Slightly OT: Headphone suggestions?

Andrew Stone · March 1st, 2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dean Sensui

My two cents:

I have the ER-6 and...One side went bad, could be due to a wiring failure somewhere.

Etymotics are prone to getting gummed up with ear wax. Inside the stem where the condenser speaker is there is a little capsule on top of it that has a little screen embedded in it. There is an area about a 2 mm in length for ear junk to get compressed into. The only way to get it out is with a needle or paper clip and SLOWLY remove the stuff in stages.

I agree the Etymotics are painful after an hour or so. I often wear them for 3 to 4 hours. Needless to say I have another set of isolated headphones on my list. Probably get both the Sony 7506 and the Sennheiser HD-25 mk IIs. Sony's are around a 100 bucks and the Senn's are around $200 (USD). There is a cheaper version of the HD-25s that are aimed at the DJ market which have a similar sound the difference being the pads are MORE comfortable but the capsules do not swing up for one ear listening. B & H sells them.

Both the Sony and the Senn's have a high degree of isolation from ambient noise which is essential for monitoring audio.

Vincent Oliver · March 2nd, 2009, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Stone

There is an area about a 2 mm in length for ear junk to get compressed into. The only way to get it out is with a needle or paper clip and SLOWLY remove the stuff in stages.

The other way is to wash your ears :-)

Dean Sensui · March 2nd, 2009, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Stone

Etymotics are prone to getting gummed up with ear wax. Inside the stem where the condenser speaker is there is a little capsule on top of it that has a little screen embedded in it. There is an area about a 2 mm in length for ear junk to get compressed into. The only way to get it out is with a needle or paper clip and SLOWLY remove the stuff in stages.

This particular earpiece went bad where no audio was coming through at all.

As for the gunk, sometimes you have to change the entire filter, and although they come with additional filters, getting more of them can get to be a bit costly.

So I got the Sennheisers. The sound aperature is larger and less prone to clogging. And they're designed for adverse conditions which is a plus for me.

Andrew Stone · March 3rd, 2009, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

The other way is to wash your ears :-)

I'm on it. Thanks for the tip...

But seriously, I am pretty much at the end of it with the in-ear phones. I may try the Sennheiser buds but the level of discomfort I experience with my Etymotics is just too much. I have the high end ones so the sound is remarkable but on a long shoots the feeling of having these things expanding your entire ear canal and pretty much pressed right up against the ear drum is beginning to wear thin. I'm going to get both the Sony 7506 and the Sennheiser HD-25 mkII's. Sony's are dirt cheap and collapsible. The Sennheiser's have flip away cans & good sound. Both have good isolation from ambient sound/noise.

Gints Klimanis · March 4th, 2009, 02:01 PM

I use both the Sony MDR-7506 and 7509HD. Both of these models are rugged seem to have additional bass response due to the tighter clamping of the head. The bass response is useful for monitoring low frequency wind noise. I actually prefer the smaller size of the 7506, and they seem to stay on better on the run.

Dave Morrison · March 4th, 2009, 11:15 PM

Gints, I love my 7509HD's and the Etymotics are wonderful too. But, in the Florida heat, the 7509's become very uncomfortable in the Summer and the Etymotics feel like they're boring into my brain.

Thanks to all for your suggestions, too. Great selection and a few new models for me to consider.

Andrew Stone · March 29th, 2009, 11:04 AM

As I mentioned in a post above, I have been a long time Etymotic user. I have their high end "in ear" phones and just purchased a set of Sony MDR-7506 and am BLOWN AWAY by the sonics of these relatively inexpensive headphones. From a video or sound operator's perspective this is a no-brainer. The only caveat is you may wish to shorten the cord or swap it out all together with a non coiled thin audio cable if you are working audio as a camera operator.

The isolation is good but not as good as the Eytmotics but still well within the range of acceptability to get a good sense of tone and mix even in an environment with a high noise floor. The sonics are very much oriented towards a mixer/engineer's perspective allowing you to easily hear things in the mix much the way studio "near field monitors" do like Adam A7's, Genelecs and so on. But, but and this is the great part: they sound great with music. I listened to a bunch of stuff from ensemble jazz to orchestral to choral to chamber to rock and electronic stuff on them for a 6 hour stretch and the sound was not fatiguing or clinical: a common failure with "mixing" oriented headphones or speakers.

I spend a fair amount of time working with synths, a piano (real and sampled) and again these phones stood up well with this kind of material. Generally I use a set of "open air" Sennheiser's, the HD600s which are considered by many to be the headphones to get for under $1000 if you want the best for music. Well the 7506 do stand up against these as well. Not saying they are a replacement but when you A/B them the 7506s are still respectable.

The design and build quality will take you aback when you first take them out of the package. The hinges and swivel mounts on the phones are engineered well and make sense from a usability perspective. There are "hatch" marks on the metal bands coming down from the headband allowing you to visually know where to adjust your phones if someone else wears them and adjusts them. The ergonomics in general are really good. The earcups have a neutral feel on the head. What more could you ask?

They will obviously take up a lot more room in the camera bag than a set of earbud style phones but the comfort level and quality of sound to me will be well worth it. I now know why these phones are considered the "de facto" standard set of cans for sound mixers. Wish I would have got these years ago.

Dean Sensui · March 30th, 2009, 01:19 AM

A friend, who is an audio engineer and a recording artist, recommended the Audio Technica AT-M50 headphones. More accurate than the Sony MDR V6 (which I understand is similar to the 7506 Sony MDR-V6 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

Andrew Stone · March 30th, 2009, 09:27 PM

Dean, I will have to check them out. I like the fact that they are a full headphone with a padded band and have the hinging to make them collapsible like the 7506's. The price point is pretty much in line with the 7506's as well. Much could be said as well about the Sennheiser HD-25 mkII's which are considered to be sonically better and more suited to music than the 7506's.

