Ableton Forum

Christian_R wrote:Thank you all once again for the tips and replies!

Since I'm looking for some good headphones, another question came along: I now just plug the headphones straight into my iMac, but do I need some external sound card to get the best sound, too? Or isn't that as necessary anymore?

depends on headphone impedance

Christian_R wrote:

Airyck wrote:I'm a big fan of the Sennheiser HD-650's as well. I've had mine for many years and they hold up very well. I use HD-25's when out performing but when I'm at home the HD-650's are what get used the majority of the time.

I've been looking at the Sennheiser HD-650, and they seem very nice. I've also read that it lacks some bass, so how does that go with EDM music? I will primarily use them for mixing, so I want as neutral sound as possible.

I also read the the Sennheiser HD-600 has better bass. I would assume that the greater model always is better, so I'm not sure about that.

The one I use now (Sony MDR-1RBT) has too much bass in my opinion, and they make mixing a little hard.

The bass is great IMHO and you can get lost in bass insanity if you crank the bass up. They absolutely do not lack bass. They are very detailed throughout the entire audible frequency range. They seem pretty neutral to me and it’s one of the reasons I settled on them.

The main reasons I have stayed on them so long is that they are extremely detailed, very comfortable (as others have stated too), and I’ve gotten to know them over the years. You won’t miss anything in the low end. I think when most people try them they are pretty surprised by how detailed the audio is. I remember thinking how great it was to actually be able to hear the amp envelope shape on bass sounds.

Ultimately it’s your preference that matters but you will be able hear more than you have in the past. Especially if you’re not used to this caliber of headphones. I pretty much make exclusively dance music as well and I don’t even look at new headphones anymore.

Airyck wrote:

Christian_R wrote:

Airyck wrote:I'm a big fan of the Sennheiser HD-650's as well. I've had mine for many years and they hold up very well. I use HD-25's when out performing but when I'm at home the HD-650's are what get used the majority of the time.

I've been looking at the Sennheiser HD-650, and they seem very nice. I've also read that it lacks some bass, so how does that go with EDM music? I will primarily use them for mixing, so I want as neutral sound as possible.

I also read the the Sennheiser HD-600 has better bass. I would assume that the greater model always is better, so I'm not sure about that.

The one I use now (Sony MDR-1RBT) has too much bass in my opinion, and they make mixing a little hard.

The bass is great IMHO and you can get lost in bass insanity if you crank the bass up. They absolutely do not lack bass. They are very detailed throughout the entire audible frequency range. They seem pretty neutral to me and it’s one of the reasons I settled on them.

The main reasons I have stayed on them so long is that they are extremely detailed, very comfortable (as others have stated too), and I’ve gotten to know them over the years. You won’t miss anything in the low end. I think when most people try them they are pretty surprised by how detailed the audio is. I remember thinking how great it was to actually be able to hear the amp envelope shape on bass sounds.

Ultimately it’s your preference that matters but you will be able hear more than you have in the past. Especially if you’re not used to this caliber of headphones. I pretty much make exclusively dance music as well and I don’t even look at new headphones anymore.

I think I will go for the Sennheiser HD-650 too, I see it has a lot good reviews. How do they work when I plug them straight into my iMac? Is the sound okay? If I buy a new sound card as well, it will be quite expensive

sennheiser hd-650 are high impedance headphones, so you will need an amp or audio interface.

Dr. Zoiberg wrote:sennheiser hd-650 are high impedance headphones, so you will need an amp or audio interface.

I see. Is it necessary to buy an expensive amp/audio interface to bring out the best from the headphones?

Sorry for all the questions, I just don't know too much about this stuff

any decent audio interface should be enough

Christian_R wrote:Is it necessary to buy an expensive amp/audio interface to bring out the best from the headphones?

Sorry for all the questions, I just don't know too much about this stuff

if you wanna skip the interface, go with the Audio Technica M50 - they're arguably just as good and they require no additional power.

I like the Spirit Professionals from Focal, 100% amazing for mixing/mastering.

I'm selling my Sonarworks 4 Headphone Edition license, because I liked it so much that I've upgraded to the Studio edition including mic.
selling for 60€