Headphone recommendations

S

stewhem

Well-known member
I need some new headphones, mostly for editing. The new Rode NTH-100s look interesting. Wonder if anyone has tried/compared them, eg to the new Sennheisers - my Sennheiser HD-26 Pros just gave up the ghost.
 
MDR-7506 are the classics... I keep a pair in my audio bag... but I prefer the Sennheiser HD380 Pros. They fold actually flat, sound a little better IMO, and have a removable cord.
 
Never understood the extreme fawning over the 7506’s(and still today). I always preferred the 7509’s and then went to Ultrasones, upon recommendation from one of my dedicated sound guys.
 
Sony MDR-7506 heaphones are great for on-location production and I've used them for years. In fact, I just replaced the muffs on my most used pair. Still going strong after maybe 10-15 years? But you say your main use is editing, and I find the 7506 too heavy and uncomfortable for long hours in post.

A few years ago I had to kill a few hours waiting for a train out of NYC so I spent that time at B&H trying every headphone they had on display, Dozens of them on a wall, The ones I thought sounded best were the Grado Labs SR80. Never heard of the brand before, but they were the best sounding and the open-air design made them really comfortable. I have used them in post ever since whenever I need to really hear the audio perfectly. Think aobut it. you don't need the isolation of full muffs like the 7506 have, when you are editing or mixing.

I give them a 10 out of 10 recommendaton for use in post. However, I would not recommend them for use in the field due to their open-air design. Tht's what the 7506's are for.

BTW, I thought the 80s sounded better than any of their more expensive models.

https://gradolabs.com/headphones/pre...item/128-sr80x
 
I've used Sony 7506 headphones for location work for a couple decades. Like them a lot for that. But they're not totally flat and I find them a bit fatiguing after a long day. But they're not flat in a way that lets me better hear wind, clothing, and handling noise; that's worth it. But if you'll only be wearing them for an hour or two at a time, they'll be fine. Also, I use Garfield Headphone softies on them; they improve comfort in hot and cold weather and make my pairs easier to identify on set, etc. Available in several colors and two sizes; basically 7506 size and HD25/HD26 size.

For something flatter for mixing, a smart industry friend was given a couple pairs of the newish Audix headphones and liked them a lot (and not in a "I got free stuff so I better say I like it!" sort of way, but in an actual, "Huh; these are pretty nice" kind of way. Haven't heard them myself. https://audixusa.com/product-categories/headphones-all/

And beyond how they sound, check out how a candidate pair fit your head and ears.

Anything you didn't like about your HD26 headphones that keeps you from just buying another pair? Or just want to see what else is out there?
 
I will 100% second Doug's recommendation of the Grado Labs SR80. I've had them for about 7 years and they're fantastic. If you want to spend more money you can get even fancier sets from Grado, but the SR80 is the perfect combination of price and performance (in my view).

They're also perfect for general use, although as Doug notes they're open-air so not ideal for noisy situations (or situations where you don't want others to hear your headphones).

In addition to their audio quality (which is fantastic) they're remarkably comfortable long editing sessions (I've worn them for hours without issue).
 
drboffa said:
I will 100% second Doug's recommendation of the Grado Labs SR80....

.... as Doug notes they're open-air so not ideal for noisy situations (or situations where you don't want others to hear your headphones).
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:thumbup:

For editing I like the Beyerdynamic DT990. Good bass response without hype and comfortable.
 
I'm a MDR fan too though there sounds like there is an echo in this room.

Once I got the after market deep ear cups I achieve complete nirvana. More comfortable, better isolation and no flaking!
 
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Clermond said:
are you guys using headphones for editing?
I have been advised in my ver beginning of editing not to do so.
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Always when cutting dialog, narration, etc. I need to be able to hear every little lip smack, breath, etc. that can be hard to hear on speakers.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Some really useful comments. I liked my 26s and might get some more but the Rodes do look impressive. But then the Sonys are getting some good mentions here. Think I should be sensible for once and try the Sonys and Rodes before I buy.

Yes, I prefer headphones for editing because, like Doug says you can hear every little detail, but also take them off to check through speakers every so often.
 
My monitor speakers blow away any pair of headphones I've ever tried for editing and are less fatiguing. I only use headphones while editing when I absolutely can't run the speakers for some reason OR when I'm sound-testing a mix on headphones specifically. But... I do have some pretty high-end monitor speakers in a pretty well tuned room.

I've always been told you should mix on speakers and then check on headphones rather than the other way around because headphones tend to boost both low-end and loudness... meaning you'll often leave dialog a little too low in the mix because it's easier to hear on the cans.
 
jbregar said:
My monitor speakers blow away any pair of headphones I've ever tried for editing and are less fatiguing. I only use headphones while editing when I absolutely can't run the speakers for some reason OR when I'm sound-testing a mix on headphones specifically. But... I do have some pretty high-end monitor speakers in a pretty well tuned room.

I've always been told you should mix on speakers and then check on headphones rather than the other way around because headphones tend to boost both low-end and loudness... meaning you'll often leave dialog a little too low in the mix because it's easier to hear on the cans.
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thats exactly what I was told and what I did for the last 15yrs.
 
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jbregar said:
I've always been told you should mix on speakers and then check on headphones rather than the other way around because headphones tend to boost both low-end and loudness... meaning you'll often leave dialog a little too low in the mix because it's easier to hear on the cans.
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It really doesn't matter which way round you do it. It really is a matter of preference, so long as you are monitoring both ways at the final stage.
 
Every audio-centric person I've talked to uses monitor speakers for mixing and if they DO use headphones, it's ONLY for very fine dialog cutting and usually then only because they're in a situation where they can't run monitors.... so that's what I do. I also find headphones super fatiguing for long editing sessions.

I think you can cut good sound on cans... but I think it's easier with a good set of monitors.

If you're doing a stereo mix and trying to place things on the sound stage, cans are even more problematic... unless your audience is going to be hearing it through headphones. Stereo mixes done on headphones tend to have things panned too close to the center because the sound stage is literally sitting on either side of our head (vs. the left and right side in front of us like speakers).

I also don't think there's much advantage to open-backed headphones over monitors... even for identifying breaths and clicks. The advantage there is going to be isolation, which you really only get from closed-back cans.

I'd guess all this stuff is why the conventional wisdom is to avoid mixing (and doing mixing for video) on headphones.

But hey, if what you're doing works for you keep on keepin' on.

FWIW, I also check my stuff on a crappy set of $10 computer speakers and a cheap-ish sound bar (which simulates stuff being played through TV speakers).
 
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