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the demise of Beyer DT48 headphones


bilagaana

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I went the other way.  For years i rigged the 7506 drivers to my old DT-48 headset assemblies.   One of the curses of having a large head, 7506s did not fit properly.  It worked great.   Now for the past 10 years or so only sennheiser HMD-270s.  Very happy-  good transition from DT-48s

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I really liked the isolation.  Someone could walk up behind you and talk to you without you participating in the conversation.

 

They were a bit pinchy; might explain my pointy head.  I also miss my Nagras.  They are now decorations in my house.

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I've noticed that only people with lot's of hair like them. Me, having not much hair, suffered from the pads sucking out my eardrums like a plunger at every step I took...

 

I also use the 7506, which is far from perfect by the way but 'better that the rest' that I tested when I bought mine about 7 years ago. Also replaced the earpads with the DT-250 ones.

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I've noticed that only people with lot's of hair like them. Me, having not much hair, suffered from the pads sucking out my eardrums like a plunger at every step I took...

 

Do you mean like this guy?

 

 

Even though I love the film, I still cringe at the way he holds the mic 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I used the Beyer DT-48 headphones (with mono or stereo wiring) from my first Nagra on, up until about 7 years ago, when I got tired of paying for increasingly expensive repairs and experiencing the classic DT-48 ear-clamp discomfort.  What I appreciated about the DT-48 headphones was that they provided an early warning system for clothing noise or lavalier microphone rustle.  If I heard the noise just slightly in the DT-48s I knew it wasn't too late to fix it.  I could just make an adjustment at the end of the take and no one would ever be troubled by it.  The little noise would be unlikely to be audible even in a very good speaker.  With the Sony MDR-7506 or MDR-V6, so much more comfortable to wear than the DT-48, I find that if one hears clothing noise in the headphones -- then it is probably already a problem.

 

Has anyone tried these knock-offs of the Sony MDR-7506 or MDR-V6 headphones?  Apparently they even take Sony cushions and accessories.

 

http://www.kenrockwell.com/audio/senal/smh-1000.htm

 

Ken Rockwell, who primarily reviews cameras, says these Senal SMH-1000 headphones are more accurate than the Sony ones, not having the enhanced bass response.  The Sony's enhanced bass, I feel, is a feature to appeal more to recreational listeners than to professional audio mixers.  The fact that Senal ones are $10 cheaper than the Sony MDR-7506 appeals to me less than the possibility that they might have a flatter frequency response well into the treble range and may give me that early warning for small clothing or handling noises.

 

I look forward to recommendations.

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"Has anyone tried these knock-offs of the Sony MDR-7506 or MDR-V6 headphones?  Apparently they even take Sony cushions and accessories.

 
 
Ken Rockwell, who primarily reviews cameras, says these Senal SMH-1000 headphones are more accurate than the Sony ones, not having the enhanced bass response."
 
I have a pair of the Senals and I do not agree with the statements about being more accurate and having less enhanced bass response. To my ear they seem almost identical to the Sony 7506 but possibly giving you a little less of everything. The high end is not as clear, there is less low end but it is little muddier. I bought them primarily for the removable and replaceable cable --- this is a big feature which allows me to have a set of headphones that I can maker several specialized cables for.
 
I tried to do some research to find out really where these phones are made, how Senal feels they can get away with a shameless rip-off, and there is some indication that Sony actually builds these. Who knows what the truth is (and does it matter?).
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It's been interesting hearing from people who liked the Beyers (a few) and those who hated the weight and the vice-like clamp.

 

Around 1985 I had a pair that needed repair. Before throwing good money into new parts, I made a test to evaluate if the Beyers still had a place in my kit or if I might just purchase something else. With the cooperation of the good people at Location Sound (then ASC), I set up a Schoeps mike on a boom rigged to a C-stand with a support cradle. I put a mixer, probably a Sonosax, on a nearby table and plugged headphones into it. I adjusted the gain so that I was hearing the same loudness in each pair of headphones. Then, standing at a distance where I  naturally heard the voice at the same level as it was reproduced in the phones, I had someone read copy and listened to the result. I would switch between the headsets and also listen without any headphones at all. The idea was to choose the headset that sounded most like listening to the live voice.

 

The Beyers consistently produced a result that was very much like the natural experience. No other headset that I tested came close to the natural experience; they all colored the result in some way.

 

Eventually I moved on and adopted the Sony headsets for monitoring. The Beyers are heavy, they do clamp the head and, with operational experience, one can come to compensate for performance deficiencies. Also, sometimes authenticity is not the best qualification for a monitor; sometimes having potential faults emphasized may be more desirable than accurately tracking frequencies. And, the Sony headsets of today (or others) may be a bit more accurate than the examples of 1985. But the one time I made a careful test, nothing reproduced voice with the apparent accuracy of the Beyers.

 

David

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David ,I must say I agree with what you posted above about the 'natural sound' of the DT 48.All sound students at the the dutch filmschool are still trained with DT48's (mainly because the head of the sounddepartment loves them),but nowadays In cinema and TV all 'recorded' sound is boosted,Eq'd,smoothed:there is no 'natural' anymore.I like the 7506 sound and robustness (DT 48's break down all the time,cablewise..Hated them also for that,+wrong impedance will blow up the shells easily)

 

David C

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I have a pair of DT-48s, my opinion of them is probably why they've been rolling around the bottom of a box, in my loft, for the last 10 years.  Badly-built rubbish IMO.  They're like Landrover Defenders - they do a job and are reasonably tough, but they belong in the last century.

 

I also have a pair of DT-300s.  I use them a lot, they're fantastic in loud environments, although they're just as badly put together as the 48s.

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