Looking for some super good, very flat headphones.

honkyjonk · Post by **honkyjonk** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 10:17 am

FWIW, I have Sennheiser (HD280's. Something like that. I beleive 280 is in the title) cans.

I record myself mainly so I need a real good pair of cans that are as flat as I can get.
I've struggled with these Sennheisers for a long time. They're way too bright, which translates to mud when I compensate w/ mic positioning/selection etc.

???

segaface · Post by **segaface** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 10:21 am

honkyjonk wrote:FWIW, I have Sennheiser (HD280's. Something like that. I beleive 280 is in the title) cans.

I record myself mainly so I need a real good pair of cans that are as flat as I can get.
I've struggled with these Sennheisers for a long time. They're way too bright, which translates to mud when I compensate w/ mic positioning/selection etc.

???

I have a pair of AKG 240S I really like. The sound is pretty "natural" to me.

They are open back though, and may not work too well for mic positioning.

Andy

honkyjonk · Post by **honkyjonk** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 7:32 pm

Ah yeah,

I should have put that in the first post. Open back is a no go. Any other suggestions?

Phiz · Post by **Phiz** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 7:57 pm

Making a closed headphone flat isn't easy, which is why all of the really high end headphones are open.

Have you looked at sealed in-ear stuff? Etymotic, Shure, etc...

Osumosan · Post by **Osumosan** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 8:06 pm

Does anyone have a comment as to the sound quality of the AKG K171 or K271. They are supposed to be good for isolation. The Sony HN-7506 remote headset was reviewed in "Recording" as good for that, too.

I'm lovin' my Beyer DT990s. Open back, though.

--correction: the review was for the REMOTE AUDIO HN-7506 that are designed to sound similar to the Sony model --

Professor · Post by **Professor** » Thu Dec 29, 2005 8:23 pm

Are these for tracking, mixing or monitoring during live-location work?

I've never really found any of the Sennheisers to be bright, but you know what you're hearing through your 280s. I own the HD-525, HD-580 & HD-650 models, though they are all open air models. For sealed-ear, the Sony MDR-7506 are loud, but pretty well respected, and I use those for live location monitoring (and occasionally in the studio), and I also put 18 pairs of the cheap Sennheiser HD-202 sealed-ear cans in the studio for tracking and have liked those well enough.

-Jeremy

honkyjonk · Post by **honkyjonk** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 9:53 am

Hey Professor,

They're for tracking. For stuff like quiet vocals, I've had pretty bad luck with open back headphones in the past.

I had a revelation the other day. Probably a "duh" for most folks, especially those w/ a control room. I record myself almost exclusively, but my friend was over the other day and we were recording one of his songs and I just thought I'd monitor via the speakers (in the same room) rather than the headphones. My God was it a lot easier to quickly get a good sound.

BTW, I'm more inclined to trust my speakers than my Sennheiser cans because I have mixed some things that I feel translated quite well with them.

But, I'm back to recording by myself and now I'm looking for something closebacked and generally pretty flat. Or at least similar sounding to my Wharfdale speakers (which are pretty flat outside of slightly lacking in real low frequencies)

r0ck1r0ck2 · Post by **r0ck1r0ck2** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:41 am

not really sure if its a huge step up from the 280s
but my beyer 770s are lovely flat and have really helped my mic placement.

Bill @ Irie Lab · Post by **Bill @ Irie Lab** » Fri Dec 30, 2005 11:16 am

Beyer Dynamic. A joy to listen to, revealing while remaining musical, and a mix that sounds good translates well to hi-fi and boombox.

Open-back, as has been said.

(Great for late night, guilty pleasure listening, too)

Happy New Year, TapeOppers

Bill

bowling-name · Post by **bowling-name** » Sat Dec 31, 2005 3:07 am

I have the K271...very good isolation, flat but not overly analytical (so you can enjoy music with them as well as mix). While not absolutely necessary, pairing them with a good headphone amp yields a significant improvement in sound. If you pick up a pair, give yourself some time to adjust to how they sound, and for them to 'burn in' before making a final decision...

Ask this question over at http://www.head-fi.org/ as well...

ctmsound · Post by **ctmsound** » Sun Jan 01, 2006 5:13 pm

Equation RP20
http://serv01.clev5.com/~equation/index ... view&id=13

Probably not a brand you've heard of, but ever since I started carrying them at my store, they've become my best selling headphone. $100 and they beat out the high end Sennheiser hd265s and the like with ease. They sound unbelievably natural and flat. And I've tried everything else.

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Looking for some super good, very flat headphones.

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