[chailee80]

Just got the hd6 mix today and my initial impressions are they're the best overall studio orientated can I've tried. They're not the best I've heard and probably not the most neutral, the bass sounds like it's a bit north of neutral and the upper mids and treble sounds a bit below it to my ears. However they sound flat enough for my liking and that combined with great comfort, excellent isolation and a removable cable makes them hard to beat imo.

 

[Sinocelt]

  We just finished another review - now it's the old MDR-7506 under the looking glass!
 
Read the full review here - http://sonarworks.com/2015/06/studio-headphone-review-sony-mdr-7506/

 
Thanks for the links. 

 
(You might want to correct the "excelent" in the video.)

 

[Sinocelt]

Just got the hd6 mix today and my initial impressions are they're the best overall studio orientated can I've tried. They're not the best I've heard and probably not the most neutral, the bass sounds like it's a bit north of neutral and the upper mids and treble sounds a bit below it to my ears. However they sound flat enough for my liking and that combined with great comfort, excellent isolation and a removable cable makes them hard to beat imo.

 
I had high hopes for those, but they sounded unnatural to my ears. They were very comfy, though. 

 

 

[chailee80]

   
I had high hopes for those, but they sounded unnatural to my ears. They were very comfy, though. 

 

Yeh its definitely not natural sounding but then again i dont think its purpose is to sound natural, in fact I don't think i've ever heard a studio orientated headphone that i would consider natural sounding.

 

[arnyk]

Obviously missing: Sennheiser HD280 and HD380.
 
In terms of actual use, most of the headphones on the list are IME pretenders to professional use, and rarely actually used in studios.
 
The MDR 7506 is probably far and away the most popular studio headphones, with some Beyers and Sennheisers also in play, depending on country.
 
Studio headphones are chosen as much based on existing widespread use because people travel from studio to studio and generally use what's there, but want it to be familar.
 
Studio headphones are usually voiced so they are analytical and make sonic faults more obvious. Sounding too good can be dysfunctional.

 

[Shaffer]

Obviously missing: Sennheiser HD280 and HD380.

In terms of actual use, most of the headphones on the list are IME pretenders to professional use, and rarely actually used in studios.

The MDR 7506 is probably far and away the most popular studio headphones, with some Beyers and Sennheisers also in play, depending on country.

Studio headphones are chosen as much based on existing widespread use because people travel from studio to studio and generally use what's there, but want it to be familar.

Studio headphones are usually voiced so they are analytical and make sonic faults more obvious. Sounding too good can be dysfunctional.

Geezz, Arny, we actually agree. Welcome to the forum.

(Fear3000)

 

[wahsmoh]

T50RP mods are really naturally sounding and have a very monitor-like sound. I think the bass is the best aspect of the T50RP and it really extends low and can handle power without clipping or distorting. good for pop, hip-hop, modern music, and at the same time great for just about everything else.

 

[inthere]

The thing is though, if it doesn't clip or distort on your headphones it *may* clip and distort on everything else it plays on if you're not careful. 

 

[LNuneek]

  The thing is though, if it doesn't clip or distort on your headphones it *may* clip and distort on everything else it plays on if you're not careful. 

I just got the German Maestro 8.35 D and it's very good at letting you know when things are clipping and distorting. Also very good at letting you know when things are overly or badly compressed. They tend to bring out a lot of flaws in a recording. I think they have a very good place in a studio because of this.

 

[LNuneek]

  T50RP mods are really naturally sounding and have a very monitor-like sound. I think the bass is the best aspect of the T50RP and it really extends low and can handle power without clipping or distorting. good for pop, hip-hop, modern music, and at the same time great for just about everything else.

The ATHM 50 is kind of like that. It can handle so much extremes that one doesn't have a great sense of sensible boundaries when mixing. It's great for listening, but a little challenging when mixing. With trial and error and time one can figure out the sound of anything and adapt though.

 

[Sinocelt]

  Obviously missing: Sennheiser HD280 and HD380.

 
I try to list only one pair of headphones for any particular brand, and it should be the best, not simply the most used.
 
 

  In terms of actual use, most of the headphones on the list are IME pretenders to professional use, and rarely actually used in studios.

 
Studios often base their purchases on criteria other than quality. Headphones used and misused need to be cheap and sturdy. Also, many studio headphones are bought by new studios because older studios use them -- and thus the old standards survive even when better models come out. Familiarity, as you called it, primes over quality.
 
 
Quote:

  Studio headphones are usually voiced so they are analytical and make sonic faults more obvious. Sounding too good can be dysfunctional.

 
On the other hand, it can lead you to over-correct. Analytical headphones most often have hyped highs, which can lead to your over-smoothing highs in the mix (if you use such cans for mixing/mastering).
 
 

  T50RP mods are really naturally sounding and have a very monitor-like sound. I think the bass is the best aspect of the T50RP and it really extends low and can handle power without clipping or distorting. good for pop, hip-hop, modern music, and at the same time great for just about everything else.

 
I included the Alpha Prime, which costs more than ten times what I paid for my humble unmodified T50RP. 

By the way, I realize I haven't listed any (unmodified) Fostex headphones. Would the TH-600 or TH-900 fit the bill? The former is currently on sale on Massdrop.

