Customer Reviews

Sony MDR-7509 Professional Studio Monitor Stereo Headphone MDR-7509

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was looking to buy a good quality headset to hook up with Yahama P120 digital piano and Onkyo SR702 receiver. Someone recommended this headset to me. The sound quality is superb. SONY has detailed specifications on its dynamic range, response.

From my listening experience both from the Yamaha P120 digital piano as well as SACD played from SONY DVPNS775 via ONKYO SR702, the sound from this headset is amazing. I can hear all the details and nuances from piano music, orchestra work. For example, when in the first movement of Rachmaninov No 3, there is a very very "light and sutble" string accompaniment from th violins, I can hear that very very well on this headset. When there is no output from the Onkyo Receiver, there is NO blank noise at all.

I was considering to buy Bose QuietComfort II to upgrade my Bose QuietComfort I. I am happy that I bought this SONY. I compared the sound quality of this SONY MDR7509 with Bose QuietComfort I (not II, the new one), the sound quaility of SONY MDR7509 is way way better. The Bose's dynamica range (they do NOT publish it by the way) sounds much much less, much details from the piano and orchestra music is missing and there is a lot of blank noise when there is no output from the Onkyo receiver.

The shortcoming of SONY MDR7509 is that it is not as light weight and comfortable as the Bose QuietComfort I(not sure about II) and doesn't actively or eletronically cancels the enviromental noise. I really care about sound quality, SONY is superb in that respect.

One big problem I have with Bose is that they do not publish their technical data besides weight and dimension. When you call them to ask their frequency range, noise ratio, selectivity, they won't tell you. Instead they ask you to go their show room to try. In their show room, you will compare their products to nothing. And of course, they will most likely look good.

I love to listen to headphones, and have been doing so since the mid 1960's. These Sony cans sound really nice, they have great seperation, and the dynamic range is quite good. They need to be powered by an amplifier, or receiver, they are not for low power portables, nor computer sound cards. I am listening to some newer country music, Shania Twain's "Come on Over". I recomend listening to female singers because their range is difficult to reproduce faithfully. These Sony's shine in the mid to lower base, and in seperation, but they lack the clarity in the mid highs around 8,000 hz where they tend to be a bit subdued, the highs are also some what muddy, but don't "zing" like my Beyerdynamics do. The other problem with the Sony MDR 7509 is the coiled wire which tends to tug at the phones, the limp wire used by other manufacturers is less obtrusive. The Sony MDR 7509 is a good pair of cans, if one listens to more bass intensive music, like rap, they however lack the clarity of my Sennheiser HD 580'S which are simply a better headphone at 1/2 the cost of the Sony MDR 7509 PRO.

I purchased these headphones last week and have listened to a lot of both classical music and opera with them; its been a rewarding experience.

This unit has a full audio range while at the same time blocking out extraneous noise (however, they aren't a noise reduction unit) You have the feeling of almost like being in a sound proof room; you hear nothing but the music or ambient sounds associated with the orchestra. They were able to pick up some of the more subtle sounds that occur during a performance that you would not pick up from floor mounted speakers.

The only niggling complaint I have is that even though the set is circum-aural fitting, I found that they tended to be warm on the ears after about 20-30 minutes of use.

This product is expensive, but worth it, i.e. you get what you pay for; in this case, a quality product geared towards audiophiles.

I'm using these in my home recording studio, for tracking mostly. Any pro will tell you that you shouldn't monitor with headphones and these are no exception to that rule. For tracking though, these fit the bill nicely. Very comfy, thick pads that are shaped just right(for my ears anyhow) allow extended use. Good isolation and they're plenty loud. Decent spaciousness and sound stage.

Nitpicks: The bass seems exagerated, right in the "boomy" 125Hz range, it's not unpleasant, but it is noticable. My biggest gripe is the way the cord transmits sound into the headphones, like a stethoscope. Brush the cord with your arm and you hear it plain as day in the left can. Before I use them I have to make sure the cord isn't brushing up against or swinging into anything. I've noticed this sort of thing with other headphones to some degree, but it's especially noticable with the MDR-7509.

