Headphones for live monitoring

texvanwinkle

texvanwinkle

Well-known member
What's a good pair of noise-canceling headphones for under $200? Is there such an animal? I see a few under $150 on B&H, but not a lot of reviews for those considered ideal for live monitoring.

What's your poison?

Thanks,

Clint
 
Sony it is

Sony it is

That Sony looks like all I need. Plus the price has dropped $6. Say no more.

Thanks for the fast feedback, folks.
 
You don't mention what it is you are 'live monitoring'?

If it's a band playing in a club, you may want sound isolation headphones, rather than just simple headphones like the Sony.
 
chapelgrovefilms said:
You don't mention what it is you are 'live monitoring'?

If it's a band playing in a club, you may want sound isolation headphones, rather than just simple headphones like the Sony.
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Hmm. Wedding receptions, which could be like a band in a club--this last one was a live band in a hotel ballroom--or as it was in my case, music from home audio speakers set up under a small pavilion and no amplification on the toasts, etc.

Based on the reviews, it seems like the Sony would deliver the goods. If not, what would be your suggestion?
 
Honestly man, "Noise Canceling" Headphones are not always the best quality. To achieve the noise canceling, they actually emit a different sound to counteract the source. Good for airplanes and stuff, but you really need a good pair of studio headphones.

For quality, comfort and value, I recommend Sennheiser products all the way across the board. I personally use the HD 280 Pro headphones. They aren't terribly expensive and you can run down to your local Guitar Center and grab a pair inexpensively. Or at B&H here:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/240764-REG/Sennheiser_HD280PRO_HD_280_Pro_.html

I used to use Sony, nice headphones too but they become very uncomfortable after awhile. Sennheiser primarily makes headphones and microphones and you'll find that they are some of the most widely used headphones around. Just make sure you get a set that is not "open ear".
 
Kit Hannah said:
Honestly man, "Noise Canceling" Headphones are not always the best quality. To achieve the noise canceling, they actually emit a different sound to counteract the source. Good for airplanes and stuff, but you really need a good pair of studio headphones.
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I actually agree. I used "noise-cancelling" in my original post to refer to the goal, not the actual technology used. That was my bad. Once I realized what that meant, thanks to someone up in the thread, I veered away from it. That said, is the Sony set noise-cancelling? I didn't think it was.

I'll take a look at your link. I like the idea of hitting Guitar Center. Was just thinking about that for some other equipment.

Thanks!

Clint
 
If you really want good sound isolationn (NOT cancellation), this is the ultimate: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...sp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=submit
Well worth the investment... these are the single most important tool of all my location audio gear (which is an extensive collection).

Here's a cheaper alternative: http://www.extremeheadphones.com/ex-29.html ... not quite as good in isolation or sound, but in many situations these will still let you hear clearly when studio headphones will leave you guessing what's being recorded.

I shoukld say, also, in lot of situations these will preserve your hearing in the long-term and prevent fatigue in the short-term... you don't have to crank up your headphone volume to ridiculous levels to hear...
 
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I've used a pair of these to record a band playing (LOUD) in a club.

http://www.frontendaudio.com/Direct_Sound_Extreme_Isolation_Headphones_Black_p/1750.htm

They're adequate. Their main advantage is sound isolation, rather than purity of sound. But they're cheap!

What I learned from that experience is put the headphones on before the band starts playing! I didn't start shooting until their 2nd set. By then, I was good and deaf -- could barely hear the sound in the headphones at all. Not smart.
 
Well that's an interesting confluence of opinions. Two people suggesting the same pair of headphones, and one person suggesting a high-end pair that's a customized form of the pair I was leaning toward.

Looking at the specs, I think I'm going to go still for the Sony pair. Same price as the Direct Extreme; the specs are ever so slightly better, to the degree that that matters; plus it has the spare parts available if needed.

Thanks to all again for the valuable input.
 
Well, the Sonys provide basically no isolation. If that's important to you, be warned. Of the ones mentioned hear, only the HN-7506 (remote audio) and EX-29 (Direct Sound) provide any real isolation.
 
ullanta said:
Well, the Sonys provide basically no isolation. If that's important to you, be warned. Of the ones mentioned hear, only the HN-7506 (remote audio) and EX-29 (Direct Sound) provide any real isolation.
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We're talking about the MDR-7506s? I'll take your word for it; the EX-29s are the same price. It just confuses me a bit because I don't see much difference in construction or specs between it and the EX-29s, not to mention the reviews by videographers testifying to the MDR's monitoring ability. Looked like they were essentially the same, so the parts availability became the tie-breaker. But I'll take another look at the EX-29s.
 
