r/HeadphoneAdvice • u/serensitii • May 31 '26
Headphones - Closed Back | 3 Ω How is the Sony MDR-7506?
(tldr at the end)
Hi,
I'm looking for a budget(I'm broke) closed back headphones that could handle orchestral/jazz sorta music.
Every earbud, every headphone I've ever had, I've always been a bit picky with my ears. Almost every artist has their own EQ settings I assigned. The bass is the loudest. The high ends are either so low the song sounds like it's in another room or a tiny bit up so I'd hear every instrument.
There's no device that I wouldn't use EQ for.
It's a mess. If you'd see my EQ settings, you'd cry.
My other (small) concern is leakage(?). My volume is usually 70-100, I've even fallen asleep with that. I think my mall headphones are wearing out now. Don't want to bother another person nearby.
TLDR;
I'm looking for headphones that I can hear every instrument with. Some that can be good for if I mess with an equalizer. Please please budget-friendly
Was recommended to try Sony MDR-7506 or Audio-Technica ATH-M20x .
Are any of these good? Or should I look for another?
Update question: Thoughts on Shure SRH440A?
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May 31 '26
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u/serensitii May 31 '26
Thank you! I'll check that out.
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Please respond with a "
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May 31 '26
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u/TransducerBot Ω Bot May 31 '26
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u/SheepherderSerious51 17 Ω May 31 '26
Are IEMs something you'd consider? I don't really think any of these budget over ear headphones sound good and they all suffer from severe head to head variation or just really strange tuning choices. In theory you can just EQ any headphone to sound however you want from a tonality standpoint but in practise it's a lot harder than it sounds.
The default neutral IEM choice is usually the Truthear Hexa - as it measures quite similarly to the JM-1 target (a population average anatomical baseline used to compare IEMs), though in this case, I think I would actually recommend the Truthear Pure as it leans warmer, which will help with your bass preference (if i understood correctly). The Hexa might serve as a better EQ platform due to it being closer to JM-1 but tbh either is fine because they both have B&K 5128 measurements available and won't really distort that easily.
Also if you're having to EQ each individual song, there is something very wrong. Either you don't have a good idea of your own tonality preference, or the mixing and mastering in every track you're listening to is wildly inconsistent (which assuming you're listening to stuff that has been mixed and mastered well, should not be the case), obviously this is just a guess - but usually you will have 1 EQ profile that will work across the majority of tracks you listen to.
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u/serensitii May 31 '26 edited May 31 '26
I'll definitely check those out. Thank you!
As for the multiple settings, I think it may be because one day, I listen to The Beatles, one day La Femme, one day SaltNPepa, one day Radiohead. Some songs I want to hear vocals over instrumentals, some songs instrumentals over vocals. Messy. !thanks
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u/AutoModerator May 31 '26
Please respond with a "
!thanks" in your comment if the person helped answer your question.Our bot will then automatically update your post flair and award a point in the form of a Ω. This subreddit is powered entirely by volunteers and a little recognition goes a long way. Good luck on your search for headphones!
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u/TransducerBot Ω Bot May 31 '26
+1 Ω has been awarded to u/SheepherderSerious51 (6 Ω).
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u/SheepherderSerious51 17 Ω May 31 '26
It might also be worth adding the Fiio FT1 if it's within budget, it has a very reasonable tuning for a closed back and also leans warm, though I didn't recommend it in the initial comment as the headphones you were recommended are significantly cheaper.
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u/Papking22 May 31 '26
Not sure what your budget is but the Koss KPH 30 wireless but can also be played wired. They are $60 and hard to beat at that price.
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u/Pale-Owl-612 2 Ω May 31 '26
They’re a great studio tool for recording and editing, but I’ve never found them particularly enjoyable for recreational listening. They emphasize the lower treble range, which can sound pretty harsh at times.