Sony MDR 7506 vs Sony M1ST/ Sub 300$ Hi Res headphones ?

[jonzuk]

Do they sound similar I have 7506 now gonna get the M1ST in a week

[Ulfrinn]

The MDR-7506 has been an industry standard for decades for a reason. Along with Beyerdynamics DT series. I use DT770's myself for that reason because of how easy it is to find parts, mods, or information regarding ways of setting them up to get the sound out of them that I want.

Looking at the frequency response curves of the two it looks like the MDR-M1ST focuses on having a more neutral, or flatter frequency response for accurate monitoring. It may not sound as good for the type of music you listen to. But for monitoring audio, getting an accurate listening of the audio you are listening to, such as if you're mixing tracks and want to make sure instruments are blending together properly, it might be the better choice.

I don't think I'd get these purely for music or gaming.

[tom tomorrow]

I'd probably look to go another step up if I already had the 7506s. May as well just get the Sennheiser HD600/650/6XX for an extra ~$100. Unless you specifically want something for out and about.

[jonzuk]

Originally posted by Ulfrinn:

The MDR-7506 has been an industry standard for decades for a reason. Along with Beyerdynamics DT series. I use DT770's myself for that reason because of how easy it is to find parts, mods, or information regarding ways of setting them up to get the sound out of them that I want.

Looking at the frequency response curves of the two it looks like the MDR-M1ST focuses on having a more neutral, or flatter frequency response for accurate monitoring. It may not sound as good for the type of music you listen to. But for monitoring audio, getting an accurate listening of the audio you are listening to, such as if you're mixing tracks and want to make sure instruments are blending together properly, it might be the better choice.

I don't think I'd get these purely for music or gaming.

Do you know how the CD900ST compares thats only 129 and its 5-30khz response range it looks like the 7506 too

[jonzuk]

Originally posted by mf tom:

I'd probably look to go another step up if I already had the 7506s. May as well just get the Sennheiser HD600/650/6XX for an extra ~$100. Unless you specifically want something for out and about.

I actually got the HD 600 used for 200$ but i have to return them for a pretty annoying reason their is a detergent smell on them I am highly allergic to, so I guess i learned to not buy used headphones and how do the HD 600 compare to HD 6XX I heard the 6XX is decently worse in build quality and the sound isnt the same as the HD 600 not as neutral but if its closer to the MDR 7506 sound signature then the regular HD 600 that would be good for me the 7506 has the "perfect" sound for me i just want something thats higher res

[Ulfrinn]

Originally posted by Mr. Vanilla:

Originally posted by Ulfrinn:

The MDR-7506 has been an industry standard for decades for a reason. Along with Beyerdynamics DT series. I use DT770's myself for that reason because of how easy it is to find parts, mods, or information regarding ways of setting them up to get the sound out of them that I want.

Looking at the frequency response curves of the two it looks like the MDR-M1ST focuses on having a more neutral, or flatter frequency response for accurate monitoring. It may not sound as good for the type of music you listen to. But for monitoring audio, getting an accurate listening of the audio you are listening to, such as if you're mixing tracks and want to make sure instruments are blending together properly, it might be the better choice.

I don't think I'd get these purely for music or gaming.

Do you know how the CD900ST compares thats only 129 and its 5-30khz response range it looks like the 7506 too

What are you using it for? And frequency response is largely irrelevant. The extent of human hearing is 20hz to 20,000hz, but adults lose the higher frequencies as they grow into adulthood, so if you're a full grown adult, your range is closer to 20-15,000. Most music won't even come close to these extents. Some lower rumbles in games will come closer to the lower end of this.

And none of these really have that good of a soundstage which is the perceived room/distance the sounds are coming from which make it easier to separate sounds that you hear, like the direction or distance of noises in a game, or the separation of instruments in music. If you're in a noisy environment and want the isolation, or don't want what you're listening to to leak out (like listening to music on a bus) that's where you'd want closed headphones. But if you have a fairly quiet space and some privacy, open backs blow them out of the water in every single category.

So, are you looking for something for mixing audio, listening to music (if so, what genre), or gaming? And what sort of environment are you using them in?

