Yamaha RH5MA Monitor Headphones

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List Price: $80.00
Sale Price: $59.99
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

• Frequency Response 20 Hz - 20kHz
• Sensitivity 96 dB/mW
• 8' oxygen-free copper cord
• 1/8" plug and 1/4" adapter
• Compatible with all audio devices

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As a musician who is also a recording engineer, I'd like to say that these headphones are the best I've used at any price when it comes to tracking instruments. When I'm playing an instrument, and I need to hear the other instruments that have already been recorded, I need headphones that have as flat a response as possible. Today's consumer headphones boost the bass frequencies to the point of absurdity. Not these RH5MAs. When I'm tracking, I need accuracy---not fantasy. These Yamahas do the job. Over the past twenty years or more, I've tried nearly every headphone available. I always come back to these. Now, no headphones are good for the mixdown of a song, only loudspeakers work for that job. Yamaha excels there, too. I first experienced the legendary Yamaha NS-10's in a recording studio in Los Angeles in about 1980. They've been the playback loudspeaker standard ever since. These Yamaha RH5's are analogous to the NS-10's in that they are uncolored, and have a nice, flat response. I've had them all: $600.00 Beyers, you name it. It looks like these Yamahas are the best headphones for me at any price. You'll notice that with any Yamaha product that the specs and performance are always top-notch. I literally need these headphones to record properly, and coming from me, that's a big compliment!

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I was looking for a flat-response, high-quality monitor headphone set. In this product, I found one that is comfortable, hi fidelity, efficient (excellent volume preservation), and very reasonably priced. It allows you to hear the music while also letting in some ambient sound, which matches my need for playing an instrument while listening, but not so much that you'd be distracted.

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I just got these in the mail today. I'm impressed by the solid quality of the headphones. The standard jack will fit into your ipod or other mp3 player. It does come with an adapter jack that will fit into professional equipment, so I'm definitely sold on that aspect. The cord is thick and sturdy, not thin like cheap $10 headphones. There is a lot of bass that comes into these headphones... you'd be very surprised at how much bass a small headphone like this one can deliver. I'm no "sound" professional, but the highs, lows, and mids sound-wise are all very good. As for comfort, the headphones adjust very easily and fit comfortably. This is my first pair of good quality headphones and I was afraid that my ears would get all sweaty. They do get a little warm, but that's expected from any headphone. But I will say that they are very comfortable, and they look good as well. I don't think the picture on amazon does these any justice :-).

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These Yamaha headphones have got to be the best headphone "sleeper" (what I mean is not that many people knew about them when I got my first pair over ten years ago, and I think still alot of people don't know about them). People seem to veer towards either "ear buds" or Grado SR60's when it comes to a good reasonably priced set of headphones. IMO these are better than SR60's and cost less, they are also semi-sealed instead of open back, so they are a little better at keeping music in and noise out than the Grados are. Compared to most ear buds, these Yamaha RH5MA's are a huge improvement. The sound quality is good enough to use at home on a stereo, home theater system, or the practicing musician. They are easy to drive, so they work well in any applicationplug right into your ipod, computer or instrument. The tonal balance is excellent, with ample bass, clear mids, and smooth highs. There is not the sense of spaciousness you get from the more expensive headphones, but what you get is truley remarkable at the price. Comfort level is good too. Finally they are Made in Japan (not China) which is astounding at this price level. The only minus for these phones is that unlike Grados or Sennheisers, the manufacturer does not provide user replaceable ear pads.

The Yamaha RH-5Ma is an excellent pair of budget headphones for monitoring. They have a flat, or uncolored, response and their sound is detailed and revealing. Nice, clean tight bass too. These are good qualities for monitoring, which is what I use these headphones for, and I highly recommend them to play your instruments through. They are on-the-ear (supra-aural) headphones, though, so they are best used in quieter environments since they afford only moderate sound isolation.

The sound stage of the RH-5Ma headphones, for me at least, is congested and vocals can seem too forward in some recordings. I don't use the RH-5Ma headphones (or any headphones, for that matter) when listening to music for pleasure. My Sennheiser DT-770s are equally detailed and neutral, but they are more enjoyable when listening to good CDs, mainly because there is more separation between the instruments and the vocals are not so in-your-face.

The neutral, detailed sound (as opposed to a warmer sound) is a matter of personal preference. However, if you listen to poorly recorded or compressed (MP3) music, or listen to music through mediocre equipment, you're probably better off with more forgiving (i.e., less revealing) headphones.

REPLACEMENT EAR PADS: For me, one major knock against the RH-5Ma headphones was that Yamaha does not offer replacement ear pads (they will eventually crumble into dust). I've just discovered that the replacement pads for Sennheiser HD-25 headphones (good quality and available in velour and pleather) fit great on my RH-5Ma's. Hope that helps.