Headphones:Sony MDR 7506 vs. Sennheiser HD280Pro vs. Senn. HD497

I've had a set of Sennheiser Pro 280 headphones for about 6 months now and had no problems with them. They're comfortable and I use them with my iPod Classic and my laptop.

I bought them to replace these

The HD280s are great headphones. With that said, I their strong suite is for musicians who are tracking in the studio. The reason being (and I know you'll like this), they have really great isolation while still sounding pretty darn good. I will admit I have done some editing and rough mixing on the go with them but wouldn't recommend it. The main reason is I feel like they are not the most comfortable for wearing hours on end.

The problem with your post is that you are asking for one pair of headphones that will do 2 pretty drastically different things. Recording music has different requirements from mixing which has different requirements from just for fun music listening.

I think you should check out the Grado SR60s or even think about a pair of Shure SE210. The Grados are open ear which make them (IMHO) way more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. However, because they are open ear, you could get a little bleed (sound leaking out to other people). Naturally, for recording purposes, usually that isn't the best thing but for mixing they are great and are on par if not better sounding than the HD280s. For general music listening, personally, I feel that if you can hear your boyfriends music, your boyfriend is probably listening to his music too loud.

As for the SE210's, they are my default computer/ipod/travel headphones. I wouldn't record with them or do any mixing but for going mobile they are infinitely easier to travel with and sound great as well (Also they provide great sound isolation).

Also, FYI, the Sony's are somewhat of a standard in studios for musicians who are tracking. However, they are not very comfortable either and somewhat fatiguing to listen to. I also feel like the build quality is a bit flimsy compared to the HD280s. Admittedly, I have never listened to the HD497's so I can't comment on them.

samo1215 said:

Also, FYI, the Sony's are somewhat of a standard in studios for musicians who are tracking. However, they are not very comfortable either and somewhat fatiguing to listen to. I also feel like the build quality is a bit flimsy compared to the HD280s. Admittedly, I have never listened to the HD497's so I can't comment on them.

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Interesting. I just bought a pair of the HD280s and find them very uncomfortable. They replaced my 7506s, which I found much more comfortable.

I think the 7506s sound a bit better, also.

beatzfreak said:

Interesting. I just bought a pair of the HD280s and find them very uncomfortable. They replaced my 7506s, which I found much more comfortable.

I think the 7506s sound a bit better, also.

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I think the comfort thing is certainly a matter of opinion (especially considering differences in people's head sizes and shapes). I don't really think either one of them are very comfortable for extended periods of time.

As for sound, I think often times people mistake hyped mids or a bright top-end for a better sound. To the average person listening to their iPod or something, I think that's fine. However, when I'm recording, I want a more accurate (ie flat) sound which I think the HD280s deliver. It's also precisely the same reason I would never use them with my laptop or iPod.

I love my Sennheisers (can't remember exact model and they're not by me right now). They super light, comfortable and open so I can hear other people if they talk to me but they can't hear the headphones at all. The sound is phenomenal. They're expensive but I found some guy on ebay selling them brand new for wholesale. Said he pays his way through college that way 😱.