether for long periods of time where the M50s and 7506s are more comfortable, or whether the greater isolation of the 280s would be more valuable.

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #6
So since you use the Sonys for studio recording, editting, and other stuff, doesn't that make them better than the Audio Technica  i posted ?  And what do you mean by shared ground in the cord?


I haven't tried the AT's, so couldn't say.  There are other choices at the station that I don't like as much.

Shared ground means the cord (in the V6)  has 3 wires: left signal, right signal, and ground (the return path).  The 7506 has separate left and right ground wires, though the plug clearly has just one ground connection.  This can make some difference in the channel isolation, but I can't claim it's noticeable.

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #7
There was a time the AT-m50 was very popular, but it's less the case.
There are long discussions at head-fi, that explains why it  doesn't anymore deserve the praise it got in the past.
One reason invoked being is that there are more interesting recent alternatives.
I believe these discussions helped to drop the price of ath-m50 a bit  (I see for instance an old price of 160$, and now 100$).

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #8
My pair of AKG 240m headphones have held up for almost 15 years (although the vinyl in the earcup has started disintegrating).  These are another alternative if you haven't stumbled across them yet.  They are just as commonly used as the Sony MDRs.

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #9
I didn't care for the Sony V6, female vocal sounded sibilant to me. I like Sennheiser, but bargain that is tempting right now are the Koss Tony Bennet signature an outlet called Tuesday morning has them for $50 originally $200.

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #10
since you use the Sonys for studio recording, editting, and other stuff, doesn't that make them better than the Audio Technica  i posted ?

Not better, simply well suited for task where a neutral frequency response is required to produce a balanced mix.  I use a pair of the Sonys for that purpose and although I don't consider them completely flat they are pretty close.

On the other hand for regular listening you might prefer something that for example places emphasis on the bass and low mids.  This is a completely different proposition, which is why it is a very good idea to try out as many different headphones as you can preferably keeping an open mind.

Looking to get headphones, i need advice on which one is better

Reply #11
There was a time the AT-m50 was very popular, but it's less the case.
There are long discussions at head-fi, that explains why it  doesn't anymore deserve the praise it got in the past.
One reason invoked being is that there are more interesting recent alternatives.
I believe these discussions helped to drop the price of ath-m50 a bit  (I see for instance an old price of 160$, and now 100$).
Could you maybe link to some of those discussions please? I also see them still going for 160€ here, so I guess that 100$ thing was a fluctuation =/

edit: nvm, I think I found the thread