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Best Headphones

FTL_Ian

FTL_Ian

My Sony MDR-V600 just broke. Actually, they still work fine, it's just they are physically broken. One of the earphone rotators just snapped out, and now they are useless. I could superglue it on, but that is a questionable fix. Besides, they have served me well for nine full years, so I've certainly gotten my $100 worth!

As I'm pretty satisfied with the MDR-V600, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another pair. However, I do enjoy comparing products, and it's possible there is something better out there. So I bring the question to you:

What is the best pair of studio headphones in the $75-$115 range?

My co-host has the Sony MDR-7506, and neither he nor I like them. They clamp down way too hard on our ears. My ears are a little on the large side, so comfort is an important factor.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
 
do you guys not like Koss Pro/4AA headphones anymore?

I wouldn't use anything else. Period.

Am I missing something here? Have they fallen out of favor? They used to be easily the most used kind in radio. And now they have a lifetime warranty, and are available for as little as $59 (jr.com).

My studio may not be as fancy as some, but my Koss, my RE20 and my Valley 400 are staying put.

www11.brinkster.com/wava/wava2.htm (scroll down for picture)

www.hothitsatlanta.com
 
amos said:
do you guys not like Koss Pro/4AA headphones anymore?
Click to expand...

I've been using the 4AA's little brother, the Koss PRO3AA for a while and I really love 'em. It seems lighter and more comfortable than the old-design 4A's I've used, and they sound very good and uncolored. They're nicely made. Currently priced around $50, and there's that lifetime warranty, again.
 
Now, from a cost standpoint.. LOL.. I just usually buy a pair at Walmart. Theyre cheap, sound OK and are comfortable. And being so cheap, if I trip over the cord and break 'em.. I don't get too upset.
 
If you've got the neck muscles of an NFL linebacker, and you don't mind putting your head in a vise for extended periods of time, the Koss Pro/4AA's are for you. I found a pair of 3AA's on a close-out table, and found them to be less cumbersome, but also very bottomy & boomy.

I used to love Sennheisers, but I had a hard time avoiding feedback as my hearing deteriorated. They offer several newer models of closed phones that you might like. One thing to watch out for used to be their flimsy cords.

I tried a few different headsets before I settled on Sony MDR-V500DJ's, which have great audio, are tough, and light, but closed enough to avoid feedback. They're under $60.00 if you do a little looking. I've also noticed several sets of MDR-V600's on the ears of our guys, so I must not be the only one who likes Sony sound.
 
SirRoxalot said:
If you've got the neck muscles of an NFL linebacker, and you don't mind putting your head in a vise for extended periods of time, the Koss Pro/4AA's are for you.
Click to expand...

haha, yes they are heavy and tight. but unless you're doing news-talk, who wears them more than 20-30 seconds at the time anyway? whatever you wear, you need sound isolation. if you don't turn your headphones up enough to overcome hearing your own voice through your bone structure, you're not hearing what the listener hears when it comes to your mic mix. pro/4AAs are perfect for that.

i sound like a salesman for koss, i guess. i thought more of you guys still used them.

but wal-mart? ouch.
 
but wal-mart? ouch.
Click to expand...

Ditto on the "wal-mart? ouch." You need good phones to sound your best.

If you want cheap, the Radio Shack Model: 33-1221 phones sound surprisingly good. Just plan on the headband breaking right above the earpiece at some point in the not-too-distant future.
 
For on-ar work: Sennhieser HD 414's. Have replaced the pads more than a few times. If you can find a NOS set on eBay, make sure they are NOT the signature series, they don't sound the same.

For processing: Sennheiser HD25's or, believe it or not, Nova 71's from Radio Shack. The RS cans were made for a very short time 5 years ago and discontinued. Very flat sound (no hyped bass or mids or highs) and the play loud. You really hear details in the audio
 
amos said:
but unless you're doing news-talk, who wears them more than 20-30 seconds at the time anyway?
Click to expand...

I'm doing a talk show 18 hours per week, and that doesn't include the time I spend doing other production work. So, extended wear comfort is a critical factor for me.
 
I use Sennheiser HD212 Pro's for processing as I find the built in bass and treble boost matches the setup of the average listener (with subwoofer/bass/treble tweaked)

Of course this is for a CHR station not Oldies.. if I was processing for an older generation perhaps a flatter response headphone would assist.
 
Denon makes a fabulous pair of headphones, these days...but they're $150.

I like Sony's these days. AKG's are my favorite for setting up processing, they have the best overall sound. But Sony's are pretty indestructible.

As far as the poster saying you gotta have it up loud to hear what the listener hears, you are wrong, losing your hearing, and just digging your voice through the processing.
 
The Audio-Technica ATH-M30 go for $60-70 and very closely resemble Sony's MDR-7506, both in comfort and sound. I don't care for them, but some people think they're great.

The ATH-M40 seems to have a flatter response and they're a bit more comfortable. If anything, these sound a little on the dull side...Upper-mids and highs aren't hyped at all.

For $100, I also really like the Sennheiser HD 280. They're sealed really well and they sound great.

My favorites are DT770 Pro/80 from Beyerdynamic. Built like a tank, sound great, sealed well and are extraordinarily comfortable. They come with velour pads that provide about 18dB of isolation. You can replace the velour with leatherette pads that will isolate by about 36dB. The problem is that these run about $200. Nonetheless, mine have been badly beaten and still work great...Nice fat cable, too.
 
Actually, my best-ever pair of headphones came from Wal-Mart (though, last I checked, they're no longer in production). They were Koss's... couldn't tell you the exact model, but they were the mid-range home use model at the time (around 1995 or so). They were light, comfortable, and if you tore the fabric covering off of the outer pads (I chose to because it was coming off anyway), they sounded superb. Crisp highs, the deep lows came out extremely well for the type of use the things were intended for, and while the mids weren't at all supressed, they weren't blaringly loud as they are in many other cans of that type, either.

It took a lot to break them, too. It finally happened when a not-too-happy coworker threw them up against the wall (flinging them by the cord) in a fit of rage. Shattered the band at the top. I got another 10 years out of them by fashioning a replacement band out of (no joke) cardboard, thin metal wire and duct tape. I used them until early this year when the damage to the cord was too much to deal with. I did save them, though, so that should I ever come across the opportunity to fix them, I could. I have another pair that I'm satisfied with, though... not quite as good, but decent enough... so I don't plan on fixing them in the near future.
 
Definately a Sony V900 for me... too bad it breaks quicly... happened to me several times.
 
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