Cheap open headphones suitable for mixing?

Not an option for me I’m afraid, otherwise I’d consider those options for sure.

Thanks for the tip. I read this blog post and my interpretation is that it’s the opposite of what my ears need. I tend to have too much energy in the 100-500 hz range in my mixes, and I prefer to go light on 6 khz. So the fact that these phones have this frequency curve means that my mixes will amplify my tendency.

Sony MDR’s are closed

Yes most certainly. They are the only pair I’ve had for 15 years and don’t see ever getting rid of, but do see myself replacing with a fresh pair if all parts break at once for some reason - as you can order most parts cheap and just repair.

I just re-read your first post. If you need better leak protection, get the non-velur pads as well, as with the velur there is more sound that gets through.

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Yes, but see my reply just above yours. Sounds like they’d exaggerate the flaws in me hearing. :hear_no_evil:

you need a neutral headphone - not a pair of headphone that enhance certain frequency range

Aufiotechnica are not good for mixing

if you mix shit you need to hear shit, if you mix good you hear good

it is the same story as for near field monitors

Sony MDR7506 are very neutral, in fact they are the choice from the best sound engineer around which are very against mixing in headphones, but if you have no choice, MDR is the way to go I am afraid

all the models you mentioned are good for tracking

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I get what you are getting at, but I will half counter it by saying I personally can not stand mixing with something that sounds thin and gives me ear fatigue, no matter how good the results will be in the end. Does not help at all if I can not comfortably wear and use the headphones for long periods. Also does not help if I can not bring myself to listen through all my reference material when learning the set. The Sony’s are amazingly flat, but not pleasant. I would still recommend them as a secondary set to fix the mix at the end.

They do have a bit of a Harman curve to them, but I found this to be somewhat negated by 1) mixing at low volume - they tend to distort (at least beyond what you would want for mixing/mastering) if you drive them too hard anyway 2) having better earpads than what comes stock - having aftermarket earpads can drastically affect the response (think of some Beyerdeynamics models shipping with two sets of earpads to switch out depending on the listening application) - I love these below:

https://www.brainwavzaudio.com/products/sony-mdr-sheepskin-earpads?_pos=3&_sid=1ca736e63&_ss=r

That being said, most lower end headphones will follow the above mentioned curve quite a bit. The one other option that comes to mind is something like Sonarworks if you want to truly flat response. You can even create custom curves if you know there’s a problem area (and it sounds like you’re looking at the opposite curve of what you’ll get in any headphone at this price point).

Another thing, referencing can be pretty powerful so that you can train your ears to understand dynamics and tonal balance across the entire frequency spectrum. Something like Metric AB that allows you to isolate frequencies can really help.

That being said, you know your ears best. If you have any way of demoing a few in a mixing setting via friends and family, don’t hesitate to do your due diligence.

One last thing: I know this is a headphone thread, and I’m not trying to ignore your initial request, but if there’s a need to focus on the mids, have you considered something like the Yamaha NS10s or the Avantone repros of them? They have been the gold standard for years when you want mid-translation. (Be warned, you get no definition on your lows/highs, but that’s why they are typically used as a B monitor - they are specifically aimed at mid translation). Apologies for the tangent, especially if you’re balling on a budget or have environmental factors to consider. Just want to provide as much info as possible to get you where you want to be.

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I’m not very informed here but you come across as having a very strong conviction of these headphones. I’m trying to validate the “very neutral” claim and stumble over this page, which provides a different perspective. I’m sure you can find negative reviews of any headphones though so not sure how much weight I can put into either points of views here.

Best old advice: just go to the store and listen to several sets in person. (unless you do not have the ability to do so for some reason, then just get the ATH M50X, if you like them already)

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Fiio FT1 measure very well, and are apparently very comfortable. Not had a chance to try them myself, but I plan on grabbing a pair for when my more expensive open backs aren’t suitable.

Thank for your many tips.

I’m pretty happy mixing 250 hz and above in my Genelec speakers so I don’t necessarily need my headphones to be “perfect” (not that they exist, anyway! :smiley:). But I guess I’m looking for some consensus on what’s a decent pair of headphones that , if they color the sound, skew towards exaggerating the frequencies where I often unknowingly boost too much because of old habits, preferences and/or hearing impairments. Those Sonys, for example, seem to do the opposite of what my ears need, since they seem to boost 3-5 khz and underdeliver on 200 hz. Though it’s possible that I’m overanalyzing graphs.

If I could test all these, that would obviously be a lot easier!

you do not need to base your opinion only on reviews - just read the frequency range etc and you will start having an idea of what these model can offer for the use you need, thing like impedance sensitivity, freq range etc

for example I would not want to use a headphones that is too tuned on Low frequency range as these will mean that my mix translate in having not enough lows.

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohms :smiley:

Their only drawback is the 3-meter cable that cannot be changed, if that doesn’t bother you, I highly recommend them.

you cannot mix for longer time with headphones, your ear will start having ear fatigue and can get sweaty not matter if you use comfortable or non comfortable headphone, human earring is not set to hear through headphones I am afraid

in general in a loud environment mixing on closed headphone is preferable however the isolation can result in sweaty ears which will create discomfort and prevent a long mixing session.

When I need isolation I use Sony MDR7509, they are super comfortable and never got ear fatigue.
I have had these for 15 years and never had an issue ( I think Sony rebranded them MDR M1)
At night when everyone is sleeping and there is no noise I use Sennheiser HD650

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I have also these and I only use them for tracking - I cannot mix on these and I hate the cable, 3M is no longer needed these days.

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/sony-mdr7506-mdr7509

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That’s why I recently bought a DT 900 Pro X and a 1.2 meter cable and I’m very happy with the sound quality, I’d say they’re more semi-open than open.

TL;DR: it’s really hard to go wrong with DT-770.

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After reading this thread, the opinions of the DT-770s are not exactly universally positive as mixing headphones: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/s/PTXAdNxLG0.