[Chaniyth]

   
Have you ever had the occasion to try out the 7520?

 
Not yet, none of our local Guitar Center stores have them so I can't audition them. I don't have the cash to lay down for them either right now, but i'd love to hear them sometime.

 

[Kierkes]

I'm really glad you love the 7506's, Chaniyth! As I said, they're a fine pair, but I just couldn't use them. I'm also glad you're one of the lucky few for whom it fits well on. I could not get any bass out of them myself. You're probably not going to find any 7520's in person without buying them. That's always been the case for me.

 

[Mike F]

This might be of interest in this thread:- http://www.head-fi.org/t/682534/sony-mdr-7520/1755#post_10976772

 

[Mike F]

Again, something of interest to this thread:- http://www.head-fi.org/t/682534/sony-mdr-7520/1785#post_11029220

 

[damn00]

So what's a summering in this thread? Which one headphone are best overall for studio and for someone who producing EDM?

 

[Sinocelt]

  So what's a summering in this thread? Which one headphone are best overall for studio and for someone who producing EDM?

 
I wish there were a consensus. But there isn't, which is the reason behind the list in the opening post.

 

[Mike F]

   
I wish there were a consensus. But there isn't, which is the reason behind the list in the opening post.

 
Only because not everyone has heard the Sony 7520's!

 

[Sinocelt]

   
Only because not everyone has heard the Sony 7520's!

 
Myself included. 

 
The MDR-7520 and the Alpha Prime are the headphones I'm currently most curious about.

 

[Greggo]

  Aren't there audiophile headphones that work brilliantly for both studio and general consumers? I am new to the world of full size headphones since i just graduated from in-ear monitors and bought my first one. Of course, I don't have a great budget since I am a college student and bought a Yamaha Pro 400. But, I am sure there are people on this thread who pretty experienced with full size headphones. So, can anyone answer my question? I'd greatly any responses since i am trying to learn. Thanks! 

 
I have not yet heard the MDR-7520 but plan on adding them to my collection at some point.
 
I think that both the Senn HD-600 and the Focal Spirit Pro have a sound signature that is studio ready and at the same time well prepared to wow the consumer music listener.  I have both and have been in and out of the project studio hobby for many years.  I am no pro, but have seen many in the biz speak highly of both, and my wife, teenage son and myself all find both to be outstanding with anything like a Dragonfly on up...  The problem is that the former is open and a bit dated (not a resolution monster in today's market), and the latter is designed for smurfs rather than normal people.  I have a small head and big ears, so the Spirit Pro is manageable clamp wise and a pure on ear experience for me and thus measured against other on ears... so I put up with them because I think they have such a great sound signature.  I find myself preferring them to even my HD-700 in some cases when listening to music for fun.  I also have a big smile whenever I put the HD-600 on my noggin.  What a fantastic achievement from Sennheiser that still stands the test of time.
 
I want to add that when I say "signature" in this case, I mean very small deviations from "pure flat" and in ways that IMHO benefit the goals of a studio engineer/producer while at the same time not taking away for the more organic musicality preferred by the average music lover.  I think that is a very rare feat.  I don't think the MDR-7520 will do it but I need to hear them for myself.  I know (just subjective here...) the HD-800 won't do it unless you are ready to go on the world tour of DAC and amplifier auditions to find the combination that works for you and your preferred music.  My opinion again, but I don't think that any headphone with really rich and present bass in a way that appeals to many consumer listeners will ever cut it in the studio...though I hold the door open for a few ultrasone models that I would love to hear and judge for myself.  I like this thread because my own personal listening preferences tend to line up fairly close to a studio pro, so I am always looking for a balance between pro and consumer SOTA, and then deviating just a little bit for fun, like with Grado 225 or AT M50.

 

[chailee80]

   
I have not yet heard the MDR-7520 but plan on adding them to my collection at some point.
 
I think that both the Senn HD-600 and the Focal Spirit Pro have a sound signature that is studio ready and at the same time well prepared to wow the consumer music listener.  I have both and have been in and out of the project studio hobby for many years.  I am no pro, but have seen many in the biz speak highly of both, and my wife, teenage son and myself all find both to be outstanding with anything like a Dragonfly on up...  The problem is that the former is open and a bit dated (not a resolution monster in today's market), and the latter is designed for smurfs rather than normal people.  I have a small head and big ears, so the Spirit Pro is manageable clamp wise and a pure on ear experience for me and thus measured against other on ears... so I put up with them because I think they have such a great sound signature.  I find myself preferring them to even my HD-700 in some cases when listening to music for fun.  I also have a big smile whenever I put the HD-600 on my noggin.  What a fantastic achievement from Sennheiser that still stands the test of time.
 
