JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques General Technical Forum Durable headsets with good sound

I have a question about headphones. I don’t know much about engineering and stuff so bear with me. I used to work in construction when I lived in Indiana, and when I was working there we used these hardy and durable headsets (the brand name was “OTTO”) that also had the best sound I’ve heard. I know this cuz some of the guys rigged up music over our communication system so we could actually listen to tunes while we weren’t sending messages. After I gave up construction for a desk job I’ve been looking for something like that – but all the headphones I try are either flimsy, or they have poor sound quality (I’m just going by my ear here). Does anyone know of a good durable pair of headphones? I found the website for OTTO products ( www.hearotto.com ), are these well-known in the music industry?

The Sony 7506 headphones work pretty well, though the ear pads tend to be a bit easy to destroy. The folding feature makes them easily portable. Sony 7509's are even better, though more expensive. Either has a bit hyped top end response.
I keep my Sonys for live use. The Beyer D770 offers smoother, more accurate response in my studio.
The ultimate for durability? Get a pair of Koss 44A's. They weigh a ton, but response is good, isolation is great, and you can't kill them.

I use AKG K.501's not sure they even make that model now but they have proved to be so durable. My Sennheisers with the velvet ear cushions rotted out with the sweat LOL

I think they are like Monitors you need to go listen and try them out before buying.

Gerry

You can purchase headphones at Radio Shack if you have one near you. Probably as good as any place to look. You can also look at places such as Musisian's Friend Catalog and find something you like.

I've heard some good things about the Otto headphones, but they do require a battery for the surround sound and noise canceling models (40-60 hour life). They look well made.

Rick

I USE Sennheiser and have never had a "rot" problem the set I have comes with spare ear cushions "just in case" but after a year I still have not neaded to replace them. The sound is awsome but they are still quite lightweight a plus if you use them a lot.

I find Sony XD 100 are doing the trip pretty good, and showing no signs of wear after better than two years constant daily use.
Graham

I'd be concerned with the Ottos because of the battery requirement. That extra bit of weight can really make a difference in fatigue.

I'll back up Jim on this. I also use Sennheisers. I have a 10 year old pair of HD 250 II's. Absolutely great headphones. They're very well worn, I've only had to replace the cable once so far, and the ear pads once as they gave out about 3 years ago. I probably need to replace the foam in front of the speakers as it's pretty much gone. Other than that, I've never had a problem and they give me a great sound - I won't record vocals without them, I take them with me if I do sessions in other studios.

Also, I am biased for Sennheiser as I do have an endorsement with them. But only because I really dig their products. Great quality for a reasonable price.

Jody

Beyer DT770s are excellent. I personally use the DT880 which is a similar model, but semi-open instead of closed - lets in a little more ambient noise, but generally has a flatter frequency response. They're extremely comfortable even over an entire day of use.

I did end up getting a pair of the Otto's, really like them. I like their stance that sound quality and durability are more important than style or sleekness. Anyway, they sound really good, and the price was right (I got the stereo surrounds).

Oh, btw, Otto sent me a code for a 10% discount on their bluetooth car kit or their integrated mp3 player/headphones and free shipping. It's FREESHIP.

Heh, still on their mailing list, so I got this: http://www.wehatetrendystuff.com/ which is just funny in and of itself.