[ixalarx]

Hi,
I'm looking for a pair of headphones to use mostly for live mixing. So, they'd have to work well in loud situations for long periods of time and, most importantly, be built like a tank. I get my cans dropped, cords pulled, etc, and have gone through more than my share already. Since you all are the experts, I figured I'd ask here first. As far as price goes, I'm pretty wary of spending over $200 on a pair of phones, considering my turnover

.
Any suggestions would be great, thanks!

 

[d_w31]

You should probably look into the Sennheiser HD280s, they are really well made and durable. Also maybe the Sony MDR-V6, it's cheap at 60 something and has a really good reputation also.

 

[Esidarap]

Your needs pretty much spell out MDR-V6.

 

[creyc]

^ yep.

I recommend Sony MDR-7506 (V6). Mine have seen more share of abuse than any headphone should have to see, and they sound, look and function as they did out of the box. Someone told me they have a really great warranty, but I doubt I'll ever need to use it the way these are going.

They are closed and thus pretty good for isolation. They're even pretty comfortable straight from the box, but I got a pair of Beyer DT250/DT280 pads when I bought them and they are really over the top now. Not quite in the same sense as real Beyers, but easy to listen to all day.

Senn HD280s are also a great choice, also very durable and comfortable. You can't really go wrong with either, the 7506's are perhaps more "revealing", which isn't always good either, but given your line of work I think it might be valuable. Not extremely important, but the 7506 has GOT to be the most popular headphone bar none for live mixing type work.

 

[Firestarter]

another popular choice would be the Sennheiser HD 25's. also very durable and isolating, but these smaller cans rest on your ears and you can swivel one cup away. these have a much stronger bass response (and general impact) than the HD 280's. the standard 70ohm model (25-1) has a steel cable, the 600ohm studio model (25-13) has a OFC cable.

edit: this one is more expensive than either the hd 280 or the 7506

 

[snapdemon]

I haven't tried a ton of DJ phones, but I was very impressed with the K81DJs as far as sound, durability, and build quality. I know they aren't as much as what you were looking to spend, but the K181DJs are the step up so you may want to check those out if you have the cash to drop.