Sony 7506

My new pair of Sony 7506 professional closed-back headphones just arrived on the FedEx truck today (BSW is a great source for pro audio gear btw). I’ve spent a couple of hours listening to them and they’re definitely a major step up from the Audio Technica ‘phones I’ve been using. They should be great for recording and podcasting (which is nominally why I bought them) but I’m really looking forward to checking out more of my iTunes catalogue with them. I’d like to get a pair of open headphones like the Sennheiser HD595′s, but from what I’ve read they’ll probably annoy everyone else in the house that’s trying to sleep. The good news about the Sony’s (and most closed-back headphones in general) is that they do a great job of of isolating sound – what you’re listening to is almost completely inaudible to everyone else, and external noises are minimized. If you’re into music and/or want to check out some hard-core audiophile info try the Head-Fi forums. Of course if you do, beware the amount of money you’ll be tempted to spend on exotic audiophile gear!

In lieu of upgrading to one of the new Macbook pros that recently came out I opted for an upgrade of my existing notebook. I purchased a Hitachi 320GB 7200rpm drive and had it installed by Mac Fusion in Long Beach, CA. The Hitachi drives have had consistently great reviews and so far it has performed flawlessly. It’s quiet, a lot roomier than the 120GB drive that came with the notebook, and slightly faster since it’s 7200rpm vs. the original 5400rpm Fujitsu. I would highly recommend the upgrade to anyone who does a lot of multimedia work on their Macbook Pro, but you do need to find an authorized Apple service provider to install it to avoid violating your warranty. Thankfully the new MBP’s have user-upgradable drives, so going forward it will be easier to get more space.

More news to come tonight. I’m going to try to get caught up on some posts!