 

[Sinocelt]

The Beyerdynamic DT 1350 CC is currently on sale (170 USD) on Massdrop. 

 

[Sinocelt]

The AKG K553 Pro Studio Headphone is currently on sale (120 USD) on Massdrop.

 

[Sinocelt]

The Ultimate Ears Custom In-Ear Reference Monitors are currently on Massdrop for $699.99.
 
I know, they're CIEMs, not headphones per se, but since they still stand at the reference for IEM studio monitoring/mixing/mastering, and since the rebate is important, I'd thought I'd mention it anyway.

 

[Mike F]

Here's a copy and paste of my post 2232 in the 7520 thread. I hope that isn't against forum rules!
 
Just for everyones interest, I recently came across this article:- https://pro.sony.com/bbsccms/assets/files/cat/audio/latest/Frank-Filipetti_CaseStudy.pdf
 
If you haven't heard of Frank Filipetti, do a quick search! Of course, it's very nice to have someone like him endorse a product which you like, but I don't normally take too much notice of these things; it's presumably quite easy for a company like Sony to take a picture of someone using their product and have that person say a few nice words in exchange for some healthy compensation. However, in this case I was struck by a couple of things. 
 
Here's a copy and paste of the article:-
 
Having worked with a diverse range of artists and in just about every genre, Frank Filipetti knows about getting the right sound.And Sony’s new MDR-7520 studio headphones have expanded his way of working in the studio.
 
“Normally, I use headphones to let artists listen to a session while we’re tracking or for a mixing spot check now and again,” he said.
The reason he would not mix on headphones is that most he’s tried lacked the lowest octave on the bottom end and just didn’t have that sweet extension on the top that a great pair of speakers can provide.
“Frequency-wise and punch-wise, I never felt I got a real sense of what was going on,” Filipetti said.“I’ve pretty much been a 100%-mix-with-speakers man.That is, until I got these [7520s].”
 

Since acquiring the Sony 7520s earlier this year, Filipetti has used them during studio sessions for rock, pop, and even a Broadway soundtrack.
“I use them now to not only check my mixes, but to equalize and finalize them as well,” he said. “They have a very wide frequency response without being hyped at any frequency. I can get an accurate sense of what’s happening across the frequency spectrum, especially in the deep bass region where I’ve never totally trusted a headphone before. I have headphones that are pleasing to listen to, but never had the accuracy I’ve found with the 7520s.”
 


In his experience, the mark of a high- performance headphone is the ability to use it with any genre.
“Some headphones sound good on rock and hip hop, but not on classical or Broadway,” he said. “That’s the nature of a headphone with a tailored frequency response. What I love about these headphones is that they will sound really good with anything (as long as that anything sounds good to begin with). They won’t hype the low end, but they provide a deep accurate low end. So I can use these to mix any of the artists I work with and be confident that I will get great results.”
 
Filipetti said that mixing with speakers traditionally provides a more accurate sound, far more than most headphones would allow.
“There is usually something about the closeness of the headphone to the ear canal that makes it very difficult for me to get an accurate impression of the sound,” Filipetti said.“You can have a mix that sounds great on speakers, but not so good on headphones. Or conversely, a mix can sound mediocre on speakers, but great on headphones. So I never bothered with them for a mix. For me it was always about the way the mix excites a room. But the moment I put these on, I said, wow, these sound like great speakers. Closer and more isolated than my speakers, but the way they handle the frequency and balance elements sounds remarkably close to my room, which, in my humble opinion, is tuned extremely well.”
 

The Sony 7520 headphones have also allowed him more flexibility in the studio.
“Sometimes you’ll be working on a track wearing headphones,” he said.“You will listen for a while and then put your speakers on again and you can’t get a handle on the sound because the headphones are brighter or softer or harder, and it takes a while to get used to your speakers again. With these, I can go back and forth easily between the headphones and my speakers and not have to re-adjust much, if at all. They don’t alter the balance or timbre of things, even though the listening environment is radically different.”
In the end it comes down to getting the right sound and Filipetti states clearly,“I’ve never mixed on headphones, never thought I would, but these are the first headphones that I would be comfortable and confident mixing on.” 
 
First, the sheer number and detail of his comments indicates that he really has used the 7520's in real life and formed an accurate impression of their sound and;
 
Second, many of his impressions exactly mirror my own(!). This is what I said in post 2220.
 

  I've been listening to a recording which I know extremely well (Jan Garbarek Visible World) on my 7520's this evening from my iPhone. I'm not going to say that they are more than they are - there are certainly much better hp's out there (at a higher cost) and indeed I own several myself. But, I have to say that their overall sonic presentation is VERY close to what I experience from my ATC100SL studio monitors which are in a large purpose built listening room. Yes, of course the HD800's are 'better', but they sound less like good speakers in a good room than the 7520's do! Any audio reproduction is only an illusion, and although the HD800's would provide a better illusion of the real thing, such as a large scale orchestral work, I think that the 7520's provide a better illusion of extremely good speakers in a good room. That, IMO, is what makes them such a good studio headphone and why mixes done on them translate so well.
 
 

 
 
Thanks, Frank, for the confirmation!