[jonzuk]

Originally posted by Ulfrinn:

Originally posted by Mr. Vanilla:

Do you know how the CD900ST compares thats only 129 and its 5-30khz response range it looks like the 7506 too

What are you using it for? And frequency response is largely irrelevant. The extent of human hearing is 20hz to 20,000hz, but adults lose the higher frequencies as they grow into adulthood, so if you're a full grown adult, your range is closer to 20-15,000. Most music won't even come close to these extents. Some lower rumbles in games will come closer to the lower end of this.

And none of these really have that good of a soundstage which is the perceived room/distance the sounds are coming from which make it easier to separate sounds that you hear, like the direction or distance of noises in a game, or the separation of instruments in music. If you're in a noisy environment and want the isolation, or don't want what you're listening to to leak out (like listening to music on a bus) that's where you'd want closed headphones. But if you have a fairly quiet space and some privacy, open backs blow them out of the water in every single category.

So, are you looking for something for mixing audio, listening to music (if so, what genre), or gaming? And what sort of environment are you using them in?

I'll use any type of headphones anywhere it doesn't matter to me I just want to have sounds that are clearly discernible its clear for me on the 7506's I mostly listen to FLAC's I did notice more clarity with the HD 600 but I wasn't using an amp that went over 20-20,000 range so what is frequency response important for? wouldnt you be able to feel the sounds in the higher range or if you are in a specific conscious state you could maybe make out more of the higher frequency? I may be crazy but it felt like there was more clarity in the extreme high ends when i even use the DT 770 Pro but idk why, maybe its a bigger soundstage im looking for not higher frequency
I was looking at the GRADO 100$ headphones i heard they have very sharp treble which i would like but i found the DT 770 fatiguing so maybe not I also heard of AKG headphones but heard the build quality is awful and they would break in my situation constantly dropping headphones on the floor lol the grados though seem durable, maybe the 7506 is already perfect for me but im wanting to try other headphones

[Ulfrinn]

Originally posted by Mr. Vanilla:

Originally posted by mf tom:

I'd probably look to go another step up if I already had the 7506s. May as well just get the Sennheiser HD600/650/6XX for an extra ~$100. Unless you specifically want something for out and about.

I actually got the HD 600 used for 200$ but i have to return them for a pretty annoying reason their is a detergent smell on them I am highly allergic to, so I guess i learned to not buy used headphones and how do the HD 600 compare to HD 6XX I heard the 6XX is decently worse in build quality and the sound isnt the same as the HD 600 not as neutral but if its closer to the MDR 7506 sound signature then the regular HD 600 that would be good for me the 7506 has the "perfect" sound for me i just want something thats higher res

If you have the space for open backs, like HD58x or HD6xx, these will have superior clarity, soundstage, and instrument (or sound effect) separation than fairly constrained studio monitor headphones. The HD58X is pretty good for music and gaming. I have soe Philips SHP9500s which are a great less expensive open back option and will sound better than Sonys. But, I used those so much I need to completely replace the pads on them to continue using them. But I need to get the files to 3D print an adapter before I can fit universal fit earpads on those.

Most generally consider the HD58X and 6XX to be better, clearer sounding options to those.

[jonzuk]

Originally posted by Ulfrinn:

Originally posted by Mr. Vanilla:

I actually got the HD 600 used for 200$ but i have to return them for a pretty annoying reason their is a detergent smell on them I am highly allergic to, so I guess i learned to not buy used headphones and how do the HD 600 compare to HD 6XX I heard the 6XX is decently worse in build quality and the sound isnt the same as the HD 600 not as neutral but if its closer to the MDR 7506 sound signature then the regular HD 600 that would be good for me the 7506 has the "perfect" sound for me i just want something thats higher res

If you have the space for open backs, like HD58x or HD6xx, these will have superior clarity, soundstage, and instrument (or sound effect) separation than fairly constrained studio monitor headphones. The HD58X is pretty good for music and gaming. I have soe Philips SHP9500s which are a great less expensive open back option and will sound better than Sonys. But, I used those so much I need to completely replace the pads on them to continue using them. But I need to get the files to 3D print an adapter before I can fit universal fit earpads on those.

Most generally consider the HD58X and 6XX to be better, clearer sounding options to those.

