so, i need some good headphones to use with my laptop...

[shiitake]

i am very very VERY new to anything recording. luckily Tape Op was pretty much the first place i came when i realized that I was wanting to get into recording music.

currently i'm running Reason on my PC Laptop and I'm needing some headphones that are not TOO high-end, but will be better than the run of the mill, best buy cans. also, my experience has always been that headphones from large retail chains are generally going to fall apart on you at any time.

anyway, what would you guys recommend?

-shannon

[Brian Brock]

If you don't care about bleed from the headphones to mics, you can get what are called open back headphones - they achieve a decent sound at lower cost, I believe. AKG, etc, makes them at a lot of prices.

If you want to use headphones that isolate what you're hearing from the outside, you can get closed back headphones. I think the Sony 7506 are pretty popular around here.

[dubold]

I use a pair of Sony mdr 7506 headphones and have been completely happy with them. Mostly I got them because there are a couple pairs at the studio where I work and I wanted to have something at home that I could compare mixes with. I was using a cheaper pair of sony headphones that I bought years ago at Best Buy or something. They held up well but didn't sound as good as the 7506s. they go for about $100 but i've seen them used for $75 or so.

-d

[fillmoresound]

The AKG Studio 240S? are great. Lightweight, come with removable cable for easy repairs, and goes for about $99. The frequency response is fairly flat, which means they won't color your mix - this is good. As far as isolation though, they're not very effective.

Good luck!

[slowjam]

Along the same lines, I need some really isolated headphones. I do a lot of mobile recording and last night I was recording in the same room as a drumkit using open back headphones. It sucked having to step into a bedroom and shut the door in order to monitor. Any recommendations for headphones that will let you monitor drums in the same room as the kit?

[slowjam]

I just found a wealth of discussion about isolating headphones here.

[Flight Feathers]

if you don't need isolation for tracking, check out Grado. i have the SR-80's and they are great. extreme clarity, but you won't get the hyped bass that you normally get from the big closed back earmuff looking cans.

for tracking, my technics dj headphones have been serving me well for years.

both can be found for under $100.


ayan

[Reminor]

When you carry a portable around it will look strange if you use large "studio" cans. What if you want to listen to it on a train or a bus?
I think QUALITY in-ear headphones are the way to go. They don't come cheap, but you'll get versatility -- you can track in the studio, you can enjoy a CD on a bus, probably even jog in the park (be carefull, they isolate you from the outside world, so you don't hear a thing), etc.

I recently got a pair of Shure E3s. They are on sale often now, ~$150 USD (check out this http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/message ... ord1=shure).

They are convenient and very detailed. A LITTLE light on the bass, but I am comfortable tracking and even pre-mixing in them. Open headphones often create feedback when you are close to a mic, they also "bleed" on overdubs -- those in-ears obviously not. Also, finding a sweet spot for a mic in the room is a joy -- you hear ONLY what your mic hears, the rest of the world is literally cut off. Did I mention no bleeding when overdubbing vocals? So many situations when you can find those in-ears surprisidly usefull..


In short I am fascinated by those, and I would recommend you to start from in-ears. I do also have a pair of HD600 (highly regarded Hi-Fi cans, I love them), and a Sony 7506 (ok for mixing), and I don't plan on buying more headphones. So I guess it's all it takes to be covered for wide variety of situations.

Last but not least. Should you hit big time and start performing on stage -- they will faithfully serve you as on stage in-ear monitoring (IEM) when coupled with a wireless transmitter. The list goes on..

Last thought (promise!) -- when you are on a plane you can work just fine with those in-ears, too. No need for fancy-shmancy "noise-cancelling" cans (decent of those cost about $400).