Headphone Recommendations

Started by Werkshop, July 11, 2012, 04:42:29 PM

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Werkshop

I'm planning on getting a nice set of headphones for this setup. (Roland GR-55 and Line 6 POD HD500)

Once again, I'm lost in the land of indecisiveness, and I've got a few picked out.

If anyone who sees this has had experience with any of these or have heard good things, let me know!

And of course, if you have any other suggestions, throw 'em at me.

Here's the list:

Sony MDR-7506
KRK KNS 8400
Audio-Technica ATH-M50
AKG K 240 MKII
Sennheiser HD 25-1 II
and
Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro-80

The ones I put in bold are the main choices as of now.

I've really taken a liking to the ATH-M50's looks, although I know with audio gear you should never go by looks... But all the others are so damn plain!

Opinions?

Elantric

Sony MDR-7506 headphones work for me.

rolandvg99

K701 are great. You could also have a look at the K702 which is the same apart from a detachable cablek. Haven't tested the Sony cans, but own the K701 and have tested all of the rest. The K240 sounds good, but gives me sore ears due to the pads fit. Also liked the AT quite well.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

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Werkshop

Cool man, I'll check off the K240's. I absolutely hate sore ears.

What's the purpose of the detachable cord on the K-702's?

Oh, and is the extra $100 worth it for the K-701/2's instead of the ATH-M50's? I know that's subjective, but in your opinion?

rolandvg99

It's expensive to replace a broken cable on a K701 as it requires a return to AKG for fixing. The K702-cable can be replaced by the user at minimum cost. The K702 wasn't available when I got my K701s. Otherwise I would have bought the K702. I would definitely have gone the K701/2 route. They take some time to break in, but they are very comfortable and a blast to use with my VG. :D

I use glasses on a daily basis and the K701 was the best pair of cans I could find comfort and sound wise. They're amazing.
To V or not to V: That is the question.

My little Soundcloud corner

Werkshop

Thanks for the help man. Those K-702's look soooo appealing, but I don't know if I'm ready to spend $272 on a pair of headphones (plus an amplifier) just yet... I'd love to, but money always seems to be an issue.  :-\

In your opinion, what's the best runner-up?

Werkshop

#6
rolandvg99, what would you say is next best after the K-701/K-702's?

I'm thinking about the ATH-M50's, but I've heard they're bass-heavy.

EDIT: Thanks to whoever split up my thread. I didn't figure you wanted me to post yet another thread asking for assistance/recommendations, but I suppose it's better to be straight-to-the-point. Any suggestions guys? I've compiled a decent list from what I've gathered so far.

atonal

Hi I have the AKG k240's for years their open back and very comfortable I also have the sennheiser hd 280 closed back I prefer these for mixing
as no outside noises interfere with the mix also prefer them when tweaking my Gr55 .Really like the Hd280's and for $80 a real bargain

shawnb

#8
I use the Sony MDR-7509HD.   Very comfortable, even if you wear them a long time.  And they don't wear your ears out & make 'em "tired", even if you play them a little loud for a while.   

There is a major difference between headphones designed for "reference" & mixing purposes (basically FRFR) and those designed for listening to music (which will usually boost the bass & treble).   The 7509s are definitely for reference purposes.   You can hear all frequencies nice & clean & level.   They might not be your favorite headphones for enjoying music as they will seem a little flat if you like big boomy bass, but they are solid headphones for those times you need to do some tracking & studio work but cannot (or choose not to) use monitors.   

FYI -
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan10/articles/studioheadphones.htm
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

musicman65

I second the notion of using phones designed for reference. Phones that alter the tonal balance will make you tweak your tones to fit the phones and may sound thin when recorded or used live.

I use the older Sony MDR-V6 which are specifically designed as reference phones.

bd

bd

tekrytor

Great topic. I've been looking for flat response closed back reference headphones for a while with a caveat. I have a large head and large ears. I want them to fit well if I'm going to spend good money on them. I cannot find Amy that fit over my ears without folding my ears into them our crushing my ears. I've tried on the ear versus I've the ear, but the feel bothers me. I want over the ear.

The other problem is that most are usually extended all the way down and flexed out considerably, making them uncomfortable.

I tend too use buds lately because they are more comfortable, but they tend to color the sound, more for listening than reference..

