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?

[Stagger]

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.

I agree with this... I use Shure E4c's that I won in a sales contest at work. I wouldn't have bought them as I already had my HD600s but they are damn good for monitoring at shows.

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

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

Did the same thing (2002), but I also got a shitload back, (thanks to a 30 day satisfaction guarantee), I thought they sounded shrill and severely lacking bass response.  A headphone amp didn't help the low end at all.

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

ER6 vs ER6i ... any opinions?

ER6's if you'll be using a headphone amp, ER6i's if you'll just be using a portable device.

Headwise: Unless specifically stated otherwise, all HeadRoom purchases come with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee in order to give you the opportunity to evaluate your purchases.

If you're looking for an IEM and $170 isn't too much I'd give the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5Pro a listen, I tried the ER4's ER6's and was much more impressed with the Ultimate Ear IEM's.  You can also replace the cable if needed, very similar to the Sennheiser headphone cable idea but on a much smaller scale with the UE's.

[George]

Don't forget shure's iem's   

[BC]

If you're looking for an IEM and $170 isn't too much I'd give the Ultimate Ears super.fi 5Pro a listen, I tried the ER4's ER6's and was much more impressed with the Ultimate Ear IEM's.  You can also replace the cable if needed, very similar to the Sennheiser headphone cable idea but on a much smaller scale with the UE's.

I just ordered a pair of these that got here a couple days ago. I really dig em', comfortable to wear and sound great!

[bewildered]

The in ear phones, they isolate against sound escaping better than a pair of closed headphones?

What about Shure's in ear phones, how do those compare to ety's or ultimate ears?

http://shure.com/PersonalAudio/ComparisonCharts/us_pa_comp_char_earphones

[Brian Skalinder]

The in ear phones, they isolate against sound escaping better than a pair of closed headphones?

Yes.

[F.O.Bean]

i have Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's and they sound GREAT and do a great job of isolating, they attenuate/isolate up to 32db BUT the 722 has sweet headphone amps and it drives the cans perfectly

you could get a volume booster to run inbetween the source/headphones

I always thought the IEM's were always too fragile, but theyre size/performance are both positives

[RebelRebel]

The in ear phones, they isolate against sound escaping better than a pair of closed headphones?

What about Shure's in ear phones, how do those compare to ety's or ultimate ears?

http://shure.com/PersonalAudio/ComparisonCharts/us_pa_comp_char_earphones

without question.

[George]

i have Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's and they sound GREAT and do a great job of isolating, they attenuate/isolate up to 32db BUT the 722 has sweet headphone amps and it drives the cans perfectly

you could get a volume booster to run inbetween the source/headphones

I always thought the IEM's were always too fragile, but theyre size/performance are both positives

huh?  32db....impossible.  I have a pair of 7506's and they might isolate a few db.  I do recall reading that the HD280's has a really strong grip, but 32db is impossible for a pair of closed headphones like the HD280's.  My shure e2c's isolate about 20db in comparison.

[BayTaynt3d]

FWIW, I have a set that folds in on itself, I forget which model, but I LOVE THE FACT that it folds down small for packing into my bags even though it's still a regular set of closed-back headphones. Great feature if you plan on using them in the field.

[carlbeck]

Maybe it's just me but I hate using any in-ear, I just can't used to them & you certainly don't want to borrow someone elses pair at a show

I'll stick with my Sony's that fold down nice for concert use.

[RebelRebel]

Carl, I had an audiologist custom make my earbuds for the etys, and it has been great..

Maybe it's just me but I hate using any in-ear, I just can't used to them & you certainly don't want to borrow someone elses pair at a show

I'll stick with my Sony's that fold down nice for concert use.

[F.O.Bean]

i have Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's and they sound GREAT and do a great job of isolating, they attenuate/isolate up to 32db BUT the 722 has sweet headphone amps and it drives the cans perfectly

you could get a volume booster to run inbetween the source/headphones

I always thought the IEM's were always too fragile, but theyre size/performance are both positives

huh?  32db....impossible.  I have a pair of 7506's and they might isolate a few db.  I do recall reading that the HD280's has a really strong grip, but 32db is impossible for a pair of closed headphones like the HD280's.  My shure e2c's isolate about 20db in comparison.

just telling you what they claim

http://www.skilex.com/catalog/sennheiser-hd280-dynamic-collapsible-headphones-p-350.html?gclid=CMr2je3SrogCFTaVFQod2XqFhQ

[midside]

I use Westone ES2's but they are pricey at about $600 a pop.
http://www.westone.com/music/elite.html#es3

They make some cheaper ones too, the UM1's are about $100
http://www.westone.com/music/universal.html#um1

[THE NIZ BIAAAAACH!]

The entomonics are great, my two cents is that you need to do significant listening on your home system, as compared to what ever you buy, this way you can "understand", or "recognize" the difference.  Meaning that you dont want to make recording for your field headphones, rather than for what you will actually be listening to the recordings on, YA DIG?  Your headphones will represent different frequencies very differently than your home listening system, remember they are only a reference.

[joeshambro]

i use ultimate ears ue-10 pro in the field.  absolutely killer.

[spyder9]

I use Shure E2C.  You can get them cheap on eBay for about $60.00.  I like IEMs because of the isolation and they take up absolutely no bag space.  Shure, Etys, Westone, and Super Fi make the best, IMO.  Which one you pick will be based on your budget, your taste, and most important, how much you actually use them in the field.  I use E2Cs because I don't use them in the field that often, but its nice to know they're there.