which sennheizer headphone is the defacto standard?

[kensuguro]

I'm at work, and need a headphone to monitor.. I don't want to get a akg240 because now I know my ears hurt in them after 2 hours of use.. (ya, after my second pair, I noticed) There is a best buy around the corner and I know they have a lot of sony or sennheizer.. they don't have sony MDR-V6. (stupid!!) so I was looking at sennheizer, but didn't know which one was their "studio standard" one.. anyone know?

[Zer]

I`d say it`s the Hd 800
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/ho ... []&print=1

But I´ve no experience with it.

[valis]

HD800 is rediculously expensive (MSRP of $1399.94) and open backed.

I've still not gotten around to buying the cans in the thread I started up in General Discussion a while back, you might want to glance through there. I should also say that I've not actually worn any Sennheiser cans for any length of time so I can't comment on comfort myself, but this is what I gleaned about Sennheiser's current lineup otherwise:

The 'professional' line has the close-backed studio cans with the hd280 pro being the 'standard' set and the 380 pro being the 'top' set with a detachable cable etc (which I would prefer personally). Probably you want one of these if you're doing recording etc.

Their 'audiophile' line is all open backed (or semi-open) and judging by their marketing/pricing for the HD800 is created for the 'critical' listener (wood knobs all) and perhaps mastering duties in a nice comfy room with a couch ('ala Bob Katz). I was perhaps considering a pair for myself since semi-open isn't a problem for me but the HD650 is lacking in the detachable cable which would have been ideal. The HD600 are the 'standard' ones that most people know, but again are open backed so if you're recording may not be what you want.

I'm really eyeing the Ultrasones in my link right now for myself (over the other options), but I suspect the 280/380 may be what you're thinking of.

[darkrezin]

I always found HD600 to be very nice, nowhere near as expensive as the 800.

[kensuguro]

btw, I borrowed my friends' mdr v6 and got through the day. I don't need anything crazy expensive, just a pair that I've "learned". Once I learn it, I can pretty much get whatever results I need out of it. I doubt I'd ever pay more than $300 for headphones.

[valis]

I've got a pair of the MDR V6's and a pair of MDR V600's. Marketing literature for the V6's says something about 'CCAW voice coil' and 'digital audio', but same impedance/output levels/40mm driver & general sound as far as I can tell. I've had the V6's for years, and got the V600's to use for dj'ing as the V6's hurt my ears during longer sets (the thinner foam). The 600's are the same driver & headset with a thicker surround, basically, and might be worth getting instead of V6's if you're thinking that direction.

[braincell]

Can you really mix with headphones? I have some old large foam Sennheisers which never hurt my ears even after hours.

[kensuguro]

I mean, you can't mix from beginning to end with headphones, but I can get it 80% there, and then touch up on speakers.

[astroman]

well, in a sh*tty room as mine you even have to - no choice
just play your stuff frequently elsewhere and you get used to extrapolate how it will sound (most likely) under 'regular' conditions.
I usually find Sennheisers a bit aggressive, but then I'm used to AKG.
My personal shootout would be between the old AKG 701 and the Sennheiser HD 600.
Comparable price and build quality, no vodoo, both workhorses with reputation - a matter of personal preferences.

cheers, Tom

wow Ken, you beat me to the millisecond

[valis]

I also find headphones invaluable for certain critical evaluations. I'll hear distortions & clicks much easier than on my studio monitors. Of course I could upgrade those but it still will have the room involved, and that's considerably more expensive than even some of the more expensive headphones. My needs atm though are a pair of headphones that will not only do clinical work but also some mixing (the Sonys are a bit 'boxy' but otherwise adequate to hear details, not so great for mixing for my tastes in music) and of course something I can use for 'enjoyable' listening late at night or etc.

[braincell]

You can also hear the panning better but there is a problem that panning is much more obvious in headphones so you would tend to pan less extremely. With so many people using earbuds these days, I have often thought that there should be a separate mix for earbud listening of each recording.