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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Accuracy
    5. Mid Accuracy
    6. Treble Accuracy
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation
    2. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
    8. PC / PS4 Compatibility
  10. Comments

Sony MDR-7506 vs Sony MDR-7520

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sony MDR-7506
Sony MDR-7520

Tested using Methodology v1.6

Updated Apr 08, 2025 06:10 AM

SEE PRICE
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Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Aug 07, 2021 12:25 AM

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Amazon.com
Sony MDR-7506 Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Picture
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Studio
  3. Closed-Back
  4. Podcast

Variants

  • MDR-7506 (Black)
  • MDR-7520 (Black)

Our Verdict

Sony MDR-7506

Sony MDR-7520

The Sony MDR-7506 are slightly better critical listening headphones than the Sony MDR-7520. The MDR-7506 offer a better value thanks to their mid-to-budget price range. They also have a more comfortable fit than the MDR-7520 and they sound better overall with more bass. On the other hand, the MDR-7520 are a much better build headphone. They have more premium look and design and feel a lot more durable than the MDR-7506. They also come with a detachable cable which further increases their durability compared to the MDR-7506.

0 

Check Price

Black
MDR-7506
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7506
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7506
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7506
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7506
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Black
MDR-7520
Amazon.com
 
Black
MDR-7520
Amazon.com
 
Black
MDR-7520
Amazon.com
 
Black
MDR-7520
Amazon.com
Read more

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 

5.8
No major differences between these headphones for mixed usage. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sony MDR-7506 Design Picture 2
Sony MDR-7520 Design Picture 2

Type  

Over-ear
Over-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

No
No

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show Text 

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Comfort Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.46 lbs
0.6 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0.85 lbs
1 lbs
Show Text 

Controls 
 

0.0
0.0

Controls Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Controls Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

No Controls
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

No Controls
N/A

Feedback  

No Controls
N/A

Call/Music Control  

No
No

Volume Control  

No
No

Microphone Control  

No
N/A

Channel Mixing 
 

No
N/A

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
N/A

Talk-Through 
 

No
N/A

Additional Controls  

No
N/A
Show Text 

Breathability 
 

6.6
6.4

Breathability After Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Breathability After Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

5.3 °C
6.1 °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

6.2
5.9

Portability Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Portability Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Portability Picture

 

5.0" (12.7 cm)
7"

 

5.7" (14.5 cm)
5"

 

2.9" (7.4 cm)
3.2"

Volume  

82.00 in³ (1,343.73 cm³)
112 in³

Transmitter Required  

No
N/A
Show Text 

Case 
 

0.0
6.5

Case Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Case Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Case Picture

Type  

No case
Pouch

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.0
8.0

Build Quality Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Build Quality Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Build Quality Picture
Show Text 

Stability 
 

5.5
6.5

Stability Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Stability Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Stability Picture
Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Angled Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Side Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Front Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Rear Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Top Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 In The Box Picture
Sony MDR-7520 In The Box Picture
Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool

Bass Amount 
 

1.18 dB
-0.17 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.24 dB
-0.88 dB
Show Text 

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

7.5
6.2

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.51 dB
0.85 dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool

Bass Accuracy 
 

8.3
8.2

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Bass  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

2.43 dB
2.49 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

12.42 Hz
21.19 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

2.56 dB
-0.23 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

2.97 dB
3.28 dB

High-Bass 
 

1.01 dB
2.53 dB
Show Text 

Mid Accuracy 
 

9.3
8.6

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Mid  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

0.94 dB
1.91 dB

Low-Mid 
 

-0.52 dB
-1.82 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.63 dB
-1.3 dB

High-Mid 
 

0.27 dB
-0.05 dB
Show Text 

Treble Accuracy 
 

7.9
5.3

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Treble  

See details on graph tool

Std. Err. 
 

