Sony 7506 : new & improved ?
 

http://www.audiogear.com/Sony-Headphones.html

Is the 7509, the new & improved 7506, worth the double price of the 7506 ? I don't particularly like the 7505 on its own (too tight on my head, kinda boomy), but I appreciate its durability/fold-up compactness and boosted bass for listening to wind noise/pop in the field. I've always been a fan of the nice midrange of the Sennheiser 2x0 series.

http://namm.harmony-central.com/SNAM...eadphones.html

My favourites today are Sennheiser HD-25. Before that, Beyer DT-48 (part of the regulation Nagra kit). I know a lot of people prefer the Sony.

The Sennheiser HD-25 looks flimsy, as are all of my HD2x0 Sennheisers. Great sound and comfort that die quickly in the gear bag.

The Beyerdynamic DT-48 looks quite sturdy. Does it also boost the bass? I find that the boosted bass exaggerates wind and pop noise , which is useful for identifying problems.

The HD-25 are very plastic-y but they are field serviceable. To my ears they are very natural sounding, they isolate really really well (which I was skeptical about until I tried a pair) and they are low impedance so easy to drive (saves battery power in theory). Frequency response is listed as 16Hz - 22kHz. I usually use a 80Hz roll-off on the mixer pre-amp to reduce rumble and handling noise anyway.

The DT-48, unless you're feeling nostalgic, I wouldn't recommend. Big, heavy (in comparison) but quite good noise isolation. Not nice to wear on a hot summer's day.

The 7509 are slightly larger, cover the ear more and have a much more natural sound. I like them. I reviewed them a few months back for Pro Audio Review. They are more expensive.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Thanks, Ty. I didn't find your review, but I saw a lot of your other reviews.
Great reference .

http://www.proaudioreview.com/pages/s.0031/t.3319.html

Thanks for the recommendation on the Sony 7509HDs, Ty. Immediately, I preferred them over the MDR-7506 as they seem to be made for a larger head and larger ears, although the pinnae cavitiy appears to have grown more in height. I think the tightness of the 7506's (MDR-V6's) over the years drove me away from them, as they gave me a headache and were grossly uncomfortable as they pressed the ear supports my eye glasses. (though, that's less of an issue with a pair of eye glasses and super-thin titanium frames). Was that super tighness an element of the design to improve the transmission of lower frequencies through the skull?

The plug on the 7509 is stronger, and there is thicker padding on the ear pieces and headband. My only concern is the long run, as the 7509's have less metal where is counts: the joint between theheadband and ear pieces.
I like the durability of the 7506s, and the 7509HD may be less durable even at twice the price.

or, perhaps, more durable.

Time will tell.

Regards,

Ty Ford