Pro orchestra musician needing headphone advice.

[gpunique]

Hi everyone. I’m a pro trumpet player and recently decided its time to upgrade some more of my sound equipment. I ran across your site while researching new headphones (and now DAC and amp most likely) and am so impressed at your reviews and how helpful your community is. I would love your thoughts on my situation and my current top picks for 2 headphones. I’m trying to do my homework now in preparation for Black Friday where hopefully there will be some even better deals.

As I said, I play trumpet in an orchestra and my old Grado SR60s are having issues, from pads that never stay on, to the whole right side falling off due to a crack yet still stays on most of the time, to buzzing and now I’m looking to upgrade. What I’m realizing is that I probably need 2 sets of headphones and need some help choosing.

FYI I wear glasses often, since sounds like that can be something to consider with headphones.

1) I would like one to be in my practice studio and probably stay there all the time, so most likely open ear. Sound quality is top priority to listen to recordings on my PC while I study music mainly. I do game on my PC, but I don’t really want a game centered headphone. I did look into the Maxwells for a minute until I saw how many QC problems they have. So my top choice after a lot of reviews are:

Sennheiser HD 600 $349

Other options that could be great, but are closed back, but save some cash:

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition $199

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 250 Ohm $170





2) The second pair I need are to use mainly on the go with one of my portable recording devices. I have a sony pcm-d50 and a Zoom H2n used only to record myself in practice sessions and improve music I am preparing for concerts. I don’t produce the files, but I would like a good set of cans for feedback! They need to be fairly portable as I’d have them in my gig bag most of the time. My top 2 picks due to those limitations are

- Sony MDR-7506 $99

- Audio-Technica ATH-M50X $150

These would be folded and unfolded regularly which is of concern with the AT pair since it sounds like it has a typical hinge issue. Some AKG's looked good until i saw many reviews about them breaking as well. The Sony’s I know are standards but not always seen as the best sound quality. I think they would still be great feedback for me.



Then as I thought about options, I figured I may be able to use these practice headphones with by TV and PS5 if I found a good sounding Bluetooth headset. If sound quality isn’t good enough for my trumpet feedback, then I’m not interested. They would also need to have a cable option as my recorders are NOT Bluetooth. I don’t care about ANC but fine if it has it. Main thing is sound quality and a travel with ease low profile and weight. A little bigger but still portable is fine if sound quality is a big step up. Thoughts on if any of these would fit the bill with great practice feedback and as a Bluetooth headset for TV?



Audio-Technica ATH-M50Xbt2 $199

Sennheiser HD 450BT $90

Sony Wh1000XM4 $240



Thanks so much in advance for all your advice and suggestions!

 

[kemmler3D]

Hi everyone. I’m a pro trumpet player and recently decided its time to upgrade some more of my sound equipment. I ran across your site while researching new headphones (and now DAC and amp most likely) and am so impressed at your reviews and how helpful your community is. I would love your thoughts on my situation and my current top picks for 2 headphones. I’m trying to do my homework now in preparation for Black Friday where hopefully there will be some even better deals.

As I said, I play trumpet in an orchestra and my old Grado SR60s are having issues, from pads that never stay on, to the whole right side falling off due to a crack yet still stays on most of the time, to buzzing and now I’m looking to upgrade. What I’m realizing is that I probably need 2 sets of headphones and need some help choosing.

FYI I wear glasses often, since sounds like that can be something to consider with headphones.

