Headphones Recommendations - SONY

[Sven]

  Hello.  I wrote a while back about headphone recommendations for my occasional road trip recording sessions.  I've got a kids and noise everywhere so I need something that isolates that problem somewhat.  I brought my SONY MDR-7510 's on the last couple of trips and that was a huge improvement over the Koss Porta  Pro's I had been using.  But the Koss headphones are great for what they accomplsh with their low weight and nice bass presence.  

  These Sony headphones are getting a bit frayed (as is their owner) on the foam and someone on that thread had suggested buying MDR-XD200 Pro replacements I believe.   I live in Thailand and don't trust anything I get here because it's porbably a Chinese knock-off so I'll probably order whatever I get from the States.  I like Sony headphones in general and would like to hear any suggestions as to what might be a good replacements for my older headphones.  I would prefer they not be too heavy (road trip) and a priced around $100.  I'd go as high as $150 if they were a much better option.  I don't buy headphones very often.  Thailand charges crazy import taxes and fees on electronics so I can pretty much add 50% to whatever is the quoted price.

Thanks.

 

[IgoRr]

24 minutes ago, Sven said:

and would like to hear any suggestions as to what might be a good replacements for my older headphones

A great alternative to your old headphones, in the price range you indicated, would be the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones, these are excellent studio closed monitor headphones, they fold quite compactly due to the hinged design, and have 3 different cables of different lengths in the set, which can be detached. They cost about $ 150.

[gustabo]

Sony V-6

[pwalpwal]

32 minutes ago, Sven said:

SONY MDR-7510

certainly with the mdr-7506 all the bits are replaceable, so i'd investigate that before buying a whole new set?

[David Baay]

Not compact, but I just replaced my ancient Beyerdynamic DT-770  Pro with a B-stock pair direct from Beyerdynamic for $125 (normally $170). There is no evidence I can see of their being B-stock. The old ones were 600-ohm and the new ones are 250 and have redesigned drivers but sound pretty much identical. They also make lower-impedance versions if you need that. They isolate well with thick, plush muffs that are super-comfotable. Best sound for the money, I think, and I can vouch for their durability; my old ones must be 10+ years old and were still sounding great despite numerous drops over the years; they were just getting ratty.

[Starship Krupa]

I got a set of MDR-7506's (I believe that's the model you meant?) from a free box at a yard sale a year and change ago. The earpads were pretty much shot, which is probably why they were in the free box.

Upon first listen, I was very disappointed in these "legendary" cans. Shrill and no bass.

But I went ahead and ordered replacement pads, and whoa, I understood what the fuss was about.

These are the pads I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N6GL2PG

The gel feels great and the fabric has shown no signs of deterioration, which is the weak point of Sony headphones.

So I'd suggest trying a pair of these pads rather than buying a new set of cans. I think my pads just weren't sealing well enough.

[pwalpwal]

12 hours ago, Starship Krupa said:

I got a set of MDR-7506's (I believe that's the model you meant?) from a free box at a yard sale a year and change ago. The earpads were pretty much shot, which is probably why they were in the free box.

Upon first listen, I was very disappointed in these "legendary" cans. Shrill and no bass.

But I went ahead and ordered replacement pads, and whoa, I understood what the fuss was about.

These are the pads I bought:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N6GL2PG

The gel feels great and the fabric has shown no signs of deterioration, which is the weak point of Sony headphones.

So I'd suggest trying a pair of these pads rather than buying a new set of cans. I think my pads just weren't sealing well enough.

now that's a bargain 😎

[Sven]

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

IgoRr,  I already own a pair of Audio-Technica headphones (can't remember the model but they were expensive) and I think my Sony headphones are a little more comfortable then the AT's.   When I'm travelling and my family isn't too noisy I prefer to use my Koss PortaPros because they are much more comfortable on my ears for long sessions.  The Sony headphones sound more professional but the ear pressure gets to me eventually.  But they do block out the noise nicely.  

Are there any recommendations for closed headphones that feel more comfortable than the Sony or Audio-Technica brands?

[Will.]

1 hour ago, Sven said:

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

IgoRr,  I already own a pair of Audio-Technica headphones (can't remember the model but they were expensive) and I think my Sony headphones are a little more comfortable then the AT's.   When I'm travelling and my family isn't too noisy I prefer to use my Koss PortaPros because they are much more comfortable on my ears for long sessions.  The Sony headphones sound more professional but the ear pressure gets to me eventually.  But they do block out the noise nicely.  

Are there any recommendations for closed headphones that feel more comfortable than the Sony or Audio-Technica brands?

I go with David, just because I own the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro which I paid $159 for on sweetwater. They are closed back and extremely surgical - abit too surgical actually (this is why they popular amongst the youth, I guess.) I've never mixed on them, but I do use them for LIVE monitoring - the my go-to headphones for monitoring. 

My everyday listening headphones are the Sennheiser HD 280, I paid $95 for them, and also closed back. They are just enjoyable listening to. 

Edited April 1 by Will.