Headphones help

A

Aaron83

New member
Hey,

I was just wondering if I could get away with some decent headphones to listen to sound and dialogue on set, or must I get proper monitor headphones for the task? I want to hear accurate and authentic reproduction of the recorded speech and atmosphere, as opposed to listening pleasure. But i don't want to spend too much!

If you have any recommendations, please share!
 
Audio Technica M50 is what I've got on now. No headphones are flat; some are at least fairly neutral. Cheaper than that is a bit iffy, there are some Sennheisers that are not bad at $30-$60 but they aren't very neutral at that price point.
 
Sony MDR-7506 headphones are incredibly accurate, about $100 a pair but worth the investment. I've yet to work in a studio or on a location that didn't have these.
 
Aaron83 said:
I want to hear accurate and authentic reproduction of the recorded speech and atmosphere, as opposed to listening pleasure. But i don't want to spend too much!
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Bite the bullet and get a pair of 7506's. Leaving aside reference quality for a moment, few consumer headphones stand up well to the rigors of production work. I've had the same pair of 7506's ever since I started working in sound. In another couple of years, I may have to replace the foam ear-pads. Otherwise, they're in brilliant shape.

Paying that little bit extra means that you may never have to buy yourself another pair of cans.
 
SMuir said:
Paying that little bit extra means that you may never have to buy yourself another pair of cans.
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This basic rule holds true for most of your gear. If you buy quality to begin with you will save a lot of money in the long run.

BTW, +1 on the 7506's.
 
I have the 7506,s and some Beyer Dynamic 770's and I work a fair amount with the Senn.'s that are about the same price as the 7506's (they are not mine but they cost the same and fold etc.). The 770 isolate pretty well and are pretty flat but you need a beefy headphone amp to power them so they are almost useless in the field. Comfort wise (I have big ears) the Senn.'s are winners. I find them comfortable and they seem pretty durable. A bunch of FX recordists use them but they are not the kind of standard that the 7506's are. They also isolate better, I don't have to hold them to my head as much to pick up really quiet stuff or seal out the "live" sound. I have had to use over the years a lot of cheap headsets and none of them hold up well. The 7506's have survived 10 years of field recordings, falling off camels, hanging off the end of moving semi's and getting stuffed into field packs of various kinds. All the plastic covering on the earpads has worn off (I was going to replace the pads but I find the cloth more comfortable) and they are still going strong. Haven't even needed to redo the plug.
 
I love Sony, but I actually don't know anyone who uses Sony HP for audio. Maybe I should get out more! I find them bright with some odd bumps in the frequency response. I see more Sennheiser than any other brand, and I see even some high rollers with the little SP25s (ii) which don't do much for me. The are cute, though. Fact is, there is a lot to choose from. I used to use the HD280 till I tried out the M50s. HD280 is a good choice if you don't like AT. I don't like AT, the M50s are the only piece of gear I own from them besides two shock mounts. But the M50s are very good for location work; at home I have the Sennheiser HD600s and the HD580s with the upgraded cables. On the other hand, the guys on this forum just LIVE video, so if they like the Sony you should *definitely* audition them. The only real way to know is to try them out all at once, which is a real pain. But then you are done. You will know pretty fast what you like.
NO HPs are flat, so you need something that can be learned--after you get used to them, you know where the bias is. Most have a bit of a bass bump and some HF rolloff, but there are other bumps along the way. You can read this post going back to 2002 and you will see headphones galore
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/recommendations-best-headphones-market-new-old-13417/
 
Just a heads up that the guys on the head-fi board are generally more about listening to
music on phones, not doing sound for film/video.

The definition of 'good' headphones is very different between the two worlds.
 
Noiz2 said:
Haven't even needed to redo the plug.
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Those cables are built like tanks! The downside is that if you want to shorten the cable, doing so can be a bit of a chore.

However, I have found that the thin wire that runs from between the earcups and through the headband has a tendency to get snagged in the hinges when you unfold the cans. If you really bash them around (as foley artists tend to), that wire can eventually break. Fortunately, the lads over at Trew pointed me towards a brilliant fix: the reinforced cable stock Sanken makes for the COS-11's is the perfect size to replace that little wire.
 
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