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Opinions on Sony MDR 7506 for an article I'm writing
I’m writing an article about Sony’s iconic MDR 7506 headphones, and I need some short quotes about them.
If you have some, why do you love/hate them?
Why did you chose them?
What would you improve?
I'll start. I got them because they're cheap, they're repairable, and if they do totally break, I will always be able to get a new pair.
I love them because they sound great, they're comfy, and the cable is never too short.
I'd like to be able to swap in a short, non-curly cable just for iPod listening, though.
Don't limit your answers tho those questions. Any and ll opinions welcome.
Comments
I liked them a lot but I prefer my DT770s even though they're more boomy and less revealing than the 7506s. I don't have small ears and wearing the 7506 for hours isn't what I would call "comfy" tbh.
The DT770s have also replaced it for use in more noisy environments due to the closed back design.
I've come to correct the sound using a headphones correction profile and it works quite well so I don't really miss the 7506.
I only wish the 770s were as light and handy as the 7506s...
Do you still like yours, @LinearLineman?
Unpopular opinion: I can’t stand them, way too shrill and gritty sounding for me. The highs are awful, and the bass not much better. Sorry 🤷♀️
Great for studio. They feel a little flimsy, so I kinda baby them. After about 5 years of light use they still work and sound great.
They do get to be uncomfortable on the ears and head after a few hours… a good reminder that my eardrums probably also need a rest.
I do.
To each his own ears, my friend. I forget... you use Beyer’s, Focals?
@mistercharlie, best bang for the buck. Sound pretty neutral to me. Great and long reputation. Reasonably comfortable but could be better.
That's what I meant by calling them "revealing" 😂
They can save your mix from sounding shrill and gritty on mobile or other low quality devices.
I've used MDR-7506's for years. I don't love 'em, don't hate 'em - I'm familiar with how they sound, so I have bought numerous pairs over the years.
The highs can be very shrill, and they are not balanced so mixing with them is a challenge - mixes come out too boomy to compensate for their lack of low end. That being said, they have been in literally EVERY SINGLE studio I've ever had the pleasure to record in, both professional and amateur, so being familiar with their strengths and weaknesses is useful.
Yeah - solid phones, and industry standard. Not the best or my favorite, but I can't forsee a time when I won't have a pair around.
My primary cans are Sennheiser HD650s, but I have an Imelda Marcos style collection of Senns, Beyer, Bose, Philips, Focal, and PSB headphones.
Same. I think people forget the main reason they were so popular back in the day was because they were cheap and easy to find so if the drummer threw them you could get more quickly. Also the vinyl on the ear cups wears off crazy easy.
I think there are much better options out there now for the price.
Totally agree. I don't understand why is so famous.
I'm totally in love with the D770.
I would add that no headphone is perfect, the Sennheiser HD650s that I use are lacking in the sub-bass (like most other open-backed headphones) and are also a little subdued in the highs, however they are a much smoother listen than the Sonys.
One of the things that I most love is play "my music" in the car. I try to do always because is my most common scenario where I enjoy music.
What do you recommend in the price range? I tried the Beyer DT770 and didn’t care for them.
I love my MDR-7506's and the only question to myself I had after I got them was...
...Why did I wait so long before getting them as I would have saved on ton spent on various cans...
You can tame the Sonys with Morphit when you're doing critical mixing/listening. That should correct most of the flaws, bar the slight distortion in the bass.
Otherwise you could consider the AKG k371s, they're tuned to the Harman curve (which current research sets as the best benchmark for now).
I use mine constantly because they fold and are easy to transport. I hate the cable though and will replace it soon with a “non-curly” cable. I might decide to just install a jack to make the cable removable, but I haven’t decided yet. I recently had to open them up because the left side went out, and I was able to resolder the contacts to the speaker and now they work great again.
They aren’t flat but I’m used to them now, although using morphit does help when I’m using them for studio mixing on the go. I replaced the vinyl ear pads with velour Beyer pads a few years ago and they are much more comfortable.
I also have Akg q701 headphones and I love those for mixing, but can’t use them for live sound as they are open back and they don’t fold, so that’s why I use my Sony’s most of the time when I’m on the go.
Anyway, that’s my story with them. They do what they are supposed to do and I don’t really have to think about them much.
I think this might be a big part of it. You know exactly how they will sound, so you can rely on them always being available.
I use mine whenever I need to keep quiet, or when I’m working on a loop that would drive other people crazy after a while. Usually I have my monitors on, at a comfortably low level.
Love the high end sparkle. Totally ingrained in me both for mixing and just listening to others’ tunes.
I’ll never spend money on headphones that cost multiple hundreds thanks to these. Sure, they don’t suit EVERYbody, but for me they’re classic. I’ve bought 6 pairs in the last 15 years or so.
@oat_phipps Six pairs?!? What do you do with them?
I was rough and careless on headphones and equipment in my 20s, not to mention one of the clumsiest people you’d ever meet. I’ve since learned better, but I carried my Tele around everywhere without a case and everyone in town, especially the people who had to work on it, remarked that it was the filthiest guitar they’d ever seen. I honestly couldn’t afford a case at the time because I had to make sure I always had enough money for whiskey and cigarettes. Priorities. Looking back, I was a silly mess, but I definitely embodied the stereotypical rock and roller without intending to.
