[Duncan]

They do sound thin in the vocal area, especially compared to the Beyer DT250s, and Audio Technica A900s...

But, lets not forget what it says on the top of the headband

 

[mlchang]

Quote:

Originally posted by Beagle There is no warmth or body to the acoustic guitar or stringed instruments or male vocals.

Chris Martin from coldplay sounds thin and nasally on say track 11 of "A Rush of Blood to the Head" relative to HD590s. Norah Jones piano sounds not quite right either. The piano lacks resonance. I mention piano only because it is the instrument I am most familiar with. The more I consider it, I think it is a function of it being a closed headphone than it being deficient in frequency response in any particular range. And as Duncan pointed out, it is also a studio monitor. I do hear the bloat/boom that eagle points out with the upper bass notes...

Gonna try some mods...

 

[Mike Walker]

Thank God when it comes to assessments of sound quality, I trust NO EARS BUT MY OWN!

By the way, thin, overly-bright...that's how most rock recordings are mixed. Your 7506s are simply revealing what's on the recording! That's what studio monitors do. And it's why they're often fatiguing for simply listening to music.

Blah, blah, blah! I would NEVER buy anything based upon how ANYONE on this board believes that it sounds. Don't be offended by that, however. I would never buy ANYTHING based upon ANY criteria other than how an item sounds TO ME! Perhaps this is why I don't (as do some here) buy a pair of headphones a week. I don't give a damn how YOU think they sound! I have found (through much trial and error) that I almost certainly won't agree with you. ANY OF YOU! So what??? I'll spend my money on what I find to do the job best, and you do the same. The rest is simply ******** anyway!

 

[williamgoody]

What exactly is the point of this above post, Mike? Isn't anyone allowed to disagree with you? Not everyone hears the same thing as everyone else. Your ears are not the "be all and end all" of sonic standards, I'm pretty sure.

And why do you think anyone cares to read that YOU feel this way? Get over yourself already.

(edited for spelling)

 

[Duncan]

Hi Mike...

It goes back to what I have said in the past... and what numerous people have said before me...

Coloration...

The MDR-V6, I'll openly admit... doesn't have very much ~ but its probably that very lack of coloration that makes them sound not so good with todays digital (read as bright) sources...

I'd love to hear a good vinyl setup with my V6 as Redshifter suggests... but, I don't have one

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Walker Thank God when it comes to assessments of sound quality, I trust NO EARS BUT MY OWN! By the way, thin, overly-bright...that's how most rock recordings are mixed. Your 7506s are simply revealing what's on the recording! That's what studio monitors do. And it's why they're often fatiguing for simply listening to music. Blah, blah, blah! I would NEVER buy anything based upon how ANYONE on this board believes that it sounds. Don't be offended by that, however. I would never buy ANYTHING based upon ANY criteria other than how an item sounds TO ME! Perhaps this is why I don't (as do some here) buy a pair of headphones a week. I don't give a damn how YOU think they sound! I have found (through much trial and error) that I almost certainly won't agree with you. ANY OF YOU! So what??? I'll spend my money on what I find to do the job best, and you do the same. The rest is simply ******** anyway!

I don't have any trouble with the 7506s with rock music. It's classical that bugs me. Are the engineers at DG and Decca that bad?

As for the rest of that little tirade... Agreed that how things sound to me is what's important. But I enjoy kvetching with others who share my opinions. SO THERE!! Also, I'd rather not have to try all the headphones out there myself, so I'll continue to rely on a little help from my friends.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Walker Thank God when it comes to assessments of sound quality, I trust NO EARS BUT MY OWN! By the way, thin, overly-bright...that's how most rock recordings are mixed. Your 7506s are simply revealing what's on the recording! That's what studio monitors do. And it's why they're often fatiguing for simply listening to music. Blah, blah, blah! I would NEVER buy anything based upon how ANYONE on this board believes that it sounds. Don't be offended by that, however. I would never buy ANYTHING based upon ANY criteria other than how an item sounds TO ME! Perhaps this is why I don't (as do some here) buy a pair of headphones a week. I don't give a damn how YOU think they sound! I have found (through much trial and error) that I almost certainly won't agree with you. ANY OF YOU! So what??? I'll spend my money on what I find to do the job best, and you do the same. The rest is simply ******** anyway!