No! Take a physical look... the Ex-29's are modified construction-worker ear-protectors. It's not in the electrionic specs; it's the physical bulk and quality of material built into the shell that goes around your ears.

The HN-7506's are top-quality helicopter-pilot headphones modified to use MDR-7506 electronics. They have freaky gel pads; they weigh about 5 pounds, they have good sound and tremendous isolation.

I actually have in my kit the Hn-7506s, the MDR 7506's, and an earlier version of the EX-29s, so I've used all three in many situations.

The MDR-7506s provide no isolation (6dB, maybe, at most, of high frequencies only), but are the most comfortable, and sound best of the three when ambient sound levels are low (e.g., if you're monitoring in another quiet room, etc.)

The HN-7506s provide about 36 dB of isolation. You basically hear NOTHING but what's coming through the headphones. As in, the building collapses behind you, and you don't notice. Bad if you need to communicate with people around you... you're always taking them on and off. They're heavy, tight, hot... but you get used to them. Every few months of heavy use one of the earpads pops and you have gel oozing down the side of your face. But you hear exactly what you want to hear. Ever use great noise-canceling headphones, like Bose, etc? The are NOTHING in comparison. You've got to try these to believe 'em. Like I say in all seriousness, there's nothing more important in my audio kit... these are a surgical tool for hearing exactly what you want.

The EX29-ish ones are a step down in build quality, sound quality, and isolation... they cut something like 25dB... still better than anything else I've tried, by far. I had these before I had the HN-7506s, and carry them as a contingency - in case anything ever happens to the HN-7506's, or if anyone else wants to listen in. They're certainly serviceable, and much better than the Sonys (or Sennheisers) in loud situations.

The question is whether you're looking for studio monitor headphones, headphones for quiet situations, or headphones for situations where you'll be in a fairly loud environment or close to your sound source. If looking for studio headphones, look primarily to specs on frequency response and such. If looking for field headphones, look to isolation. Whether or not the frequency response is off by a few dB at the extremes is meaningless when you can't tell what's the sound through the headphones and what's the ambient sound.

As another bonus, the isolating headphones prevent sound from leaking out and being picked up by the mics - which can be an issue in many situations (such as some types of voiceover, ADR, tracking, foley, etc.)

Just to introduce myself, so you can judge my biases: I am primarily a classical music live recordist (audio and video). I'm usually in the same room (hall) as the performance. Listening is critical, especially when adjusting, say, placement of individual mics in an orchestra in the few precious moments that they're rehearsing before a performance. I can sit in the middle of an orchestra pit with an ambient sound level of over 100dB and listen to the sound of a particular mic clearly through my HN7506s. From my camera position at the back of the hall, I can't even be sure what's coming through the MDR-7506 headphones and what's leaking in from ambient sound... and at certain frequencies, the two interfere in artifact-inducing ways. If I crank up the sound levels to where I can even begin to make the distinction, I not only become deafened, but I leak sound into the hall which is of course not acceptable. It's a universe of difference.
 
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The Sony's are VERY uncomfortable.... dude, just go down to Guitar center or something and start trying stuff out to see if you like it or not. There's gotta be somewhere in the Dallas Area that you can go and test things out. Everyone has their own opinions on things, but go see for yourself.
 
You find the Sonys uncomfortable? Strange... why, and what headphones do you think are comfortable? (Sure, a sidetrack... but I'm curious. Maybe after getting used to the monstrous HN-7506's everything else seems super-comfy...)
 
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if you have the budget, check out Sennheiser's HD-25's...pricey at $200, but worth every dollar!
 
Kit Hannah said:
The Sony's are VERY uncomfortable.... dude, just go down to Guitar center or something and start trying stuff out to see if you like it or not. There's gotta be somewhere in the Dallas Area that you can go and test things out. Everyone has their own opinions on things, but go see for yourself.
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Of course, but first I want to know what to consider, and in my experience that's far better determined by talking to professionals in the field, i.e., you folks, rather than the folks at the stores. You know more of what you speak and it's more pertinent to how I'll be using the equipment than what I'd usually find in a store. Whether I end up buying stuff online or not, I always check out the reviews and survey opinions online first. Now when I do go in to Guitar Center, which is, yes, just down the road, I know what to focus on--far more, mostly likely, than if I'd gone in cold.
 
Guitar Center doesn't have a variety of high-quality, specialized gear. Although it can be a GREAT environment for testing isolation...
 
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