Sony MDR 7506 VS Sennheiser HD280

[GearGeek]

So I finaly got a pair of Sennheiser HD 280's after using the Sony MDR 7506 for years. I really like them! They are very flat. I was getting tired of all the boosted high end that the Sony's produce.

The Sennheiser's are going to be my main headphone when I record myself, or when I'm doing late night mix/edit sessions. BUT I still think that I'm going to give my clients the Sony's when they track. I think most artists like to hear the hyped high end because that's what they're used to. The flatter Sennheiser's (which are great for engineers) probably won't go over so good for singers. Has anyone else experienced this?

Also, the Sony's are a little bit more comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Just my 2 cents.

[nukmusic]

i'm in the same boat with you. The sony's don't seem as pitch accurate.

[pendejo]

I have the HD 280s. They reveal a lot of detail but have a weak low end IMO.

[XSergeantD]

Try out the 7509's. I used to use the 7506's all the time till I got tired of replacing the drivers every month.

[wavcatcher]

Wow,
The 280's that I tried had a strange phasey sounding hi end to them.
I found them unbearable and unusable, apparantly other people's mileage varied.

I've used the Sony MDR7506's for years and still haven't found anything better for
editing. For a balanced/ neutral sounding closed ear phone I still don't think there is anything better than the Beyer DT770pro though. And for critical listening with open ear the Sennheiser HD600's are my favorites. But my head may be shaped different than yours!!

[88fingerz]

Originally Posted by GearGeek

The Sennheiser's are going to be my main headphone when I record myself, or when I'm doing late night mix/edit sessions. BUT I still think that I'm going to give my clients the Sony's when they track. Has anyone else experienced this?

It's the opposite at my place. I make sure the clients ONLY use the 280s for tracking. The leakage is minimal as opposed to the Sonys, as well as the overall build quality being superior, so I wear the 7506s and my clients wear (and love) the 280s.

As far as 7509s go, I once bought and tried a pair. I sent them back right away! Instead of revealing more low end, my feeling is they actually introduced it.

For $100.00, the Senn. 280s ROCK!!!

[nukmusic]

Originally Posted by 88fingerz

As far as 7509s go, I once bought and tried a pair. I sent them back right away!!

and I thought i was the only one.....LOL the 7509 sounds like the 7506's with more bass

I have a very old pair of 7506s with the cloth earpads(not vinyl covered) and they sound better than my much newer sets of 7506's.

[blueman]

I don't want to talk about hyped vs. flat.

But about detail degree: The more, the better for a singer (IMHO).

I'm a singer too. I've been always going with the AKG 241. My pitch was not good . When I discovered the "one ear off" thing, everything got improved, but I had a worse feel from the mix.

Recently, I've began to track with my Etymotic (E4-S?; don’t remember) “on ear plugs” (very detailed) and I have no pitch problem now while I can listen to the whole mix with both ears.

[Gilliland]

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

Try out the 7509's. I used to use the 7506's all the time till I got tired of replacing the drivers every month.

I hate the sound of the 7509s. The low end is just ridiculously exaggerated!

What on earth were you doing to your 7506s to damage the drivers? I've had mine since 1989, and they've never given me a moment of trouble.

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by Gilliland

What on earth were you doing to your 7506s to damage the drivers? I've had mine since 1989, and they've never given me a moment of trouble.

Same here. In fact, since my wife simultaneously succumbed to a severe case of tinnitus and sensory neural hearing loss six years ago, she's been forced to sleep with headphones on, with fairly loud music cranking through them. She "borrowed" my MDR-7506's and they've been running 6-10 hours a day NON-STOP, 365 days a year. We've replaced the earpads four times, but the drivers still work fine.

I don't doubt it's possible to damage 7506 drivers, I'm just frightened to think what must have been going through them when it happened!

[James Lehmann]

Originally Posted by Gilliland

I hate the sound of the 7509s. The low end is just ridiculously exaggerated!

I find the 7509's have much better balanced bass than the 7506's and the highs are a lot less hyped too!

[tomwehrle]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

Same here. In fact, since my wife simultaneously succumbed to a severe case of tinnitus and sensory neural hearing loss six years ago, she's been forced to sleep with headphones on, with fairly loud music cranking through them. She "borrowed" my MDR-7506's and they've been running 6-10 hours a day NON-STOP, 365 days a year. We've replaced the earpads four times, but the drivers still work fine.

I don't doubt it's possible to damage 7506 drivers, I'm just frightened to think what must have been going through them when it happened!

I have 2 pairs, and one of them..the drivers went bad somehow, but i had had them for about 4-5 years probably before it happened, and I still have them, the bass response just isnt there, which i find to be like having a totally different pair of headphones now to throw on and listen to a mix real fast...how did you replace the earpads, cause thats seems to be a bigger deal to me

[joelpatterson]

I love my 7506's, but they do fall apart after a while... my Guitar Center hip dude cat was throwing in a pair every time I bought something... one of them, the left side was dead.... great headphones, but they have a half-life, and it isn't long.

[davenutz]

ive never been able to wear 280's for more than a few minutes...the humoungous plastic frame squeezes my head in all the wrong places. Ive been using 7506's and K240's for a number of years without a problem in either one.

the onlly thing that ive ever broken on a pair of headphones was the sony screw on 1/4" adaptor.

