OT: Headphone while shooting

Cliff Etzel wrote on 7/21/2009, 3:12 PM

Touched on this in the past, but I'm ready to purchase over the ear headphones for better monitoring of audio while shooting. I'm giving myself a budget of $100 max so any recommendations?

I've been using ear buds, but I've found that they become uncomfortable for extended periods of shooting - want cans that can be easily transported (can be folded down?), yet provide sufficient sound quality for monitoring while shooting. These are to be used only to monitor the audio signal while shooting.

Cliff Etzel
Videographer : Producer : Web Designer
bluprojekt

Comments

ushere wrote on 7/21/2009, 3:49 PM

interested also.....

wrong shaped ears for ear buds ;-) and with my impaired hearing, ear buds let in too much extraneous noise anyway.

used to have sennies when i had my pro rig, great little beasts, almost indestructible - but i can't for the life of me remember model no, and looking through their range, can't recognize them.

meanwhile, AVOID at all costs cans that have any sort of 'smooth', thin 'comfort' covering - i've found both the sony and audio-tech headphones that had it suffered from the 'andromedia strain' effect - it just started breaking down - or maybe my sweat is THAT potent?

baysidebas wrote on 7/21/2009, 3:52 PM

I've been using the same pair of Sony MDR-V7s now for close to 20 years. Last year i had to replace the ear cushions, $8 ea from B&H. Satisfied? You betcha! Comfortable, accurate, fold into a fist sized bundle. I think that they are currently designated as MDR-V700.

farss wrote on 7/21/2009, 4:13 PM

You could try the SONY MDR-Z700-DJ. The Takstar branded version is no longer available. We've still got a few left in stock but the cost of shipping them to the USA would put them out of your budget.

In general any folding headphones made for DJs seem to be the best for what you need. Certainly for monitor what you're recording i.e. in noisy environs our Taskstars beat our expensive Sony 7509s hands down.

Bob.

musicvid10 wrote on 7/21/2009, 4:26 PM

I really like my V-Moda Bass Freq earbuds. They come with three sets of ear inserts so anyone can get a good seal without discomfort. Recommended on CNET.

Over-the-ear muffs are going to be uncomfortable, if not tortuous, to anyone who has to wear glasses. Conventional headphones are simply out of the question for me.

FuTz wrote on 7/21/2009, 4:39 PM

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/49510-REG/Sony_MDR_7506_MDR_7506_Headphone.html#features

Tim L wrote on 7/21/2009, 4:44 PM

I think these Gemini DJX-05 headphones are the same as the Takstar's Bob mentions.

http://shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=gemini+djx-05+headphones&_sacat=0&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313&_odkw=gemini+dj+headphones&_osacat=0

I bought a pair a long time ago after Bob posted about the Takstars. I scoured eBay (US) looking for Takstar or any other offbrand headphone that looked similar to the Takstar photo (I think maybe Bob posted an eBay AUS link). These are probably the same thing, just branded differently for a US distributor.

But I'd be about the last guy here to be able to advise you on headphones. I'm just a hobbyist user and was looking for something cheap.

There are plenty of "Sony V700DJ" headphones listed on eBay for about the same price, but they seem to be coming directly from China so maybe they're fakes.

reberclark wrote on 7/21/2009, 4:45 PM

rs170a wrote on 7/21/2009, 6:17 PM

The pro sound guys on the r.a.m.p.s. (rec.arts.movies.production.sound) newsgroup like the following brands:
Sennheiser HD-25SP, Sony MDR 7506, Beyer DT231, Beyer DT 770 pro, Sennheiser PX200, Ultrasone 650, Ultrasone 650 and Ultrasone HFI.
If you're interested, it's the Headphones for location mixing thread.

Mike

Jeff9329 wrote on 7/23/2009, 8:30 AM

The industry standard 7506s were on sale at B&H with free shipping.

plasmavideo wrote on 7/23/2009, 10:42 AM

I'll chime in on the Sony MDR-7506. That has been our defacto standard for in the studio and at live events at the station for years, and I use them for all of my personal shoots and VO work. They are comfortable, offer reasonable sound isolation, and the contour fits over the ear very naturally.

Personally, I like the sound - it's crystal clear. There might be a slight low end exagerated bass response, but they sound darn good, even to my aging ears.

They fold into a nice compact size, and include a carrying pouch.

Plus, the replacement earmuffs are available and cheap.

Tom

Former user wrote on 7/23/2009, 12:53 PM

I've been using an inexpensive pair of Sennheiser eH150's for a while and the audio quality is outstanding. They are "over-the-ear" (if you have average sized ears), and they are great at isolating background sounds. I've noticed humming electrical noise in environments that would have otherwise gone un-noticed with lesser quality headphones. They are also very light and really comfortable, even with my big noggin' they aren't too tight ;-)

One other thing I like is a nice long cord, about 10'. I can ziptie up the excess if need be or let it out completely so I can move around the camera (if on a tripod) without yanking the camera or my head around.

They are an excellent bargain as well at Amazon right now.

Jim