Big +1 to both. Bought the HD580's new in 1999 Replaced them 2 or 3 years ago with the HD600. Wonderful headphones.
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Your favorite headphones
- Thread starter zZippy
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Big +1 to both. Bought the HD580's new in 1999 Replaced them 2 or 3 years ago with the HD600. Wonderful headphones.
To elaborate:
Bass practice isn’t the most demanding application. Mostly you need comfort and sound that you find acceptable.
More generally I prefer the over-the-ear style of phones, as I find them more comfortable. They don’t compress my ears.
Unless the application requires sound isolation, I prefer open backed phones, since they should be and often are more natural sounding than closed back phones. Closed back phones will often have skewed response in the upper midrange due to interference caused by reflection of the polarity reversed back wave off the outer shell and back to the ear.
I actually picked the HD600 because some mastering engineers I know were using them at the time, so it was a common reference.
I have some DT 770 Ms that I find indispensable for drum tracking, vocals and other tracking work. I also appreciate that Beyerdynamic uses steel frames and leather. The yoke of my HD600s broke in half after a few years, but the Sennheiser USA parts guy was a good sport about selling me a replacement for a reduced charge.
Otto
Fostex TH500RP's, they're planars, open. Why ? They're comfy for long periods (huge soft leather earpads), beautiful mids, nice tight lows perfect for bass, little bit of a rolloff in the highs.
What should you consider ? Start with your budget & go from there - a couple of people have suggested various AKG models, they're all pretty decent, I also have a pair of the K240's and at the price you could do a lot worse
What should you consider ? Start with your budget & go from there - a couple of people have suggested various AKG models, they're all pretty decent, I also have a pair of the K240's and at the price you could do a lot worse
I'm happy with my A-T ATH-M35 closed back that I paid around $70. They've been serving me daily for years. Recording, mixing, listening. Nice long cord - useful when I'm playing the V-drums.
I just wanted to add a bit of advice. For what you intend to use the cans for you don't have any real specification requirements as to how the headphones are designed or how they perform. You're not mastering music or recording yourself so you can really use any headphones you like.
That said, the main two things for you to look for are if they are comfortable and if you like how they sound in that order.
It doesn't matter how much you enjoy the sound of your new headphones if you hate wearing them because they hurt your ears or you head or your neck. You're not going to practice as much or as long if your headphones are uncomfortable.
So make sure to go to a music store or electronics store before you buy and try out the headphones that you are thinking of purchasing.
Just my 2c
That said, the main two things for you to look for are if they are comfortable and if you like how they sound in that order.
It doesn't matter how much you enjoy the sound of your new headphones if you hate wearing them because they hurt your ears or you head or your neck. You're not going to practice as much or as long if your headphones are uncomfortable.
So make sure to go to a music store or electronics store before you buy and try out the headphones that you are thinking of purchasing.
Just my 2c
This. They are also great for just listening to music as well.
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After spending the last decade on my head-fi journey I have landed on the Etymotic ER4XR for the last couple of years. Couldn't be happier. That they kicked my previous Shure 846, Senn HD800 and Audeze LCD-3 to the curb at a fraction of the price of all of them just makes it that much more satisfying.
Not sure if linking to other sites is frowned upon but here is my equipment journey in a nut shell.
Solude
Edit: Apologies I just noticed is was closed to non members. It is now open to face palm at
Not sure if linking to other sites is frowned upon but here is my equipment journey in a nut shell.
Solude
Edit: Apologies I just noticed is was closed to non members. It is now open to face palm at
Last edited:
If you have the bank account Sennheiser HD-650 are amazing. I've used mine for years.
Another vote for K240’s. Very neutral, but plenty of bass response available. You will find all sorts of new elements you’ve never noticed before to your 20+ year all time favorite album they are so revealing. Also great for glasses wearers as they don’t rely on a tight suction to your head to create an artificial bass response, it’s all very natural. Only thing they are not good for is tracking drums because of the amount of bleed they allow will cause the drummer to need excessive volume to hear it over the acoustic volume of the kit, and then the click will bleed into the drums. Perfect for every other personal and studio application.
I’ve been using these and have no complaints. The reversivle 1/4 to 1/8 plug is pretty handy too.
OneOdio Adapter-Free Closed Back Over-Ear DJ Stereo Monitor Headphones, Professional Studio Monitor & Mixing, Telescopic Arms with Scale, Newest 50mm Neodymium Drivers- Glossy Finsh https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6ZJH96/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IScICb8AAGQCP
OneOdio Adapter-Free Closed Back Over-Ear DJ Stereo Monitor Headphones, Professional Studio Monitor & Mixing, Telescopic Arms with Scale, Newest 50mm Neodymium Drivers- Glossy Finsh https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6ZJH96/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IScICb8AAGQCP
Just bought German - made Beyer DT 770 Studio 80 ohms, used from a local pawn shop.
(I am not a total headphone geek yet, but I am headed in that direction apparently [c: )
Of all the phones I own, and all of the ones I have tried (some upwards of $400), the DT 770 stood out.... Keep in mind I do not have expensive test equipment like the folks on Head Fi , didn't have a common source for every headphone I have heard. Now that I own DT 770's, everything I've tried sounds fantastic to me: anything from Yellowjackets, to Steely Dan, to Travis Scott.
ymmv
Listen to this^^
He puts the phones onto this clever little listening head, and compares to a similar priced Beyer. The Mackies do something harsh with the sound of the snare drum and vocals, the Beyers do not. This may or may not help your consideration of the Mackie phones, however it is 'soundfood' for thought.
The Massdrop versions of the 580/600/650 are very good and much less.. I live in the very hometown of Sennheiser, but have ordered the Massdrop version of the 650 and have me some Sennheisers sent from the US to Germany. Even with the taxes and import duties they are still more than 100,- cheaper.
I wore out a pair of DT770s. They were nice cans. Comfortable and very detailed.
Replaced them a few weeks ago with a set of Senn HD280s which also are quite comfortable and sound good with my basses.
I got those instead of another set of DT770s because they were a bit cheaper and specced down to 8Hz(?)
Replaced them a few weeks ago with a set of Senn HD280s which also are quite comfortable and sound good with my basses.
I got those instead of another set of DT770s because they were a bit cheaper and specced down to 8Hz(?)
Another vote for the HD600s. Excellent detail and relatively free of coloration (flat/neutral).
I also have the HD598 which is less refined but still quite good.
