The legend, and still one of the greats more than 20 years on | Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm...

Made for Professional Dialog/Studio monitoring - but INCREDIBLE for music too! | Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone

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	• Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone Sony Sony average customer review:based on 72 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

dependable

these need a good headphone amp to sound their best. through ipod, home stereo receiver, etc they sound bright and a bit thin. with a good amp these really shine showing a good amount of sound-stage, realistic bass response, and decent highs. comfortable enough to wear for extended periods of time. bit i found them to be a bit fatiguing on the ears. also i like them better than the senn. HD 280's.

The legend, and still one of the greats more than 20 years on

Let me preface this review by saying I'm traditionally more of a speakers guy myself, however a new job in a new city forced me to have to get headphones. I do have a lot of listening time in on some of the industry's most respected phones (Etymotic ER4, Sennheiser HD600, AKG K701, and Beyerdynamic DT-770, for example), however I've just always preferred the open sound and impact that only a great speaker system can give you.

Anyway, let's move on. I needed a set of headphones quick and didn't have a whole lot to spend what with the move and all, so I settled on the 7506 after generally positive reviews from about everybody I asked. I received them in and broke them in for about 48 hours before sitting down with them and starting to run music through them. It's about three months on listening to them every single night and I think I'm ready to write a review.

The first thing you notice is, despite how they look, these aren't flimsy headphones - they use more metal than plastic, yet despite this, they don't feel very heavy, nor do they become uncomfortable quickly. I've got pretty big ears, and I can wear these for hours on end without a problem (which isn't the case with Sony's V600/700).

Moving on to the important part - the sound. The easiest way to explain these headphones is to say they don't have much character of their own. While that may seem like a stab at them, what I'm actually saying is they're very even tonally and don't venture too far away from flat response in their usable range - and speaking of range, the low frequency response is almost mind blowing. I have never heard headphones anywhere near this price that go this low this easily. Even the V700 (which I used to own) couldn't go anywhere near this low at usable volume levels (the V700's are way too bloated in the low regions, which seems to hurt the extension). Also, these headphones are extremely easy to drive, able to crank out high volume levels from portable devices, so for you iPod folks, this is definitely worth checking out.

Now, to nitpick a bit. The pleather earpads, while fairly comfortable, make your ears sweaty after a while in warm environments, and I'm told they wear out fairly quickly, however Beyerdynamic makes a velour pad for their DT250 that's pretty much a direct replacement (and I'm told a bit more comfortable). On the sound, while the frequency response is quite flat, the character of the sound is a bit plump in the lower midbass region, and a bit thin in the midrange - slightly so, but you'll hear the difference as you get into more expensive ($200+) headphones. Also, the headband on mine keep going back to their original positions and I have to keep sliding them back to the 4th click on both sides. Finally, I'm not sure I'm hugely fond of how the cables to the elements themselves extrude out of the frame a bit. Once in a while when I take the headphones off, I hook my finger on there - it doesn't really bother me, but I'm worried about breaking the connection one of these days.

That said, these are a fantastic set of headphones, and I'm convinced they're about the best you can buy for under $100 overall, depending on your tastes (Grado SR60's are a bit darker and groovier with more sting in the highs and Sennheiser HD280's are a bit smoother on top and less analytical overall, at this price point), and the nitpicks aren't enough to stop me from giving these a five-star review.

One last thing: a lot of folks say that these are physically identical to the MDR-V6 (NOT the V600!) except for the stickers on the sides of the enclosures, and there's evidence that supports their theory, however as I've not personally heard the V6, I can't say either way. Would be worth checking out - you might save yourself twenty bucks.

Overall, a great sounding headphone with awesome low frequency extension and high sensitivity for a great price. Highly recommended.

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Made for Professional Dialog/Studio monitoring - but INCREDIBLE for music too!

I am a filmmaker and also do sound and got these about 3 years ago for dialog monitoring. NOT music. These ARE the primary use for these phones. And they are near perfect for that. I know of very very few people in the business who complain about the 7506s for this, their accuracy with the human voice for this price is astounding. And thus why they are the most popular and remain to be for ENG/film (on any budget).