1) I would like one to be in my practice studio and probably stay there all the time, so most likely open ear. Sound quality is top priority to listen to recordings on my PC while I study music mainly. I do game on my PC, but I don’t really want a game centered headphone. I did look into the Maxwells for a minute until I saw how many QC problems they have. So my top choice after a lot of reviews are:

Sennheiser HD 600 $349

Other options that could be great, but are closed back, but save some cash:

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition $199

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 250 Ohm $170





2) The second pair I need are to use mainly on the go with one of my portable recording devices. I have a sony pcm-d50 and a Zoom H2n used only to record myself in practice sessions and improve music I am preparing for concerts. I don’t produce the files, but I would like a good set of cans for feedback! They need to be fairly portable as I’d have them in my gig bag most of the time. My top 2 picks due to those limitations are

- Sony MDR-7506 $99

- Audio-Technica ATH-M50X $150

These would be folded and unfolded regularly which is of concern with the AT pair since it sounds like it has a typical hinge issue. Some AKG's looked good until i saw many reviews about them breaking as well. The Sony’s I know are standards but not always seen as the best sound quality. I think they would still be great feedback for me.



Then as I thought about options, I figured I may be able to use these practice headphones with by TV and PS5 if I found a good sounding Bluetooth headset. If sound quality isn’t good enough for my trumpet feedback, then I’m not interested. They would also need to have a cable option as my recorders are NOT Bluetooth. I don’t care about ANC but fine if it has it. Main thing is sound quality and a travel with ease low profile and weight. A little bigger but still portable is fine if sound quality is a big step up. Thoughts on if any of these would fit the bill with great practice feedback and as a Bluetooth headset for TV?



Audio-Technica ATH-M50Xbt2 $199

Sennheiser HD 450BT $90

Sony Wh1000XM4 $240



Thanks so much in advance for all your advice and suggestions!

I have some DT770s but would probably go with the HD600s from that grouping, can't really go wrong there.

As for on-the-go wired headphones, I have the Sonys... the sound quality is better than you'd think from looking at the measurements, but still pretty mediocre . I can't fault the durability though, they seem to put up with a lot.

I have the WH1000XM4s and I like them, but they're pretty far from neutral. Not bad but I think the highs and lows are a little hyped. Good for casual listening and the ANC performs well, they're comfortable, and overall well executed. Could be good enough for listening to your recordings. They're more comfortable than the MD-7506s, but if you don't care about ANC they are probably a waste of money. That's probably 2/3 of what you are paying for here.

If you are not deaing with a lot of background noise, maybe consider getting the HD600 or even go up the scale a bit, and invest in a hard case instead of another pair of on-the-go headphones? Sennheisers won't disintegrate the moment you take them on the bus as long as you treat them semi-reasonably. Consistently working with the same headphones will help your ear adjust so you can judge tone / volume more easily.

Hope this is helpful, and welcome to ASR!

 

[staticV3]

Consider getting a pair of IEMs as well.

The 7Hz Zero:2 is the perfect starter pair.

I prefer it over my HD600.

 

[kemmler3D]

Consider getting a pair of IEMs as well.

The 7Hz Zero:2 is the perfect starter pair.

I prefer it over my HD600.

I thought about this, but in a trumpet practice situation, inserting / removing could be annoying, and not sure if it would be nice to play with earphones in.

But OP if that doesn't sound like a problem, I agree. They are serious bang-for-buck among a few other IEMs that have hit the market in the past few years.

 

[gpunique]

I have some DT770s but would probably go with the HD600s from that grouping, can't really go wrong there.

As for on-the-go wired headphones, I have the Sonys... the sound quality is better than you'd think from looking at the measurements, but still pretty mediocre . I can't fault the durability though, they seem to put up with a lot.

I have the WH1000XM4s and I like them, but they're pretty far from neutral. Not bad but I think the highs and lows are a little hyped. Good for casual listening and the ANC performs well, they're comfortable, and overall well executed. Could be good enough for listening to your recordings. They're more comfortable than the MD-7506s, but if you don't care about ANC they are probably a waste of money. That's probably 2/3 of what you are paying for here.

If you are not deaing with a lot of background noise, maybe consider getting the HD600 or even go up the scale a bit, and invest in a hard case instead of another pair of on-the-go headphones? Sennheisers won't disintegrate the moment you take them on the bus as long as you treat them semi-reasonably. Consistently working with the same headphones will help your ear adjust so you can judge tone / volume more easily.