When you get down to it, most people want a consensus of opinion before you go out and spend your hard earned money.
Although Head-Fi is a very good place to seek that, one of it's faults I've found during the few months that I've been lurking/posting here is that a large number of seemingly authoritative recommendations (and dissings) seem to be made by people who haven't even owned the phones in question. It most frequently seems to occur in the mid-price section of $50-$200 which is the range favoured by most first time buyers. That does concern me a bit for Head-Fi as a credible source of information. All it potentially takes is one moderator to be 'nobbled' by a manufacturer and the many people will undoubtedly start repeating the product's praises based on the review of one or two well regarded members. Such 'nobblings' unlikely to happen of course but the spread of information, I would imagine, would be much the same. Buyer beware of course, but it would be nice if people were clearer about whether they've actually had what they are talking about or not. Shop impressions don't really count unless you have a REALLY friendly shop that lets you try gear out on your own kit.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Walker I don't give a damn how YOU think they sound! I have found (through much trial and error) that I almost certainly won't agree with you. ANY OF YOU! So what??? I'll spend my money on what I find to do the job best, and you do the same. The rest is simply ******** anyway!

So why post then?

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Beagle, I do agree with you somewhat on the 7506's. On most recordings, I'd liken the sound as, you said, 'a ham sandwich with not much ham'. On the other hand, I'd describe the (lower-end) Grado sound as 'a ham sandwich with too much mustard'. That is, the highs are so fatiguing to me that I would definitely need at least three layers of Grado comfy pads just to make them 'listenable'. And even then, I don't hear much if any low-bass response whatsoever out of the Grados (at least the lower-end models).

 

[Mike Walker]

Why would I post, or visit this site if I didn't "give a damn" about other people's opinion when buying headphones? Note that I said when BUYING headphones! I ALWAYS LISTEN CAREFULLY to 'phones, taking with me a reference pair with which I am intimately familiar, and base my opinions thusly. Reference material includes my own productions, with my own voice...with which I am intimately familiar from nearly 30 years in radio, audio production, and voiceover work.

This doesn't mean I am not interested in what others think! I am. VERY! I frequently check out products others say are wonderful. But I NEVER (unless they're practically giving the damn things away, as in the case of the JVC HA-D990 headphones recently selling for under 20 bucks) buy without a careful audition such as that described above.

When I recommend that you also dismiss as b.s. everyone's opinion other than your own when buying, I do mean EVERYONE'S opinion, including mine! If you need a reason why, simply read the previous posts, and the different, conflicinting ways that different people describe the sound of the exact same product! Obviously, when investigating with your own ears, you will find many of them to be WAY off base. And it's the same with every other product discussed here. "Searching for a consensus" before buying audio equipment? Then my friend, I suggest that you may not have properly prepared yourself to buy. If you had (properly prepared yourself), you would be certain of your decision, and also wouldn't give a damn what others thought!

 

[Joe Bloggs]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Walker When I recommend that you also dismiss as b.s. everyone's opinion other than your own when buying, I do mean EVERYONE'S opinion, including mine!

Thanks for the clarification. Somehow I don't think many people need help in this department either

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Walker When I recommend that you also dismiss as b.s. everyone's opinion other than your own when buying, I do mean EVERYONE'S opinion, including mine! If you need a reason why, simply read the previous posts, and the different, conflicinting ways that different people describe the sound of the exact same product!

Sometimes I think I should disregard my own opinion. Cans that sound great one day may sound different the next.

Come to think of it, disregard that.

 

[bangraman]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver Beagle, I do agree with you somewhat on the 7506's. On most recordings, I'd liken the sound as, you said, 'a ham sandwich with not much ham'. On the other hand, I'd describe the (lower-end) Grado sound as 'a ham sandwich with too much mustard'. That is, the highs are so fatiguing to me that I would definitely need at least three layers of Grado comfy pads just to make them 'listenable'. And even then, I don't hear much if any low-bass response whatsoever out of the Grados (at least the lower-end models).

