Headphones: Which brand/model do you use?

Alex H. said:
MDR-7506 with Pearstone replacement ear pads. I've had my primary pair since 1997 and they haven't failed me.
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wow lucky you!
I usually replace mine every year and a half or so.
Without fail they always seem to lose their low end and really thin out.

Still for under $100 bux they are my go-to phones.
 
I have the 7506 and Senn HD280. I like both but much prefer the 7506. They are more comfortable on my head and ears.
 
(to sideline the thread a bit - interesting question, which fields of audio are roughest on headphones! I vote for location classical recording! This is a field where there is often a solo recordist, lugging all his/her own equipment, often in locations where there's no place good to set up, and often no wheeled access or elevators. It's also a different location with fairly different needs each day, So equipment packing is jammed tight, generally no heavy hard cases. Often the bulky and awkward headset is thrown onto the mic stand bag or a jam-packed cable bag (cause it can be murder to make multiple trips to the vehicle in, say, a parking tower a quarter mile away on, say, the USC campus). Once there, the recordist is in and out of headphones frequently during setup, and there's rarely a nice place to put them down, So they get stuck on whatever, and fall a lot. Generally the recordist has to work fast and without interrupting even rehearsal an warmup time, so s/he is always ripping off the headphones to run to the stage for precious and brief opportunities to modify mic placements.

When I do work for films, it's relatively luxurious and much easier on the equipment.

Mind you, I'm very gentle with my equipment, have probably invested as much in gear to protect it as in equipment itself, and am very careful in packing each time… but that takes a huge effort, and takes time (tear down is almost never included on venue rental time, no matter what you tell the client, which makes things rushed and stressful)… but I think that given the same given the same recordist with the same level of care for equipment, classical location recording is among the most gear-stressing fields. Any takers? Nature documentarians, maybe?)
 
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ullanta said:
(to sideline the thread a bit - interesting question, which fields of audio are roughest on headphones! I vote for location classical recording! This is a field where there is often a solo recordist, lugging all his/her own equipment, often in locations where there's no place good to set up, and often no wheeled access or elevators. It's also a different location with fairly different needs each day, So equipment packing is jammed tight, generally no heavy hard cases. Often the bulky and awkward headset is thrown onto the mic stand bag or a jam-packed cable bag (cause it can be murder to make multiple trips to the vehicle in, say, a parking tower a quarter mile away on, say, the USC campus). Once there, the recordist is in and out of headphones frequently during setup, and there's rarely a nice place to put them down, So they get stuck on whatever, and fall a lot. Generally the recordist has to work fast and without interrupting even rehearsal an warmup time, so s/he is always ripping off the headphones to run to the stage for precious and brief opportunities to modify mic placements.

When I do work for films, it's relatively luxurious and much easier on the equipment.

Mind you, I'm very gentle with my equipment, have probably invested as much in gear to protect it as in equipment itself, and am very careful in packing each time… but that takes a huge effort, and takes time (tear down is almost never included on venue rental time, no matter what you tell the client, which makes things rushed and stressful)… but I think that given the same given the same recordist with the same level of care for equipment, classical location recording is among the most gear-stressing fields. Any takers? Nature documentarians, maybe?)
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Actually, I am a location classical music recordist and take good care of my headphones - my HD 25-1 are about 22 years old and still going strong.

Where headphones get the hardest use is in professional film and TV recording where the recordist can be outdoors in all weathers, even in the pouring rain, ice and snow.
 
John Willett said:
Actually, I am a location classical music recordist and take good care of my headphones - my HD 25-1 are about 22 years old and still going strong.

Where headphones get the hardest use is in professional film and TV recording where the recordist can be outdoors in all weathers, even in the pouring rain, ice and snow.
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Agreed.
 
You know, for my level and experience, I've found some old Vic Firth headphones I bought way back for drumming work great. They don't have the level of sophistication I'd expect from higher end professional equipment, but if you just need to listen to something and your regular headphones aren't cutting it, look into it. They provide quality I'd expect from maybe $200 audio monitoring headphones for film.

