Marc Wielage Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I noticed earlier this year that Sony finally updated their headphone line with a new series of 'phones: the MDR-7510 (replacing the venerable 7506) and the MDR-7520 (replacing the newer 7509). I was in the market for yet another backup pair, so I thought I'd give the new ones a whirl. The 7510's drive enclosures are more square than the 7506's, but I think they actually fit the ear a little better (at least, on my own giant head), and the top of the headband is much-better padded than the old one. I've been using the 7506's for at least 20 years -- maybe 25, I can't remember how long Sony's been making them -- but I'm intimately familiar with how they sound, good and bad, and to me, it's like slipping on a well-worn, comfortable sock: there's no surprises, it does what you expect, and it's pretty reliable. There are music fans and recordists who don't like the 7506's because of a perception that it kind of "hypes" the highs and lows. That may be true, but I think this exaggerated response is good for location sound, because it makes certain sound problems instantly audible. For example, on a shoot I did six years ago (actually, my first feature as a mixer), I instantly realized that my boom op had failed to turn on the low-cut filter on the shotgun. And at the time, I was on a mixing panel with very limited EQ capability, so this was vital on this project. The 7506's have also been criticized for being "fatiguing" over time. No question, my ears are sometimes in agony at the end of the day, especially if you have seven screaming women in one room (as Mike Carmona and I recently dealt with). Others have gone with more mellow-sounding 'phones like the Sennheiser HD-25's or the mid-priced Audio-Technica's. I've hung onto the Sony's just because they're what I know, plus I own six or seven pairs, and I've also customized a few for specific situations. On a whim, I bought a pair of the MDR-7510's recently and was very impressed with the fit and finish. They squeeze the head a little more than the 7506's, but I think I could bend them a little to avoid that. I also noted that, despite the squarish shape of the enclosures, they'll still take the Garfield-type pads, for those who want to avoid "sweaty ear syndrome" (always a problem in 95-degree LA heat). So far, I've found them to be much less fatiguing than the 7506's, but every bit as accurate. These are the first headphones I've encountered that are sorely tempting me to change after 20 years. BTW, I have it on good authority that one reason Sony came out with the updated model was because there's a big market in counterfeit Chinese-built 7506's, especially on eBay. No doubt, the counterfeiters will eventually gear up for the new ones, but probably not for awhile. I haven't tried the bigger 7520's; I assume they're like the 7509's, which are the "big brother" of the 7506's, with what feels like another octave of lower bass response, but feel quite a bit heavier and have kind of a "squeaky" frame. I own a pair but rarely use them. Check out the 7510's -- I'm really impressed with them so far. Sadly, Sony provides both a straight cable and a curly-cord cable with the 7512's, but not the 7510's (but they do provide separate cables for the 7520's, which are more than twice as expensive). I'm not a curly-cord fan, so once again, off to the modification shop I go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmfsnd Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Thanks for the writeup Marc, I'll also being reviewing these cans soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Yes, thanks for taking the time. I've been eyeing a pair of these especially since the price tag is about the same as the 7506 and I've worn my backup pair ragged. It looks like they don't fold up though? That's too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nika paniashvili Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 thanks Mark was about to order another 7506 as my boom op's backup but gonna go for this now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted June 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 It looks like they don't fold up though? That's too bad. Just discovered this! You're absolutely right -- no foldup, which will make storing the 7510's a pain. I think that's one of the prices we pay for the thicker headband. They also changed the old storage bag from leatherette to cloth, which seems cheap to me. But the headphones themselves are very solid and seem durable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 As an FYI the 7510 is $130, the 7520 is $400. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaul215 Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I wonder if this has anything to do with the 7506 shortage from a few months ago. Maybe they were tooling up for the replacement. At $129 versus the 7506 at $99, I bet the 7506 will continue to sell well. That really starts to add up if you are buying 10 at a time. I just ordered a set to try, though I'm not psyched about the lack of folding since I spend most of my time working from a bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Check out the 7510's -- I'm really impressed with them so far. Sadly, Sony provides both a straight cable and a curly-cord cable with the 7512's, but not the 7510's (but they do provide separate cables for the 7520's, which are more than twice as expensive). I'm not a curly-cord fan, so once again, off to the modification shop I go... To tame the coiley cord on my 7506s I threaded an elastic cord through the coils and fastened it on each end. Keeps the cord as short as possible but can still stretch a little if needed. Marc I PM'd you on a different topic. When you get a moment.... Bernie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toy Robot Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I was a victim of the Chinese 7506 knock offs, and trust me, they are not even close to acceptable. It was an instant return, and the last time I ever buy 7506's from a non-reputable dealer. You get what you pay for, is the saying... I'll look into the 7510's, but I'm still a 7506 fan. Time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Check out the 7510's -- I'm really impressed with them so far. Sadly, Sony provides both a straight cable and a curly-cord cable with the 7512's, but not the 7510's (but they do provide separate cables for the 7520's, which are more than twice as expensive). I'm