I’ve got a pair of Sony MDR-7506s, which I love, and I’ve just ordered a Sub 37. The Sonys are not the most efficient cans and I will need to be able to plug headphones directly into the Sub 37. Anyone using these with good results or should I consider another pair? Thanks very much.
I don’t use headphones with my sub but since I have the MDR7506 (for recording) I just plugged it in for a try. For a bass patch I didn’t seem to get a whole lot of volume … or any real bass oomph. I don’t think you will be too happy with them if that is your main listening source.
I use Sony SRH1840. Used to use 7506’s until I wanted to move to open backed cans. Big step up sonically IMHO
Not sure what you mean by “not the most efficient”; the Sony MDR-7506s are considered the industry standard in most pro studios. Even though there are better/more expensive headphones out there, every Pro I know uses the 7506. I’ve been using them since they first came out decades ago (now on my 3rd pair) and use them for everything from field recordings and location sound, to using them as my main studio cans… including plugged directly into the Sub 37 when I’m just working with/programming the Sub 37. No need to get another pair of cans in my opinion…
I use AKG 240s. Very comfortable and I can mix with them and get good results. I used to have the Sonys but the boosted bass messed with my mixing. Great cans for listening but for me, not very flat.
They seem to work okay for this guy.
I use the MDR-7506 for practically everything.
Sometimes, I switch to Grados SR325i, just for fun, but these are much less comfortable than the Sony.
Grados are great for casual listening, but aren’t very precise in terms of balance.
They are livier and much more involving, but less precise than the Sony.
Your Sony should be fine. No need to go and spend money, just play and your ears will mold to the sound of whatever headphones you use, that’s the way psychoacoustic works.
I plugged in some HD 598 by Sennheiser and very nice sound
Ditto! That’s what i use, they are amazing. And no fatigue.
I used the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro before which sounded great but they gave my ears fatigue sometimes. Maybe the Open style are easier on the ear.
Yes the hd598 not only sound good but they look great too.
The definitely are. When recording using microphones you’ll want closed headphones though to prevent sound leaking to the microphones. That should be no issue when recording a synth directly though. ![]()
if you know this then you probably know that the 7506’s are RENOWNED for having crap bass. they are as light in the bottom end as a Victoria Secret model. nice for rock or classical but useless for something like EDM.
as the Sub37 is All About Da Bass i would say these are the worst choice you could make.
You would be much better served to get something like the Audio Technica ATH-M50x…and hear all the rich bottom end…
Funny because someone above you mentioned they have too much Bass. So which is it, not enough or too much? I’ll go by what every pro recording studio, sound location recordist and broadcast professionals use… incidentally, I use to work at Universal Studio (on the production lot) and for AVID and other post production houses as well as a location sound recordist and for several recording studios in Southern California for 3 decades, and for the last two decades, they/we always used the Sony MDR-7506s. Also, I’ve been doing “electronic” music probably before you were born (since the late 1970s.)
You may be a DJ that listens to EDM, but if you are serious about recording, you want something as precise and as neutral as possible (which the Sony’s are not, but they are close enough for people to be able to judge what a proper mix should sound like.)
And useless for EDM? I’m not that big of a fan of this guy, but even BT, who is credited to being a pioneer in Trance and idm and paving the way to EDM, states in the liner notes of his breakthrough album ESCM “This recording is best suited to a nice pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones.” So, is he wrong? And someone else posted a picture of Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails in his studio using them (which I personally know that he does) and I think he qualifies as someone who is serious about “Da Bass” as well as all other frequencies in his music…
The real point is, if the OP already has a good pair of headphones, that’s also considered the industry standard, then there is no need to buy something new; put that money towards effects or something. Simple as that. None of this is curing cancer or anything, just not that big of a deal… ![]()
Let me clarify my statement regarding boosted bass. What I meant to say was my mixes ended up having boosted bass using the Sonys. The mix sounded good in the headphones (I live in an apartment and can’t always mix using monitors), but when I checked it in my car and on my home stereo the bass was too heavy. The AKG K240s just happen to give me more accurate mixes.
The Sonys are very good headphones and I agree that there is no need to replace them if you like the way they sound. You have to find what works for you. Everybody hears things a little bit differently… at my age I’ve discovered I can’t hear much above 15khz anymore, which sucks.
Let me clarify my statement regarding boosted bass. What I meant to say was my mixes ended up having boosted bass using the Sonys. The mix sounded good in the headphones (I live in an apartment and can’t always mix using monitors), but when I checked it in my car and on my home stereo the bass was too heavy. The AKG K240s just happen to give me more accurate mixes.
The Sonys are very good headphones and I agree that there is no need to replace them if you like the way they sound. You have to find what works for you. Everybody hears things a little bit differently… at my age I’ve discovered I can’t hear much above 15khz anymore, which sucks.
Make sense, it’s just that I’ve heard both sides before; that the MDR-7506 is skewed more trebly, but that it’s also slightly boosted in the bass… but yes, either way, though there are much better headphones, these are accurate enough especially if the OP already has them and is just using them for his SUB 37.
And it still makes me wonder why so many people in the industry still swear by these, including someone like Trent Reznor who’s own music is known for having a very wide sonic range, is well respected amongst his peers, and he can afford anything he wants… and yet, he chooses the Sony MDR-7506. I guess it’s just what we all become comfortable with as well. I’ve tried headphones 3 times the price of the Sony and always go back to the Sony.
Hi,
For me it’s Sennheiser HD-650, perfect sound (all range) and comfort (no fatigue).
HD-25 is accurate and have good bass but i don’t recommand it for long play (perfect for DJ gig).
Also, I’ve been doing “electronic” music probably before you were born (since the late 1970s.)
You may be a DJ that listens to EDM, but if you are serious about recording, you want something as precise and as neutral as possible (which the Sony’s are not, but they are close enough for people to be able to judge what a proper mix should sound like.)
hi ido, my first EDM release was in 1994. i was born in 1971. So i do have over 20 years of releases under my belt but hey, lets not play the game of “who has a bigger trouser snake!” hehe i certainly didnt have releases in the 70s thats for sure so you win that one.
so go for the SOny 7506’s by all means (i have a pair as well because i was obsessed with “industry standards”). Yes they have great top end and are great for “broadcast” use as well as the large majority of music released for the last 20 years (ie Rock and Pop). But i wouldnt be producing or engineering an EDM track with them.
You know what they say in the EDM world “If the Bass doesnt Hit the bottom, your track wont Hit the Top.”
ps id like to hear some of your music ido! i bet you have some amazing hardware synths!@
Let me clarify my statement regarding boosted bass. What I meant to say was my mixes ended up having boosted bass using the Sonys. The mix sounded good in the headphones (I live in an apartment and can’t always mix using monitors), but when I checked it in my car and on my home stereo the bass was too heavy.
ah ha. exactly the symptoms of a “bass light” pair of monitors or headphones. you have boosted the bass in the mix to compensate for the lack of bottom end in the headphones.
my point exactly about the 7506’s. ![]()
As someone who suffered bassy mixes thanks to over-reliance on headphones, I found that with a lot of listening, and comparing songs that you hear in headphones to what you hear when played through monitors or car stereos or whatever, I’ve been able to learn for the most part when something I hear in headphones is overcompensating on bass. It’s taken well over a decade, but I’m pretty good at getting a mix 80% there on my Sennheisers. I still switch over to my monitors for that last 20% though.
I used to like headphones that “felt” bassy, but these days I prefer my Sennheisers (HD595s) and my MDR-7506’s for the intricacies they communicate. There’s so much in the low end that gets lost when you boost headphone output to try emulating bass-heavy environments.