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Which headphones should i buy?

#2
suedehead said:
Hi folks
Am after a good set of headphones for recording and or practise sessions. Any suggestions much appreciated. Am prepared to pay good money and can also be swayed with good bang for your buck. Have heard Sennheisers are the business.
Cheers:bassist:
Click to expand...

Check out shure also. They should have something in your price range.
 
#3
I like my Sony MDR-7506 "Studio Monitor" Dynamic Stereo Headphones, very good sound with a good tonal range, very comfortable, with leather (imitation?,IDK) covered foam cushions, foldable, comes with a pleather drawstring storage bag, 1/8" to 1/4 " screw on adaptor, gold contacts, coil cord (about 10', I think), I paid about $99 new. A good deal, IMO.
 
#6
AKG K 240's are extremely versitile and all-around great sounding headphones. Not amazing on noise cancelling but they're very affordable and handle very well under extreme volumes. The only pair of studio headphones you will ever need. And they even adapt to fit both 1/4" and 1/8" jacks.
 
#7
If you aren't going to mix on them, Audio Technica ATH-M50s are hard to beat for the price. For mixing, etc., I love the Sennheiser HD600s. They are open, so no isolation, but the sound is just amazing.

Also, in the in ear world, Future Sonic Atrios are very good, especially with the SofterWear sleeves and if you got the cash, the MG6Pros are simply stunning.
 
#8
The research I did a few years back seemed to favour:
Sony MDR-7506 (owned an old pair of these and they were great)
Sennheiser
Grado 60 or 80's
Audio Technica M40's +
Beyer Dynamic 770 or 880 (own a pair of 770 250 ohms, very flat sounding cans but can take a five string easily)
AKGs mentioned above
 
#9
From the above suggestions I would not recommend Sony MDR-7506 - although undestructable, they have harsh highs and bloated bass, I would not listen my favourite CDs on them. I own them, btw.

Good suggestions are ATH-M50 - relatively true sound, albeit I don't like the leather cushions, can be sweaty after longer use. (I own them)

Beyers 770 and 880 are good too, comfortable, true sound, good bass extension, fabric cushions.

Sennheisers HD600 have the best sound from the suggested, good even for mixing, most comfortable (I own them) but for bass practice and recording I would rather take Beyers - more bass and closed design (770).

AKGs 240 I don't know enough, but they are less comfortable than Beyers and have less bass extension.

My 2 cents.
 
#10
I recommend the Sony MDR-V6 over the 7506 model. I agree with Nemo on the bloated bass and a bit on harsh highs. I didn't experience much harshness, but I did experience some nonetheless.

Sennheisers are also gold - worth the asking price since most of their headphones are just stellar in frequency response and clarity. Unfortunately, I'm a brand-whore for Sony, which is why I chose the V6...
 
#12
All the above are good choices.

Headphone technology has reached a point where you can get a great sounding pair from a lot of different companies for a good price.

For years, Sennheiser and AKG pretty much had a lock on the recording industry, but now the options run much farther afield.

Rather than steer you toaward a brand, I'll make these two suggestions:
1) Go with a closed design rather than an open design. If you are recording in a quiet environment and using a mic with open headphones as monitors, you may get some bleed into the mic using open phones. Stick with closed to play it safe.
2) Make sure they are comfortable. Modern phones all sound so good that you're better off just making sure you can wear these things for long stretches without getting a raging headache. If you mail-order, make sure you get a return policy that will let you wear them for a few hours to be absolutely sure they are comfy on your head.

Peace-
 
#13
I'm of the opinion that it doesn't hurt to have more than one pair of 'studio' 'reference' headphones.
I've been through a few the AKG240's are probably my favorite for comfort and clarity (closed)
but I still use Grado 80's on occasion when I want to check a mix (open and not esp comfortale, but said still worth considering)
 
#14
Just don't get beats, totally overpriced IMHO, I am using a Philips headphone shl5800 super comfort and really good bass response but its made of plastic and have low output but the soiund quality is super nice compared to most headphone I tried
 
#18
My main pair of headphones for the past 8 years have been the Sennheiser HD280 and they're great. Work excellent for recording, home practice, leisurely music listening and singers always usually prefer them over any of the cheapies I have when I record other people. I had them so long the padding on the earpiece pads wore out, but I was able to order a new set from the manufacturer for cheap. Which makes me love them even more.
 
#19
I have to say that the good Beyers cans sound great, but I've blown out more drivers on Beyers than just about any other brand. I use them for location recording monitoring, so sometimes they get some abuse, but even so, the ATs have held up better.
 

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