It always amazes me how easily disagreements can arise in any discussion involving audio quality.
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A $100 pair of Sony MDR-7506 headphones sound as good as a $1000 pair of studio monitors.
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I do have a problem with you telling people that cheap headphones are 'as good as' expensive monitors.
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Although perhaps deliberately inflammatory, scubaninja's statement might also very well be true. The operative phrase is "
sound as good as", which is a subjective qualifier. Had he said "as accurate as" or even "as useful as", I would have taken issue with it, too. But as to whether headphones can be as
pleasant to listen to as a decent pair of reference monitors, yes they certainly can be. In fact,
in a small room with no acoustical treatment, they can sound a LOT better. Quote:
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...don't compare monitors to headphones.
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Good advice, especially within the context of DIY mastering. Headphones are not a suitable substitute for quality speakers.
A mix that sounds great on speakers will usually sound great on headphones, too, but the converse is not necessarily true.
HR824s are somewhat divisive. Some hate them. I am not a big fan of them myself, but they're
not awful. In fact, the most commonly-heard criticism is that they sound good. It's a true statement. I met a couple who use a pair on their TV set (they were Mackie employees and got the HR824s in a raffle at the company Christmas party), an application that most nearfields would definitely NOT be suitable for. Mine (ADAM P11) certainly wouldn't.
OTOH, the HR824 is indeed almost as ubiquitous as the NS-10, at least in small, semi-professional and project studios. How awful could they be? They are not awful at all. They are more accurate than ANY headphones, to be sure.
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Those headphones are notoriously crappy.
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As for the Sony 7506, it would be a stretch to call them "crappy". There are probably better choices for the studio (e.g. Sennheiser 280Pro for tracking for their superior isolation, Audio-Technica ATH-M50 for their flatness), as the Sonys are really meant for pleasure listening, not critical listening. But "crappy"? Nah. I like the sound of them.