'Phones. Price Vs Quality, the value debate.

[Judster]

Hi

I've got a pair of Sony Hi-Fi Headphones MDR-CD280 for £20. They seem OK, but I'm sure my V's deserve better. I'm wondering about spending £100+ on a pair of quality 'phones. Is it worth it?

It seems like a lot of money, for a slightly wider frequency range? The way I see it, after spending £xxxxx on a kit, it's worth spending £xx to squeeze every last drop of sound out that you can. And I'm not talking volume, I'm talking quality.

The big question is:

Does spending the extra money bring noticeable benefits AS FAR AS THE V's ARE CONCERNED?

And the bonus questions is:

If so, who's got what, and what do you think is the best?

Amps are not an option, I'm talking about headphones, you know...for practicing.

You do practice, don't you?

Send your headphone reviews in now, the best will receive a prize of "a drum lesson from a world-class musician"*

Judster

*Only if Joe Satriani is available, and willing to teach drums for free. Which is, quite frankly, unlikely. He is a guitarist. And he is known mainly for silly hair.

[cgrieves]

I went through the same decision process when my old Sony cans died (can't remember the model but they were about £50 an sounded great). I went down to Richer Sounds and tried out their range from the £40 bracket up to the £300 jobs. While the really expensive ones sounded detailed, they weren't (in my opinion) £260 better than the £40 jobs. There was as much variation between cans in the same price range as there was between the cheapest and most expensive, so I reckon it's all down to personal taste.

In the end I went to my local Sony centre, and he told me I could buy and bring back anything within 14 days in case I didn't like them. I ended up with the £50 model (MDR-CD420 or something, the ones with loads of little fake holes around the earpiece cups) and got them for £40 in the sales. To my ears they sound great, handle decent volume and are well built.

Try as many as possible, Richer Sounds have a good range and are very willing to help.

[Boingo]

Originally posted by Judster:
I'm wondering about spending £100+ on a pair of quality 'phones. Is it worth it?

Do a search, it's been discussed before. From what I've read on this site, the Sony MDR-7506's are the overwhelming favorite. They run about $90-100US. I upgraded to the 7509's which run ~$175. They're sweet, but the 7506 gives you a lotta bang for the buck. They provide the noticable difference you are looking for.

[rus]

Sony 7506 $89-100 US I use these and the work great. Load of others on this cite use them as well... I'm sure the search for sony or 7506 would help you lots.

Sony 7509 $250?!?! US (better bass response, but is it worth the x-tra$?)
http://music.multimedian.com/reviews/7506.html

here's a page with prices by the pound: http://www.docky.com/docky/submenu/j...Headphones.htm

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[This message has been edited by rus (edited February 26, 2001).]

[Boingo]

Originally posted by rus:
Sony 7509 $250?!?! US (better bass response, but is it worth the x-tra$?)

Wow, my receipt says $168.00 US! Maybe mine are for sale, say $210.00?!

[rudi-mint]

My wife bought the Sony 7509s for xmas for $170. They sound great, but I am sure the 7506s are very good. I agree with feefer. Bring your module to the store with you and try out as many different phones as posible. You may even find an off brand that sounds as good as the Sonys for less mony.


Good luck
Kurt

[Oz DrumR]

I went through this same process a few months ago.

Take feef's advice. I burned the demos from the TD-8 to CD and took them down to the local Sony dealer. I tried a few of the models that have been spoken about, and ended up (extremely happy) with the 7505's yes, that's not a typo.

I'm not sure, but I think they might be one of the more recent Sony lines. I favoured them over the 7506's: as the 7505's seemed to have even more bottom end on them. I haven't got the spec to hand, but I'm certain that they have a broader range (16 - 22k?).

