• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Looking for a new pair of headphones

M

Mike_Wahl

Wasnt sure where to post this, but production seems to be as accurate a place as any!

Im in the market for a new pair of headphones and have heard a lot of different 'local' opinions on the matter and was looking for a broader suggestion. My price range would be no greater than $150. '

Right now Im looking at these two pairs:

http://www.amazon.com/Direct-Sound-...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222136491&sr=1-1

and

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-NC60...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1222136553&sr=1-42

both on recommendations by friends. I work in the news studio so Im more interested in a pair with more detail present in voice than in music. I also like a set that fits tightly against my ears which some people find uncomfortable, but that is a big plus for me. Any suggestions that you may have would be appreciated!
 
can;t go wrong with the Sony.Have you checked the sennheiser HD -280? i like the clarity they offer.Do you have a place near you where you can demo the brands?
 
In the station or the recording studio I SWEAR by my Sony MDR-7506 headphones.. Cost $129.00 Guitar Center. (you may be able to get them for $99.00)
 
I would HIGHLY suggest the Sennheiser HD280 for your needs. Some people think they pinch a little, but if you want them snug, you can't go wrong. I'm not a fan of Sony, though the 7506 is a very popular model. They're shrill and will cause listening fatigue after awhile. You also can't go wrong with a set of Beyerdynamics. You may pay a bit more, but the construction, sound and comfort are all superb. I think you can find the DT250 for about $160...They're similar in design to the Sony 7506, but much more comfortable, durable with a smoother frequency response. The DT770 Pro is a wonderful set too, but out of your price range unless you extend it a bit. I've owned a set for about 4 years and they've been heavily used and abused and have held up like champs. Very, very comfortable.

Emmett
 
Phone-etics

All of the above are excellent suggestions. I believe that personal taste is the final arbiter, but Sony, Sennheiser, and Beyer Dynamics are all great choices. I don't find Sonys to be fragile, but the less expensive models aren't as robust as some shown above. The MDR-7506s are very common, as are the MDR-V6 and MDR-V600 models.

One question... Why would you want noise-cancelling headphones in a studio environment? It seems to me that you'd want to aware of what was going on around you if the mics weren't on.
 
None of the above are noise-cancelling, but the short answer is that you wouldn't want them and you can't use them while recording or broadcasting. Noise cancelling headphones invert the room noise against the signal in the headphones, so if you're recording live or broadcasting, you will invert against yourself and (in theory) get silence...In reality, you'll get a very poor sounding signal.

Emmett
 
Cancelled

The original post had a link toSony-MDR-NC60 noise-cancelling headphones as a possible option. That's why I brought up the idea that noise-cancelling phones might not be appropriate in a studio setting.

I have a pair of Sony noise-cancelling phones that I got for less than $40.00 that work and sound wonderful when I'm travelling. They cancel out the background noise of airports and jet engines very effectively, and sound better to my ears than the much more expensive Bose phones.
 
I gotta rave about Ultrasone Headphones. I use the ProLine 750's.

Never was able to mix on Sony, AKG, or Sennheiser headphones before - promo never sounded right afterwards, would have to remix when able to use monitors..

BUT, when i'd mix promos using the Ultrasones, they sounded fine afterwards on the monitors. Reference quality.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! Gave me a lot of options to look into. I dont have a lot of experience with very different canns so its good to have an idea about what to look for. The Sennheiser 280's from what Im reading seem to be the way to go, we currently have the 202's at our station and they have a decent sound but are a little muddy on the low-end and fit a little to loose for my liking.

Any other advice anyone can offer on my quest? I dont really have the option of testing any of these out before hand, but I dont mind buying a set and sending them back if they dont fit my needs.
 
Re: Cancelled

SirRoxalot said:
The original post had a link toSony-MDR-NC60 noise-cancelling headphones as a possible option. That's why I brought up the idea that noise-cancelling phones might not be appropriate in a studio setting.

I have a pair of Sony noise-cancelling phones that I got for less than $40.00 that work and sound wonderful when I'm travelling. They cancel out the background noise of airports and jet engines very effectively, and sound better to my ears than the much more expensive Bose phones.
Click to expand...

Oops! I didn't follow the link in the original post! My bad! But yes, for a listening situation, the noise cancelling phones are outstanding products...Not so for recording. They can't tell the difference between voice and background noise and will therefore cancel everything.

I also agree with Jeff on Ultrasone. You can't do much better. Ultrasone and Beyerdynamic fall into similar categories and I love both of them. Unfortunately, the PROline products have been discontinued and I don't care for the the replacements as much. Jeff, if you can find a pair, I'd get them now...The PROline series seems a lot better than the PRO series that has replaced them. Also unfortunately, the Ultrasone stuff is very pricey too. But you get what you pay for!

