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Best headphones for bass practice

#41
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#42
Thanks for these threads.
I use antique Koss/Realistic Pro 60's(open) that I've re-foamed 4 times in 20 years. I'm looking for some newer phones for daughter who is using a POD in a college dorm to practice.....
 
#44
Hello everybody,

I'm planning to buy the Audio-Technica ATH-D40fs too, and was wondering about the "burning" thing. I'm not a native English speaker and I don't understand what you're talking about "white or pink noise to burn them in"...

Could somebody explain me that in other words or something?

Thank you very much.
 
#47
gnutix said:
Hello everybody,

I'm planning to buy the Audio-Technica ATH-D40fs too, and was wondering about the "burning" thing. I'm not a native English speaker and I don't understand what you're talking about "white or pink noise to burn them in"...

Could somebody explain me that in other words or something?

Thank you very much.
Click to expand...

I think they are talking about certain frequencies or soundwave types to break or "burn" the speakers in. Im surprised no one answered this question.Colors of noise - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
#49
I listened to this thread and got me a pair of Audio Technica D40fs. They sound good when listening to music or watching movies but... I can't really use them for practicing bass, they get distorted really quickly even at medium bass volumes. I've tried using a headphones amp as well but that does not help.
 
#50
I tried about a dozen and finally bought a Yamaha HPH-200.
I found it perfectly suited the reproduction of instruments. I use it for practice and live mix with equal success.
It doesn't get very loud but handles peeks of attack just fine, very wide and open sound even with mono signal.
It's a bit expensive (roughly 150) but well worth it. You can hang them flat on a wall, which is convenient in a music room.
75085.jpg


Avoid fashion oriented phones at all costs. Things like the Beat Dre or Marshall branded are glorified boom boxes with no real quality underneath.
 
#51
I love my Audio-Technica M50s 'phones for sound quality (I play 6-string bass, and dabble in most any music genre you can think of).
Only thing I don't like about them is that they're a bit "clampy" on my head and I need to wear a baseball cap to keep my eyeglass' ear pieces from digging into my skull, and the arch across the top of the head is a bit slippery and can slip forward if I use too much head english while playing (I get a little "Joe Cocker" action going when I play sometimes).
But really great sound at all volume levels.
The problem with the slipping can be mitigated by adding a strip of no-slip material and some (Elmer's) hobby-craft spray adhesive applied to keep it in place.
But the clampiness is noticeable during long sessions where I forget to pull them off during breaks or when watching movies through the computer.

*I didn't bother to burn them in with any set frequency regimen, just used them right out of the packaging, and they sounded fantastic.
After a couple of days, they sounded even better.
I've had them for a couple of years, and use them 8 to 10 hours a day (yes), and they still sound amazing.
 
#53
I almost bought those, but was originally going to use them with my GT-10B fx board which has 40-ohms impedence out of the headphone jack, and the M50s is rated at 38-ohms.
The Sennheiser's drivers are rated at 63-ohms, and I was worried about them not getting enough power.
I now run them through a small Behringer 502 mixer, and there is more than enough juice to run most any headphones, but I didn't want to risk less performance from the Senn's and have to return them to GC (mail order) while I was only running them through my GT-10B.
Definitely liked the thought of paying $60 less than the A-T 'phones, though.
 
#55
Good to know!
Oh, the other reason I decided against the Senn's was that the headphone output of my Peavey TNT 115 is rated at 4-ohms, so trying to run high impedance drivers was out of the question.
After I got the GT-10B, I was still limited to 40-ohms, so opted for the A-T's.
But have read only good reviews on the Senn's.
The Xenyx502 mixer's phones output is rated at 150-ohms max and if I'd had that before buying the A-T phones, I'd have opted for the Senn's.

*I don't play with the volume turned up past the average volume equivalent of watching TV at a low-to-moderate level. I want to still be able to hear decently when I'm 70.
 
#56
I switched from the HD280's to the ATH M50's and I recently bought the new but slightly used PSB headphones. They are more articulate than the M50. They are slightly more comfy too.

And I thought these did not over enhance the sound quality, they are more true. The M50's enhance the bass more. The PSB M4U 2's are worth a listen to audiophiles. The clarity is really nice. I played SACD's to do my comparison.

Comfy.....I meant that my ears do not get sweaty. These are light on the ear and you still hear more true tones and clarity. And I have not even tried the noise canceling yet!
But there is one "con", the cord is pretty short - it is about 5'. On the plus side, you can plug the cord into either side of these headphones.

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I got mine at Crutchfield.....they had these in their outlet store and they were discounted by $80-$90 !
Somebody bought them and returned them because they didn't know what they had (duh) - reason for the discount.

You should see the case that holds these phones.....Pics here from my iPhone:
http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh68/Edel-QAM/PSB M4U 2/
 
#58
BluesyCat said:
I switched from the HD280's to the AT M50's and I recently bought the new but slightly used PSB headphones. They are more articulate than the M50. They are slightly more comfy too.

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Nice headphones!
But my wife would freak out if I dropped that kind of cash for some.
:-(
But I do like the thought of having the added noise-canceling feature in addition to excellent sound reproduction.
 
#59
the OP was not asking dogmatic personal likes and for sure he was asking for some reference, studio quality gear.
I use my AKG K 240 (or 270) studio, rock solid and very reference sounding, flat, uncolored response. Good for every instrument, and wonderful for editing studio material.
I've also heard many praises about Audio Technica headphones for bass...maybe my next purchase when the venerable AKG gives up.

fish slapper said:
Good pair of Sony's from any audio store
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