Hope this is helpful, and welcome to ASR!

This is very helpful thank you! Its why I'm at a bit of a loss. I am ok with spending more than the HD 600 for my on the go pair, but with all the gear i bring daily, i dont want a huge carrying case for my headphones. I'd prob go with the beyers if they collapsed at all, but they dont. Closed back might be better for practice since the cans wouldn't be that far away from my recorder and would bleed in a little. I prob could minimize that though so maybe an even higher end pair to just leave in my bag wouldn't be terrible. any suggestions? even if i got the 7506s, i would need to buy a case so that huge cable isn't flopping around in my bag denting my horn! So another case wouldn't be a crazy amount bigger. Beyers has an outlet section so maybe i could score an even better set cheaply.
Do you know any high end phones that collapse? That's why ATs are on the list. I guess if they last a few years its not the end of the world since they arent super pricey.
Yeah, I figured the sony's M4s wouldn't be the best for music practice analysis, so its nice to hear it first hand.

and your comment about IEMs in another post is correct. They aren't the best for practicing, except how small they are, due to constantly putting them on and off. And playing with anything in the ear is not fun at all. plug your ears and hum, thats basically what a trumpet buzz sounds like when i have monitors or earplugs in. you can't hear your trumpet much less the band around you! not fun.

Thanks for helping me brainstorm to get the right setup! I may stop by guitar center and see what they have out to test.

 

[gpunique]

Consider getting a pair of IEMs as well.

The 7Hz Zero:2 is the perfect starter pair.

I prefer it over my HD600.

Thanks for the suggestion. I may check these out for casual listening. I can't believe you like those more than the 600s! so cheap, i have to try them!

 

[gpunique]

Holy Sh%& The HD 6XX are down to $179 on drop.com today! Maybe I should just get that?

Since they are 300 ohms, would they work with my non amplified recording devices?

 

[staticV3]

Since they are 300 ohms, would they work with my non amplified recording devices?

Which recording devices?

 

[kemmler3D]

This is very helpful thank you! Its why I'm at a bit of a loss. I am ok with spending more than the HD 600 for my on the go pair, but with all the gear i bring daily, i dont want a huge carrying case for my headphones. I'd prob go with the beyers if they collapsed at all, but they dont. Closed back might be better for practice since the cans wouldn't be that far away from my recorder and would bleed in a little. I prob could minimize that though so maybe an even higher end pair to just leave in my bag wouldn't be terrible. any suggestions? even if i got the 7506s, i would need to buy a case so that huge cable isn't flopping around in my bag denting my horn! So another case wouldn't be a crazy amount bigger. Beyers has an outlet section so maybe i could score an even better set cheaply.
Do you know any high end phones that collapse? That's why ATs are on the list. I guess if they last a few years its not the end of the world since they arent super pricey.
Yeah, I figured the sony's M4s wouldn't be the best for music practice analysis, so its nice to hear it first hand.

and your comment about IEMs in another post is correct. They aren't the best for practicing, except how small they are, due to constantly putting them on and off. And playing with anything in the ear is not fun at all. plug your ears and hum, thats basically what a trumpet buzz sounds like when i have monitors or earplugs in. you can't hear your trumpet much less the band around you! not fun.

Thanks for helping me brainstorm to get the right setup! I may stop by guitar center and see what they have out to test.

If portability and durability are important then I would not try to talk you out of the 7506s. They're basic, the sound is decent but from a previous era, but they are built to be used a lot in scenarios like this.

IIRC they come with a little bag that can coil up the cable, if you are not too rough with them they should be OK. I got mine for like $70, a returned unit on Amazon.

The beyerdynamics are also very durable IME but they don't fold up.

Unfortunately I couldn't name any really good closed-back headphones that fold up neatly.

 

[gpunique]

Which recording devices?

I have a sony pcm-d50 and a zoom h2n portable recorders.