3.2 dB
5.62 dB

Low-Treble 
 

2.46 dB
-0.53 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

0.11 dB
0.73 dB

High-Treble 
 

-11.64 dB
-2.39 dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.5
5.8

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks/Dips Graph  

See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

1.68 dB
2.88 dB

Dips 
 

0.93 dB
2.18 dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

8.7
7.6

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response  

See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.28
0.33

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.88
19.4

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.61
0.39

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

1.51
2.75
Show Text 

Passive Soundstage 
 

4.8
5.9

PRTF  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

2.87 dB
2.52 dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

1.72 dB
5.36 dB

PRTF Distance 
 

9.66 dB
9.73 dB

Openness 
 

5.8
4.1

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

3.0
3.7
Show Text 

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sony MDR-7506 Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No

Room Ambience 
 

No

Head Tracking 
 

No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

7.6
7.5

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.158
0.239

WHD @ 100 
 

0.245
0.212
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

No Firmware

Power 
 

Passive

Connection 
 

Wired

Codec 
 

PCM, 24-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Default

Microphone 
 

No Microphone
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

4.1
5.7

Noise Isolation  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-11.75 dB
-14.68 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

0.53 dB
0.55 dB

Mid 
 

-7.14 dB
-13.6 dB

Treble 
 

-29.17 dB
-32.33 dB
Show Text 

Leakage 
 

7.4
7.1

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

37.13 dB
39.29 dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

No
N/A

In-Line 
 

No
N/A

Boom 
 

No
N/A

Detachable Boom 
 

No
N/A

Mic  

No
No
Show Text 

Recording Quality 
 

0.0
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

Sony MDR-7506 Microphone Frequency Response
Sony MDR-7520 Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

N/A
N/A

LFE 
 

N/A
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

N/A
N/A

HFE 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
N/A

Gain 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

SpNR  

Sony MDR-7506 SpNR
Sony MDR-7520 SpNR

SpNR 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

N/A

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

N/A
N/A
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
0.0

Battery Type 
 

No Battery
N/A

Continuous Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Additional Charges 
 

N/A
N/A

Total Battery Life 
 

N/A
N/A

Charge Time 
 

N/A
N/A

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
N/A

Audio While Charging 
 

No
N/A

Passive Playback 
 

Passive Headphone
N/A

Charging Port  

None
N/A
Show Text 

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 App Picture
Sony MDR-7520 App Picture

App Name  

No App
N/A

iOS  

No
N/A

Android  

No
N/A

macOS  

No
N/A

Windows  

No
N/A

Equalizer 
 

No
N/A

ANC Control 
 

No
N/A

Mic Control  

No
N/A

Room Effects 
 

No
N/A

Playback Control 
 

No
N/A

Button Mapping  

No
N/A

Surround Sound  

N/A

Surround Support 
 

No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

9.1
9.5

Cable Picture  

Sony MDR-7506 Cable Picture
Sony MDR-7520 Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

No
Yes

Length 
 

4.17 ft (1.27 m)
4.6 ft

Connector 
 

1/8" TRS
1/8" TRS

Latency - Analog 
 

0.2 ms

Latency - USB 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Analog

Wired Latency 
 

0 ms
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
N/A

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
N/A

NFC Pairing 
 

N/A

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - SBC 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Codec  

No Bluetooth Audio

AAC Support 
 

No

aptX(LL) Latency 
 

N/A
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Audio Only

Wired USB 
 

No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

Audio Only

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
Show Text 

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Audio Only

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
N/A

USB Input 
 

No
N/A

Line In 
 

No
N/A

Line Out 
 

No
N/A

Optical Input 
 

No
N/A

RCA Input 
 

No
N/A

Dock Charging 
 

No
N/A

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
N/A
Show Text 

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC / PS4 Analog 
 

Audio Only
Audio Only

PC / PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC / PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Check Price

Black
MDR-7506
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7506
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7506
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7506
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7506
Amazon.com
Black
MDR-7520
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Black
MDR-7520
Amazon.com
 
Black
MDR-7520
Amazon.com
 
Black
MDR-7520
Amazon.com
 
Black
MDR-7520
Amazon.com

Sony MDR-7506

Sony MDR-7520

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sony MDR-7506 vs Sony MDR-7520: Main Discussion

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