NOW - for MUSIC - shocking quality as well! I've never listened to a MDR V6 because I got the 7506s, I assume overall better. But these headphones for music listening I USE my 7506s almost exclusively (when I use headphones anyways =). The bass is not muddled, so many phones just miss out with the bass, these imo are near perfection for my ears. The mids and highs clear and open imo and good. And the low response heh phones twice the price of 7506s don't reach the level these do (and the reason is because these were made for studio monitoring/dialog levels...)

The DURABILITY of the 7506's are legendary I must say and from experience. I've thought they've been broken so many times and they still live on. Bad long trip accidents when I didn't have a hard case from my sound equipment heh they roll around and even been squashed and come on perfect. A scare when they are folded like the ear piece got bent up, but they weren't! That's why they last, the parts and folds, they may seem flimsy but theirs a method to the "madness". They are light and quality parts.

I've also not had issues with the top quality connector, and the padding? I wear them literally EVERY day for 3 years for both music enjoyment and film/ENG work, and the padding looks nearly new. Really still amazed because I take crud care of these =)

COMFORT - well they are amazingly so. Now they can get sweaty and after hours use well ANY wrap around full ear phones will get bothersome and sweaty. Also adjust easily to fit nearly any head size (assuming you aren't a Ferengi or something =)

CONCLUSION - Really I'd buy another of these in a heartbeat. The price/quality is unmatched imo (for what I do, again primary use isn't music although I use them a lot to listen to music) I am curious to compare myself with the V6s for that reason, but see no need. Also Senns HD models but I know what these phones were made for: it WASN'T music again - important to realize, but for studio/dialog monitoring. They get 5 stars beyond for that. And 4-4.5 for Music too, and thus a total of 5 stars hands down =)

Amazed at the quality/level for music listening. You can get "betteR" sharper mids with some HD models etc. but - they sound fantastic adjust some EQ if want - really and I hardly do that. I rant still but I just love these suckers! One of the best investments I've ever made, and I actually HATE Sony otherwise =D

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Accurate, comfortable and beautiful.

First of all let me say I don't work in a studio but have tried many pairs of headphones but these are my favorites. I've had the same pair of V600s for over 3 years and loved them but was always interested in owning a professional model of headphones.
After listening to the 7506 I've come to realize how much better they are for accurate sound and a more enjoyable listening experience they give. First of all the vocals and treble are much more noticable and clear. The bass really sounds deep and they feel great.Nice and snug without being too loose or too tight.
They are great for music, movies and video games. They are true classic studio headphones and are a reminder that great sound is accurate sound.

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Good sound, comfortable - under 100$.

I was looking for good sound, portable, comfortable headphones under 100$ with no sound leak so i have tryed also Sennheiser HD280 (very good sound, heavier, very tight), Sony 7505 (very portable, good sound, extremely uncomfortable) or Sennheiser HD 485 (very comfortable, i like sound, but they are leaking) and couple Grado (nice sound, but so leaky).
Comparing to Sennheiser HD280, Sony are lighter and not that much tight means much more comfortable. It's very important. Also You can use them with ipod and there is no volume problem.
Well built, and You can fold them.
Sound: Fat, detail, spaceful - but i'm not an expert. Very similar do Sennheiser HD280 (honestly, i prefer sound from HD280) but Sennheiser is little bit bigger, bulky and tight.
These headphones have no noise canceling, so for example, in Subway You can hear people talking - very annoying.
These headphones are "close", so it means less comfortable then "open" but You can sit in the same room with someone and there is no sound leak at all. Well.
For about 100$ they are the best (It's easy to find nice stuff for more money). I bought them from J&R.
I going to try HD485 now.

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The MDR-7506 is a large diaphragm foldable headphone designed for professional studio and live/broadcast applications. For clear, high-quality sound reproduction in a closed-ear design, Sony's MDR-7506 Headphone features gold connectors, an oxygen--free cord, and a frequency response of 10 Hz to 20 kHz. And a 40 mm driver unit provides clear, high quality sound reproduction. Rugged Design ? Proven to be reliable in the toughest situations Folding Construction ? Folds to compact size for easy storage Suipplied with soft caseCord length - 6.5 ft.Weight - 5.1 oz.

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