If I had actually been famous with a couple of hits, that guitar would be a legendary hanging at a Hard Rock Cafe somewhere. It’s actually in the shop getting brought back to life now after several years of non use. Screw those artificially “road-worn” guitars. Like buying pre-ripped or faded jeans.
@mistercharlie I love my MDR 7506s. I’m no headphone expert, but I’ve gone through a few in my life and currently I have…
Grado SR80e (incredible sound and sound stage, the drivers give off analog growl and texture on playback, extremely comfortable due to giant over ear foam pieces, great price, but… prone to hairs getting in the drivers that cause rattle, the low ohms can cause them to overload from bass or from playing guitar amp sims, open back so a ridiculous amount of sound bleed, aesthetically not for everyone… these cans are perfect for critical listening post mix/master, they will not hide anything.)
Dr. Dre Beats Pro wired, white/red (stupid amount of puffed up bass, horribly uncomfortable on the ears, top heavy, but good aesthetic and detachable lock cable, collapsible. Lucky for me these were free, I hate them).
Bose QC35 (whatever, good noise cancelling, wireless BT but can also be wired, very comfy, not my studio cans. Good to have as a reference and for travel.)
Back to the Sonys, here’s why I like the 7506s:
that upper mid sparkle, it allows me to really hear my mix, and as a result I don’t overdo the highs and don’t accentuate shrill.
the bass is not puffed up nor artificial. I hate this trend. To me it is neutral. I disagree about this causing mixes to have too much bass as a result. These don’t make me accentuate the bass in mixes. What I hear is what I get, the key is just to set the bass reasonably and not get spooked by thinking it’s weak.
the perfect 63ohms. Not too hard to drive, but also not 32-38ohms which is consumer level. They can handle a lot, and sound especially good playing guitar amp sims, they don’t fart out here. To me 63 ohms is a great sweet spot.
extremely comfortable. Can wear them for 5 hours without noticing.
collapsible
the quarter inch jack screws in, this is a big deal.
classic look, great closed back design for studio, little to no sound bleed so perfect for tracking things like vocals while monitoring.
Things that could be better…
my pads still look new, but everyone says they wear out.
they seem a little fragile, specifically the exposed wires that extend from the ear cups to the head band. Constantly scared I’ll rip that wire. This could use a design overhaul.
I expected to love the coiled wire, some days I do, other days it’s heavy and annoying.
if I were to nitpick about the sound, I wish it had just a tiny bit more body. It really fixates on the upper mids, I’d like a little more mids mids. I would not call them shrill though.
7506s are my mixing, guitar/vocal tracking, amp sim playing, and reference listening cans, all in one. Without a doubt would keep buying them over and over, only $100! I do enjoy the upper mids though in general, so this is just my take…
I like that review. Agree on the bass. Mixing the bass too high went away after a couple of trial and errors; just a matter of adjusting. I absolutely hate any excess bass “hype”. Had a pair of beats earbuds as a gift and ugh they were unlistenable.
I always preferred the 7506 over the DT770, ATHM50, HD280, etc. due to the Sony's not having that over-emphasized mid-bass bump (and boom with mobile devices) that the others have. They're too small (and sweaty) for my ears though, DT770 feel good.
Why did you pick the DT770 over the DT990?
I’ve used 7506s for something like 30 years after an LA friend / engineer recommended them. As others have noted, the curly cable isn’t always ideal.
Because I wanted a closed back design with sufficient isolation from outside noise.
For open back designs, I'm rather into AKG and Sennheiser because they're more neutral - especially AKG 701 is my current choice here, and it's much more "high temperature friendly" when wearing it for a long time. The DT770 will really make you sweat, and the 990 is not much different.
The Beyers are great for listening but you have to be careful when mixing and mastering with them as they tend to hide the critical areas, unlike the 7506. A bit like the old Yamaha NS10 phenomenon: They don't really sound pleasing but for some reason, mixing on them on the near field somehow translates well on many listeners' loudspeakers.
I used it earlier because it was cheap enough for me to buy it and I saw it in many studios. At that time I thought it sounded good and didn't see any serious problems, but I used it for listening and for checking the harmony, counterpoint of my music, not for mixing, producing, etc. Once I started using it for creating original electronic tracks, I found that I always had a problem with unbalanced high and low ends. After switching to DT-770, I have fewer problems. It's not perfect - I don't like the muffled high end, but as long as I'm careful, I can manage that. The low freqs are much easier to manage with the 770 + sonarworks. Surprisingly, 7506 + sonarworks is still too bright.
The article is up!
https://www.lifewire.com/how-the-sony-mdr-7506-headphones-took-over-music-studios-5198571
Thanks to everyone who helped. I have linked to this forum, and also to the individual sites/youtube channels/patreons of anyone I quoted.
Let me know if I got any of those links/names wrong.
Damn - musician AND music educator. I'm flattered, sir - truly. I always considered myself just an internet bum....