Sony MDR Z700 headphones

Arthur Jones · January 25th, 2005, 06:07 AM

I have managed to find a good deal on a set of Sony MDR Z700DJ headphones. (Actually, they are called MDR V700 out here - I am based in China!) Anyone with audio experience know if they are any good for monitoring sound while shooting? I know they are DJ cans officially, but is that a bad thing?

Rhett Allen · January 25th, 2005, 11:16 AM

At 5Hz-30kHz they have a very good range but I have tried these on and didn't find them very comfortable. The ear cups were too small and they were a little loose fitting on my head (and I have a pretty big head). The swivel that holds the ear cups feels kind of weak too. I would try them on first to see if you like them but I thought they were a little gimmicky.

I have Sony MDR-7509's that I feel like are the best you can get. The sound and comfort are unbelievable. I don't want them to fall of my head but I also don't want them to squash my brains from wearing them all day. They were a little more expensive (around $300) but it was money well spent. I have 2 pairs of the 9's and one pair of 6's

Glenn Chan · January 25th, 2005, 05:37 PM

DJ headphones typically have overexaggerated bass to match club sound systems. I would avoid them for this reason (you want something with flat frequency response).

From what I've read, the V-series Sony headphones should be avoided (not very good value). I know the V600s should be avoided (their earpads break fast, and they don't sound that good).

The Sony MDR-7506s are industry standard... the MDR-V6s are the same thing except cheaper and with a different sticker and non-gold-plated connector. You can find retailers that sell em through froogle.com, pricegrabber.com or ebay.com if you live in the states. Some people like to use Beyerdynamic earpads on them for better comfort... check out audiophile forums like headfi.org for information on changing the earpads.

Your other options are better closed headphones (more detail and extended bass), or in ear headphones. If you do a search you can dig up threads on this.

Bogdan Vaglarov · January 25th, 2005, 08:00 PM

I have MDR Z700DJ - barely used and actually want to sell them.

Speaking off quality I don't think this model exactly has overexaggerated bass. They are quite ballanced but lack a bit fine detail (although they cover the spectrum very well).
The problem is more the extra presure - you can't wear them for more than 30 minutes without making a brake. As I wanted them for PC audio editing monitoring I don't like this much - the Studio monitor series are much better ergonomically.
Other wise they are compact (can fold) and sturdy enough if you take the usual care. For outdoor monitoring should give you good cut from the ambience and if you are not going to use them constantly will do the trick (especially if the price is right).

Boyd Ostroff · January 25th, 2005, 08:58 PM

I've had a pair of MDR-V600's for a couple years and they're holding up fine. I remember looking at the specs and photos when I got them and couldn't see anything different from the 7506's, but audio is an area where my knowledge is sadly lacking... :-)

Rhett Allen · January 25th, 2005, 09:34 PM

Actually I looked over at my backup headphones and they are MDR-V600's not the 7506's. So I look them up and the specs for them are very similar to the 7509's (and a little better than the 7506's). They have smaller drivers than the 7509's (40mm .vs 50mm) and a higher Impedence (45ohms .vs 24ohms). The 7509's will handle more power but they are very similar in sound and both have a range of 5Hz-30kHz which is more than most cameras can record.

I can hear a subtle difference between the 2 styles but for the price, the V600's are very comfortable and between 1/2 and 1/3 the price of the 7509's. (for the record though, the V600's used to be a lot more expensive)

Out of curiosity, has anybody tried the noise reduction headphones like Bose puts out. I think Sony is making some now too. I was curious if the noise reduction process would create problems when monitoring audio for video.

January 25th, 2005, 06:07 AM	#1
Arthur Jones Tourist Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Lincoln, UK Posts: 2	Sony MDR Z700 headphones - any good? I have managed to find a good deal on a set of Sony MDR Z700DJ headphones. (Actually, they are called MDR V700 out here - I am based in China!) Anyone with audio experience know if they are any good for monitoring sound while shooting? I know they are DJ cans officially, but is that a bad thing?

January 25th, 2005, 11:16 AM	#2
Rhett Allen Major Player Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 607	At 5Hz-30kHz they have a very good range but I have tried these on and didn't find them very comfortable. The ear cups were too small and they were a little loose fitting on my head (and I have a pretty big head). The swivel that holds the ear cups feels kind of weak too. I would try them on first to see if you like them but I thought they were a little gimmicky. I have Sony MDR-7509's that I feel like are the best you can get. The sound and comfort are unbelievable. I don't want them to fall of my head but I also don't want them to squash my brains from wearing them all day. They were a little more expensive (around $300) but it was money well spent. I have 2 pairs of the 9's and one pair of 6's

January 25th, 2005, 05:37 PM	#3
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	DJ headphones typically have overexaggerated bass to match club sound systems. I would avoid them for this reason (you want something with flat frequency response). From what I've read, the V-series Sony headphones should be avoided (not very good value). I know the V600s should be avoided (their earpads break fast, and they don't sound that good). The Sony MDR-7506s are industry standard... the MDR-V6s are the same thing except cheaper and with a different sticker and non-gold-plated connector. You can find retailers that sell em through froogle.com, pricegrabber.com or ebay.com if you live in the states. Some people like to use Beyerdynamic earpads on them for better comfort... check out audiophile forums like headfi.org for information on changing the earpads. Your other options are better closed headphones (more detail and extended bass), or in ear headphones. If you do a search you can dig up threads on this.

January 25th, 2005, 08:00 PM	#4
Bogdan Vaglarov Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yokohama, Japan Posts: 366	I have MDR Z700DJ - barely used and actually want to sell them. Speaking off quality I don't think this model exactly has overexaggerated bass. They are quite ballanced but lack a bit fine detail (although they cover the spectrum very well). The problem is more the extra presure - you can't wear them for more than 30 minutes without making a brake. As I wanted them for PC audio editing monitoring I don't like this much - the Studio monitor series are much better ergonomically. Other wise they are compact (can fold) and sturdy enough if you take the usual care. For outdoor monitoring should give you good cut from the ambience and if you are not going to use them constantly will do the trick (especially if the price is right).

January 25th, 2005, 08:58 PM	#5
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	I've had a pair of MDR-V600's for a couple years and they're holding up fine. I remember looking at the specs and photos when I got them and couldn't see anything different from the 7506's, but audio is an area where my knowledge is sadly lacking... :-)

January 25th, 2005, 09:34 PM	#6
Rhett Allen Major Player Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 607	Actually I looked over at my backup headphones and they are MDR-V600's not the 7506's. So I look them up and the specs for them are very similar to the 7509's (and a little better than the 7506's). They have smaller drivers than the 7509's (40mm .vs 50mm) and a higher Impedence (45ohms .vs 24ohms). The 7509's will handle more power but they are very similar in sound and both have a range of 5Hz-30kHz which is more than most cameras can record. I can hear a subtle difference between the 2 styles but for the price, the V600's are very comfortable and between 1/2 and 1/3 the price of the 7509's. (for the record though, the V600's used to be a lot more expensive) Out of curiosity, has anybody tried the noise reduction headphones like Bose puts out. I think Sony is making some now too. I was curious if the noise reduction process would create problems when monitoring audio for video.