I need new headphones !!! Please advice esp. Diki & George Kaye

Hello Synthzoners,

Age, as well as my wife's nephews have finally destroyed my headphones, some Philips SBC-600 or something I got cheap on a sale.

I read a previous thread by Diki who swears by his Sony 7506 ones and an even earlier thread where George Kaye said that the Behringer 5000 were very good value for their money.

The prices I find are about 35-50 Euros for the Behringer (price is OK) and about 120-140 Euros for the Sony (absolutely top price for me). Sony also has a 7509 model at about 200 Euros (out of price range).

I need something that can last me some years and have a decent sound quality.

Any other recommendations or confirmations on the above?

The headphones are going to be used in conjuction with an old Sansui AU D33 hi-fi amplifier.

Diki,
I see that the Sony has a spiral cord. Is the cord long enough for every day use at about 1 meter (3-4 feet) away, or is the spiral going to pull my head like a leash?

George,
is the Behringer still recommended?

Thank you all.


[This message has been edited by trident (edited 01-18-2010).]

Cord length is fine, but if I am needing further away, a headphone extension cord is just a few dollars.

I can't honestly advise you about whether there is anything cheaper, better than the Sony's. I have had two pairs since the mid eighties (I think, can't remember back that far these days!) and just honestly don't feel the NEED for anything better. I've tried a few high end Grado's and Ultrasone's, and yes they are killer, but they all were MUCH more than my Sony's.

I find something that good, I tend to stick to it,. Familiarity with response, and a trust in knowing what you hear in the cans will get translated just so to speakers is worth more than jack-rabbiting around all the time in search of something just a bit better. A bit better usually means a bit different, too. And different isn't good, I have come to believe!

A trusted, familiar piece of gear, whether headphones or an arranger is better than an unfamiliar piece of gear, even if it IS a bit better spec'ed.

After reading a previous thread by Diki who advice the Sony 7506 I did buy this headphone and must say this a great sounding headphone much better then my Sennheiser I had before. So my advice is go with the Sony 7506.

just heard the new Shure headphones they sound great< I think on par with the Audio-Technica

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www.AudioworksCT.com

I read that both models above do not engulf your ears, instead they rest on your ears... is that true?

I am used to headphones that engulf your ears. Since i will buy those above sight unseen, i would appreciate a comment on feel.

Jan 2010 EQ magazine does a review of headphones:
Audio-Technica ATH-M50
Shure SRH440
Shure SRH840
Sony MDR-7509HD
Ultrasone Proline 750
Ultrasone Edition 8
AKG K 271 MkII
AKG K 702

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www.AudioworksCT.com

I was looking for headphones and remembered that in a recording studio they used the brand name Grado. A couple of months ago, I did a search on this particular brand and saw that studio phones cost about $1,600. Then I stumbled across a couple of rave reviews about Grado's 2 under $100 headsets. Here is one of the articles. http://gear.ign.com/articles/306/306258p1.html
Does anyone know first hand about these 2 Grado headsets, the 60 and the 80?
Ciao,
Jerry

Yes the sony 7506 rest on my ears. It is a small headphone. But you get used to it.

Reading the review now Frank, but only for informative purposes.

Those things are way above my budget

By he way, the guy mentions "... The Sony is about the same cost as the Shure SRH840, and would be my recommendation if you also expect to do tracking with the phones—they’re durable, and the midrange lift puts the spotlight on the all-important instrumental frequencies...."

What is "tracking" ?

[This message has been edited by trident (edited 01-19-2010).]

[This message has been edited by trident (edited 01-19-2010).]

It's a term used when you are monitoring recording tracks, either playing or engineering.



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www.AudioworksCT.com

Maybe I've got a smaller head (few here will agree with that ), but my 7506's sit OVER my ears, not on them. They have cups, not just foam supports. Maybe not quite as big as some, but they isolate fairly well. Comfort level is pretty high, I've worn them for hours without fatigue...

the behringer 3000s are the ones I sold a ton of the past few years. They are only $29 and most musicians were blown away. I have only ever seen a few come back not working but I've sold hundreds.


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George Kaye
Kaye's Music Scene
Reseda, California
818-881-5566
www.kayesmusicscene.com

I am sorry if I am tearing the subject apart, but I want to fully understand before I fork out serious cash.

The last 2 headphones I used, since at least 15 years back, had some foam cups with an inner circumference large enough to accommodate my ears. So the cups actually rested on my cranium, completely engulfing each ear.

Like this image:


From what I gather from FransN and some comments on the Internet, the gap in the 7506's is not that big, so they rest ON the earlobe, they don't completely engulf the ear, but Diki says the exact opposite????

I have normal size ears (at least I don't fly if the wind is blowing). Thankfully, as my father's ears are Abe Vigoda size!!!!

Diki, FransN, Can you measure what the inner dimensions of the "gap" are on the 7506??? that would be a pretty good indicator, I will be able to compare with the headphones I have and make a conclusion.
its oval shaped as far as I can tell.


[This message has been edited by trident (edited 01-20-2010).]

[This message has been edited by trident (edited 01-20-2010).]

Trident, what is your use for headphones? If for casual listening, you might want to consider NOT buying the type you posted a pic of that engulf your entire ear. They are typically heavier and less comfortable than ones which do not cover the entire ear.

However, if you are using these for tracking (recording), you will probably want the full ones. Couple of years ago, I bought Audio Technica ATH-M40/s upon recommendation from others who know way more than me and I do like them. I don't recall, I think they were about $150.

For casual listening (from my laptop), I just bought these two days ago because they were on sale for $10. I don't need a mic but I did like $10 and hope the mic can be moved out of the way. ( http://tinyurl.com/y85m47f )

I don't record music or anything, I use them when I play my arranger (vsti instruments) , or listening to music.

It has to engulf my ear, to block out the ambient noise, wife's television, my PC's hum etc.

As I have mentioned in the past...Ultrasone are excellent..

[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 01-20-2010).]

I would suggest ACTIVE noise cancelling headsets for the use you describe. I've used them for many years (Bose came out with the first ones) flying small planes and now they have become very popular for music applications, especially with travellers. Google "best noise cancelling headsets" and ignore any that claim only 'passive' noise cancellation.

chas

The inner dimensions of the gap is 5.5 cm.

Seems fine, my ears are 6cm. I suppose you are talking about the "long" dimension".

Thank you.

Yes the long dimension.

I wish EQ magazine would have included Sennheiser in its Jan 2010 headphone review/comparison roundup, as I still love and appreciate my Sennheiser HD600 headphones for it's ACCURATE (unhyped) sound quality. - Scott

Found out that there are some stores around Athens called "Sony Centers". One of them was kind enough to let me try them, one other I called said "we don't let customers try headphones for hygiene reasons".

The gap is smaller than my previous headphones, nevertheless they fit around my ears. The price they quoted is good enough, (100€, translates to ~$141).

Found them in UK Amazon for 68 pounds (~79 €) but sadly they wouldn't post to Greece. So I am going to buy them from the Sony store.

Took a lot of thought to persuade myself though, they cost more my arranger nowdays

Thanks everyone for the patience and the help, I appreciate!!!