The bottom line is that whatever sounds acceptable / good / excellent to my ears may not sound the same to anyone elses'

I share the same school fo thought as yourself: after spending £xxxxx on a kit, it's worth spending £xx to obtain a higher quality sound. But the law of diminishing returns sets in once you've reached a certain level - the amount you need to spend to move up a peg cannot be justified by the increase in quality: the point at which this happens will generally be dictated by a) your demands of the 'phones and b)the thickness of your wallet and your willingness to part with hard earned cash.

FWIW - I spent about 100 quid on my pair - and I'm very happy.

Sorry for rambling on.

[jg52]

I've been using Sony 7506 phones for some time. My wife got me some Sony 7509s for Christmas. I wouldn't recommend the 7509s. I much prefer the 7506s. They just seem more natural sounding to my old ears. Try before you buy!

Jay

[Boingo]

Originally posted by jg52:
I've been using Sony 7506 phones for some time. My wife got me some Sony 7509s for Christmas. I wouldn't recommend the 7509s. I much prefer the 7506s. They just seem more natural sounding to my old ears. Try before you buy!

Jay

Actually, I agree with you. There is something about the TD-10 and those phones that causes the sound to change drastically. If I could get the high end of the 7506 and the low end of the 7509, they would be great in the TD-10. On the other hand, when listening to CD's on a decent stereo, the 7509's are phenominal.

[szvook]

I found the Sony MDR-V700DJ and/or the Ministry Of Sound DJ1001 made by IXOS, to be the better choice than any other Head Phones on the market without spending more than $150.00.

The sound is clean and fat (especially on the low end). The kicks thump hard using either of the headphones. Both headphones have a lot of headroom (3 watts) and the 50mm drivers can produce better dynamics then most other phones on the market.

The Sony 7506 & 7509 are good, flat response phones. Good for mixing down and such.

The full response (low, mid & highs) is what I would like when using headphones through the Roland modules or any other once.
http://www.ixos.co.uk/frames/interconnects.html
http://bpgprod.sel.sony.com/bpcnav/a...oduct.BPC.html


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szvook

[cgrieves]

Also don't forget to "burn in" any new headphones. Most cans are harsh and trebly for the first few hours.

A decent volume CD repeating overnight should do the trick. That's also another reason to try out the used store demo models rather than "out of the box" new cans when demoing.

[drmoze]

I picked up a pair of 7506's about a year ago. I like them overall (comfort, sound) but they seem to be very anemic in the bass region. The kick drum kinda gets lost relative to everything else, whereas everything sounds balanced on the external monitor. Am I missing something, or do other folks notice a lack of bass in these headphones? Is there an adjustment to boost the bass level in the headphones?

[szvook]

Try these:


http://www.ixos.co.uk/frames/interconnects.html
http://bpgprod.sel.sony.com/bpcnav/a...oduct.BPC.html

Originally posted by drmoze:
I picked up a pair of 7506's about a year ago. I like them overall (comfort, sound) but they seem to be very anemic in the bass region. The kick drum kinda gets lost relative to everything else, whereas everything sounds balanced on the external monitor. Am I missing something, or do other folks notice a lack of bass in these headphones? Is there an adjustment to boost the bass level in the headphones?

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szvook

[Boingo]

Originally posted by drmoze:
Am I missing something, or do other folks notice a lack of bass in these headphones? Is there an adjustment to boost the bass level in the headphones?

This is what I was getting at when I said I wish I could have the high end of the 7506 and the low end of the 7509 (rolled in to one pr of headphones). I never noticed what I was missing on the weak bass until I got the 7509's.

If you are practicing using your headphones only (no amp), try adjusting the master EQ. It's a 3 band EQ. That should help.

I have listened to a dozen different headphones thru the TD-10 and each one sounds different. Most sound like crap. I'd still recommend the 7506.

[BtnkBndt]

I had the same experience. I have the 7506's and a set of Yamahas. The Yamaha phones kick @ss over the Sonys as far as bass goes but the Sonys are so crisp on the top end. It gets very difficult trying to balance both pairs and play at the same time .