If anyone can suggest a good reference set with a large over the ear profile, I would be grateful.
SY-300/BeatBuddy/VoiceLive 3/GR-55(v1.50)/33/1/50/700/VGA-7/V-Bass, Yam-G10, GPK-4, DIY X-Bee HighlyLiquidCPU "Cozy-Lil-Footie", FCB-1010, other MIDI stuff, Godin Freeway SA and various other GK equipped controllers, Sonar X1, Audacity, KXstudio, Misc devices

Werkshop

#11
Quote from: atonal on July 16, 2012, 08:36:25 PM
Hi I have the AKG k240's for years their open back and very comfortable I also have the sennheiser hd 280 closed back I prefer these for mixing
as no outside noises interfere with the mix also prefer them when tweaking my Gr55 .Really like the Hd280's and for $80 a real bargain

Of the two, which would you say has the flattest frequency response? I'll be using mine to tweak my GR-55 and POD HD500, with a Roland CUBE 80XL as my normal amplifier (using AUX input).

Quote from: shawnb on July 16, 2012, 09:12:00 PM
I use the Sony MDR-7509HD.   Very comfortable, even if you wear them a long time.  And they don't wear your ears out & make 'em "tired", even if you play them a little loud for a while.   

There is a major difference between headphones designed for "reference" & mixing purposes (basically FRFR) and those designed for listening to music (which will usually boost the bass & treble).   The 7509s are definitely for reference purposes.   You can hear all frequencies nice & clean & level.   They might not be your favorite headphones for enjoying music as they will seem a little flat if you like big boomy bass, but they are solid headphones for those times you need to do some tracking & studio work but cannot (or choose not to) use monitors.   

FYI -
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan10/articles/studioheadphones.htm

Thanks for the site reference! Would you say the 7509's are better than the 7506's in the manner I'll be using them? Unfortunately (according to that site), the ATH-M50's color the sound a bit, so they'd be unsuitable for tweaking sounds.  :( But they're soooo good-looking... Maybe I'll pick a pair up later on for listening to music.

Quote from: musicman65 on July 16, 2012, 09:21:04 PM
I second the notion of using phones designed for reference. Phones that alter the tonal balance will make you tweak your tones to fit the phones and may sound thin when recorded or used live.

I use the older Sony MDR-V6 which are specifically designed as reference phones.

I wish I could find the MDR-V6's from somewhere reliable. I also wish they weren't so plain and ugly... *sigh* I guess you can't always have brains AND brawn though...  :P Out of my list, which would you recommend? I've included the MDR-7509's.


EDIT: It seems the 7509's have been discontinued, unfortunately...


And tekrytor, I'll be sure to keep my eyes (and ears) peeled for ya!  ;D

Werkshop

I've updated the list, so check it out guys. I'm still open for suggestions. I'll be making the big purchase in just a few weeks! (JTV-69 Variax, POD HD500, GR-55, Roland CUBE 80XL, and whatever headphones you guys pick out for me.  :o ...GAS attack from hell.)

Werkshop

Updated the list in the original post again. Starting to narrow it down day-by-day! ...Wish I could just go to a store and try them out.  :(

romero

I use ultrasone dj1's guitar center carries them and several other by this german company I love mine.

cell7

Over the years i have gone through about 15 pairs of high end cans, from Sennheisers, AKGs, Sonys and ATs. By FAR the best i have ever used are the Beyerdynamic DT-880 pros. I now know them so well that i can deliver complete mixes and masters with them, and i trust them more than my genelec and bluesky monitors. I can wear them for 12 hours without fatigue, plus the 'semi-open' nature means they dont sound like a complete enclosed box. I would skip both the 770 [closed - way too bass heavy] and 990 [open - not tight enough] models beyerdynamics.

You will need another set of closed cans if you want to record vocals or something with mics, but for this i use cheap Sennheisers. Actually, not that cheap... now ive now got HD280s, which are probably the best closed cans ive used for the price.

Another note, dont forget to burn in any new headphones - play music through them pretty loudly for 12 hours or so before you start to evaluate them. It will round off the harshness.

Anyway, thats my 2 cents....:)

Meltdown

I fully agree on the Beyerdynamic 880 pro. Best sounding cans i've ever used.
Can wear them all day without problems too.
Visit my website!
http://www.tachyonmusic.com

Werkshop

Thanks guys.

cell7, those 880's look really nice and comfy, and I've heard nothing but good reviews, but they're a wee bit out of my price range... I'd like to stay around 200 and under, but I'll still keep them as a consideration.

