Headphones Options

[macyu]

in most studios on the planet, the sony mdr-7506 is some kind of standard. great one. there is a newer version out now, the mdr-v700. doesn´t look as good as the old one, but sounds well too. very loud..

Personally I didn't like the sony headphones because of the harsh, brittle sound, but yeah they are a standard in most studios, and it's great for singers and wind instrument players because it gives you the 'air' feel and the high frequencies to prevent you from going flat.

[eaks]

if you can find some used grado labs, go for it. well try em before... I'm still amazed by my sr-325 pristine sound + had an amazing deal at $170 CAD. A must. A little bit less comfort but so many more sound!!!!

[sebalto]

The best i used and the most isolated:
sennheiser HD25. about 180 euros. The hp are articulated so you can without losing the comfort leave one ear opened. I love too its lightness and his discretion during ENG work. Cables are very resistants and easy too change anyway. The most used for broadcast in France.
I will buy one for home work control and classical recording.

[dave-g]

I've gotta agree with eaks on the sound of the Grado's. they are great 'phones for listening, and really make acoustic music come alive. I've never used them in the studio, mostly at home with an ASL triode headphone amp and CAL CL15 CD player and the combo was really musical.

so to clarify my earlier post here are my headphone preferences:
Senn HD 600 for the studio, super comfortable and about as neutral as you can get (or want)
Etymotic ER4s/p for the road & work, might sound better than the HD600's and block out most noise.
Grado SR80 (or higher if you got them) for kicking back with a good jazz cd and bottle of Grey Goose and just enjoying the music... they aren't anywhere near neutral and that's what makes them so good! I haven't spent a lot of time with the 325's, but from what i can remember they were great.

For the Ety's and the Senn I use a Porta Corda II amp for the road and a ASL MG Head 32 Triode amp for home and studio. the grado headphones seem to be really efficient and operate fine straight from the mixer and even my ipod! (your mileage my vary)