Do I really need expensive headphones?

Ty Ford · January 11th, 2006, 06:17 AM

Interesting. The Sony MDR7506 are about the most sensitive professional headphones on the planet. I don't know how the 7509 compare with their sensitivity specs.

Having said that. I have heard that the headphone outputs on some of the new camcorders are really low. There are some bettery powered headphone booster devices I have heard about but have yet to try.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Mark Utley · January 11th, 2006, 07:20 AM

The headphone signal my Z1 gives isn't particularly loud, but that's often because I'm setting the levels low to avoid clipping.

Dan Keaton · January 11th, 2006, 08:12 AM

I use the Sony 7509's with a Canon Xl1s.

Yes, while the 7509's are very sensitive, the Xl1s output is fairly low. In most environments, I usually have to have the headphone output level at its maximum setting. Sometimes, in a quiet environment, a lower setting will suffice.

Using a good mixer, such as the Sound Devices 302, you can monitor the camera sound via a "return" from the camera. In this case, the higher powered headphone drivers in the 302 solves the problem.

I am planning on purchasing a good set of ear buds or other sound isolating headphones to provide more isolation, for the times when it is necessary.

I welcome any recommendations.

John Hewat · January 11th, 2006, 08:12 PM

If I do get a good set of expensive headphones, and then the sound guy has to be 30 feet away from the camera with the mic on a boom pole, I'll need a long extension lead for the headphones - is that going to degrade the quality much?

If it does I might just be better off with some cheaper ones...

Bob Grant · January 11th, 2006, 08:30 PM

Length of the lead shouldn't matter much. I'm trying to get hold of a better solution though. A headphone amp that simply bridges the mic line, that way the boom operator doesn't need a lead back from the camera, it's a Rolls PM50sOB.

I've also picked up an el cheapo RF headphone gizmo off eBay, only AUD 65, works OK but I need to modify the transmitter so it'll run off batteries, no big drama really, just finding the time :(

Glenn Davidson · January 11th, 2006, 08:33 PM

I also suggest the Sony 7506. The are well built, effecient, and sound great. Since they are an industry standard you have a good reference for your sound. The fact that they fold up and make you look like a Pro are also an asset. I also have a pair of the Sony 7509. They are bigger and seem a little tubby sounding for voice and music at low volume, but if you crank them to Pete Townsend Danger Level they sound great!

get the 7506.. you will really like them.

Ty Ford · January 11th, 2006, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Hewat

If I do get a good set of expensive headphones, and then the sound guy has to be 30 feet away from the camera with the mic on a boom pole, I'll need a long extension lead for the headphones - is that going to degrade the quality much?

If it does I might just be better off with some cheaper ones...

John,

That's not logical.

First, if the mic is on a boom at the end of a 30 foot cable, the sound comes to the camera. You can plug into the camera headphone jack on the camera.

Second, good mixers are used with a special camera/mixer interconnect cable. It has two balanced XLR conductors for the two channels of audio that go from the mixer to the camera and a single unbalanced "return" that has a mini plug on the camera end to plug into the camera headphone output and a mini plug on the other end that plugs into the camera return jack on the mixer.

You listen to the return audio with your headphones plugged into the mixer by hitting the camera return switch. That way you know the audio is making it from the mic to the camera and back. Unless the mixer is on the boomer, that still leaves the boom operator without a feed.

The answer to that is a camera mixer cable that has an extra female mini jack built in (Peter Engh makes them) so the camera op can plug in at the camera. You hang the mixer on the boom person and they plug headphones into the mixer.

The third scenario is to get a small battery powered belt box for the boomer. It has a mic in, a mic out and a headphone jack. The boom audio passes through the box, allowing the boomer to hear and continues on to the mixer. The mixer operator listens to the camera return and mixer as first described.

That's how it's done. Want more info? It's in my little book. Checck the book oput on my website.

Regards,

Ty Ford

John Hewat · January 11th, 2006, 11:18 PM

Those ideas sound great, but unfortunately my savings is blown and all I've got to show for it sound-wise is a mic. I will not be using a mixer so I'm just going to be capturing straight to the camera from my NTG-1.

I am hoping this won't be too detrimental to the sound and from my simple tests so far it seems ok.

Ty Ford · January 11th, 2006, 11:53 PM

Then run a really long headphone cable for your boomer so he/she can tell if the boom is in the right place.

And good luck.

Ty Ford

John Hewat · January 22nd, 2006, 05:08 AM

One last question about the Sony 7506s;

Do the pads actually rest on your ears or are they so large that they sit 'over' your ears?

By which I mean am I going to get sore ears from having them on for hours or do they not touch your ears much at all?

Kim Kinser · January 22nd, 2006, 07:25 AM

You won't get sore ears. In addition to using them for video, I use them hooked up to my ipod once a week for a 2 hour bus ride. So I spend at least 4 hours with them on in a 12 hour stretch.

Ty Ford · January 22nd, 2006, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Hewat

One last question about the Sony 7506s;

Do the pads actually rest on your ears or are they so large that they sit 'over' your ears?

By which I mean am I going to get sore ears from having them on for hours or do they not touch your ears much at all?

How big ARE your ears!!!!! :)

Usually the are on the ears. I can wear them off and on all day during a shoot. Towards the end of the day, I'll take them off and rub my ears because that feels good.

Ear massage, itself, is an underappreciated thing.

