[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

  So far my 4 finalists are:
 
 
Audio Technica ATH-M50 ~ $110
KRK KNS-8400 ~ $100
Sennheiser HD 280 ~ $70
Sony MDR-V6 ~ $60
 
Pros cons of each?
Aso, any help in translating these graphs would be nice too...I think I understand them, but may be mistaken. 
 

I would say to buy some used Sony MDR-V6s off eBay and get the Beyerdynamic EDT 250 Velour ear pads, only $18.48 at Sweetwater.
That is what I did.

 

[cyris69]

Maybe look into the Koss DJ100's scored them and a fiio e6 for 70 bucks on amazon. Did tons of research on those you mentioned as well in my search and couldn't skip the reviews and price for the dj100's.

 

[macrocheesium]

Quote:

 
Pros cons of each?
Aso, any help in translating these graphs would be nice too...I think I understand them, but may be mistaken. 

 
The isolation graph shows how well each headphone keeps out sound at each frequency. I don't know about the harmonic distortion, but I'm guessing it just shows how much the headphones distort at different frequencies. The frequency response shows how strongly the headphones output certain frequencies. It basically shows you the balance of mids bass and treble very precisely. I wouldn't trust the FR, though. Machines often hear them very differently than we do and the graphs are often inaccurate.

 

[zantaff]

Quote:

I would say to buy some used Sony MDR-V6s off eBay and get the Beyerdynamic EDT 250 Velour ear pads, only $18.48 at Sweetwater.
That is what I did.

Sounds interesting. Why the EDT pads? I've never modded any headphones before. Is there a thread on how to figure out what pads fit with which headphones  & how to do it?

 

[zantaff]

Also, do the Velour pads help with isolation? Because that's one thing I'm worrying about the V6. 
 
OK. The cards on the table are now: the V6 -or- HD280. Also a FiiA E5 and new pads, if they are worth it. 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Sounds interesting. Why the EDT pads? I've never modded any headphones before. Is there a thread on how to figure out what pads fit with which headphones & how to do it?

Beyer EDT 250 ear pads, reason at least for me is the comfort, I never considered audio quality.
I really do no mind losing a little audio quality for a nice improvement in comfort.
But I really can not say if the EDT 250s improve or make worse the MDR-V6 audio quality.
 
There is no set thread dedicated to ear pads, that I know of (maybe someone should start one?).

 

[zantaff]

Quote:

Beyer EDT 250 ear pads, reason at least for me is the comfort, I never considered audio quality.
I really do no mind losing a little audio quality for a nice improvement in comfort.
But I really can not say if the EDT 250s improve or make worse the MDR-V6 audio quality.
 
There is no set thread dedicated to ear pads, that I know of (maybe someone should start one?).

Appreciate it. 
 
I'm   definitely thinking of getting my setup to be Sony V6's -or- Sennheiser HD280's. With a FiiA E5 amp, and the new pads.
 
Seems like a manageable sub $100 setup for a newbie  

 

[musiclife]

Quote:

 
I own both the HD280s and the ATH-M50s so I just wanted to say that the Audio-Technica is way better than the Sennheiser in this case. I love Sennheisers, my main headphone is the HD650, but the ATH-M50 is an absolute bargain at $100, I paid nearly twice that much for mine a few years ago and still think they were worth every penny.
 
From the mids up, the HD280 is a fine headphone but its bass is completely lacking compared to the ATH-M50.

+1
IMO, for around the same price, ATH-M50 is definetely superior to the HD280. 

 

[Kukuk]

I'd definitely recommend the V6's, certainly over the M50's. The M50's are tonally the furthest thing from a studio headphone, even if that's what they're sold as. Too much bass that rears it's head when it's not needed, and a terrible mid range.
 
I've owned a good number of studio-type headphones, and I feel the V6's would be fantastic for that use. Personally, though, I'd recommend not getting the Beyer pads. I feel they change the sound way too much, as well as completely killing the isolation they have. They are definitely more comfortable than the stock pads, but they drop out the mids, bring the highs out, and make the bass really loose. Not to mention I don't feel that the stock pads are all that uncomfortable. They get a little sweaty, but they are deep enough to not cause too much pressure on your ears.

 

[zazex]

Quote:

Also, do the Velour pads help with isolation? Because that's one thing I'm worrying about the V6. 
 
OK. The cards on the table are now: the V6 -or- HD280. Also a FiiA E5 and new pads, if they are worth it. 

 
The V6 isolate as well as the 280's, for all practical "real-life" purposes.
 
I recommend the V6's of the two, not only because IMO they sound better,
but the 280's are renowned head crunchers
In fact, the main reason I sold mine was because of
the overly tight clamping which did not ease at all after almost a year.
 
Not too many products - headphones or otherwise - have been getting 4 and 5 star reviews for years
from musicians, music professionals, and audiophiles.  Sony got it right
with the V6 and haven't changed a thing about them.  Smart.
 
BTW, the Beyer pads on the V6's isn't really a mod. 
The V6 earpads are replaceable, and it just so happens that
the Beyer 250 pads fit the V6's exactly the same as the
original Sony replacement pads.  The Beyer pads are velour
and therefore won't isolate as well as the original pleather pads,
but they are more cushioned and apparently more comfortable for many.
They're just as easy to install as the Sony pads, again because
they are an exact fit.
 
If you're looking in and around their price range, the V6's are a great choice.
And if you happen to outgrow them at some point, you can replace the earpads
and sell the headphones in about 5 minutes because their reputation precedes them.

 

[kmthd]

I gotta agree. I never use my 280s because I find them unbearably uncomfortable. I don't generally like a heavy ear clamp but that isn't even my biggest issue with them. Out of all my headphones they are the only ones that apply pressure to the top of my head making my head tender/sensitive after wearing them. The way they are shaped, bowing out past the head, makes them secure to your head in a 3 point fashion (each ear and top of head). Highly outdated design, IMO. Quite painful and extremely annoying
 
And they're one of my "better" headphones price/review wise. On top of that I don't think they sound very good. In fairness I didn't give them much of a chance

 

[ostewart]

I'll throw in the suggestion of Shure SRH440 with SRH840 pads, will beat all of the suggested in my opinion, along with detachable cable and excellent isolation.

 

[Acix]

For around $100 I'll try to get the K240MKll, maybe even used. As well check out the Sony SA-3000 as used.

 

[jupitreas]

On eBay the 
MDR-7506 and he MDR V6 are pretty close in value. Is the $20 difference worth/not worth going for the 7506's?

Hi, the only difference between then V6 and the 7506 is the cable - on the 7506, each driver is terminated separately, on the v6, they share one cable. In other words, there is no difference - the separate termination is there merely to make fixing them on the go easier (for pro applications).

With this said, I wouldn't recommend either of them for a bass player as they are tuned more for broadcast work (ie. voices). In fact, it is safe to say they are the industry standard for radio stations.

If you can get the M50 for 100$, it is IMO by far the best choice. The white box version is fairly neutral with slightly emphasized bass and treble, but not hugely so. They are great for bass musicians and I know many bass players who use them and love them. The 8400 is a fine headphone but the way they render bass is not natural IMO as they do not have any impact. You get very well textured bass but since there is no impact behind it, what you get is a sort of farty sound. I guess someone who is using them for mastering might find the lack of impact helpful in creating a clean mix but if you want to hear natural bass, they are not the best option. After all, a bass guitar is always connected to an amplifier which very much does have impact and this is an integral part of the bass sound you want to hear.

Finally, if you are willing to get something second-hand, the Sennheiser HD25-1 II is the way to go, by far.