Recommended Headphones for Mixing?

aeon · Post by **aeon** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:59 am

i got HD 650s for xmas.

they're... amazing

angryman · Post by **angryman** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:24 am

Check out this site. They sound pretty unbiased in my opinion. Giving small but decent reviews to check out.... Look at the WEEKLY recommended listening times for Decibel rating, ouch.... well now i know i'm fucked for sure...

All things headphone seem to be on there as well

http://headphones.com.au/blog/

register · Post by **register** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:28 pm

hey, thanks again for all your input.
Ok, so now I know what's you all think is good, but now I'm very keen to try some out! Like monitors, everyone's gonna have cetain preferances with their cans, right? so I'm not too keen to go on recommendations alone. Does anyone know anywhere in the UK, or any branches of store that allow customers to demo headhphones?
Thanks

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:05 pm

You can order from Thomann and will hve 30 days to check out. I bought Ultrasone DJ Pro recently, testing in a shop was positive but only when I started to use them realised that they are too heavy, too fragile, too bulky, make my ears sweat and nothing comes close to old HD 25 as far as Djing is concerned
Got full refund from Thomann including shipping.

mkelly · Post by **mkelly** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 6:54 pm

rikhyray wrote:make my ears sweat .....
Got full refund from Thomann including shipping.

I hope they don't just package them up and send em out to the next dude - mmmmrikhyrayearsweat

Kilroy · Post by **Kilroy** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 9:08 pm

I am making the assumption that you want to use these headphones in the same way that have previously used studio mons, and that is to make mixes that are transferable. So you are looking for a set of cans that are flat and don't impart too much of their "personality" to the music, correct?

If the above assumptions are correct, you can rule out a whole bunch of headphones. For example, the Senn HD650s are extremely mellow, so your mixes will likely be quite bright. The previous-generation 600s are perhaps a little brighter, and you can get them a lot cheaper. The AKG 701s are lovely after breaking them in for a year. They were, for me, tinny and fatiguing out of the box. They have since improved dramatically, though I still find that they suppress the mids just a little bit. I also have the Beyer 770s, which to my ear sound better than the 880s. These are my "pure pleasure listening" headphones. They make everything sound great, which is probably not what you want if looking for a transferable mix.

You should seriously consider the AKG 240s as one poster mentioned above. They are a nice flat headset and it is no accident that they are one of the industry "standards." They are kind of like Yamaha NS10s. If you can make your mix sound good on them, it will sound good everywhere. I also like the Senn 280s. They sound great, they are sealed, which gives you a different feel on what you're mixing, they fold up, and they are $99 all day long. I have a pair on my head right now. For my purposes, I switch among the Senn 280s, the AKG 240s and a cheap pair of Grado Labs headphones that I love, even though they are frankenphones at this point because I have worn them out and fixed them several times.

Let me know if I can answer any specific questions on any of the headphones above that I own.

K.

register · Post by **register** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:22 pm

Kilroy - thank you! at last someone has picked up on the frequency response side of this discussion, as opposed to considering headphones either intrinsically good or bad.

Thanks for the heads up on Senn HD 650's - I tend to mix a little too bright as it is, these probably wouldn't do me any favours.

You Say 'The AKG 701s are lovely after breaking them in for a year.' is this a case of you getting used to them, or the 'phones response changed over time?

You Compare the AKG 240s to NS10s - so you say you wouldn't use them to mix down, but instead to reference? Since they're relatively cheap, I'm thinking it could be worth getting a pair in addition to a more flat headphone (possibly the AKG 701s)
Thanks again, very wise words, I'm feeling.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:19 am

You will learn your headphones with the time, one reason why I didn't upgrade from 600 to 650 (neither Bob Katz did), I know the weak sides of them. When I was forced to work more with headphones only I used to switch them to detect problems so I had beyers, Sennhs 600, 25 ( mainly for detecting bass problems) and AKG DF which are very interesting/different then any other because of the diffusion thingy. 701 are incredible but a bit uncomfortable ( maybe my skull is not meant for them). If I had to choose only one then HD 600.
880,600/650 and 701 any of the 3 might be the one for you

Kilroy · Post by **Kilroy** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 12:58 am

Hi Register,

I'm glad I'm on track for a change!