 

[gpunique]

If portability and durability are important then I would not try to talk you out of the 7506s. They're basic, the sound is decent but from a previous era, but they are built to be used a lot in scenarios like this.

IIRC they come with a little bag that can coil up the cable, if you are not too rough with them they should be OK. I got mine for like $70, a returned unit on Amazon.

The beyerdynamics are also very durable IME but they don't fold up.

Unfortunately I couldn't name any really good closed-back headphones that fold up neatly.

Thanks! After looking more into beyers, seems like many reviews say they can be really harsh. any experience with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X?

 

[Dazerdoreal]

Thanks for the suggestion. I may check these out for casual listening. I can't believe you like those more than the 600s! so cheap, i have to try them!

And this is not even a subjective outsider opinion.

It is absolutely absurd how good some of these cheap Chinese IEMs have become in recent years. Some of them perform technically better than (most) high-end headphones. It seems the 3D printing technology makes them really easy to produce. The only thing is that they lack soundstage. This is an aspect where In-Ears are always limited in comparison to Over-Ears.

 

[Dazerdoreal]

Thanks! After looking more into beyers, seems like many reviews say they can be really harsh. any experience with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X?

Their newer models, the 700 Pro X and the 900 Pro X, are not particularly harsh unless you are really sensitive.
An option I would not recommend is the 770 Pro X. Their sound is likely too colored for professional work (massive bass and treble boost).

Personally, I really like the AKG 371 when it comes to light-weight closed-back headphones. But I have heard people saying they do not work well for their head shape.
I am also not sure if the build quality is good enough for your needs.

 

[staticV3]

I have a sony pcm-d50 and a zoom h2n portable recorders.

Whether the HD600 will work well with the Sony and Tascam, depends on their output voltage.

You can measure the output voltage before committing to a specific headphone, using a basic multimeter and a 60Hz test tone.

Though in general, it may be worth looking for a more sensitive headphone than the HD600/HD6xx, to have ample loudness even if you did not record at ideal levels.

 

[kemmler3D]

any experience with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X?

I demo'd them in a store once and found them insanely bright, but not much real experience with those.

 

[gpunique]

Whether the HD600 will work well with the Sony and Tascam, depends on their output voltage.

You can measure the output voltage before committing to a specific headphone, using a basic multimeter and a 60Hz test tone.

Though in general, it may be worth looking for a more sensitive headphone than the HD600/HD6xx, to have ample loudness even if you did not record at ideal levels.

Agreed. I haven't tested them yet but will try soon.
That's why I liked the beyerdynamics 770 pro x limited, but not sure I'm into them as much as the Sennheiser. Any experience with those?

 

[Robin L]

Hi everyone. I’m a pro trumpet player and recently decided its time to upgrade some more of my sound equipment. I ran across your site while researching new headphones (and now DAC and amp most likely) and am so impressed at your reviews and how helpful your community is. I would love your thoughts on my situation and my current top picks for 2 headphones. I’m trying to do my homework now in preparation for Black Friday where hopefully there will be some even better deals.

As I said, I play trumpet in an orchestra and my old Grado SR60s are having issues, from pads that never stay on, to the whole right side falling off due to a crack yet still stays on most of the time, to buzzing and now I’m looking to upgrade. What I’m realizing is that I probably need 2 sets of headphones and need some help choosing.

FYI I wear glasses often, since sounds like that can be something to consider with headphones.

