Best headphones for mixing etc

William_WiLD · 2014-05-16T08:24:02.000Z

looking to spend $200-ish : I have an answer because i test a lot of headphones… close to 200 you have Beyerdynamics which is the best in this price range. I have the DT770 which is a reference for all pro but i find the Custom One Pro very nice because you can set 4 position for the Bass Reflex which is quite nice depending what you do. If you are in mixing configuration you have 2 position which is quite nice for it and in composition situation you can need more bass to feeling better your track. That’s what i find so nice in this headphone. I have also the Ultrasone PRO900 which is a pure pleasure.

BUT/ In my opinion a headphone can’t replace a good monitoring. Mixing is must to be done at low volume… better the morning, PAN is better on Monitoring, Reverb also… If you have a sub monitoring you can better work on 30hZ to 100hZ… If you want to feel the track, it’s always best to go to a real sound system to hear how it sound.

(or maybe have a LD systems to go in a friend garage and test it on a more sound system way…)

AtaRaxis · 2014-05-16T08:30:59.000Z

""t"":

How’s the fit on the Focal Spirit Pro? They seem to be more “on ear” than “over ear” unless you have rather tiny ears…

I thought the fit was fantastic. Yeah they sit more on top of your ears rather than over them. Seemed as if they’d be very comfortable over a long period of time. No pushing down or folding over your lobes. And we did some bleed tests with a mix playing and a condenser (Lauten Atlantis) recording, and it was minimal. I’ll have me a pair for sure, just as soon as I’m done building my modular, lol

nnbveh · 2014-05-16T10:31:41.000Z

Just wanted to second what other people said: i was researching the net on this topic, and ended up ordering focal spirit pro as well, just yesterday in fact)

TrabanT · 2014-05-16T13:10:51.000Z

i needed over ear headphones which dont touch my ears, AND at the same time I have a small head …most headphones dont fit me exceptions were some AKGs and Beyerdynamic.

Went for the DT7770 Pro (80 OHMS) … i recommend you to try on some if you also have a small head … heared only good things before and after buying these (pun intended)

hny · 2014-05-16T13:26:28.000Z

The Beyerdynamics DT 770 are my favorite headphones of all times, you just got to love them.

However i recommend the DT 880 or the AKG K-240 for studio purposes. Both are semi-open so you can wear them longer without tiring your ears.

tsv · 2014-05-16T13:26:51.000Z

""t"":

How’s the fit on the Focal Spirit Pro? They seem to be more “on ear” than “over ear” unless you have rather tiny ears…

I have pretty big ears and they don’t cover them completely. They are kinda in between an on ear and over ear. That being said they are very comfortable and I wear them for hours at a time without problem. Best headphones I’ve used so far. They have a very detailed and spacious sound.

t · 2014-05-16T13:29:37.000Z

Anyone here using the Shure SRH1840?

Dogma · 2014-05-16T13:37:24.000Z

I’ve had the focal twin bes for years and these are supposed to be the closest thing to those. I was going to pull the trigger on the ath-m50x but I might save extra and I might even find some on special

dickmalibu · 2014-05-16T13:46:55.000Z

SENHEISSER HD 558 $180.00 ( I use these )

After reviewing and listening to the DT770 (GREAT HEADPHONES BTW) and
the more expensive HD 600’s I went with the 558"s.
Light weight, comfortable, I have worn them for 2+ hours straight without any fatigue.

And its well within your budget ($180). I was initially looking at spending between $700-$1000 but was surprised with how well they preformed.

All the choices that others have listed are excellent as well (if you can stretch your budget)

If you’re in the NYC area Dale Pro Audio and BH Photo have monitor audition rooms and I believe you can audition headphones as well .
I got the HD558’s from best buy of all places ! Go figure.

FatHand · 2014-05-16T15:14:45.000Z

Get ones that are comfortable to wear for extended periods of time as well as comfortable to listen to. The only way is to try them on!