Don't forget that lower-end Grados further lose out in punch when connected to portables. The 7506's retain their characteristics remarkably well on portables (at least they do on my minidiscs, but I've heard it said that most recent minidiscs have far better outputs even at the same power rating as CDPs).

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

Originally posted by Eagle_Driver Beagle, I do agree with you somewhat on the 7506's. On most recordings, I'd liken the sound as, you said, 'a ham sandwich with not much ham'. On the other hand, I'd describe the (lower-end) Grado sound as 'a ham sandwich with too much mustard'. That is, the highs are so fatiguing to me that I would definitely need at least three layers of Grado comfy pads just to make them 'listenable'. And even then, I don't hear much if any low-bass response whatsoever out of the Grados (at least the lower-end models).

Hmmmmm...

I love the way the music flows unimpeded through Grados. Bright pop/rock recordings sound bright. Warm jazz and classical sound warm. Myself, I tend to compare the sound of headphones to the sounds of real instruments to see how they measure up. Nothing duplicates real instruments but I do find some headphones lack the legitimate brightness that does exist in live performance.

The 7506 does great low bass, almost to a fault. But I get a bit suspicious, like "was I really missing that bass on ALL my albums ALL these years?". Again, to my ears, it's all in the response tailoring, these were designed to deliver the bass goods, others focus on the midrange etc. I find the Grados give a nice measure of everything with the dynamics intact, but they do not mine the lower octaves as obvious as the 7506. But if you play a recording with low bass information, it's still there, you just have to listen a little harder.


Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Walker Why would I post, or visit this site if I didn't "give a damn" about other people's opinion when buying headphones? Note that I said when BUYING headphones! I ALWAYS LISTEN CAREFULLY to 'phones, taking with me a reference pair with which I am intimately familiar, and base my opinions thusly. Reference material includes my own productions, with my own voice...with which I am intimately familiar from nearly 30 years in radio, audio production, and voiceover work. This doesn't mean I am not interested in what others think! I am. VERY! I frequently check out products others say are wonderful. But I NEVER (unless they're practically giving the damn things away, as in the case of the JVC HA-D990 headphones recently selling for under 20 bucks) buy without a careful audition such as that described above. When I recommend that you also dismiss as b.s. everyone's opinion other than your own when buying, I do mean EVERYONE'S opinion, including mine! If you need a reason why, simply read the previous posts, and the different, conflicinting ways that different people describe the sound of the exact same product! Obviously, when investigating with your own ears, you will find many of them to be WAY off base. And it's the same with every other product discussed here. "Searching for a consensus" before buying audio equipment? Then my friend, I suggest that you may not have properly prepared yourself to buy. If you had (properly prepared yourself), you would be certain of your decision, and also wouldn't give a damn what others thought!

OK Mike, points taken, that explains your original post much better. It's just that you came across in gereralizing like " I don't care what anyones thinks, I like what I like and that's that"

I think many people just like to see if others are hearing what they hear. Being an engineer, you know what you hear and what you want to hear. If the 7506 helps you with determining that, then it is a useful tool for you. Others appreciate the great bottom end but can't live with what's happening in the other areas and find it somewhat frustrating.

Yes, I, like others, do bring along opinions and descriptions of phones in our minds when we audition headphones, because this is one of the things that leads us to them, out of curiosity. I do think that one can audition a headphone for a few hours or days and like it, only to begin to uncover things they don't like over the course of time.

 

[Ozric]

Although I do find vocals to sound somewhat recessed when listening through the V6s, I actually find that to be an advantage sometimes. With the rock recordings I listen to, the guitar frequencies (upper mids) literally jump out without being obscured by the vocals. I find this great for studying guitar parts which I want to learn.
Also, it's precisely because of the presence inherent to these 'phones (and, of course, the extended bass) that they sound stellar with electronica.