I had the 560s for a few days (sounded absolutely amazing) but they had a crazy plastic odor to them do the HD 6XX have this problem? I know they're made in completely different factories one in china and one in Germany so not sure about that I would get the HD 6XX but I fear the plastic odor again since the return policy on DROP is not great

[Ulfrinn]

Originally posted by Mr. Vanilla:

Originally posted by Ulfrinn:

What are you using it for? And frequency response is largely irrelevant. The extent of human hearing is 20hz to 20,000hz, but adults lose the higher frequencies as they grow into adulthood, so if you're a full grown adult, your range is closer to 20-15,000. Most music won't even come close to these extents. Some lower rumbles in games will come closer to the lower end of this.

And none of these really have that good of a soundstage which is the perceived room/distance the sounds are coming from which make it easier to separate sounds that you hear, like the direction or distance of noises in a game, or the separation of instruments in music. If you're in a noisy environment and want the isolation, or don't want what you're listening to to leak out (like listening to music on a bus) that's where you'd want closed headphones. But if you have a fairly quiet space and some privacy, open backs blow them out of the water in every single category.

So, are you looking for something for mixing audio, listening to music (if so, what genre), or gaming? And what sort of environment are you using them in?

I'll use any type of headphones anywhere it doesn't matter to me I just want to have sounds that are clearly discernible its clear for me on the 7506's I mostly listen to FLAC's I did notice more clarity with the HD 600 but I wasn't using an amp that went over 20-20,000 range so what is frequency response important for? wouldnt you be able to feel the sounds in the higher range or if you are in a specific conscious state you could maybe make out more of the higher frequency? I may be crazy but it felt like there was more clarity in the extreme high ends when i even use the DT 770 Pro but idk why, maybe its a bigger soundstage im looking for not higher frequency

6XX are open back, these tend to have clearer bass that doesn't muddy up mids, and this allows higher notes to come through which will allow for better clarity. They also use higher quality drivers, 50mm I believe compared to Sony's 40mm which can more accurately reproduce some sounds. So you weren't just imagining things, the 6XX is an extremely clear and detailed sounding headphone, and part of that is because the cans are opened on the back, not closed in.

[Ulfrinn]

Originally posted by Mr. Vanilla:

Originally posted by Ulfrinn:

If you have the space for open backs, like HD58x or HD6xx, these will have superior clarity, soundstage, and instrument (or sound effect) separation than fairly constrained studio monitor headphones. The HD58X is pretty good for music and gaming. I have soe Philips SHP9500s which are a great less expensive open back option and will sound better than Sonys. But, I used those so much I need to completely replace the pads on them to continue using them. But I need to get the files to 3D print an adapter before I can fit universal fit earpads on those.

Most generally consider the HD58X and 6XX to be better, clearer sounding options to those.

I had the 560s for a few days but they had a crazy plastic odor to them do the HD 6XX have this problem? I know they're made in completely different factories one in china and one in Germany so not sure about that I would get the HD 6XX but I fear the plastic odor again since the return policy on DROP is not great

You shouldn't be getting any odors off of them, if you do it might be from the foam in the earpads which should go away if you air them out.

[jonzuk]

Originally posted by Ulfrinn:

Originally posted by Mr. Vanilla:

I had the 560s for a few days but they had a crazy plastic odor to them do the HD 6XX have this problem? I know they're made in completely different factories one in china and one in Germany so not sure about that I would get the HD 6XX but I fear the plastic odor again since the return policy on DROP is not great

You shouldn't be getting any odors off of them, if you do it might be from the foam in the earpads which should go away if you air them out.

it was an awful like burning plastic smell from the 560's almost like a TV with a capacitor that burnt out it was really bad I tried to air em out and it was still horrible sadly, I think the ones made in Germany though the 6XX is made with a different type of plastic

[Masque]

Ulfrimm, after reading your mini-reviews here:

What's your take on the old Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs?

They don't make this model any more (renamed and re-specced it) but it's what I have.

[Ulfrinn]

I don't know much about the ATH-M40fs, just the ATH-M40x that seems to still be sold. And those tend to have a little more in the bass and treble with a bit less of the mids. Which is good for genres like hip hop or EMD. Not what I'd want for genres like rock and metal though which are very mid focused.

[Masque]

Thanks, Ulfrinn. (Misspelled your name before, doh.)

I've had them for many years. Got them half price on an Amazon sale, I think.

[jonzuk]

idk what to do should i just get the grado sr60x