The 701s definitely changed in tonal character over that time. They were plugged into the headphone jack of a CD player I have in my rack and got a lot of action while I wasn't listening to them, so I guess it was a very informal, unscientific "break-in" period. The headphone corksniffers have special CDs they use for breaking in headphones, but I think my method worked okay. (-:

As for the NS10s, they are just harsh, unforgiving monitors, so the adage is that if you can get your mix to sound good on them, it will sound good on anything. The 240s are not harsh, just really flat. You hear what's there an not much more. They are actually great for long sessions.

I have been to some super high-end audio stores that have 701s, 650s, etc. that you can listen to, so perhaps if you have a store like that by you you can check it out. Most places will let you return things. I end up buying all my headphones from HeadRoom (headphone.com). They have a thirty day return policy so what I have done in the past is order three sets of cans, and keep the one (or two (-: ) I like best. The guy that works with me there is really knowledgeable, and can perhaps make some better recommendations for you. In any case, I highly recommend HeadRoom. Make sure you click the button to get the "secret" price there if you order.

Hope that helps!

JK

xzusa8ky · Post by **xzusa8ky** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:22 am

One Word; Sennheiser HD 25-13

SubFunk · Post by **SubFunk** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 1:46 pm

xzusa8ky wrote:One Word; Sennheiser HD 25-13

got 'em and don't like them that much, the only thing they are is: LOUD. good for def DJ ears, though. soundwise i prefer my trusty HD 280 P

also i can recommend a few headphones but mixing on cans is about the worst idea ever, it's been discussed over and over, there are some people who say it's OK to do it, i say NO!!! never ever mix on cans.

some good cans however for tracking, listening, etc. are:

sony MDR 7506 / 7509
Sennheiser HD 280 / HD 650 / HD25 (sound is ok-ish but they are LOUD!)
beyer dynamic DT 250 / DT 770 Pro - 990 Pro

like to get a pair of sony MDR 7506 myself, the best value for money cans i know of. they are about 130 euros at thoman. (the HD 280 are as good soundwise, but built poorly (the headband breaks apart), some of the sennheiser cans since they manufacture in ireland suck ass.

rikhyray · Post by **rikhyray** » Fri Jan 09, 2009 9:52 pm

I use HD 25 for over a decade they are great for tracking, DJing, field recording, film sound but never ever for any mixing.
Sony 7509 are interesting because can work for both tracking and mixing. With the other market leaders you need one for tracking one for mixing like DT100/DT880, HD 25 / HD 650 etc

evanb · Post by **evanb** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:18 pm

I was wondering how headphones liek the Sony MDR V700's stack up against the AKG and sennheisers? Obviously those are more $$ headphones but I am talking in terms of a sub 200 headphone..I bought the sonys when i was DJ'ng and wondering now if soemthing more studio like under 200 is available..i am thinking these are a little muffled an geared towards bottom end for DJ's

Tunecrew · Post by **Tunecrew** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:29 pm

I have or have had Sony MDR-7506, MDR-7504, MDR-V700DJ, AKG K-240, Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro and Sennheiser HD 280 Pro

The winner: Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro

great sounding, very comfortable for long wearing

i found the Sennheiser hurt my head after a while because of the shape

the sony's seem to have very exaggerated low-end - nice for DJing but not for mixing

evanb · Post by **evanb** » Wed Apr 08, 2009 6:55 pm

Tunecrew wrote:the sony's seem to have very exaggerated low-end - nice for DJing but not for mixing

This is what had me thinking I may want to switch...I feel the mids and highs should be clearer and the low not so muffled..makes sense for a DJ application but not for studio work

Recommended Headphones for Mixing?

Re: Recommended Headphones for Mixing?

Re: Recommended Headphones for Mixing?

Re: Recommended Headphones for Mixing?