fhx1
New Head-Fier
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- Dec 12, 2016
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Welcome to everybody,
I wanted make this thread about headphones review in a particular use field : MUSIC PRODUCTION - MASTERING
My attention it's between two headphones in particular for that kind of use, Pioneer HRM7 versus the Audio Technica M70x .
I read, in this wonderfull forum, reviews about both this headphones but the most threads are for listeners music orineted than music production-mastering and I think this thread could be helpful for who interested about these headphones for their original use.
I used also other gears to support the test and make it more complete, the following stuff :
- Pioneer HRM7
- Audio Technica M70x
- Sennheiser HD 380 pro
- Mackie HR824 mkI (speaker studio monitor flat - no bass reflex)
I'll be very short in technical review about headphones because there are other good thread in this forum that speaks about it very well, so I'll focus my attention in sound making and sound mastering and a little bit about only music listening...
Audio Technica M70x
http://www.head-fi.org/products/audio-technica-ath-m70x-professional-monitor-headphones
Pioneer HRM7
http://www.head-fi.org/products/pioneer-hrm-7-professional-studio-headphones/reviews/13865
http://www.head-fi.org/t/751859/pioneer-hrm-7-studio-monitor-headphones-discussion
Said that, let's go...
I bought Pioneer one year ago (oct. 2015) so I used it a lot and I tested it enough, then I bought AT m70 (three months ago) and I test it for 50 hours more or less , I know that it's not so much for run in it but that's one of the reason I'm making this review also.
Pioneer HRM7 : good build quality, light and comfortable for my head (i'm regulard size) , only one defect it's about pressure that it's not so much hard and sometimes the headphone moves a little around my head but, for me it's not a problem.
The sound it's great in listening, not always because it depends from track source but when it's good you'll listen great and so on...
About music production - mastering, I find Pioneer excellent headphone for the price (I paid 169 euro on sale...usually 200), I must say that they are not easy headphones because, for sounds production you must know very well how frequency works in the spectrum, but if you know it you'll do a great production with the Pioneer. The best result you have in the soundstage , much open and clear, the sound it's very detalieted and precise, you can put the kick in the right place and very isolated from the other sounds . The only part where Pioneer fault a little it's in the low-bass , because when you listen on monitor speaker , you listen the track a little "dry - bass" because the headphone is hot so when you are producing you prefer to hold bass level a little down but when you check on the speaaker with 1-2 db on right bass eq it became perfect almost.
I repeat this headphones are not for everyone, first because it needs 10-15 minutes to enter in their spatial sound and then because during long mix-producing session (more two hours) , you might lose some sounds reference sometimes and you must stop a while, but for me it's good anyway, also because I paid 200 and I can obtain excellent production,yes if I had paid 500-1000 I couldn't accept it.
Audio Technica M70x : excellent built quality, different architecture from pioneer, in some aspect I prefer AT much more and I understand why AT70 costs 290 euro (I paid 260 on sale...), great aluminium touch feel and great pad materials.
The headphone is very confortable to me (I have regular size head , little ears) but if you have big ears you can't fit well, so if you are thinking in buy it, think about it .
About the sound, I said that I test it only for 50 hours yet, so not so much for to give a final response, but I find a strange listening sensations when I use AT70, I don't know if it depends for less run it or because that headphone sounds like that or my pair are fault (but i don't think). With the Pioneer and with the other headphones I have/had it I never had the same problems, also after short time test. Pioneer needs sometimes to feel in touch with them but their sound signature you understand quickly which is and more you listen it and much it's sounds better, with AT70 it's different, they sounds always the same from the start to the end of the session and this is a great point but there is something strange. They have a kind of sound shield that it's good for very long time sessions and for accidentally high volume , but they sounds like filtered cut in 50-60 hz ( i make electronic ambient music so I use much frequency under 50-60 hz), for example when I work on kick I listen (on the Audio technica) a different sound of the same kick if I listen it on the Pioneer and also if I listen it on the Seenheiser hd 380 and the same if I listen it on Mackie hr824 monitor speaker. So I listen the same sound signature (different quality but the same sound impact) on 3 equipment of 4 (pioneer, seen 380 , mackie speaker) but on the audio technica M70 it sounds different. The same thing happens when I listen music, AT it sounds different from other 3 equipment, it's like in the AT70 the sound has a semitone over .
Audio technica M70 has 5hz-40 khz , Pioneer also , but on that headphones you can listen well the low bass extension and highs too, if I compare to monitor speaker Mackie HR824 (39hz - 20khz) , the pioneer sounds the same and the audio technica sounds very different and lacks of bass under 50-60hz completely.
The part where AT70 shine for me are mids, mids/high, for example you can obtain great snare and hit- hats sounds and put it very well in the mix, better that Pioneer but this one has spatial that AT70 have not, on the AT70 sounds are more present and percussion more sounding but nothing more...
The AT70 are great headphones for some aspect , very good built, sounds good and sometimes sounds very good (always different from other equipments) but if you use only it. If you have other great equipments the AT are not a right choice for me (if you want something for a complete use application) , I think that this headphone is more rock-pop oriented than electronic and in both case I think that this headphone is more an add-on for complete your works and give a more professional touch in some part of your mix - mastering , expecially for SNARE and hit-HATS.
In conclusion I must say that I prefer Pioneer HRM7 for all application , producing - listening , but Pioneer are not very portable so they are good in a studio session.
The Audio technica are more portable e also more confortable in some aspect , but sounds bad for me (for 290 euro) if it's main headphone, but if you can pay 300 for an add-on I think that this is great headphones.