1) I would like one to be in my practice studio and probably stay there all the time, so most likely open ear. Sound quality is top priority to listen to recordings on my PC while I study music mainly. I do game on my PC, but I don’t really want a game centered headphone. I did look into the Maxwells for a minute until I saw how many QC problems they have. So my top choice after a lot of reviews are:

Sennheiser HD 600 $349

Other options that could be great, but are closed back, but save some cash:

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro X Limited Edition $199

beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 250 Ohm $170





2) The second pair I need are to use mainly on the go with one of my portable recording devices. I have a sony pcm-d50 and a Zoom H2n used only to record myself in practice sessions and improve music I am preparing for concerts. I don’t produce the files, but I would like a good set of cans for feedback! They need to be fairly portable as I’d have them in my gig bag most of the time. My top 2 picks due to those limitations are

- Sony MDR-7506 $99

- Audio-Technica ATH-M50X $150

These would be folded and unfolded regularly which is of concern with the AT pair since it sounds like it has a typical hinge issue. Some AKG's looked good until i saw many reviews about them breaking as well. The Sony’s I know are standards but not always seen as the best sound quality. I think they would still be great feedback for me.



Then as I thought about options, I figured I may be able to use these practice headphones with by TV and PS5 if I found a good sounding Bluetooth headset. If sound quality isn’t good enough for my trumpet feedback, then I’m not interested. They would also need to have a cable option as my recorders are NOT Bluetooth. I don’t care about ANC but fine if it has it. Main thing is sound quality and a travel with ease low profile and weight. A little bigger but still portable is fine if sound quality is a big step up. Thoughts on if any of these would fit the bill with great practice feedback and as a Bluetooth headset for TV?



Audio-Technica ATH-M50Xbt2 $199

Sennheiser HD 450BT $90

Sony Wh1000XM4 $240



Thanks so much in advance for all your advice and suggestions!

I'd recommend the Drop 6XX headphones. They're actually the Sennheiser HD 650 headphones, long a favored headphone and Drop sells them for a substantial savings. I've got a pair, along with a number of other sets of headphones and I've owned many more including some expensive ($2000 the pair) Stax headphones with matching amp. The Drop 6XX's are good with orchestral music - at one time I was a recording engineer of Classical music, including orchestras. I listen to orchestral music all the time. It's my understanding that the Drop 6XX headphones are very similar to the Sennheiser HD 600s but with more midbass/lower midrange giving them a slightly "fat' or "rich" sound. The AKG K371's are a closed-back pair, around $170. They have more bass and slightly greater treble extension than the Drop 6XX headphones, but also sound slightly less "open" than the Drop headphones. Also, they are nowhere near as sturdy. My Drop headphones have no mechanical problems, the AKGs have developed a few.

The sonic problems with the Sony MDR-7506 headphones turn out to be virtues for portable recording. The audio ranges where there are problems - bass hum and treble buzz - are emphasized. Makes them irritating for relaxed home listening but very practical for monitoring in remote recording. In portable use they fold easily and the cord can be wrapped around the phones, staying in place because of the coiled cord. Also, they are practically bullet-proof. I used them frequently when recording. They're closed back so they offer good isolation and require very little power to get to big volumes.

All of these headphones are so much more comfortable and better sounding than the Grado 60s it isn't even funny. I consider the Grados to be torture devices.

 

[Geert]

I have the 700 Pro X, the HD600 the HD25 and multiple Sony MDR-7506.

The Sony MDR-7506 is a great choice for on the road. Sounds perfectly fine for monitoring. 2 weaknesses; the pads fall apart after some time (especially if you sweat a lot), and the cable is not replaceable.

The 700 Pro X is a newer generation Beyerdynamics and does not have the ear piercing sound the brand is known for. I think they are a great buy, it's what I use myself for playing digital piano. They are more than good enough to listen to music for study.

The HD600's I only use for mixing (and I use an EQ preset for them). Since I have the 700 Pro X the HD600 gets less use, the 700's really have become my workhorse headphones. My digital piano can't drive the 600's loud enough...

And finally the HD25. It sounds crap...

 

[Robin L]

Holy Sh%& The HD 6XX are down to $179 on drop.com today! Maybe I should just get that?

Since they are 300 ohms, would they work with my non amplified recording devices?

I've used them with low-power DAPs. Yes, but don't expect really high volume levels.

 

[Robin L]

Thanks! After looking more into beyers, seems like many reviews say they can be really harsh. any experience with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X?

Meh.