Regards,
Ty Ford

Douglas Spotted Eagle · January 22nd, 2006, 10:43 AM

If you're REALLY worried about the pads on your ears, there are 3-5 companies that manufacture aftermarket pads for the 7506 made for a variety of circumstances, ranging from cold to comfort.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...cessory_detail

Steve House · January 22nd, 2006, 10:52 AM

Current prices for the Sony MDR7506 here in the Toronto area are about $179 CDN in most retail stores. Converted to Aussie dollars using today's exchange rates on XE.COM that works out to just about AU$210.

Jimi Colteryahn · January 22nd, 2006, 11:52 AM

I've been looking to purchase new headphones and I'm interested in how the Sony 7506's stack up against the Sennheiser HD-280?
I wish I knew of someplace where I could try them out, but unfortunately I have to rely on second-hand info. I'd really appreciate honest opinions!
Thanks!
Jimi

January 11th, 2006, 06:17 AM	#16
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	Interesting. The Sony MDR7506 are about the most sensitive professional headphones on the planet. I don't know how the 7509 compare with their sensitivity specs. Having said that. I have heard that the headphone outputs on some of the new camcorders are really low. There are some bettery powered headphone booster devices I have heard about but have yet to try. Regards, Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

January 11th, 2006, 07:20 AM	#17
Mark Utley Major Player Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 479	The headphone signal my Z1 gives isn't particularly loud, but that's often because I'm setting the levels low to avoid clipping. __________________ Mark Utley

January 11th, 2006, 08:12 AM	#18
Dan Keaton Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Augusta Georgia Posts: 5,421	I use the Sony 7509's with a Canon Xl1s. Yes, while the 7509's are very sensitive, the Xl1s output is fairly low. In most environments, I usually have to have the headphone output level at its maximum setting. Sometimes, in a quiet environment, a lower setting will suffice. Using a good mixer, such as the Sound Devices 302, you can monitor the camera sound via a "return" from the camera. In this case, the higher powered headphone drivers in the 302 solves the problem. I am planning on purchasing a good set of ear buds or other sound isolating headphones to provide more isolation, for the times when it is necessary. I welcome any recommendations. __________________ Dan Keaton Augusta Georgia

January 11th, 2006, 11:53 PM	#24
Ty Ford Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Baltimore, MD USA Posts: 2,337	Then run a really long headphone cable for your boomer so he/she can tell if the boom is in the right place. And good luck. Ty Ford __________________ Ty Ford's Audio Bootcamp Field Guide Ty Ford's Audio Video Blog

January 22nd, 2006, 10:43 AM	#28
Douglas Spotted Eagle VASST Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Stockton, UT Posts: 5,648	If you're REALLY worried about the pads on your ears, there are 3-5 companies that manufacture aftermarket pads for the 7506 made for a variety of circumstances, ranging from cold to comfort. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...cessory_detail __________________ Douglas Spotted Eagle/Spot Author, producer, composer Certified Sony Vegas Trainer http://www.vasst.com

January 11th, 2006, 08:12 PM	#19
John Hewat Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Posts: 735	If I do get a good set of expensive headphones, and then the sound guy has to be 30 feet away from the camera with the mic on a boom pole, I'll need a long extension lead for the headphones - is that going to degrade the quality much? If it does I might just be better off with some cheaper ones...

January 11th, 2006, 08:30 PM	#20
Bob Grant Trustee Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,570	Length of the lead shouldn't matter much. I'm trying to get hold of a better solution though. A headphone amp that simply bridges the mic line, that way the boom operator doesn't need a lead back from the camera, it's a Rolls PM50sOB. I've also picked up an el cheapo RF headphone gizmo off eBay, only AUD 65, works OK but I need to modify the transmitter so it'll run off batteries, no big drama really, just finding the time :(

January 11th, 2006, 08:33 PM	#21
Glenn Davidson Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nevada City, California Posts: 499	I also suggest the Sony 7506. The are well built, effecient, and sound great. Since they are an industry standard you have a good reference for your sound. The fact that they fold up and make you look like a Pro are also an asset. I also have a pair of the Sony 7509. They are bigger and seem a little tubby sounding for voice and music at low volume, but if you crank them to Pete Townsend Danger Level they sound great! get the 7506.. you will really like them.

January 11th, 2006, 11:18 PM	#23
John Hewat Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Posts: 735	Those ideas sound great, but unfortunately my savings is blown and all I've got to show for it sound-wise is a mic. I will not be using a mixer so I'm just going to be capturing straight to the camera from my NTG-1. I am hoping this won't be too detrimental to the sound and from my simple tests so far it seems ok.

January 22nd, 2006, 05:08 AM	#25
John Hewat Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Melbourne, AUSTRALIA Posts: 735	One last question about the Sony 7506s; Do the pads actually rest on your ears or are they so large that they sit 'over' your ears? By which I mean am I going to get sore ears from having them on for hours or do they not touch your ears much at all?

January 22nd, 2006, 07:25 AM	#26
Kim Kinser Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Voorhees, NJ Posts: 82	You won't get sore ears. In addition to using them for video, I use them hooked up to my ipod once a week for a 2 hour bus ride. So I spend at least 4 hours with them on in a 12 hour stretch.

January 22nd, 2006, 10:52 AM	#29
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	Current prices for the Sony MDR7506 here in the Toronto area are about $179 CDN in most retail stores. Converted to Aussie dollars using today's exchange rates on XE.COM that works out to just about AU$210. __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams!

January 22nd, 2006, 11:52 AM	#30
Jimi Colteryahn Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rep. of Panama Posts: 34	Hello! I've been looking to purchase new headphones and I'm interested in how the Sony 7506's stack up against the Sennheiser HD-280? I wish I knew of someplace where I could try them out, but unfortunately I have to rely on second-hand info. I'd really appreciate honest opinions! Thanks! Jimi