I'd also like to add that they're pretty well made. Mine have hit the floor countless times and are no worse for the wear.

For tracking in the studio or casual listening these are great for the money, but...Grado has released some great headphones in the $100~$200 range since I bought these, I highly recommend listening to some of those and see how they compare.

I bought my pair of MDR-7509s in the fall of 2001. I was a sophomore studying music recording and was told to purchase a pair of 'professional' headphones for editing. I opted to pay more for the 7509s over the 7506s that my classmates were buying because of several features. First, these cans go down to 5Hz. At that low frequency you're really 'hearing' with your skull more than your ears, but the fact that they could reproduce below 20Hz was important, because I do not like mixing with a subwoofer. Second, these headphones peak at 3W! They can get very loud, and being able to handle that much power is important for the larger drivers (7506 has 40mm while these are 50mm). During the first few years of ownership I watched as my classmates abused their 7506s, and most of them had broken. Later I became a studio tech and was constantly cursing the 7506s we used for tracking, as they were always breaking and I was the lucky one to repair them. After 9 years of ownership I've finally had to perform my first repair on mine: The cable had worn out on the 3.5mm plug, and sadly, I cut the nice threaded plug off and replaced it with a cheaper gold one. If I could have found a threaded 3.5mm jack to solder on, I'd have been happier. Unfortunately, repairing that Sony 3.5mm threaded plug is nearly impossible as they glue the whole assembly together and you have to destroy it just to get it apart.

The sound of the 7509 is great- very flat, but still full. I've tried many other headphones over the years, and the only runner up so far is the MDR-7506. Beyerdynamic makes great headphones, but they do not get nearly loud enough for tracking. AKG's 'pro' cans are junk and are constantly falling apart. Sennheisers aren't bad, but I've not tried any with large diaphragms. Every time I've ever used a lesser pair of headphones over the years, I've wished that I had these with me.

From what I've read, it sounds like the newer 7509HD model is not as good as these are, which is disappointing. If I had the money I would buy 5 more pairs for my recording studio. I hope I can keep these going for the next 25 years.

Travis Funk
Owner and Producer
Steele Street Studio
Denver, Colorado

I bought these to replace a pair of Bose Triport headphones that literally shattered on me as I removed them from my head.

Unlike the Bose, the Sony MDR-7509 are extremely durable and outperform anything I've ever owned previously.

I've tested them with everything from Bach to Pink Floyd, Yes, Sevendust and Disturbed. These headphones deliver flawlessly from the most subtle passages of The Wall and Yes' "Changes" to the most crunching bass of Sevendust and Disturbed tracks.

If you're looking for quality, this is where you should end up!

I've been using the MDR 7509 headphones since 2001. Prior to that, I used the MDR 7506, which is a staple in many studios. By comparison, the 7506 has little bass which is one reason they are noted for their clear sound, thus their use in so many studios. But when I tried the MDR 7509, I could not believe how any headphone could so accurately reproduce bass while retaining the clarity of the smaller 7506 model. These are amazing headphones. I bought two pair for monitoring in my music arranging and audio engineering work. When you play back something for a client, you both want to be hearing the same things, of course.

This is the only set of headphones I can safely say I'd mix audio with. And I don't recommend mixing audio with headphones, but if you have a good headphone mixer (software that reproduces the effect of hearing stereo monitors through your headphones), you can get away with it with these.

For loud music, don't use headphones. Period. But if you're willing to listen in a safe listening range, these are excellent phones, because the clarity and detail remains even at lower volumes. Some report that they are too hot; I never notice this, and I've used them in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Texas, where things do get hot. I even like the coiled cord, because it's less in the way, and yet has a LONG reach.

