Topic: Good field headphones

[Javit]

Can anyone reccomend a good pair of headphones for monitoring recordings in the field?  Preferably on the cheaper side, but may not happen.

[George]

Sony MDR-V6 (no, not the V600)...they go for $69.

[RebelRebel]

etymotic ER-4 are by far the best I have found for this task...great isolation, and detail.

[Brian Skalinder]

etymotic ER-4 are by far the best I have found for this task...great isolation, and detail.

The ER-6 are significantly less expensive and also offer great isolation, though probably not the detail of the 4.

[Nick's Picks]

i've used all mentioned above, and for the money you cant beat these:
http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/sealed-and-noise-canceling/sennheiser-hd-201.php

definately not as good as the Ety's, but for twenty bucks...you cant go wrong.

[oniontaper]

etymotic ER-4 are by far the best I have found for this task...great isolation, and detail.

The ER-6 are significantly less expensive and also offer great isolation, though probably not the detail of the 4.

another vote for the er-6
my sony mdr-7506 only see home use since i bought the etty's

[Nick's Picks]

honestly, the #1 thing in a field headphone, especialy for PA taping where tone and "flavor" are not exactly critical at the time of use.... is ISOLATION.

and for that , you want an in ear setup.  the ER6 is the cheapest one i'm aware of.  they sound great as well.
you can find them around 80 if you look

[RebelRebel]

yeah, the 6 has the same isolation, but not enough clarity..the ER-4 is about half what I bought it for now..goes for around 170 bucks at J+R i believe.

[Nick's Picks]

but I still like the $20 senns for beater cans that sound great and offer decent isolation.  i use them in the field.

I know what your saying Teddy.  I ran er4's back in 2003.  paid A SHITLOAD for them

[RebelRebel]

but I still like the $20 senns for beater cans that sound great and offer decent isolation.  i use them in the field.

I know what your saying Teddy.  I ran er4's back in 2003.  paid A SHITLOAD for them

I have HD600s, paid 600+ for them, but the bass is woofy, and the highs are dull. isolation isnt great either

[Javit]

Thanks guys.  As long as I can hear whats going on inside them and not what's going on outside - that's all I'm looking for.  Would those Sens be ok then?

[Nick's Picks]

depends on whats driving them honestly.
some amps (like the ones in my previous r4 or the ua5 or even my 671) just dont have enough corn to them to drive them over ambient noise.

the Ety's, the isolation from ambience is so good, that anything will drive them perfectly.
I guess they are worth the extra $60+.

still, the Senns are great for cheap.

[Stagger]

but I still like the $20 senns for beater cans that sound great and offer decent isolation.  i use them in the field.

I know what your saying Teddy.  I ran er4's back in 2003.  paid A SHITLOAD for them

I have HD600s, paid 600+ for them, but the bass is woofy, and the highs are dull. isolation isnt great either

What are you amping them with? The HD600's need far more amplification than your average can (including Grado). I don't know of any protable unit (or even most home units) that can power these properly from internal phone amps. I had my 600's for 6 months before I got an amp for them, and they weren't all that great. Then I got my headphone amp. That made all the difference. The highs extended, the bass got tight and punchy and the mids are smooth as.. well ya know...

[Nick Culbreth]

IEMs are the only way to go, the difference in isolation between an IEM and a closed headphone with a decent seal is huge.  I'd go with an Etymotic er-6 but there are a few other companies like Shure who also make IEMS.

[Chuck]

ER6 vs ER6i ... any opinions?