I want to add that when I say "signature" in this case, I mean very small deviations from "pure flat" and in ways that IMHO benefit the goals of a studio engineer/producer while at the same time not taking away for the more organic musicality preferred by the average music lover.  I think that is a very rare feat.  I don't think the MDR-7520 will do it but I need to hear them for myself.  I know (just subjective here...) the HD-800 won't do it unless you are ready to go on the world tour of DAC and amplifier auditions to find the combination that works for you and your preferred music.  My opinion again, but I don't think that any headphone with really rich and present bass in a way that appeals to many consumer listeners will ever cut it in the studio...though I hold the door open for a few ultrasone models that I would love to hear and judge for myself.  I like this thread because my own personal listening preferences tend to line up fairly close to a studio pro, so I am always looking for a balance between pro and consumer SOTA, and then deviating just a little bit for fun, like with Grado 225 or AT M50.

I'm no audio pro but i found the spirit pros to be much more neutral than the 7520. The 7520 sounded more V shaped to me and the sibilant highs is what caused me to sell it in favor of the Focals. However from my experience i don't think the spirit pro would wow the average consumer, the people who have listened to mine have always said it lacked bass.

 

[Greggo]

That's a fair comment.  I don't think either of them would wow the average consumer in the bass department and that is why I qualified the bass issue in general.  I also get tangled up in the average consumer, which I really have no insight or much regard for as they are mostly just clueless, versus the average music lover, who is less apt to get hung up on bass and more likely to value high fidelity even though they are not caught up in the audiophile thing. I often end up thinking about the average music lover when the subject is really about the consumer. Run the Spirit Pro through something modest but full bodied, like a NAD D1050 for instance, and the bass is tight, punchy and very robust.... Maybe not all or even most, but many music lovers would surely be thrilled by the Spirit Pro as it has a very pure yet engaging sound.
 
I think the key to this issue of dual use is not so much in finding a popular and satisfying headphone from consumer land that might work in a studio as IMHO they don't exist... but finding a headphone that is accepted and even praised by studio professionals that still doesn't get in the way of the music from a pure recreational enjoyment perspective. One that is still musically satisfying and even perhaps a bit exciting in its presentation while also not being fatiguing with any genre of music.  So far the HD 600 and Spirit Pro are the best examples I know of thus far.  But yes, many would still find either of them to be lacking in the bass.

 

[urban maverick]

So I don't own them but I did do quite a bit of research on them and it seems the Vocal Spirit Pro's are the most neutral headphones for $1000<. A definite consideration for those looking for (upper*) mid range studio cans. They are also closed so a pro or con depending on what you need.

 

[RudeWolf]

Hey everyone!
 
After talking with many studio pros we've heard they would, but can’t really, one of the main reasons being that even studio headphones are colored in their frequency response and thus hard to rely on for critical listening.
 
We are building a product that will break the spell and overcome the intrinsic hardware limitations through innovative merger of hardware and software. We measure headphones with our patent pending measurement technology and then let our plugin adjust the headphone sound based on the measurement results. The promise behind our plugin is simple – complete control of the sound character of your headphones. Whether you desire your headphones to deliver reliable reference sound or precise acoustic simulation of various sound systems our plugin delivers that.
Surely this won't replace your monitors (for some it actually might), but it tremendously improves the usability and versatility of headphones as a studio tool. These are big claims and the proof, as always, is in the pudding.
 
This is why we would like you to dip your toes in what could ultimately be a completely new way how to use studio headphones.
 
Currently we have prepared custom calibration data for the following models -
Sony MDR-7506
AKG K712
Sennheiser HD600
Sennheiser HD650
Superlux HD330
Superlux HD681
 
Please PM me if you have any of these headphones, so I can send you the beta download link and additional info on the product.
 
If you are interested in testing out the Sonarworks plug-in, but don't have any of these cans, tell us what headphones are you using and we will do our best to get them measured.
We will provide a copy of Sonarworks plugin in AAX, RTAS, AU or VST standard for you to use and a calibration profile made specifically for the corresponding headphone model. The calibration profile has to be fed in the plugin-in and then you are good to go - nothing too difficult.
 
As a reward all beta testers will receive a lifetime licence to use Sonarworks plug-in - an equivalent of a new set of headphones, which will surely improve your future work.

 

[kraken2109]

I'm happy to test it, but the headphones I own are:
AKG K612 pro
Sennheiser Amperior
Etymotic MC5

 

[Mike F]

Sinocelt, have you heard the 7520's yet? 
 
I've been listening to mine a lot recently. Even from an audiophile standpoint there's not much to criticise, and for a (closed) studio headphone I would think that they would be very hard to beat. I haven't heard the Focals, and they may well be more neutral, but I would have thought that the build quality and comfort/fit issues would prevent them from being considered the best overall. Other than those hardly anything seems to come close to the the sound quality of the 7520's.
 
If I was in the States I'd send mine to Tyll Hertsens for measurement and review. It's frustrating that apparently Sony haven't done that yet - they probably think that the product can stand for itself (which it can!), but still..........
 
Perhaps someone over there can do this as a service to the community?