Replacement for Sennheiser 380Pro headphones

[Prime Mover]

Help, my headphones died, because of course they did (as if this week can't get any worse). And the 380s, which have been my favorite closed-back monitoring cans have been discontinued. My wife recently got a pair of 280s, a model I used to have long ago, and side-by-side, they sound boxy and kind of terrible compared to the 380s. Reviews I'm reading of the supposedly upgraded 300s suggest they are vastly inferior to the 380s as well.

So I'm f***ing stuck, with a crap-ton of work to do, and no good cans. I work in a fairly noisy home-office environment, so open-back are not an option. And most cans I've used are either too hyped in the bass (AKG240) or treble (AKG271), or boxy AF (Senn280s). If I can't locate a NEW pair of 380s (not gonna buy used cans in the middle of a pandemic), what are my options? Preferably sub-$400.

[Phil O]

Headphones are so personal. I'm told the shape of your outer ear alters what you hear with over-the-ear phones, so everyone hears a particular pair differently. I don't know how much - or even if that's true. I do know different clients like different headphones in my studio, so I let them try what I've got to see what they like best.

I've been using Sony 7506s for years while tracking. They come with synthetic pads, but I found some lamb skin replacement pads at B&H which make them more comfy. I don't mix with phones, but will sometimes quickly check a mix to see how it sounds with phones. I'm told the 7510s are better but I haven't tried them. 7506: $99.99, 7510: $109.99 at Sweetwater.

I've got some other Sonys, AKGs, Sennheisers, Yamahas and a Behringer. I like the 7506s the best.

Good luck on your quest.

Phil

[mikehalloran]

I’m still a fan of the Sony 7506 but flat, they aren’t. The devil I know...

Gonna have to check out those pads at B&H.

[Phil O]

I misspoke. They are sheepskin not lambskin.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... rpads.html

As to frequency response, the devil you know indeed.

[cuttime]

Everyone loves the Beyerdynamics; a bit pricey for me. I like my ATH M50x for a lower priced alternative. They fit really tight and have good noise isolation. I have a couple of different cans that I've tried to calibrate as best I can to my monitors. I have a different EQ profile set up in CueMix for each set.

[mikehalloran]

I misspoke. They are sheepskin not lambskin.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... rpads.html
...

$5 more than the genuine Sony replacements... Yea, I’m going to order a few pairs.

Thanks!

[Phil O]

You are very welcome, sir.

[Prime Mover]

Guitar Center on the other side of the island has some Beyer DT770s. No Sony's at all in this state. I'm not really familiar with Beyer headphones, and wondering how they stack up? My plan is to order a fresh pair of 380s from China, but I need something to get me by for the next week or two (or more since the world is kind of screwed right now).

My other options are:
AT-M50x (which every review that compares to 380 says they're shrill by comparison)
AT-M70x
V-Moda M100
Yamaha MT8
...or stick with a pair of 280s (which I'm not a big fan of).

[Prime Mover]

Anyone? DT770?

Breaking isolation in 1hr to go pick up some if no response.

[daniel.sneed]

I use mainly a Beyer DT770 (80 ohms) for tracking.
IMHO, it's not totally flat, but it gives me just what I need to play and sing right.
First of all, a good midrange I can believe, and then some fine bass and smooth high.
For critical listening, mix checking and the like, I do prefer my Beyer DT880pro, though, but it's a semi-open can.

Since I have the Beyer cans, I don't use my Sony 7506 any more.

BTW, nowadays I tend to go with in ear monitor very often on stage and sometime in the studio too.
IMHO, Shure 535 is fine and picky, but Westone AMpro30 is very helpfull when it comes to bass and voice.

[Prime Mover]

Great advice! Thanks. Someday I'll have a treated room in the country again so I can listen with NFs and open cans. I understand that no cans are flat, especially closed back. I just don't want ones that are obviously hyped in a particular direction. It sounds like from many reviews that many ATs are cheating towards "listening style" headphones with hyped bass. That's an instant "pass" for me.

This is a curious place for me, as I'm not listening to music but to nature field recordings. Reviews that talk about musical clarity don't really help me as much as most people. I'm more interested in overall clarity, particularly in the mid-range. My job is largely audio cleanup duty, so I need to be able to hear precise events that could be distracting. And they need to be comfortable for long hours. Sounds like the DT770s get a good comfort rating too, so that's a plus.

That's another reason I'm baffled over Senn's decision to can the 380s. When the 280s first came out, EVERYONE complained that they were uncomfortable as hell. I bought my first pair back in the late 90s before they were a mainstay, and they got pretty awful reviews, particularly because of comfort. When the 380s came out, the big deal was they were a different form factor and clamped your head less. So this push to "upgrade" the 380s to the 300s which have a 280 form-factor is REALLY REALLY WEIRD!

I guess when your mediocre product becomes a hit, you have to make everything else with the same mediocre features. Even if they complained about them just a decade earlier.

[Prime Mover]

So I got a pair of DT770s and I generally really like it. It’s actually far more similar to the 380Pro than any other cans I’ve used. There are a couple of bullet posts though:

- I feel like there’s a resonance at around 3100Hz. I started noticing I was throwing an EQ dip on many tracks around the same point, I’ll have to resist the urge to tame that region. I don’t see it on response graphs, but I do see a Valley right around 5k, so that likely causes resonances along the edges, that’s probably what’s going on.

- there are thin external wires that attach the headpiece to the cans. I’m going to have to be careful with these. My Kitty often likes to bite thin wires because they look like yummy mouse tails. She’s killed many pairs of consumer grade headphones. I’ll lay these headphones facing backward so she can’t get to them.

- the cups are very comfortable, however the drivers are very close and lightly touch my ears. Not a huge deal, but I feel it a little over time.

- Not crazy about the lack of replaceable cable. Those are often the first piece to go. My last two cans, the 380Pro and AKG271s both had replaceable cables (with options for phone chord style). Just a missing feature.

Otherwise, great sounding cans, they are going to work! I’d give them about a 90% when compared to the 380Pros.

[daniel.sneed]

Eric, I'm glad you're up and running and fine with the 770.
I agree with you about a slight drop in high mid. As I said, they're not totally flat.
But I think it allows some long unreasonable high level listenings, which tracking musicians are known for...

[Prime Mover]

James, I'm glad you're up and running and fine with the 770.
I agree with you about a slight drop in high mid. As I said, they're not totally flat.
But I think it allows some long unreasonable high level listenings, which tracking musicians are known for...

Yeah, it's not a big deal. Supposedly the notch is on purpose, and that makes sense. The unfortunate reality is most of the time I'm not dealing with musical material, I'm dealing with noise and field recordings, which don't benefit from the same "musical" tunings that most hardware and software try to provide. Mixing theory doesn't apply in the same ways. But that's the nature of the hardware industry, so I've just got to adjust.

Name's Eric btw. LOL

[monkey man]

Eric, I highly recommend the Sennheiser HD25-1.

You might only be able to get the newer model, but rest assured, apart from minor physical / cosmetic changes, it sounds identical.

I auditioned at least a dozen popular models 20 years ago and found that, to my ears, nothing came close to the naturalness of these puppies. They're 70Ω so can be driven by just about any amp out there, and can take a pounding whist producing no audible distortion.

Closed-back, as you requested. Flat-sounding (natural!) and versatile and robust-enough to have become a standard in OB.

My only caveat is that you may need to "stretch" 'em to loosen the grip on your head. I keep mine spaced by an old dictaphone box. I put up with aching ears for years before I thought of storing them this way, so a heads-up in case you take the plunge.

HTH, mate.