I recently acquired a Korg Triton Extreme keyboard, which I just simply adore, and which I play often and for extended periods of time. I also recently invested in Logic Pro X, which, together with my Apogee Duet, has allowed me to build up songs, track by track. So I decided that I needed a neutral, closed back headphone set for not only playing, but also for tracking and mixing (when I need to not disturb others). I adore my Grado SR-225 headphones, but I have never considered them to be "neutral", and they are about as open as you can get. So, I started my research into what are known as "Studio Monitor" headphones.
My search revealed three main contenders in my price range: these headphones (the
Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone
, which are sonically identical to their predecessor, the
Sony MDR-V6 Monitor Series Headphones with CCAW Voice Coil
), the
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones with Coiled Cable
, and the
Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones
.
I learned pretty quickly that the 7506's are considered to be an industry standard, but also that some consider them to be somewhat unmusical, or "too analytical" or something along those lines. Fine for cold hard calculating sound engineering stuff, but not great for LISTENING to (and enjoying) music. So, this put me off the 7506's.
As for the HD-280 Pro's, there were a number of reviews where the plastic of the headband cracked after just a few months and eventually broke, which concerned me, and many reviewers found them to be uncomfortable. Of course, there are a LOT of reviews and these were still strong contenders. However, I got a chance to listen to these locally, and didn't really like my first impression of them--although I would definitely require some extended listening (and break-in) before making any judgement of them.
Moreover, it seemed that the Audio Technica ATH-M50's were by far the best reviewed headphones of the three, and were considered to be very musical. In fact, according to HeadRoom, they are one of the top 10 headphones under $500. Very impressive! So, I decided on the M50's and ordered them from Amazon.
Unfortunately, I was definitely NOT impressed! You can read my review for more details, but the short version of it is this: the M50's are not linear, have a hump in the bass at 100 Hz and another below that; have recessed mids; and sound muddy and dark to my ears. I didn't like them at all, not for music appreciation, and certainly not for use as a "studio monitor", which they clearly are not.
So, I returned the M50's and decided to try the industry standard, hoping that I wouldn't find them to be too harsh. I was worrying they might be a little like the Yamaha NS10 studio monitors, which are infamous for not sounding great, BUT are really useful because, if you mix using them, and get the mix to sound decent on the NS10's, then the result will sound great on ANYTHING ELSE! Or so the legend goes. I've never heard NS10's. But I was hoping that the 7506's wouldn't be like that. And I was reassured by one review which specifically said that they weren't. So I decided to give them a try.
Boy am I happy that I did! I wish I had gone for these first, and I would STRONGLY urge you to be skeptical of all the claims that these headphones are too analytical or that they are unmusical or any of that. Nothing could be further from the truth. These are wonderfully, brilliantly, clearly, and precisely musical, faithful, and enjoyable. I stayed up late more than once because I kept wanting to hear how something else in my music library would sound through these headphones. I LOVE that they are "analytical"--i.e. that they are NEUTRAL and even-handed. It's SO NICE to listen to equipment that has an extended, and yet not boomy or exaggerated bass. These headphones are really, really great for the price. And they are very comfortable and have a good amount of isolation. The isolation of the 7506's is not as good as the M50's, in my experience, and about the same as the 280's, although, to be fair, I only have a very limited amount of exposure to the 280's.
In any case, there's a reason that these are an industry standard. And they are not just popular with sound engineers; they are also renowned among musicians. One of my friends even told me that there are albums where the V6 / 7506's are specifically mentioned as what the artist recommends that the record be listened to on. Or something like that. You can't go wrong with these headphones. You really can't. For any purpose. And that reminds me, I should add that while I did do a lot of listening to these using my Duet as both DAC and amp, I found that the 7506's sounded really great straight out of my iPhone 4 (and out of my Korg Triton, too, of course). The fact that these can be driven well by the iPhone definitely sets them apart and it's another huge plus for these headphones. In my experience plenty of other "easy to drive" headphones still suffer when used straight out of something like an iPhone or iPod, but not the 7506's.
Now, personally, I prefer open cans to closed (and sometimes I NEED to be able to hear my surroundings), so I do most of my listening to music on my Grado SR-225's or my Sennheiser PX-100's (the original version, not the PX-100 II 's, which are not nearly as good). But I would be pretty happy listening to the 7506's as well. And when I play my Korg, and/or compose/record, I use the 7506's exclusively and they are awesome. Highly recommended.
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Compare with similar items
This Item  Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | — | $114.00 | $99.99 | -21% $99.00 List: $125.00 | $348.00 | -17% $49.95 Typical: $59.95 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jul 31 | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jul 31 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jul 31 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jul 31 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Jul 31 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sound quality | ||||||
| Noise cancellation | ||||||
| Bass quality | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Sole Source AV Supply | DirectSupplyClub | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Alphasonik |
| connectivity tech | Wired | Wired | Wired | Wired | Bluetooth 5.0, Bluetooth | Wired |
| headphones form factor | Over Ear | On Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | Over Ear | On Ear |
| connector type | — | 3 5mm Jack | 3 5mm Jack | 3.5mm Jack | USB Type C | 3.5mm Jack |
| noise control | sound isolation | — | sound isolation | — | active noise cancellation | — |
| headphones jack | 3.5 mm and 1/4 inch Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 6.35 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack | 3.5 mm Jack |
| cable feature | 9.8 foot cord | Retractable | Retractable | Retractable, Detachable | Detachable, Without Cable | Single-Sided, Straight |
| material | Copper, Gold, Neodymium | — | — | Wired | Plastic | Plastic |
| model name | Sony MDR | MDR7506 | MDR7506 | SRH440A | WH1000XM4/B | K72 |
Reviews with images
Six years old and still going strong
After 6 years of serious abuse, these things keep right on going. I just ordered a new pair, not because anything is functionally wrong with them. Only because they're showing the rough treatment they've endured (see pic). Looking pretty tattered and draw some odd looks on Zoom/Google/Teams meetings, but still my favorite headphones. :)
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cristofer alvarenga
produto exelente
Reviewed in Brazil on July 22, 2024Style: HeadphonesVerified Purchase
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Calidad, diseño y buen precio.
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Buena relación calidad precio
Reviewed in Spain on July 6, 2024Style: HeadphonesVerified Purchase