i do all of my composing and mixing on dt990s and have no issues. i honestly think it comes down to just learning how they translate to other systems, using reference tracks, and a 2nd set of ears for mastering. there’s no reason you can’t make professional sounding music using headphones as your primary monitors.
1 Like
That’s true until you get to around £400, then I understand it can be better. Those 2019 Audeze LCD 1 go right down, almost flat to <30hz. But then I could just buy a pair od Dt770s for 1/4 of the price and go between… Also these New Akg 371 are meant to be very good closed backs.
Thanks for your reply phaelam. It got me reading into the subject again.
The way it looks I will be buying a pair of new open backs and see how they are for mixing. Probably will be going for the Audio Technica ATH-R70x with the sonarworks preset. Reviews have been good.
Thanks for making me spend money 
1 Like
oops…sorry 
I’ve used Beyerdynamic DT150’s in the studio for 20 years, although i rarely use them, they are more for clients when recording vocals, closed back so there’s no spill into the mic.
They seem to be what most pro studio’s tend to have.
Because they are indestructible, even by Beyer standards.
2 Likes
A lot of people say they’re the best in that price range. Though you can get Audeze LCD 1’s for a little more.
I’ve replaced the ear pads and the foam rubber insides once in the 20 years i’ve had them.
Very comfy also.
I’ve used the cheap and cheerful AKG 240’s for 20 years now and stick with them the same way engineers stick with NS-20’s, because you know if something sounds good on them it’s likely to translate to other systems.
That said, after spending some time with the iLoud Micros (excellent btw) there are definitely details that I’m missing on the 240’s, and forsee investing in some mid-level cans in the future for mixing/critical listening.
I also use Grado SR60e’s at my office job for recreational listening, sound nice enough and don’t seal out external noise (so I can hear the phone ringing for example…)
1 Like
I work on a pair of AKG 712. Had them for years, they gave up on me once but I know them so well now, I made sure to get them repaired rather than find and learn new cans.
I’m in the same position as @alailama, the kids took over the place. I do all my work on headphones now, but I still have my monitors. When I’m at the point where I can’t get any further on the AKG’s, I bring out the monitors and temporarily let them rule the living room (which isn’t treated at all for monitoring) to iron out the last details. Then, the monitors go back until it’s time again. Nice thing with kids in this scenario, they tend to like my stuff and it’s like a micro gig at home, where I’m kind of rehearsing indirectly as they listen and bounce around to the beats.
Logistics aside, to get around the fact that I was using monitors in a space where you shouldn’t, took some time to get used to. I was given good advise by people I know who know these things I don’t, and learned their behaviour in this new space by listening to ref tracks until my ears bled.
I still get my low ends wrong. It feels like a hit and miss game. But even tho I’d love to blame the space and the workflow, I can’t. I’m just not very good at mixing and engineering put me in the perfect context and my shit would still rumble louder than a troll’s belly after hot texas chili.
3 Likes
I have spent a longtime researching this.
Canopener + Sonarworks + HD650’s is the best I have found. My mixes generally translate, sometimes the bass can be off though.
I also have a second pair of reference headphones; V-moda M-100 which are closed back. I don’t think they are super accurate but I like em.
1 Like
I got a 21-day trial of Sonarworks Reference 4 yesterday and it’s amazing! I’ve set it up to be on everything outputted from my MacBook Air, so I can listen to other music, YouTube videos and anything else that makes sound over my DT770s with a near enough flat response (slight dip in the profile in the very deepest sub bass regions – no bother for me). I was surprised to find 60% of my recent mixes sounded pretty decent, while some of the others were flabby or missing top end. That won’t be a problem in future. Also, the button to instantly check a mix in mono has really helped me reign in the chorus and reverb to more professional levels. I cannot recommend it enough!
Edt: Here’s a before (blue) and after (purple) of the frequency response on my cans now:
1 Like
Another AKG240 user here. You’ll find them in most studios and for the money they’re fantastic. That said, I find them a bit too detailed on the bottom end (i.e. bass can sound clear in the AKGs but muddy on other systems). As such, I also think it’s worth spending $30 on a pair of Apple earbuds for establishing a basic mix - if it works on Apple earbuds it should translate well anywhere. And there are a lot of listeners out there who use these earbuds. Finally, IMO it’s also worth getting a single Auratone for mono level checking, particularly mids.
2 Likes
good open Headphones with a neutral frequency curve are very important. Expensive ones often offer more detail. Sennheisers hd600 (300 Euro) are very neutral, though a bit thin in the bass. A great tip is the Hifiman Ananda, which offer impressive detail and neutral sound for a grand. Audeze often sound dull in comparisson and are very heavy.
a cheap Sonarworks alternative is Toneboosters Morphit for just 39 Euro, it flatens out the frequency curve of many headphones (www.toneboosters.com/tb_morphit_v1.html).
another great tool is the spl 2control, wich offer two headphone amps with a very convincing crossfeed algorithm (spl.audio/studio/2control/).
For getting the bass right, a subpac can help (subpac.com).
How are you driving the neumann Can?
I found the DT too pronounced in the low- there is too much bass which does not translate well when you listen on speakers
I got great results with Hd650 and I am now
Intrigued by the Neumann headphones
Doesn’t that mean you should be reducing/EQing/filtering the bass in that case?
Well no you should have a neutral listening, otherwise you do wrong mixing decisions which is what I am experiencing with the DT770
Nice , so you are mixing with the iLoud? Or just listening?
Yes, that’s why Sonarworks is so good 
Edit: sorry, misinterpreted your original reply