I wanted make this thread about headphones review in a particular use field : MUSIC PRODUCTION - MASTERING
My attention it's between two headphones in particular for that kind of use, Pioneer HRM7 versus the Audio Technica M70x .
I read, in this wonderfull forum, reviews about both this headphones but the most threads are for listeners music orineted than music production-mastering and I think this thread could be helpful for who interested about these headphones for their original use.
I used also other gears to support the test and make it more complete, the following stuff :
- Pioneer HRM7
- Audio Technica M70x
- Sennheiser HD 380 pro
- Mackie HR824 mkI (speaker studio monitor flat - no bass reflex)
I'll be very short in technical review about headphones because there are other good thread in this forum that speaks about it very well, so I'll focus my attention in sound making and sound mastering and a little bit about only music listening...
Audio Technica M70x
http://www.head-fi.org/products/audio-technica-ath-m70x-professional-monitor-headphones
Pioneer HRM7
http://www.head-fi.org/products/pioneer-hrm-7-professional-studio-headphones/reviews/13865
http://www.head-fi.org/t/751859/pioneer-hrm-7-studio-monitor-headphones-discussion
Said that, let's go...
I bought Pioneer one year ago (oct. 2015) so I used it a lot and I tested it enough, then I bought AT m70 (three months ago) and I test it for 50 hours more or less , I know that it's not so much for run in it but that's one of the reason I'm making this review also.
Pioneer HRM7 : good build quality, light and comfortable for my head (i'm regulard size) , only one defect it's about pressure that it's not so much hard and sometimes the headphone moves a little around my head but, for me it's not a problem.
The sound it's great in listening, not always because it depends from track source but when it's good you'll listen great and so on...
About music production - mastering, I find Pioneer excellent headphone for the price (I paid 169 euro on sale...usually 200), I must say that they are not easy headphones because, for sounds production you must know very well how frequency works in the spectrum, but if you know it you'll do a great production with the Pioneer. The best result you have in the soundstage , much open and clear, the sound it's very detalieted and precise, you can put the kick in the right place and very isolated from the other sounds . The only part where Pioneer fault a little it's in the low-bass , because when you listen on monitor speaker , you listen the track a little "dry - bass" because the headphone is hot so when you are producing you prefer to hold bass level a little down but when you check on the speaaker with 1-2 db on right bass eq it became perfect almost.
I repeat this headphones are not for everyone, first because it needs 10-15 minutes to enter in their spatial sound and then because during long mix-producing session (more two hours) , you might lose some sounds reference sometimes and you must stop a while, but for me it's good anyway, also because I paid 200 and I can obtain excellent production,yes if I had paid 500-1000 I couldn't accept it.
Audio Technica M70x : excellent built quality, different architecture from pioneer, in some aspect I prefer AT much more and I understand why AT70 costs 290 euro (I paid 260 on sale...), great aluminium touch feel and great pad materials.
The headphone is very confortable to me (I have regular size head , little ears) but if you have big ears you can't fit well, so if you are thinking in buy it, think about it .
About the sound, I said that I test it only for 50 hours yet, so not so much for to give a final response, but I find a strange listening sensations when I use AT70, I don't know if it depends for less run it or because that headphone sounds like that or my pair are fault (but i don't think). With the Pioneer and with the other headphones I have/had it I never had the same problems, also after short time test. Pioneer needs sometimes to feel in touch with them but their sound signature you understand quickly which is and more you listen it and much it's sounds better, with AT70 it's different, they sounds always the same from the start to the end of the session and this is a great point but there is something strange. They have a kind of sound shield that it's good for very long time sessions and for accidentally high volume , but they sounds like filtered cut in 50-60 hz ( i make electronic ambient music so I use much frequency under 50-60 hz), for example when I work on kick I listen (on the Audio technica) a different sound of the same kick if I listen it on the Pioneer and also if I listen it on the Seenheiser hd 380 and the same if I listen it on Mackie hr824 monitor speaker. So I listen the same sound signature (different quality but the same sound impact) on 3 equipment of 4 (pioneer, seen 380 , mackie speaker) but on the audio technica M70 it sounds different. The same thing happens when I listen music, AT it sounds different from other 3 equipment, it's like in the AT70 the sound has a semitone over .
Audio technica M70 has 5hz-40 khz , Pioneer also , but on that headphones you can listen well the low bass extension and highs too, if I compare to monitor speaker Mackie HR824 (39hz - 20khz) , the pioneer sounds the same and the audio technica sounds very different and lacks of bass under 50-60hz completely.
The part where AT70 shine for me are mids, mids/high, for example you can obtain great snare and hit- hats sounds and put it very well in the mix, better that Pioneer but this one has spatial that AT70 have not, on the AT70 sounds are more present and percussion more sounding but nothing more...
The AT70 are great headphones for some aspect , very good built, sounds good and sometimes sounds very good (always different from other equipments) but if you use only it. If you have other great equipments the AT are not a right choice for me (if you want something for a complete use application) , I think that this headphone is more rock-pop oriented than electronic and in both case I think that this headphone is more an add-on for complete your works and give a more professional touch in some part of your mix - mastering , expecially for SNARE and hit-HATS.
In conclusion I must say that I prefer Pioneer HRM7 for all application , producing - listening , but Pioneer are not very portable so they are good in a studio session.
The Audio technica are more portable e also more confortable in some aspect , but sounds bad for me (for 290 euro) if it's main headphone, but if you can pay 300 for an add-on I think that this is great headphones.
