So anyone preordered the new Neumann headphones yet?
Any reviews / opinions would be appreciated
I’m curious too. Seems the early response has been positive. This stuff is so subjective, sometimes I think you just have to go with a trusted brand and drive in knowing you can return them. But $500 for headphones is sort of the ‘next level’ and feels riskier. I’m sure more and more reviews will pour out in the next couple months. 
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I’m a big fan of the Sennheiser HD8. The bass is a bit more hyped than the HD25’s, and I prefer that. The build quality is way better too. They also come with a nice case.
Sony MDR-7506
I have been using these for years. First pair I bought in 2008 or 9 and still going strong, although they are currently in storage so I bought another pair while ‘traveling’.
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for mixing and mastering at home you should take an open headphone. the sennheiser hd600 is the most neutral sounding on the market. we use them as a reference when testing other headphones in our office. you dont even need to eq them with sonarworks, because sonarworks dont tell what they define a flat frequency curve. on headphones. normaly you will need to do comparisson tests with 1/3rd octave bands of noise within a neutral listening room, because the human ear reacts different than an artificial dummy head for measurements. this is what sennheiser did to make shure, the hd600 has a neutral response. if you wanna use it also on a mobile device, take the hd660 which sounds similar but has a lower electrical resistance.
also: the guy who mastered the headphone surround mix of kraftwerk 3d, tom ammerman, did it on a hd600, because it sounds so neutral, even more neutral than the expensive (and good) hd800s.
in a noisy environment take some closed cans. beyerdynamic dt 770 are quite neutral and very cheap for their soundquality, very good for monitoring. the dt1770 have a much better detail resolution, but cost 4 times as much and are not as neutral as the hd600.
the sennheiser hd25 are very solid mobile headphones, they are good control headphones for djs and playing live. but they have a sharp peak around 8khz and not much is happening above that, so they are not appropiate for final decisions on a mix or master. they are also not very comfortable to wear over long hours.
if you wanna look at other models, download the demo of sonarworks and have a look at their frequency curves for different headphones. sonarworks is also great for roomcorrection of monitors.
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Another vote here for the Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro 80 ohm. Been using them over 10 years and still going strong. Mixes usually come out pretty good, a tad on the bassey side. They are comfy and great to work with for hours. I just picked up some cheap Pioneer DJ hrm-5 but haven’t used them much. Grabbed em on a sale so I could use them when travelling.
Quick question for those using the Beyerdynamic DT 880 pros. I know they’re semi-open in design, so I like the idea of them having a better spatial quality when listening in comparison to my 770 pros. What I’m wondering is how much louder are they, for others around me? I work late at night when my kids are sleeping in the next room over, so I wouldnt want to wake them. Any other benefits using 880 over 770?
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DT 880 pro 250 Ohm here. I would not worry about the loundness in the other room. The walls/door should protect your kids.
The 880 is really flat and if you listen or produce some bass heavy music, you could perhaps miss something or mix to much bass in your tracks (you need to be aware and get used to it).
If you also want to use the 880´s in public (e.g. travelling) as well it could be difficult, because you will also hear the noise from your sourroundings.
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I just bought the DT 990 which are fully open and honestly they’re not loud at all.
The sound leak problem is only for the scenario of a recording booth where the sound of the headphones will be heard in the recording.
But otherwise, they’re not monitors, nobody will hear anything in the other room.
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My old workhorse was Focal Spirit Pro. They are pretty good but bass shy.
Now I’m using beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro’s and they’re much better with the low end reproduction.
Beyerdynamics 250 ohms. Best cans I have used over the last 10 years by a long shot. Very comfy. Great detail. I live alone so dont have a clue about sound leakage.
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DT770 are pretty great and super comfortable, seem like a really good pair for the price.
For listening at work etc. I am very impressed by the sound of my Sony WH-1000MX3 wireless noise cancelling headphones. There are a few quirks in operation (mainly just that you can only pair to one device at a time so switching between listening on phone and computer is a pain) but they sound awesome, are not tiring to wear and the NC is excellent.
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There is a new one in town that just became my favorite Mastering-Headphone: The Fostex TH-909. Really expensive (1800 Euros) but so much better than the stuff from Sennheiser and Beyerdynamic (though they are also good). Great space, lots of details and very precise in the lowest frequencies.
Shoot! It better be good for that much!
Dont Forget having a good headphone amp too. I run my 7510 headphones through these
https://littlelabs.com/monotor.html
I can hear more detail with my softube 4000E channel. I can also hear more detail with stock plugins in Ableton and maschine. I also hear more details with my compression on the neve master buss processor.
My DT 770 are still working after 10 / 11 years, however I am thinking of getting the 880 or 990. Does it sound like a good use of money? I mix primarily on headphones. Maybe I’m just gassing for something new, but my headphones are one of the older pieces of gear I’m using. I just wonder if it’s a worthy upgrade or a waste of money.
Just get new pads and keep mixing away. Why learn a new weapon when you got a solid one already that you know all about with experience ?
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I was thinking the same. I feel my mixes are pretty decent and I do know the headphones well. I just know the semi open and open style headphones are typically better for getting an idea of the stereo field. They’ve been solid for sure.
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I’ve been using the 250ohm DT 880’s for 5 years with the intention of moving up to the Audeze LCD-X’s next. Did you happen to give those a try and still decided that the Fostex were superior or?
I got some open headphones a while ago too, mostly for checking the stereo image and the feeling of the room of the track. There’s really quite the difference, it all… spreads out less extreme.
So I usually check that and then go back to the 770’s for paying attention to the other stuff.
If you’re looking to do that, get some open headphones. But I wouldn’t solely rely on them.
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