Sensitive headphones, at last!

[Malcolm Stewart]

Being an MD user and now somewhat deaf, I'm always on the lookout for sensitive headphones. Today, I think I've found some - a pair of Sennheiser HeadMax PMX60, neck worn design. For me, the key sensitivity figure is the SPL (at 1kHz, 1Vrms) quoted as 122dB. That's way above most of the other 'phones of various types that were on offer (~102dB to 114dB), and I can now set the gain control of my headphone amplifier to its half-way point. There's even enough sensitivity for the PMX60s to work directly from my European model MZ-RH10, but it's better if I use the additional amplifer ("Headbanger") as I can then compensate for the much larger loss in my right ear. I'm not making any claims as to their other qualities, and they certainly don't seal the bass in as some other designs do. I paid ~£30 from a bricks and mortar outlet.

(I'm amazed that in my relative youth, 30 years ago, my hearing was good enough for me to sit on HiFi assessment panels, but creeping otosclerosis has put paid to that involvement with the audio industry.)

I was out early this morning recording the dawn chorus, and on playback it certainly sounds better, to me, using the PMX60s.

Edited May 4, 2006 by Malcolm Stewart

[t0fler]

I had a pair of these and i thought they were great, sadly one of the headphones snapped off when i fell asleep with them on, the only thing to watch out for is they leak sound at a tremendous rate, everyone around you will be able to hear everything playing

[Ishiyoshi]

Thanks for sharing your review with us. I am moving this thread to the 'phones section of the forum.

[Malcolm Stewart]

I had a pair of these and i thought they were great, sadly one of the headphones snapped off when i fell asleep with them on, the only thing to watch out for is they leak sound at a tremendous rate, everyone around you will be able to hear everything playing

That's a good point about the leakage, particularly as much of my recording is Dummy Head Stereo. The last thing I want is feedback to my microphones which I mount on the side edges of the peak of my baseball cap. I do have some very well sealed earphones for monitoring this actiivity, but they're not anywhere as sensitive, and I have to be careful to not raise the recording level too far, so as to leave headroom for unexpected peaks.

[Mr_Bass_Man]

I can only add my endorsement to the virtues of the Senn PMX60s. Although I don't have any significant hearing affliction, apart possibly from a touch of tinitus, (usually drowned out by the drone of my PC), and "sensitivity" isn't usually a problem with any headphones for me, I have an aversion to sticking things IN my hears, so I prefer over the ear phones. To me they are very comfortable as well as sonically acceptable (my Technics cans have a better sound, in my opinion). They sound especially good with my R700 MD unit, which seems to have quite a nice headphone amp. I use mine for on-stage monitoring in my "other life" as an amateur musician (probably where the tinitus comes from ), and they do that job really nicely. In fact, owing to the fact that anything "on-stage" has a rather hard life, I have a spare pair in case of accidents.