not a curly-cord fan, so once again, off to the modification shop I go... To tame the coiley cord on my 7506s I threaded an elastic cord through the coils and fastened it on each end. Keeps the cord as short as possible but can still stretch a little if needed. Marc I PM'd you on a different topic. When you get a moment.... Bernie Replacing the coiled cable in the 7506 is not a hard job. Remove the left side ear pad and there's a driver mounting plate held in place by 4 screws. Remove the screws and the entire driver assembly is on the other side of the plate with the wires soldered to specific solder points. Do a continuity test to see what (TRS) goes where. Desolder the old cable and replace with the new straight cable. The pass through hole in the ear piece is about 3/16". Use a cable tie inside the ear piece as a strain relief. After all is done you'll need to wire in a 3.5mm TRS at the connector end. The picture shows a set of 7506 belonging to a customer that I replaced the cord from coil to straight. The old mangled, twisted coil cord is to the right in the shot. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Joachim Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 I wonder if this has anything to do with the 7506 shortage from a few months ago. Maybe they were tooling up for the replacement. At $129 versus the 7506 at $99, I bet the 7506 will continue to sell well. That really starts to add up if you are buying 10 at a time. I just ordered a set to try, though I'm not psyched about the lack of folding since I spend most of my time working from a bag. The MDR7510 and MDR7520 were introduced at NAB 2011, before the tsunami and, the subsequent parts/supply shortage.. Our rep explained that they were conceived as another tier of products, not a replacement to the existing products in the MDR line.We were very impressed with them. We have them in stock but have found that the lack of foldability (made-up word alert) is an issue for the majority of guys who do most of their work out of a bag. But everyone seems to love how they fit on the head and sound. Build quality is very nice also. SJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Non-foldability is a deal killer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 " You get what you pay for, is the saying... " I have frequently said: Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Norflus Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Eric Is the TRS on the replacement the same TRS that is on the original that accepts the screw off 1/4". If so where do you source those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Eric Is the TRS on the replacement the same TRS that is on the original that accepts the screw off 1/4". If so where do you source those? No it's not Jack. The one in the picture is a molded on connector that is attached to the cable that I cut off my Ultrasone phones because it was too long for my tastes ( 3 meters or about 10' I think. ) Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylormadeaudio Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 ...It looks like they don't fold up though? That's too bad. Kind of a deal-breaker for me... I'm guessing they abandoned this feature due to production costs... too many parts, assembly time, etc. (more so than to combat counterfeitting). Either way, it's a bummer -- I love my 7506's ~tt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Non-foldability- A deal breaker for me too! Great pity. I'm due for a replacement pair but might buy a few extra 7506's in case stocks run dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSound Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Eric Is the TRS on the replacement the same TRS that is on the original that accepts the screw off 1/4". If so where do you source those? Trew Sells one but they are expenisve at $45.00 each I was lucky Eric never throws anything away http://www.trewaudio.com/store/Remote-Audio-Replacement-Straight-Cable-for-MDR7506-Headphone.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted June 29, 2012 Report Share Posted June 29, 2012 Trew Sells one but they are expenisve at $45.00 each I was lucky Eric never throws anything away http://www.trewaudio...-Headphone.html That seems just a bit high as you can buy that from Ultrasone.com for $19. Only difference is that one end has a regular 3.5mm TRS which you just cut off. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirror Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 That seems just a bit high as you can buy that from Ultrasone.com for $19. Only difference is that one end has a regular 3.5mm TRS which you just cut off. Eric Great find Eric... will be ordering that. Hopefully Trew Audio will see this and bring the price of theirs down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fieldmixer Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 I would purchase a pair if they folded also. If they don't fold they would get trashed/damaged real fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sounddguy Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 The replacement cord for the 7506 is Sony Part # 1-580-792-21 CORD (WITH PLUG) Parts guide http://www.bakon.org/sony-mdr-7506-service-manual-ver-1.1-2002-07.pdf I cannot for the life of me find a working on line link for the Sony parts store in Norcross, GA. The phone number is (800) 488-7669. I always keep a spare set of the hangers in my tool kit for quick replacement. Of course with multiple V-6 sets still in use, I guess I am a qualified antique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 Great find Eric... will be ordering that. Hopefully Trew Audio will see this and bring the price of theirs down. Thanks. www.ultrasone.com or 951-677-4600. Goto the "shop" link and you'll find two cables offered, the 03 for $12.60 that's 2'7" long and the 01 that's 4'11" for $18.90. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Norflus Posted June 30, 2012 Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 Do the Sony 1/4 screw on adaptors fit on those? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted June 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2012 Doh, I hate those damned screw-on adapters. I'm a big fan of snipping those off and replacing them with heavier-duty 1/4" plugs. I do keep a couple of pairs with 1/8" connectors just for checking camera hops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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