Chiptune forum

the $100 sony mdr 7506 headphones . . .  reviewed!

first, i do think the less hardware the better, and something like headphones is definitly above and beyond what you need to produce chiptunes. there's the argument: the classics were heard through shitty tv speakers and 3" speakers. then there's also the argument masters like overthruster compose using nothing other than the gba-sp built in speaker, and his stuff sounds great on anything from computer speakers (sub or sans-sub) to a huge live pa system.

so this review is for people who aim to dork out on some extra gear! i'm not sure if nice headphones are a luxery, or they clutters up your life and gets in the way of your art ....

anyway, my background: i use headphones in my bedroom studio (recording vocals, mixing, everything really), at my office when i'm working (casual listening), and djing for my radio broadcast and live (previewing tracks). i don't wear headphones around outside for casual listening, if i'm in the world i like to hear the sounds, and biking with headphones on can be dangerous!

and if you'd like to know more about headphones in general before i actually start, check the wikipedia page on headphones

technically, the MDR-7506 have dynamic drivers in a closed backing type. unless you're paying a lot more for headphones, you'll get dynamic drivers. the 7506 are flat enough for me. regardless of what anyone says about mixing on headphones, you'll be better off with 100$ headphones than a hi-fi or bedroom stereo. also, an entirely flat frequency response isn't neccessary--what's important is that you have a reference listening system which is flat enough that you can learn it's characteristics and what a good recording sounds like on it. the case with the 7506 is that they are a bit bright/brilliant/harsh ... there is a boost in the high frequencies. it's something that can be mentaly delt with, and many recording engineers use these cans, but some complain that they'd rather not listen to everything they work on using such a bright set of cans. anyway, for $100, it's hard to find a flatter response.

i find the closed backing useful for almost everything i do! foremost, closed backing is generally louder than open backing, and the 7506 are loud! when i'm hacking at LSDj on the bus i have to turn the volume down a little bit to avoid hurting my ears, and the closed backing keeps out enough of the noise around me so i can hear what i'm doing. outside chip composition: recording vocals or anything accoustic, i don't want my microphone to pick up any bleeding from the headphones as i listen to what i'm capturing (which happens with open backing headphones). closed backing also works for djing--isolate what you're previewing/mixing from the broadcast or system sound. so closed backing is very general use--at work some could arguee it is nice to keep their co-workers sound out, but i like to wear open backing headphones at work so i can hear people sneaking up on me a little better

besides these things, i found the build quality of the 7506 to be very good. they fold up and seem rugged, i cary them in my bike bag to shows and the radio studio. i had a friend who wore a pair for years, skating biking running around, whatever. and they took the beatings. the ear-padding does get worn after a long time, but those are replaceable for under $10.

the 7506 are very comfortable headphones, my ears are never sore from wearing them. because they are rugged they are not the lightest headphones but their weight is not anoying. because i LSDj in bed i often want to lay down on my side wearing headphones and that is never possible, with these cans or any others!

overall, if you want some versitle headphones for doing all sorts of music stuff, these cans kick ass! however, if you are looking for something only to chip with, and are willing to give up comfort and a flat response for ultraportability, sony also makes some inner-ear buds that do a good job canceling outside noise and are loud being driven by only a gameboy or similar (at about half the price).