headphones for monitors

lee · Post by **lee** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:04 pm

hey guys,

i'm looking for some good headphones. mixing entirely with monitors just isn't working out; i need a set of headphones to make sure what i am hearing from my monitors is actually what the audio truly sounds like. i'm looking to spend $100-150.

any suggestions?

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:14 pm

lee wrote:hey guys,

i'm looking for some good headphones. mixing entirely with monitors just isn't working out; i need a set of headphones to make sure what i am hearing from my monitors is actually what the audio truly sounds like. i'm looking to spend $100-150.

any suggestions?

You're in Detroit. Grab some cds and get thee to a major music equipment retailer and ask them to let you audition every pair of headphones in your price range. When you find the pair that makes your cds sound the most like you believe that they should sound, then buy that pair.

That will be a lot better for you than buying the pair that works out best for me or someone else.

dsw · Post by **dsw** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:35 pm

You're in Detroit. Grab some cds and get thee to a major music equipment retailer and ask them to let you audition every pair of headphones in your price range. When you find the pair that makes your cds sound the most like you believe that they should sound, then buy that pair.

That will be a lot better for you than buying the pair that works out best for me or someone else.

+1

Your ears are the ones that count.

Here's my short list:

Sennhesier HD 280: flat and seal well, a little tight on the head. (why they seal well)
AT M-50: very comfy, great all around sound, very pleasing, my personal fave
AKG K240 II: open air, can hear through them, very light weight, can wear them all day
A lot of folks like the Ultrasones although I find them kind of weird somehow, don't know why, that's just me I guess.

it's hard to mix on headphones, but it has and can be done. Be sure to reference speakers as often as you can. Phones can be very misleading.

Subatomic is right: Go shopping. Take your favorite CDs with you and for god's sake don't use your ipod. Those things sound horrible to begin with.

Have fun.

lee · Post by **lee** » Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:44 pm

thanks you two.

i guess that's all i need to hear.

'preciate it.[/b]

Corey Y · Post by **Corey Y** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 10:52 am

dsw wrote: Sennhesier HD 280

+1

Don't keep the headphones on too long.

b3groover · Post by **b3groover** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:06 am

The Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones are hard to beat.

Bryantx512 · Post by **Bryantx512** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 8:49 pm

I love my Audio Technica ATMH50.

Skipwave · Post by **Skipwave** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 9:25 pm

Some good info here:

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/full-size/

I have the Senn HD250 and like em a lot, especially for loud stuff where the Sondy MDR-7506 are too damn bright.

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Mon Sep 15, 2008 9:39 pm

thankfully, i always get to listen on both decent cans as well as a couple of radically different sets of monitor speakers.

been using the HD280 for a few years and still like them, tho they do seem a bit hyped on the bottom sometimes.

can't stand the MDR-7506, but they work for some ppl so i guess they have merit.

i'd really like to check out the ATMH50.

themagicmanmdt · Post by **themagicmanmdt** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:47 am

Headphones are a BIG personal preference, I think.

I like my HD280's. They're not the end all be all to me, but they do the job.

I should go to my local GC (ack) and do the great headphone shootout again, actually...

lyle76 · Post by **lyle76** » Tue Sep 16, 2008 5:48 pm

i dig AKG 171's. my monitors are suck.

ColinMiller · Post by **ColinMiller** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 9:11 am

Headphones to me are just like speakers. You're going to have to learn them in order to get the best mix out of them. I don't think there is any one magic brand that requires no learning. There just might be some that work better for you than others.

thieves · Post by **thieves** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:58 am

Surprising no one mentioned Grados. I have some SR60's that are great, but in your range you could go one or two steps higher than that.

http://www.gradolabs.com/

thieves · Post by **thieves** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 12:00 pm

To elaborate, the way Grado headphones are set up is kind of unique, in that they don't shield out outside noises at all, making the headphones sometimes sound like you don't have them on at all, but rather are playing music on speakers in a relatively quiet room. If there are any sound effect/field recording type sounds in a recording and I've got my grados on, i always end up taking them off momentarily to check if the sound is in the recording or in the room. I guess this could be good for some folks, terrible for others, depending on your setting/situation/preference.

rwc · Post by **rwc** » Wed Sep 17, 2008 10:41 pm

To add to that, try alessandros.

they are grados modified to be more neutral.

http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html

I have the MS-1. It's modeled after the SR125, which is $150, but costs $100.. and comes with comfier pads, and a flatter frequency response.

You can't lose!

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