Monitoring Headphones - what to buy?

T

teayce

Well-known member
Can someone give some guidance on what they believe is the best pair of headphones for monitoring audio with my dvx100b? I'd like to stay under $150 if I can. Any recommendations would be appreciated!
 
I used Sennheiser's HD 280 Pro (64 ohms) headphones for monitoring a Kurzweil keyboard and composing music for ages; now these headphones are just what I need for my AG-DVX100B. I often 'film' within a few feet of amplified musicians; without wearing the phones, I would be almost blown off my feet! The ear muffs isolate the live sound very well indeed and one can hear the sound off the recording head very clearly. Sorry I don't remeber what they cost. Cheers, John.
 
They cost 100 dollars at guitar center where I got mine from. The one thing about then though is if you have a large head like me :) they will feel tight at first
 
Good advice. The HD-280's are sounding like a really good option - What do you think about the Sony MDR-7506's - I've heard good things.
 
Those are the industry standard. If you watch most productions the sound guys have those on. One benefit of the 7506's is that they are lighter and fold up much smaller
 
Twin Lakes has a great point.

Twin Lakes has a great point.

These head phones really isolate you from surrounding noise well. I actually have to turn down the sound from my dvx100a cause they work so well. "They do feel tight for awhile. Guess I have a big head also.:)
 
I have always used the MDR's, only because I have the big head issue as well. I can't wear the HD280 for longer than an hour. Senn makes larger better headphones, but I can't afford those yet. The MDR's were recommended to me by an audio engineer, due to "their flat response that is realistic without adding bass." :)
 
Thanks for the advice all. Went with the MDR-7506's after having a listen to each - the 7506's were a little more comfortable too.
 
teayce said:
[...] Went with the MDR-7506's after having a listen to each - the 7506's were a little more comfortable too.
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I think you made an excellent choice. I own two pairs (one lives in the audio kit and the second in the camera kit) and I bought them after years of renting audio kits that included them as "standard issue." By the way, another cool thing about the MDR-7506s is you can order replacement parts in order to repair them, another reason, in addition to sound quality and comfort, that so many rental houses stock them and they are so popular industry-wide.
 
if you want to go the plug route, try etmotic er-6s, also a very flat response. I switch between the er-6 r the mdr,s depending on the situation. If its really hot, or really loud definately er-6.
 
teayce said:
Thanks for the advice all. Went with the MDR-7506's after having a listen to each - the 7506's were a little more comfortable too.
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I think I'm going to pick up a pair myself. They're closed cans right? I have some grado sr-80's but they're open can design, so I hear a lot of stuff I don't want to hear when I'm monitoring
 
i use the boosterroo that i bought for 30 bucks it works for me. since we are talking headphones has anyone seen the commericals for the bose wireless headphones do you think those would work to monitor audio thru a cam?
 
I was using Sony MDR-V6's which sound good. But they didn't provide enough isolation.

So I got a pair of Futuresonics Ears which were on sale for $100. After using them for almost a year they're now at the bottom of a very large and deep reservoir in Oregon.

Now I just started using Etymotics 6i's. Got 'em from the Apple Store for $150. They sound very good, a little brighter than the Futuresonics which is a good thing. And the silicone ear pieces are easier to insert than the foam ones.

I was looking for good audio isolation as I often work in noisy environments. Standard headphones meant cranking up the volume and I'm concerned about hearing loss. With good isolation earphones my listening volume is a lot lower. And these take up a lot less space in my gear bag. They also work well with an iPod on the airplane while travelling.
 
I have a bunch of pairs of the MDR-V6's, have used them for years and they are solid and reliable. I would second the idea of the Etymotics for louder enviornments. One nice thing about the Etymotics is that you can get custom earmolds for them. I have a set of the Etymotics musicians earplugs, which are designed to attenuate all the frequencies equally so you get hearing safety without muddy sound. Several of their in-ear headphones will mount directly to the earplugs, and this is pretty nice.
 
DCSensui said:
Now I just started using Etymotics 6i's. Got 'em from the Apple Store for $150.
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I would reccommend staying away from the er6i if you could. They are engineered for consumer use and have a bunch of bass boosting qualities. The er6 are the pro model, built for a lean flat sound. Of cours, the 6is will work fine, you'll just hear more bass than you should.
 
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