Headphones: Which brand/model do you use?

Terry_Lasater

Terry_Lasater

All about the Caption
I've used Sony MD7506 headphones before but the cans don't surround my ears and that pesky coiled cable drives me crazy. I've also had a pair of $100 Sennheiser headphones that covered my ears better and gave good sound but the padding seemed weak and started deteriorating rather quickly.

So, what headphones do you use or recommend for field mixing/recording?

Thanks!



p.s. I did a search prior to creating this thread but the results were just a mention here and there of the word "headphones".
 
The the Sennheiser seems to be preferred in Europe and the Sony MDR-7506 in the US. I have several 7506 and they are my standard. If you made a poll, I suspect that those two would get >90% of the votes between them.

I am replacing the cord on some of them for the reasons you cite. I have also replaced some of the pads with more substantial (and comfortable) velour fabric pads made for Beyerdynamic DT250. They happen to be the same size/shape as the Sony. I notice that Pearstone now offers some aftermarket velour fabric pads also. B&H appears to have all of them. But of course, that doesn't solve the size problem.
 
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I like the 7506 for general use but found they were prone to wind noise outside...so much that I initially thought wind was getting through my zeppelin/furry during an outdoors test. Went inside and checked the recording and it wasn't there. I ended up buying sennheiser HD280 for outside work. A little less air in the high frequencies but far more isolation than the 7506. I would probably use the HD280 in a noisy interior as well.
 
I carry a 7506 for the scriptie or director, but I monitor via M-Audio IE-30 (same as Ultimate Ear Pro5) in-ears with custom molds. Far better isolation than cans, very flat frequency response, and because of the high isolation, I don't have to crank them which means less fatigue at the end of a 14 hr. day.
 
I like the idea of in ear for certain situations. Low end ones I've had access to seem prone to cable noise etc when in motion. But depending on the situation, slipping cans off and on is quicker and less fussy than in ear.
 
I been using the 7506 with Garfield softies, (warm in the winter, cool in the summer) which is probably similar using the Beyerdynamic velour fabric pads. As Richard stated, the Sony 7506 and Senn. 280s are by far the most popular... but whatever floats your particular boat is usually the best choice, as long as you know what your hearing.
 
For the field, I like my trusty 7506s. However, I just got the Beyer DT770 PROs and it kills the Sony's. I haven't tried it on the field, but for studio/editorial work, it's the best IMO. Comfortable, sound great, and the frequency range is from 5Hz to 32kHz...
 
I took several baby steps (and wasted money) before buying the IE-30s. Having ear molds done really helps the comfort and I literally leave them in for hours at a time. I used cans for several years before switching about two years ago. There are tradeoffs. Cons are cost and getting a proper fit, pros are highly accurate and improved isolation. I don't know that we'll ever see a big switch to in-ears for production sound mixers or boom ops, but it works for me.

Gweilo66 said:
I like the idea of in ear for certain situations. Low end ones I've had access to seem prone to cable noise etc when in motion. But depending on the situation, slipping cans off and on is quicker and less fussy than in ear.
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Whatever headphones you decide to use the most important thing is to learn how material should sound through them.

Just like recording studios speakers, every brand is different and sound different. It's your job as the engineer to
know your speakers/headphones so well that you instantly know how a voice should sound through them. How bright is too bright, how muffled is too muffled,
how much clothing rustle will actually be audible in the end, how will that background noise play in the final mix, etc.

Once again every brand out there has a difference EQ response which will translate to a different "mix" in your ears.

Pick a brand and unless you hate them, stick with them so their sound will eventually become second nature to you.
 
We use the Sony 7506 in the field, so do others here. A while ago I wanted new cans for post tracking laying and editing and I saw Ty Ford recommending
the ATH-M50, imo he's correct .. they're excellent for that.

Yep the Garfields are worthwhile and they're washable, we have them on all our cans.

After a post session, don't leave your cans lying around on the desk, put them in a closed bag to avoid any micro gnats becoming involved in your next session.

Cheers.
 
MDR-7506 with Pearstone replacement ear pads. I've had my primary pair since 1997 and they haven't failed me.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Many good points made.

In reading reviews of the Sennheiser HD380 headphones, which were very favorable, I read about the Shure SRH 840 phones . An interesting feature is that they have a straight cord which is threaded where it joins the phones and can be replaced if necessary for $15.
 
Remote Audio HN-7506 is the absolute best for isolation and sound quality. Basically these are helicopter pilot headsets retrofitted with Sony 7506 electronics. They are heavy and take some getting used to, but unmatched for isolation. As someone doing a lot of location music work, these are by far the most important tool in my kit!
 
I was interested in those Remote Audio cans as opposed to the HD280 but saw various folks saying they were overpriced, didn't sound the same as 7506 (despite using same drivers) and not durable. I take it that's not your experience? Maybe location music work is less abusive to cans.
 
Hmmm…. Pricey, maybe, but not overpriced… like I said, they are the most important tool I have and are thus worth much more to me than much more pricey items. Over the years I've owned them, I've bought many other headphones for other purposes, spending overall much more than I spent on the hn7506s, but have never felt any need to replace the hn7506s. To me, then, they've been a relatively inexpensive and great piece of kit.

Don't sound the same? Of course… they are constructed differently, and the extreme isolation makes a big difference in perception as well. The Sonys don't sit on the head as unmovingly and reliably, so I find that they don't sound the same as themselves all the time. Further, it's hard to tell WHAT the Sonys sound like in most of the environments I work in, 'cause of the ambient sound bleeding in, and the need to turn the sound up extremely high to fight off the ambient sound. (by the way, the hn7506s really help with avoiding hearing fatigue and damage due to the ability to listen at much lower levels). So… they don't sound exactly the same, but the HN7506s are clean, clear, and let me hear exactly what I want and need to hear… and they sound good. Like any headphones, you want to take some time and learn how they relate to other playback systems… but I certainly don't find them WORSE than the Sonys… and given that they allow me to hear clearly what I'm recording in situations where no other headphones I've used do, they are in effect much better. Further, when recording you must worry about sound leaking out of the headphones, especially when you have to turn them up very high. That's not a problem with the Hn7506.

As far as durability… the things are tanks! I've been using them almost daily, lugging them around and tossing them in all kinds of crowded bags and cases, for more than six years now. They've seen every kind of abuse you can imagine. Twice I've had to replace a gel earpad when it sprung a leak (which feels weird)… I think about $5 each. That's the only problem I've seen, and it's kind of expected maintenance. But I can tell you I literally used these as a hammer on one desperate occasion… their build quality encouraged that confidence, and lives up to it. The adjustment system involves some bolts that can be loosened and retightened; I can imagine someone messing those up and feeling like the whole thing is too loose and fragile… but that would be user error.

I don't gush about many things… but about these I seem to whenever asked. All I can say is, try em. Don't compare in a quiet studio, compare someplace loud, and you'll understand immediately.
 
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