And Mike, I do think the 280s would be just about ideal for your situation. Like Jeff, I probably wouldn't use them to mix a promo, but for general monitoring with good isolation and detail, they're a very solid choice.

Emmett
 
I've fallen in love with Audio Technica ATH-M30's. Have about 3-4 pair. Have lots of the Sony 7506's and they're incredible headphones but I find the sound a bit bright for my tastes. Of course I'm 53 years old and my hearing's not what it used to be...but I find the AT's more true to form with the audio I'm mixing and working with. Just my 2cents.

gary lee
 
Although they are bright, I personally like the Sony's sound, with my favorite "Sony MDR-V600" headset still feeling very comfy and sounding crisp after about 14 years. The only annoyances are the flaking of the black plastic around the soft headband and earcups (which I simply flipped inside out), but maybe I shouldn't have left them in the hot trunk of my car for so long. Very good bang for the buck, IMO.

---

Off on a tangent, is anyone into David Clark (aviation-type) headsets? I used to fly, and found a project pair at Goodwill I couldn't pass up. Once the budget allows me to buy replacement wiring and gel-filled earcups ($25-ish a pair), I anxiously await testing them while editing with my delightful, quiet-challenged kids around. Should you ever try them, may the gelcups never split on you (more than once, I had to clean silicon gunk off myself in the plane, from down my neck to in my ear :p ).
 
Noise cancelling phones will wreck you when you are speaking..they take the natural internal soundss that resonate in your head, and instead of amplifying them in your ears they attempt to cancel them out..No brand that I have ever tried this with (Bose..Sony etc) ever worked for a speaker making a sound while wearing a set of phones that cancel outside sound..

That said..I use only ONE side of the headset on any voice session..I push back the left phone so I can get a better handle on articulation. Plus some of the mic processsors I use are digital..these delay very slightly the sound in the phones, and it sounds hollow and almost like I have a cold when I listen while I am speaking..so I only use both phones when mixing..and I have to agree with Jeff Berlin..the Ultrasone series is superb..well built and beefy...they also seem to have a slight boost in the low end so it forces me to mix a little crisper for broadcast with a little less lower midrange..TV stations' signal processing especially love a less "boomy" mix, and the Ultrasones are a magic pill to fix that in my opinion. Jeff's right..reference quality there

For everyday catchall voice only headphones the Sennheiser 280s get my vote.
 
Another vote for Sennheiser, although I use the lower-end EH 150's..

We've certainly come a long way since those pea-green Koss Pro4-AA's ...decent sound, but every couple of months I found myself begging the engineer to fix the wiring :'(
 
The Koss of Doing Business

BobSacamano said:
We've certainly come a long way since those pea-green Koss Pro4-AA's ...decent sound, but every couple of months I found myself begging the engineer to fix the wiring :'(
Click to expand...

You may also have found your head was becoming indented at ear level, and you were developing the neck muscles of a pro linebacker...

I stumbled on a pair of deeply discounter Koss "Pro 3AA" phones a couple of years ago. I figured, "what the heck, it's always good to have a spare set", and got them really cheap. I have to say that they were very disappointing. I guess the name isn't everything.
 
The Koss Pro4AA's used to have that damn mineral oil in the ear cusions..a season of sweating and screaming on the top 40 boogie stations of the old days, and you could count on an ear cusion "going flat" and getting that greasy oil all over..as for the wiring..
A chief engineer we had in Syracuse in the mid 70's...found that an RCA jack would install perfectly in the hole in the phones..when the wire between the tewo phones gave up..a trip to Radio Shack for a 2 dollar RCA plug to plug cable..and you were back in business
 
Koss Pro4AAs were da bomb during the 70's and early 80's. Incredible sound but heavy. Would give me a headache after an hour or two, but man could you crank those up. Then discovered Superex ProV4's. Half the weight, still great sound but unfortunately Superex went out of business. Still have one working pair.
 
The A/T cans are good. I will add a vote for the Fostex T50RP, they are lightweight, closed ear and sound great. The Koss Pro4/AA's or The Head Clamp sound good but not recommended for long term use as your head will sink into your neck. The Pro4/AA are great for the quick intros. I've never been a big fan of the Sony headphones, too much bass for me. Then there are the AKG cans, they sound great but not recommended in a high compression environment due to the open air design.
 
I used to swear by the AKG K141's, but yes, the open air design will leave you deaf from the feedback. I am going this afternoon in fact to replace my Sony MDR v600's that I've had for 10 years. Found a pair of Sony MDR v700's at Guitar Center for $129. Some might argue that the price is too much, but as a voice artist and producer, a good set of headphones is part of the job.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom