Good point, maybe the OP can tell us for which application...?

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Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!

I would suggest Sennheiser's exquisite HD 800s:

sound more like listening to full-size speakers than any other headphones we've heard to date.

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Using AKG's, had sennheiser's but they did not survive a move.
Like them both.

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Curiously--what did you get if anything yet? Because I currently have both the 7506 and the ATH-M40fs. 7506 reveals quite a bit more imperfections in tracks. However, it is much more harsher in sound (the mid range)---you have to get used to them. But if you want to reveal details in your recordings 7506 blows M40's away. Though, I wonder if there is a more pleasurable way of doing it--i.e. I'm thinking about going to guitar center and grabbing a pair of Hd280's to hear the differences. I've read MANY comparisons of the two (280 vs 7506) and it seems there is no real winner. So far, 7506's are lightweight, well constructed, and once you wear them for about 5 mins you get used to them and they are pretty revealing of imperfections.

Of course I would not recommend mastering with headphones---I'm quickly learning that my Yamaha HS50's capture the stereo and high's better. Although, I do admit the 7506's catch imperfections better--probably due to sheer volume efficiency--and overexaggerated mids, not bad thing for monitoring.


-Scott

Sennheiser buddy, they are durable.

+1 I have a pair and I love them!! Beautiful sound and very comfortable!
E

Actually, I have been traveling on business and haven't been home much the last three months so even my A-T's aren't getting any use. I don't believe you could go wrong with either. The user reviews don't seem to help me much because, as you say, there is no real winner. I keep hearing the Sony pads don't last as long but that seems like a trivial reason to choose the Sennheisers. When the time comes I'll just A/B them at the local GC and decide for myself.

I would suggest since GC has a return policy that you buy both phones and figure out which one you like and return the other. (Lol, what I'm doing.)

I decided based on reviews it seems the HD280's don't have enough bass right out of the box to serve my purposes (my monitor speakers are lacking on revealing bass). So, I got GC to match the lowest price I could find on some ATH-M50's and now I'm audition, at home mind you, 7506's vs. M50's---which is a very interesting process and educational.

Since the M50's have lower impedance, when I audition, I'm moving the volume lower for them by the ratio of impedances---just to keep things equal:

So far, M50's have the most pleasurable sound--I can see why people love them. 7506's "may" have the least colored sound, I havent decided yet... Both are good for bass, though 7506 seem slightly cleaner right now (neither have significant burn in). The M50's reach higher in treble, but aren't as revealing in the upper-mid (where vocals are) as the 7506. M50's definitely have a stronger lower-mid. The M50's clearly have a wider stereo representation--I'm not sure if that is good or bad, or even important since these are headphones--and thus the phasing is questionable (though, if you want to hear a more cohesive/wider stereo experience I suggest hands down the M50's). By the way, the M50's are completely different and more impressive headphones than the M40fs--which I have as well. For tracking, interestingly, on playing my guitars, both clean and distorted--the 7506 is clearly the winner. However, on playing my violin (brighter instrument), the M50 is clearly the winner.

I still havent decided which is superior for mastering--though the reviews I've read seems a lot of people prefer the M50's once they try them. I think both phones have their weaknesses, I'd love to keep both.

So.. using my cell phone's mp3 playback to make sure a mix sounds good is still my final quality control, lol!

At this time, I don't anticipate doing a lot of vocals. The main instrument will be guitar backed with keys, bass, and loops on the tracks. Maybe the 7056's are the ones for me.

Anyway, I appreciate your input.

LOL... dont appreciate it. In fact, scratch that I said try em both at home. I'm having a helluva time trying to decide. The 7506's are cleaner but tinnier. The ATH are warm but a little muddier. Tonight I'm liking the 7506 better--I discovered if you put them a little lower on your ears than they might seem to want to fit... their sound is not quite as tinny, and more detail. Hmm... the 7506 freq response is quite a bit flatter... and now as I use them more-- I think I believe it.

+1

Best that money can buy. They have headphones in all range of quality and price. If you are searious about music buy something in mid- to high-priced. I use mine with my iPod

We seem to have a mix of posts here. some are talking about headphones to listen to music while others are talking about 'phones for tracking and monitoring in the recording process. It's been that way since the beginning of the thread.

I will always recommend Sennheiser's to someone wanting to get into a good pair of headphones, while audiophiles will say that anything under the extreme high end is useless, the vast majority of people just dont head or care about it. HD555's are extremely comfy and sound great, they however are 'open back', which allows outside sound in, if you dont work in a woodmill that's most likely not a very big issue. I havent tested their gaming headsets personally, I dont like mics etc on my headphones.

If you shop around you can get them for very decent prices, for the most part they are fully user repairable and replacement parts are avaliable. I've had my pair for more than two years and wear them for 4+ hours every day, before I started buying senns the most I'd get was about 6 months on a good pair... But the last 2 senns have lasted 2-3 years easily and only been retired for an upgrade.

So yeah, if you're looking for mid-high end, good bang for buck - I'd suggest some HD555's.

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+1 from me too. Great headphones. Bang for buck they are stunning value.

Would totally agree, my Sennheiser are the best headphones i've ever had. You can buy cheap and expensive ones. Both are fantastic.