I'm a new bass player and am driving my wife nuts! I have a set of headphones that I practice with but they do a very poor job. So I usually just unplug them (makes my wife mad, keeps the kids up, gets the dogs excited, etc.) Can someone give me a recomendation for a good pair of headphones that will work well on bass? The ones I have don't reproduce the lows all that well. Thanks in advance!
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Need advice on best headphones
- Thread starter csm672
- Start date
How much do you want to spend? I recommend Grado SR80, they can be had for around $120ish.
lowsound
lowsound
I've owned a couple of pairs of Sony MDR-7506's and they are excellent for playing bass. I still have a pair that I mostly use now for late night home-theatre watching and they are awesome. I just checked out Sony's website and apparently they don't make that model anymore but this model is very close to what I have. Probably the same headphone with a new model number.
Link Removed I would buy these. )-(
Link Removed I would buy these. )-(
The 7506s are still available: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MDR7506/
The sony 7506 mentioned above and Sennheiser HD280 are two of the "industry standard" headphones that are pretty ubiquitous in the professional audio field.
i've heard some pretty good things about the audio technica ATH-50 in comparison to the two above. A little more expensive but could be worth the difference.
Grados are nice, but they are an open design so the sound will bleed if that is an issue for you.
Beyerdynamic makes some great headphones if you want to spend more money.
Sennheiser PX100 are everything the reviews lead you to believe. Incredible sound, comfortable, lightweight, small, and very inexpensive. Did I mention they sound fantastic? They are an open design if that's a concern. The only thing I'd like better would be single sided input (not possible with the design).
Thanks everybody for the replies. I wanted to stay under $100, but I think I could swing the extra 20 or 30 for Grado. I guess I will try to demo both the Sony and Grado and see wich pair I prefer. Thanks again!
I had some high end Sony's (can't remember the model number) before the Grados, and they honestly sounded like listening to music through a mattress in comparison.
lowsound
lowsound
+1 on the Sennheiser HD 280s. I also have a pair of Denon AH-d1001s that I love. To me, the Grado's sound decent, but get pretty uncomfortable after 15 or 20 minutes.
Just wanted to add... Over lunch today I bought a set of Grado SR80's. I've been mulling this over for a while, and I found a shop in the city (www.musicloversaudio.com) that stocks them. Absolutely amazing store, and I was treated like royalty even though I was only after a $95 purchase. Anyway, I wanted to try on the headphones after reading so much love/hate feedback about the fit. Thus far I'm really impressed, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. I even considered the SR125's, but they didn't have a 1/4" > 1/8" adapter in stock. Easiest $55 I've ever saved myself. 
[Edit] Forgot to mention the bleed. I had a friend with me, and he tried on the demo set at a pretty ridiculous volume. I was very impressed with how little sound I heard from a few feet away. For just over $100 with tax, plus a little traffic & parking aggravation, I've not heard a better set of 'phones.
[Edit] Forgot to mention the bleed. I had a friend with me, and he tried on the demo set at a pretty ridiculous volume. I was very impressed with how little sound I heard from a few feet away. For just over $100 with tax, plus a little traffic & parking aggravation, I've not heard a better set of 'phones.
I've used the Sony MDR-V600's for years. They're the Studio Monitor series, and a closed-ear phone, but they sit around the ear, not on it so they're comfortable for longer periods. They have a slight bass emphasis, but that's not a problem in my experience. I've used them for audio and video production, listening to stereo, and just about any other application you can mention.
Available for about $73 at Amazon.
Available for about $73 at Amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
Beyerdynamic DT100's, used religiously by audio engineers worldwide.
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Commonly seen on ebay etc, for reasonable prices.
Invalid Link Removed
Commonly seen on ebay etc, for reasonable prices.
I'm a bit of a headphone nut; I usually practice bass with a pair of AKG K701, or Alessandro MS2 - those are both open headphones though. For closed, you cannot possibly go wrong with the ATH-M50. They are relatively cheap, got mine for 90USD; the other two headphones I listed cost about 300USD each. They sound fantastic, and I find them pretty comfortable. The only downside is that they can get a bit hot after some wearing, but then again that happens to me with all closed headphones. They are easy to drive too (won't need a dedicated headphone amp, usually).
I also like my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250ohms model). It's a bit heavy on the bass side though, and while playing a bass guitar that just ends up being a bit too much bass.. but if you're listening to a song and want to figure out the basslines, it's perfect.
I also like my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (250ohms model). It's a bit heavy on the bass side though, and while playing a bass guitar that just ends up being a bit too much bass.. but if you're listening to a song and want to figure out the basslines, it's perfect.