Mine are nearly 9 years old, and the padding is beginning to peel in spots, but the sound is still as beautiful as the first day I plugged them in. They are bulky, but collapse into a very small bundle for travel. They are NOT noise reducing headphones. While they do drown out incidental noise such as people talking around you, they do NOT drown out jet engines. If anything, they seem to reverberate that particular pitch and sound. I don't try to use them on a plane if I'm sitting near the engines. Elsewhere on the plane they work quite nicely. They've served me well over the years, and while they're definitely not for jogging with your iPod, they are studio workhorses. I've created a lot of music with these. I'm familiar with many major brands of headphones, and I'm very sensitive to coloration by any sort of monitor, be it a surround sound system or tiny earpieces, but I can easily say that of all the headphones I've ever used or sampled, this is the only kind I ever want. I'm about to replace them (due to the padding wear from 9 years of constant use), and I'd take no other kind. The only problem with them is that they make some music sound better than it should. Put that mix in a boom-box, and it can sound awful. One has to be on guard about this; it's a real problem in studio monitors, but that's why we have cheap monitors around to check on the "low-end" sound. As long as you refer to the cheap monitors periodically, you'll learn to luxuriate in the detail of these phones while pumping it up a bit for the low-end crowd.

Shooshie

Ok so when I saw the Mdr 7509 had been redesigned I got all antsy about what I was missing. So when recently buying more cans for studio and CHiPOD use I looked into a few pairs of MDR-7505 phones. The salesman also had some very well priced new MDR-7509HD sets which I picked up on a pure whim.

So I get home and break out the 7505 sets to compare and start with the let down...No such let down came. The 7505 sets although smaller perform extremely well when compared to the old 7509 series.

Then came head to head tests between HD and Previous series 7509's. I must say the low end on the HD set is compromised to clarify their "better Midrange response". I found them more annoying for long sessions of monitoring...I prefer less high end in my sound and a more subdued midrange. Thats just my own preference.The old 7509 series is bassier if that's what tickles your fancy. It certainly does it for me. So I personally prefer the old series and the 7505 set to the HD series. Sorry to disappoint.

This now bring the question...Which of the 7509's are more colored and which are flat? So much for industry standards.

If you are getting them because of the 80 KHz response you won't hear it unless you're a dog eared human being.Typical hearing in a Human is commonly between 15Hz and 20 KHz.

This being said they are great phones but if you get a chance compare both sets before buying and see which you like best. For me they are no loss as I can use them for monitoring and recording with other musicians in studio.Happy shopping and always trust your own ears not someone's reviews. we all hear differently.

These headphones are way better than Bose by a long shot. These headphones have the richest sound I've EVER heard. I watch the Star Wars movies with these headphones and I hear things I've never heard before. These are amazing headphones. I even listen to concert CD's I make off the internet and some of the songs distort but they don't distort because these headphones can handel the high notes in the CDs and it won't distort. I also listened to video games with these headphones they sound awesome too. If you want nice expensive headphones get the Sony Studio Monitor MDR 7509 Headphones but if you want crappy headphones get Bose. Buy these headphones!!!!!!!!!!!!! they RULE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

these headphones totally ROCK. The Sony MDR-7509 Professional Studio Monitor Stereo Headphone's are some of the best sounding non-noise cancelling headphones I've ever personally heard. I would not say they are worth 200-250$ though, i would say more like 150$ish. '

The worst part about these is after I had just bought them (few hours ago) I just played 2 tracks and after 10 minutes into listening my ears and head began to feel warm. These things are SOOOOO HOT. I unfortunately am going to have to return them now. If you demo them in a store make sure you put them on for 10-15 minutes and judge for yourself

2nd part of badness imo, I am a DJ and spin with conventional vinyl, you cannot spin each ear peice independantly. That is a nice feature I have always liked. You can invert the ear piece, but they do not comfortably sit on your shoulder to cue up the next trk.

Other then that they are excelent for production of music and general studio listening

B+