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Headphone recommendation

G

gareth dunster

Dec 8, 2009
296
3
#1
Hi. Anyone have a recommendation for good headphones for live sound pfl checks?
Decent isolation , neutral non-hyped sound ,sturdiness and comfort being the priorities. No shops will let me try headphones before buying here which I find bizarre.
I was looking at the Extreme Isolation phones, which would have to be bougt online ,but the claimed db reduction seems less than some regular closed back phones and the reviews are mixed.
 
#2
Not sure if they have enough isolation for you, but Sony MDR7506's are a solid pair of headphones, tough and comfortable.

That said, Sennheiser HD280's are also solid (and 32dB isolation), and there are certainly some people who like the EX29's.
 
#6
As for the extreme isolation, I've used both of the models the have (ex25, and ex29 or something like that?) and I spent a solid hour with the guy who designed them talking about them and trying out some different applications, and they're solid, very easy to repair, and great for tracking drums, but they don't sound nearly as good, or feel nearly as comfortable as the sennheisers.
 
#9
Another Sony 7506 lover here.

Great headphone for audio diagnosis. And, you can buy parts for 'em.

The real insight I've finally grasped is to spend a lot of time with whatever monitor you choose before you've got to make hard decisions with it as a tool. It really takes time to get a feel for what a monitor is saying. All monitors (speakers or headphones) have a voice. We compensate in reverse to their voice.
 
#10
Sennheiser HD25 II are a long time musical reference headphones for live sound engineers.
Easily driven from any mixer and sounds reasonably good on most, if not stellar on the good stuff.

MDR-7506/v6 are definitely NOT. They are more adaquate for field recording for video production.

Good IEMs are a useful tool for side stage mixing, but not so for PFL, it takes time to put them in or out..
 
#12
Fwiw I found some 280s quite cheap (80 us$)and got them. Sound wise they're completely unspectacular. The response across an 88 key keyboard seems good and the lower range was excellent. No listening fatigue after 2 hours, so a very comfortable headphone. they are massive however.
 
#15
Beyer dt770 pro's are great. I like them much more than the 280's even with the higher price tag. Much more open, smoother, more detailed in the mids, and have a very extended open bass response. The M50's are similar dto the 770's with a flatter upper mid response, but the bass is not as low. The first time I listened to the radio with my 770's I kept looking over my shoulder during commercials. It sounds like the people are in the room. They are that transparent.
 

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