I think it is really important to emphasize that a major like of the 7506's is the way they single things out in the mix the way that some near field monitors do, like Adams for example. As anyone in the video world knows accuracy is not necessarily what you want as the reference point on the viewers TV is so varied. Hence why a lot of people doing audio work for television will have a set of POS tin can speakers to use during the mixing process to make sure things sound good on garden variety TV's.

It's also worth considering that I was able to move from luxurious sound of the Sennheiser HD600s to the Sony's and not be completely grossed out. It really is a testament to how decent the 7506's are.

BTW, the 7506 is an evolved version of the MDR-V6 that you mention. The sonics are different.

Matt Davis · May 24th, 2009, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Morrison

Ughh. Well, that leaves out the MD25's for me as I have a fairly large melonhead.

Me too.

And BTW folks, having heard the rave about Sony 7506's, I bought a pair.

They're comfortable, and the groovy way they pack away is neat.

But they're not a patch on the HD25s.

I will use the Sony 7506 for the iPod whilst I'm mowing the lawn or washing the car or even just enjoying music, because the isolation is good and the sound is great, but they're tinted ... Monitoring cans are to hear what's there. I've rigged up so I can swap the same signal from FCP and my UA25 and listen to what I've got. The Sony sounds nice with nice material, but they're rose tinted. The MD25 is uncomfortable but I hear so much more with them.

FWIW I talked to an ex-BBC chum who recommended Bayer DT150s but they're too quiet for field use.

Sigh. I think I'll have to stick with the discomfort of the HD25s. They're telling me what's there in a way that the others don't, which is reflected when I get to hear on good equipment afterwards.

March 4th, 2009, 11:15 PM	#21
Dave Morrison Major Player Join Date: May 2002 Location: West Central Florida Posts: 762	Gints, I love my 7509HD's and the Etymotics are wonderful too. But, in the Florida heat, the 7509's become very uncomfortable in the Summer and the Etymotics feel like they're boring into my brain. Thanks to all for your suggestions, too. Great selection and a few new models for me to consider. __________________ EX1, Nikon D750 http://www.morrisonphotographics.com http://www.heritagefilm.com

March 30th, 2009, 01:19 AM	#23
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	A friend, who is an audio engineer and a recording artist, recommended the Audio Technica AT-M50 headphones. More accurate than the Sony MDR V6 (which I understand is similar to the 7506 Sony MDR-V6 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

March 4th, 2009, 02:01 PM	#20
Gints Klimanis Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 2,222	I use both the Sony MDR-7506 and 7509HD. Both of these models are rugged seem to have additional bass response due to the tighter clamping of the head. The bass response is useful for monitoring low frequency wind noise. I actually prefer the smaller size of the 7506, and they seem to stay on better on the run.

March 29th, 2009, 11:04 AM	#22
Andrew Stone Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 975	As I mentioned in a post above, I have been a long time Etymotic user. I have their high end "in ear" phones and just purchased a set of Sony MDR-7506 and am BLOWN AWAY by the sonics of these relatively inexpensive headphones. From a video or sound operator's perspective this is a no-brainer. The only caveat is you may wish to shorten the cord or swap it out all together with a non coiled thin audio cable if you are working audio as a camera operator. The isolation is good but not as good as the Eytmotics but still well within the range of acceptability to get a good sense of tone and mix even in an environment with a high noise floor. The sonics are very much oriented towards a mixer/engineer's perspective allowing you to easily hear things in the mix much the way studio "near field monitors" do like Adam A7's, Genelecs and so on. But, but and this is the great part: they sound great with music. I listened to a bunch of stuff from ensemble jazz to orchestral to choral to chamber to rock and electronic stuff on them for a 6 hour stretch and the sound was not fatiguing or clinical: a common failure with "mixing" oriented headphones or speakers. I spend a fair amount of time working with synths, a piano (real and sampled) and again these phones stood up well with this kind of material. Generally I use a set of "open air" Sennheiser's, the HD600s which are considered by many to be the headphones to get for under $1000 if you want the best for music. Well the 7506 do stand up against these as well. Not saying they are a replacement but when you A/B them the 7506s are still respectable. The design and build quality will take you aback when you first take them out of the package. The hinges and swivel mounts on the phones are engineered well and make sense from a usability perspective. There are "hatch" marks on the metal bands coming down from the headband allowing you to visually know where to adjust your phones if someone else wears them and adjusts them. The ergonomics in general are really good. The earcups have a neutral feel on the head. What more could you ask? They will obviously take up a lot more room in the camera bag than a set of earbud style phones but the comfort level and quality of sound to me will be well worth it. I now know why these phones are considered the "de facto" standard set of cans for sound mixers. Wish I would have got these years ago.

March 30th, 2009, 09:27 PM	#24
Andrew Stone Major Player Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 975	Dean, I will have to check them out. I like the fact that they are a full headphone with a padded band and have the hinging to make them collapsible like the 7506's. The price point is pretty much in line with the 7506's as well. Much could be said as well about the Sennheiser HD-25 mkII's which are considered to be sonically better and more suited to music than the 7506's. I think it is really important to emphasize that a major like of the 7506's is the way they single things out in the mix the way that some near field monitors do, like Adams for example. As anyone in the video world knows accuracy is not necessarily what you want as the reference point on the viewers TV is so varied. Hence why a lot of people doing audio work for television will have a set of POS tin can speakers to use during the mixing process to make sure things sound good on garden variety TV's. It's also worth considering that I was able to move from luxurious sound of the Sennheiser HD600s to the Sony's and not be completely grossed out. It really is a testament to how decent the 7506's are. BTW, the 7506 is an evolved version of the MDR-V6 that you mention. The sonics are different.