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Headphones

#2
What's your budget?

For less than $100, you can get what a lot of people cosider to be the "best buy" (at least the people I have talked to ;))- The AKG K240s.

I have a pair and enjoy using them for personal listening as well as mixing and recording. Don't let the low price fool you- these are excellent headphones.
 
#5
Sennheiser HD-280. I borrowed a pair for a home recording project and loved my bass through them. Plus they're closed for external quiet goodness.

I saw them for @ $79 on eBay. I wouldn't hesitate if the budget allowed.
 
#7
Originally posted by grinder
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Regardless, I'm a firm believer that having a pair of studio-quality headphones is a must for anybody working with recordings. By listening to other recordings and as many mixes you can, you can always have a reference as long as you carry your headphones with you. Listening to a reference, when surrounded by foreign gear, is a Good Thing.

Plus, studio-monitors aren't the be-all end-all. Being able to mix on both is good, and a if he's just doing some home recording (especially late at night, as he mentioned), I think some quality headphones are a must.

I also think it's amusing that in four different answers, he got four completely different responses. Test out as many as you can before you buy.
 
#8
So far, I thank all of you who have offered advice. I don't intend to do all my mixing with headphones but I find headphones better to listen for tiny details in the music. Besides, I'm not cuttin' masters here. Getting 4 or 5 or 20 different responses is still better than going in blind to a store and asking " got any headphones?"
Ultimately at the level I'm seeking ( able to handle a bass and program material) they should be somewhat similar and the choice will depend on availability. I have an old pair of Sony V40's that have served me well as well as an ancient pair of Koss (cant even find the model # on them they're so old).
You guys are right about having a dependable referrence point. Good engineers carry their own monitors to sessions because they become dependent on hearing things one way when they track. Having a reliable pair of cans is a must if you go to a lot of studios.
 
#10
Originally posted by SuperDuck
What's your budget?

For less than $100, you can get what a lot of people cosider to be the "best buy" (at least the people I have talked to ;))- The AKG K240s.

I have a pair and enjoy using them for personal listening as well as mixing and recording. Don't let the low price fool you- these are excellent headphones.
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I got the AKG K270 Studio for years now, verry satisfied with it, good frequenty respons and elliminates any enviroment sounds
 
#12
The 240's have a lower impedence than most and are a bit too quite for most people. Also they don't a good job keeping out external sounds. The 7506's work slick for me, either doing live recordings or just as another monitor source in the studio. They are not ruler flat, but once you get the feel they are a pretty good and pretty cheap set of cans.
 
#15
Originally posted by tuBass


well, the jack the plugs the cord into the headset has a loose connection in it, if the plug rotates just a little, you lose 90% of your sound. When the do work, they are very soft, and kind of bulky.
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I've always thought of AKG as higher than average quality for it's price point. I bet your just unlucky in that respect.

If they are too soft for you, you may be better off with dynamic headphones instead of monitor headphones. These really are just for listening to the miute detail of a track, preferably in a quiet environment.


edit: which is why I'm buying some new hd 280 pros.
 
#19
I just want to share my experience with headphones for recording session.
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Last month we recorded in studio. I was trying various headphones for musicians which they had in the studio and also my own Sony MDR-7506 and still cound not get satisfying feeling for my playing. At the end I gave try the Koss The Plug headphones and I was AMAZED. I could hear every detail of my playing and feel massive bass :) And no leakage to the outside. From now on I will not use any other headphones for my recording sessions. Just needed to add an extension cable.
Dont get me wrong, for my mixing work I use my Sennheiser HD-600 or Sony MDR7506, but I loved to use Koss Plugs for recording.
IME, YMMV, etc.
 
#20
jgsbass said:
Looking for a good pair of headphones to use for tracking and mixing late at night in my home. Any recommendations?
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I have a pair of AKG K240s and also the Sennheiser HD280s (edit-OOPS, I meant HD-580s--see 2 posts down). I really liked the K240s until I heard the Sennheisers. For really hearing what is on a track (that is, not as a monitor while playing, but critical listening) the difference is not subtle. The Sennheisers cost twice the AKGs, and are, if you can afford them, much more than twice as good. The K240s are good headphones, but sound like there is a towel between the cans and your ears in comparison.

They are both high-impedence cans and not all that easy to drive.

I have never heard the Senn. 600s or new 650s, but they are another considerable jump in cost.
 

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