(http://www.guitarcenter.com/Vic-Firth-SIH1-Isolation-Headphones-101547305-i1137888.gc hey i found 'em! Those are what I use)
 
John Willett said:
Actually, I am a location classical music recordist and take good care of my headphones - my HD 25-1 are about 22 years old and still going strong.

Where headphones get the hardest use is in professional film and TV recording where the recordist can be outdoors in all weathers, even in the pouring rain, ice and snow.
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Don't you guys have hats?

John, with all your credits at the bottom of your posts, it looks like you're likely operating at a higher level than I am... do you work with a crew, or alone?
 
sonofaresiii said:
You know, for my level and experience, I've found some old Vic Firth headphones I bought way back for drumming work great. They don't have the level of sophistication I'd expect from higher end professional equipment, but if you just need to listen to something and your regular headphones aren't cutting it, look into it. They provide quality I'd expect from maybe $200 audio monitoring headphones for film.

(http://www.guitarcenter.com/Vic-Firth-SIH1-Isolation-Headphones-101547305-i1137888.gc hey i found 'em! Those are what I use)
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Yes, I keep a bunch of those around for students, additional camera ops, etc. They don't have great sound, and don't seem too sturdy, but they are an effective cheap solution for isolation. Again, they sound better than many more expensive, "better sounding" headphones, simply by virtue of letting you hear what you are recording as opposed to what's around you. The DirectSound Extreme Isolation headphones are a little more expensive, a little better sounding, and a little more comfortable (to me) and sturdy... I'd never give up my HN7506s for these, but they're a good backup/secondary solution.
 
ullanta said:
Don't you guys have hats?

John, with all your credits at the bottom of your posts, it looks like you're likely operating at a higher level than I am... do you work with a crew, or alone?
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I work alone - if I have anyone else it's normally the producer who is making sure the musician plays all the notes correctly.
 
I rather like HD25s - they're just easy to get on with - although my son spent more on a pair of Dr dre beats (yep, I'd never heard of them - but discovered they're a kind of cult headphone company who target DJs) and they really are extremely good, and best bit is they have noise reduction electronics built in which is really effective. I'm going to try them on the next noisy music show and see how I get on.
 
paulears said:
I rather like HD25s - they're just easy to get on with - although my son spent more on a pair of Dr dre beats (yep, I'd never heard of them - but discovered they're a kind of cult headphone company who target DJs) and they really are extremely good, and best bit is they have noise reduction electronics built in which is really effective. I'm going to try them on the next noisy music show and see how I get on.
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Active noise reduction is not something I would use for monitoring headphones.

Fine for DJs, though, who are not listening for quality.
 
i'im still using a pair of 7506's since 2005 or so... but, they are wearing out. cable is exposed near the ear, and the pads are peeling off, and have lost their bounce... they my computer headphones these days, though :)
 
The cable should be an easy fix. As for the pads, I cannot say enough about the Pearstone replacement pads. They are very comfortable.
 
I just replaced my cable with a Canare L-2B2AT cable. I was sick of the coiled cable getting tangled. It's super simple. Take off the pad, unscrew 4 philips head screws, desolder 3 wires and solder the 3 wires from the new cable. The pinout on the original Sony cable is: tip - green, ring - red, sleeve - gold. Just match that with your new cable and you'll be all set. And since the ear pad is off, replace it with the Pearstone pads. I love them, too.
 
edinc90 said:
I just replaced my cable with a Canare L-2B2AT cable. I was sick of the coiled cable getting tangled. It's super simple. Take off the pad, unscrew 4 philips head screws, desolder 3 wires and solder the 3 wires from the new cable. The pinout on the original Sony cable is: tip - green, ring - red, sleeve - gold. Just match that with your new cable and you'll be all set. And since the ear pad is off, replace it with the Pearstone pads. I love them, too.
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What headphones did you do this to... Sony MD-7506?
 
As John says,, active noise cancellation is something to be avoided if your goal is to accurately hear what you're recording. And, aside from changing the sound, it's nowhere near as effective as good passive isolation… active canceling only covers a pretty narrow frequency band (generally in the range of the constant drone of an airplane cabin, car, or train).
 
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