after years of spending as little as possible on headphones to spend it on gear instead I am ready for a new (read: real) pair of headphones. I have my setup for now which frees up some bucks for new investments, yay!
Now, have any of you people used hd25’s and aiaiai’s tma-1 to be able to compare them? Because those two are the ones I actually consider (they cover both ends of my targeted price range). Up to now, I used those panasonic retro cans named HT7X which worked surprisingly well considering their lowlowlow price. Nice bass, ok mids, but now I want something that has better rendition of mids and especially highs (I like the highs on the HT7X, but as soon as a hi-hat comes in, i realize why they are cheap, the upper end just blows. They sound like shattering glass sometimes.). Mainly for DJ’ing (minimal techno/tech house), but also to listen to pink floyd on the bus.
I probably won’t be able to test them both, only the HD25’s.
TMA-1 are cheaper than the hd25, i am a sucker for minimalistic functional design, but i hear the hd25’s sound better, especially in the high range. Warm and dark, that’s what reviews say about the TMA-1’s, brighter and less forward in the mids, as the tma’s seem to be a bit oversaturated there. hd25’s are about 20% more expensive, depending on source. Are they 20% better also?
Does anyone have a comparison of HT7X and TMA-1’s or HD25’s? Well that would be superb because I think I am a little biased by using nothing but the panasonics for 2 years. Now i need something that will make me happy for the next 2 years…
I have two different types of headphones, depending on the situation.
I use Sony MDR-V600’s for all day listening at work. The earcup is closed, keeping out background noise…and the ear cup is large - it will fit completely over my ear without touching. This means they are comfortable for all day use. The response has some coloration…there is a slight “smiley face” to the overall response.
I use Sony MDR-7506’s to DJ. These are also closed cup, and allow me to monitor much lower than most other DJs I share a booth with. The ear cup rests on my ears…so they are only comfortable for a few hours in a stretch. The response is flat…so these are very handy during setup when I need to make room EQ adjustments.
The Sony headphones almost never make the “top DJ headphone” lists. But, they represent good value for $. I think of these in the same way I think about the Shure SM58. There are certainly better headphones (or mic’s) available…and they almost certainly cost more. The Sony’s are proven, industry standard, and good value for $. Both are in the <$100 price point.
headphone reviews i dont trust much since you can get a highend pair and people will judge them before burn in. My Sony MDR-V700 when I got them first sounded like crap with no bass then all of a sudden after a month of constantly playing music it suddenly sounded awesome and continues from there.
Probably will end up djing with my Shure SRH440s for a while since my sonys… hehehe I someout burnt out something in the left driver so now there’s no bass
while i cant help you in a side by side comparrasin of the TMA’s and HD25s.
i can say the HD25s are a great sounding headphone and if hi/mid clarritty your after more so than base, i would highly recommend them
now i may be biased as i own them. but from every review or comment out there the overall sound quality is great. the TMA’s i seem to have a louder more punchy base sound and are also a great headset and even DJTT highly recommend them (but they are also selling them-so why not)
if you can go into a local store and actually try on a few different headphones that may be best, because when it comes to headphones its each to there own
but read trough the treads and reviews and that should help you make your mind up but i dont really think you can go wrong with choosing the TMA’s or the HD25’s. just about personal taste and whats more important to you sound claritty/base/comfort/durability/style/price etc
Got tma-1’s as I discovered DJTT, so went with them on the basis of other reviews. Use Bose QC15’s for listening. Have UE Triple-Fi 10’s when I want/need IEm’s. Had Dr. Dre’s on loan for a week. tma-1’s are astounding.
(mainly deep & tech house, some prog, minimal and dub)
(a snippet from the skratchworx review-but well worth a read) The Bottom Line
As I’ve previously stated, I think all the headphones in this group can be happily used by any DJs. It really does come down to your personal needs. So if you were expecting me say Headphone X is the best then you’re wrong. I can state that the Ultrasone DJ1 Pro, Pioneer HDJ-2000 and Sennheiser HD25-1 IIs are my favourite. And if pressed to pick a pair to become my day to day cans, then I’d probably go for the Sennheiser HD25s. But they have to go back. Bugger.
yes that is why i ask here, to hear what people say after a while of use. The reviews are unisono, but i know from my HT7X’s that i was disappointed at first and only kept them for lack of money. After a while, they suddenly started to sound surprisingly good.
oh, and i listen to music about 8 hours a day. half of that on headphones, so light weight is a plus. Don’t know about those pioneer things, they look heavy.
Thanks so far everyone, a lot more options now that i wanted, but i will check them all out and see what i can get my hands on for testing.
headphone weight isnt a problem for me since I have always been wearing headsets that were pretty heavy for like several years now =p funny thing is… I hate light weight headphones alot!
If you have an extremely large head, like myself, in diameter, the Sennheiser will not be for you.
The thing is pressing that hard, you will have a headache within 10 minutes.
I have gone for the Pioneer HDJ500 instead.
The sound may be a little bit less than the Sennheiser, than again, if I want studio sound, I will not go for Sennheiser but BeyerDynamic.
When DJ-ing you’d want a nice fat bass and a good definition in mediums and highs.
For me the HDJ500 is more than satisfying.
I bought a pair of Sony-7506’s 2 years ago, used them for EVERYTHING. home listening, walking to class, rain, snow, djing, producing, you name it. By the time I was wrapping them in duct tape to hold them together I decided it was time for a new pair and went with the TMA-1’s.
Personally, I think the sony’s sound better. but I can see the affinity dj’s have towards the TMA-1’s because of the heavy bass response. I kept my TMA-1’s in my room and only at gigs, and continued to abuse the sony’s for everyday use. The left can on the TMA-1’s crapped out within 2.5 months, and the Sony’s are still going strong.
I don’t think that should deter you from the TMA-1’s, as the costumer service people have been great and are sending me a new pair as we speak. But there is something to be said for the good-ol-workhorse. Whenever friends ask for headphone recommendations, I ALWAYS go for the Sony’s
Bling (high gloss plus hip-hop bass), the price, and BATTERIES? no way, i am way too forgetful and anti-bling for those to be an option.
massive bass isn’t important. Sure, it has to be there and it has to be punchy, but i dread those hip-hop style basses where you feel like someone tried to suffocate you with a pillow on every beat. Friend of mine has a car stereo that does nothing but simulate the sounds of continental drift. Is there an english word that says “dry” like the french “sec”? That’s what i am looking for.
Will definitely look at the Sony-7506’s. I think they look crap compared to TMA-1’s, but reviews say they sound great and the shop around the corner sells them so i might be able to test. Thanks, rami