What would you recommend out of my list? I've been hearing great things about the AKG K240 MKII. Have you tried them? What about the Sennheiser HD 25-1 II's and the ATH-M50's. These are the three I'm leaning towards the most. (Plus the 880's if I end up with an extra $100 to dish out.)

cell7

Quote from: Werkshop on July 23, 2012, 03:40:53 PM
What would you recommend out of my list? I've been hearing great things about the AKG K240 MKII. Have you tried them? What about the Sennheiser HD 25-1 II's and the ATH-M50's. These are the three I'm leaning towards the most. (Plus the 880's if I end up with an extra $100 to dish out.)

If you want to keep the costs down but like the HD-25s, then i would recommend instead the Sennheiser HD280pros. I find the 25s too small for me, and the 280s are an awesome closed headphone that will always be useful, even if you do eventually spring for the dt880s.

BTW, i have seen the beyerdynamics go down as low as €160 on sale...

Werkshop

Quote from: cell7 on July 23, 2012, 04:36:26 PM
If you want to keep the costs down but like the HD-25s, then i would recommend instead the Sennheiser HD280pros. I find the 25s too small for me, and the 280s are an awesome closed headphone that will always be useful, even if you do eventually spring for the dt880s.

BTW, i have seen the beyerdynamics go down as low as €160 on sale...

Really? I'll have to keep my eyes peeled then. I've read a lot of comparisons between the DT-880's and the AKG K701/K702/Q701's. I'm considering the Q701's now, as well. Soooooo sexy.   :o

Now_And_Then


I use Ultrasone HFI-700's and Grado SR-80i's. The Ultrasone's are fairly expensive ($200 if I recall) while the Grados are rather cheaper (I got mine for $94 all inclusive, if I recall, but you will probably not be able to find them quite that cheap.)

Both sound very good but:

1) The Grado's are not circumaural and so are not good to use when playing an archtop/semi-hollow guitar, as the acoustic sound of the guitar bleeds into your ears and gives a false picture of what the patch itself sounds like;
2) The Grados are not exactly comfortable for long recording/playing sessions;
3) The Grados are poorly designed, in that the earpieces can be "twisted" around in such a way that I am sure puts unnecessary stress on the cables. (This problem is very difficult to describe but if you would examine a pair, you would see that it is possible to freely rotate each earpiece and thereby twist the cabling.)

On the other hand, the Ultrasones have none of these problems, and will accommodate a very large head - irrespective of the reasons why this or that head is so large in the first place. :) However, they are roughly twice the price of the Grados.

(The following is information not really germane to the specific topic but could be of interest to people all the same.)

At the other end of the scale: the Koss Porta Pro sounds extremely good for very little money. And the much cheaper Koss Sporta Pro headphones, while not preserving the exact timbres of a mix, will, surprisingly, preserve the relatives balances of all the elements of a mix. For $20 street price, I consider this an incredible bargain, as it lets me go out on the street with an effective pair of cans without having to worry about harm befalling them. Added bonus: Sporta Pros are convertible between over-the-head and behind-the-head wearing - especially good for winter, when you need to wear a hat.




mix.

Werkshop

Thanks man. I've probably already got my mind made up on either the Q701's, ATH-M50's, or K240 MKII's though. But I'll make sure I check them out at Guitar Center if possible!  ;D

Thanks for all the input guys!

Werkshop

Before I go...  ::)

Quick decision: Beyerdynamic DT-880 32 Ohm model w/ no amp, or AKG Q701 w/ a Fiio e7 & e9 amp bundle?

shawnb


Don't write off the Sonys!   The 7510 & 7520 replace the 7509s.   I think the 7506s are still around, and they are VERY VERY good.   Don't know what it is, but I've always like the Sonys.  Very listenable at any volume, very good at picking things out in a mix, excellent for studio work.  A little flat for casual music listening, but you're talking mixing/recording here, and you gotta choose your performance priorities.   

With phones, it's TOO EASY to pick the ones that sound great for the CD you brought to test-drive 'em, but find out they're very bad for mixing/tracking... 
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

Elantric

When I work in pro studios - 80% of the time they hand me a pair of Sony MDR-7506 cans  - so I always use these, since I know what I'm hearing is as close to identical as what the producer is hearing (since 80% of the time  he's also using Sony MDR-7506 headphones )