[tamasdragon]

I use 7506 for long years now without a problem. Would like to buy a pair of 7509. It couldn't be so bad is it?
Regards Tamas Dragon

[audioboy6]

I have both the 7506's and the 280 along with a few other closed cans and I have to say for most things I prefure the sonys. To my ears the 280s seems to have a bit of a lack of detail and sound kind of slow in transient responce. I know the sonys are very hiped but to me they have much better clarity. Personaly I would much prefure to just work with my senn 600's but that usually isn't an option in a lot of environmets that I work in. My 2 cents

[Rodney Gene]

My 7506's died!! Yeah...Finally after about 10 years...they had already had one pad replacement... But I would not replace them again...I love the Senn 280 pros now...love them for tracking....LOVE them for tracking!! The lack of hype is so pleasant to me.. I also have the AKG K240's here that I have connected to the internet to listen to music on..I can always tell when when someone has been mixing with too much top end or the mastering engineer went crazy with siblance and 'air'... These are so comfy...but a bit too scooped for me for anything but listening.

Different opinions about what sounds good? On a forum?...

Rock on brothers!

Respect,

[squeegybug]

I own some 280s, used for several years for dubbing because of the good rejection. Tried the Sonys a few times, couldn't go there. I also have some AKG 271, 240, among others.

For dubbing and general listening, they are all gone now in favor of the ATH-A700. That is a unique headphone. Needs to be run in a little, can be bright at first. Incredible detail, solved the pitch problems. Outstanding bass as well.

For a more traditional response and comparative listening, I still like the K271, but it can sure sound dull after using the ATs.

Steve

[Teddy Gee]

This is a pretty funny read! Ears are our own to hear what we will

I have a pair of 7506's that I give an occassional listen to for "hyped" reference but I can't take the sizzle for very long. I would like to replace the earpads on them though.......if one of the folks who posted about having done this could give a little DIY example that would be great!

I like my Senn 280's better but my favorites for monitoring are the Beyer DT770 Pro's. Very comfortable for me both design and soundwise but I know a number of people who hate the oversized earpads.

My alternative to those for a good tracker (and cheap!!) are ATH-M30's. Light comfortable, and only like $40.

Stephen

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by joemeekfreak

how did you replace the earpads, cause thats seems to be a bigger deal to me

part #X21131111
$4.95 (I forget if that's per pair, or each.)

Pull the old earpads off just by yanking on them. Then attach the new ones by stretching the edge of their vinyl cover around the ear piece into that little channel that circumnavigates the rim. It takes a bit of patience, but it's pretty easy once you see what's involved.

[Teddy Gee]

Originally Posted by Bob Ross

part #X21131111
$4.95 (I forget if that's per pair, or each.)

Pull the old earpads off just by yanking on them. Then attach the new ones by stretching the edge of their vinyl cover around the ear piece into that little channel that circumnavigates the rim. It takes a bit of patience, but it's pretty easy once you see what's involved.

Cool!! Thanls Bob from among the few who asked about this. Did you order the replacement part directly from Sony or a dealer?

Stephen

[tomwehrle]

I can't find anyone who sells that part online (X21131111)

[adamcal]

Originally Posted by nukmusic

and I thought i was the only one.....LOL the 7509 sounds like the 7506's with more bass

I have a very old per of 7506 with the cloth earpads(not vinyl covered) and they sound better than my much newer sets of 7506's.

today I bought a pair of the new 7509HD's, HATED THEM!, back in the box.

Hollow, scooped, headphony, smeary, and very plasticy. basicly sound a bit cheap.

this was in a AB test against my usual 7506's

Sure the 7506 is bright, but its a otherwise true and good sound. well my old ones (cloth) are anyway. thank god I have 3 pairs.

[sethmeister]

Have both. Prefer the HD280 for tracking since it has better isolation. The 7506's are more comfortable and seem to be slightly more detailed although they are a bit sizzly. As far as durability I've been using my 7506's for almost 15 years and they still work great.

If you plan to use them for tracking and need to control bleed get the HD280's. Otherwise flip a coin - both are good cans.

[blackwatch]

Yeah...i've wrecked a few pairs (5+) over the years

usually on HipHop sessions w/ low freq's and bad gain staging does it in

the louder you hit em, the harder that niggaz performance is gonna be tho kidd

[starcrash13]

Loving my DT 770's! I also own the HD280 Pro's and I find them heavy and uncomfortable. Good isolation, though. Decent sound. The 7506's are by far the most comfortable and lightweight for extended periods. I generally am more concerned with comfort then sound quality (I don't mix with cans). However, the Beyer DT 770 sound amazing and are really comfortable.

We did a shootout at the post facility where I work. There were about 100+ employees who chose among the 7506, 7509, AKG 241, HD265, Ultrasone, and the DT 770. The DT 770's were chosen about 10 to 1. Previously, our workstations had 7506's or 7509's so those were what we were mostly used to.

[Bassmankr]

There are many versions of the Beyer 770, which ones are you specifically talking about (M, Pro, 80 ohm, 250 ohm), plus where did you get them at and what did you pay for them?

[starcrash13]

Mine are the pro 250 ohm and I got them for free. Our company bought them for us. I think they go for about $175 USD.