I use Sennheiser HD650 which have an open cup. Not good for tracking vocals with but excellent for long periods of listening. Very true sounding for mixing purposes, they don’t over-hype any particular frequency. Exactly what you want when mixing, you may perhaps have different rationale for recreational headphones. There are several pairs around this price range and cheaper that are probably equal to one another though so probably best to see which ones suit you best.

I read this guide when I bought mine:
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan10/articles/studioheadphones.htm

Reviews and recommendations are great but best to try out different brands if you can as it’s a big investment.

Calaverasgrande · 2014-05-16T20:16:34.000Z

have you tried Sony MDR7506?
They are the industry standard for audio engineers.
If you dont need isolation I have a hard time recommending anything other than AKG K240M.

MDM · 2014-05-16T21:55:33.000Z

got HD650 Sennheiser ---- can’t get better than those for mxing.
However i want to get a pair of closed back cans, for gigs.
the HD650 are open- meaning fantastic for mixing and you can keep them on your head for 12 hours with no fatigue, but uncool for gigs with loud PA etc.

guga · 2014-05-17T16:28:24.000Z

i’m on the look as well and spotted this pair of sennheiser hd280 on thomann… kind of thinking about getting a pair, for that price range or else, a good [url=“http://www.thomann.de/de/akg_k_812_pro.htm”]investment

oirectine · 2014-05-26T07:51:33.000Z

ended up going with the sennheiser 558s. tried the focal pros and really liked them but didn’t find them super comfortable. sound was amazing on them though. 558s were super comfy and the sound is detailed enough for my purposes, at least for the moment. thanks for all the input!

bluewolfse7en · 2014-05-26T08:18:53.000Z

I use the AT M50 & they’re pretty good, don’t go as low as I’d like but comfortable & do the job. Beware buying on the net tho, if the price seams cheap they’ll be forgeries, a mate got stung a few months back.

Best I’ve heard are the Grados, tiB had some I tried & they were bloody marvelous!!!

http://eu.audio-technica.com/en/products/product.asp?catID=5&subID=39&prodID=266

http://www.grado.co.uk/headphones.htm

Re IEM I use these but I get a serious discount due to artist rates/endorsement, they’d be way too expensive normally.
8 drivers a side, sound wicked!!!

http://www.jhaudio.com/product/jh16-pro-custom-ear-monitor

guga · 2014-05-26T11:12:27.000Z

^ endorse me please they look really nice.
are they comfortable even after long period of time? i’m not thinking about getting a pair , just curious, never used in-ear headphones for mixing…

wiresandstraps · 2014-05-27T01:05:51.000Z

One of the first lessons I learned (form my professor who had 3 grammys under his belt): NEVER EVER EVER mix with headphones.

The SPLs will damage your ears. Permanently if done for a long period of time at even perceptibly low volumes.

Headphones are literally injecting sound pressure directly into your ears.

Headphones should be used as little as possible and at as low volume as possible. You will end up blowing your ability to hear, especially in the high frequency range. Normal people don’t have to worry so much about this, but as an engineer you should.

Headphones in big studios are usually for A/Bing mixes quickly or for vocal booths. Use monitors at lower volumes instead. I know it makes you less portable, but it will give you better mixes.

For A/Bing: I recommend Beyer Dynamic cans and Sony MDR 7509s. Both are flat and revealing and will give you a different perspective then what monitors will.

Please keep the volume down tho. Being a deaf musician would suck.

t · 2014-05-27T04:46:40.000Z

Except that people tend to turn them up too loud, there’s nothing inherently more dangerous about sound coming out of a headphone.

Muddler · 2014-10-13T06:57:59.000Z

I have upgraded from Sony 7506 to aiaiai tma-1 studio guru edition and it is great. The sonys are pretty good but the aiaiai phones are so comfortable and sound really good. Very clear. These are great for people like me who make all their music on cans.

altemark · 2014-11-02T19:48:56.000Z

what about the offerings from chinese manufacturers like Takstar or KZ? Anyone tested the Pro-80? I’ve got the open HI2050’s, and they sound a lot better than could be expected for the price (32 usd)