Do they need to be closed?

I found the Beyer DT990 too boomy and decided to use the AKG K241 which is half closed. I found the K271 a bit shy on the low end. Then again, a headphone is a very personal thing. Try them all. I have no other model numbers in my head. There is a popular Sony out there.

AKG 240S are fine.

Sennheiser is fine, too. The HD 280 model.

I love my Sennheiser HD25's and find what I do on them transfers well when I hear it on some decent monitors.

I'm not too bothered if they're closed or not. I had a pair of DT 150s and they were a bit too heavy on the low end but otherwise pretty good all round. I'll check out the others you suggested and keep them coming as I'm still looking!! Thanks for the response so far!

+1 for AKG 240. My prefered choice since the early 80's.

The Sony headphones is probably the MD-7506. It goes for around $ 100,00. I can't recall what I didn't like about them, but some here love that set.

I've got a pair of 7506s next to me here, they sound harsh.
I've never been a fan of 'em.

how do the DT 880 pro headphones translate into monitors? any experinces?

I have really enjoyed using the Shure SRH-840's very natural and balanced. Not harsh at all !!!

David Blackmon

Sony 7506 and ATH-M50's here...Sony's are bright and harsh compared to the M50's which are smooth, clear and have a much better low end response than the Sony's

I'm a fan of all of the 240 Series from AKG.
I also have Beyer 770Pro and 880s as well. They do things very differently and both are good. The AKGs have the edge in accuracy but the Beyers have the edge in "bottom end" and in isolation.

That being said, I'm going to start another thread about this, but I just picked up a pair of B&W P5 headphones. I would have thought, based on their pictures, that they were more "hifi" type headphones- geared for iPods, etc. However, all I can say about these headphones is.... WOW!!!! These are simply put, the best headphones I've ever heard. They simply sound "right." They don't have a hyped top or bottom, they don't have weird imaging, they simply sound like awesome speakers but strapped to your head. They're also immensely comfortable. I've listened to them for 8 hours straight with zero strain.

They look small, both in pictures and in person, but trust me, put them on and try them. They're well worth the $300. You can try them at Apple stores, but be careful! Most of the iPods that I tried them on had their EQ engaged and were set to pump out massive bass. Reset it to flat and you'll hear the magic of these cans. FWIW, they're also some of the best-built cans I've ever owned.

I bought them for my iPod and for Pandora, but they're going to be going out on my next major remote session as my main cans.

Cheers-
J.

I have always loved the open-air of Sennheiser headphones. I still love my HD 545's. Sure, I've mixed on HD 414' 424's, HD 280. I think if you're mixing you'll find that the open-air design more closely approaches the sound of studio speakers. They are much more open sounding. Closed earphones like the 280 & old Koss Pro 4AA's do not translate well when it comes to low end. So open-air when mixing. Closed back when recording. And that's the way it was, June 23rd, 2010.

Goodnight and good luck
Mx. Remy Ann David

I thought you worked for NBC...."Good night, Chet. Good night, David. And good night, for NBC News."

(And you really aren't old enough for "Good night and good luck.")

You are very correct as usual Bob. And I actually worked with David Brinkley before his retirement from NBC. I actually found him to be rather a schmuck. But hey, he was making the big bucks. Actually, I just finished watching the movie with George Clooney with that title. Your memory is obviously quite good as it should be being a math professor. O. I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener.

22 divided by 7 is a pi in most people's faces.
Mx. Remy Ann David

Here's a recent SOS article comparing headphones
[[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.soundons…"]Studio Headphones[/]="http://www.soundons…"]Studio Headphones[/]
and also here's a PAR article comparing some
PAR Session Trial: Premium Studio Headphones
Hope these are helpful for ya.

For closed back headphones I like the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro.

I like my HD 280 pro's. But a bit of a tight fit on my big melon. Not that comfy for anything of duration. Decent low end for a set of headphones. Bought them used which I'll probably never do again. Got ear infections for the first time in my life from wearing them. First time that didn't involve a swimming pool anyway.

I had Sony MDR-V600's or was it MDV-R? Comfy for casual listening and long duration listening. Not as good of a low end as the 280s. And didn't exactly age well. The vinyl was peeling off like the first week, maybe month. Always leaving a trail of vinyl flakes, worse than my cat. Headphone dander...

7506's and ATH-M50's, I've been meaning to try out. Not that I'm currently in the market for a new set. And I hate wearing them in general because I sweat a lot. I've been meaning to try some ear buds with mower muffs over them at some point. But just a crazy ideal I had one time in terms of budget accessories. I hate mixing on them. I hate mixing in general, but still. I much prefer a good stereo pair. It is what it is, amp it, cut it, ship it.

Grado's or Stax eventually I suppose. But no real need for headphones for my current location and activities. Outside of multi-tracking.

Shadow_7 I agree that they do become uncomfy after a awhile (you not in the melon club alone:cool:) but when I start sweating and getting ear fatigue I use that as a reason to tell myself I get a 15 min break! :rolleyes:

i like my 240's, i think they sound better than the closed back (271's, i think), which sounded too trebly. but like any open back cans, they bleed.

I'd personally recommend the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's. I've been using them to track and mix hip hop vocals along with make hip hop beats. They have a fairly accurate sound at least for my uses. They weren't too expensive and I am in love with them. I listen to music on them, make music on them and mix music on them. They rule. I'd definitely recommend them.

EDIT: After reading shadow_7's post, I'll have to agree that they are a bit tight and a bit uncomfortable for long duration listening. I also sweat a lot and have a big head. hahah

I've always had fabulous luck with my Sony 7506's. When mixing live, they are great monitors with good detail. In the moments that they sounded harsh, so did my main mix.

While recording, the stereo field is well-represented, and the sound is crisp and clean. I <3 my 7506's!!

i love my 240's i usually use them to double check mixes from my mackie speakers. i like my cousins senheisser closed backs too. bleed was an issue with both of them w/ vocal tracking, the 240s being semi open bled more. don't forget to get a a pair of like $20 earbuds, alot of people are listening w/ mp3 players. i understand your looking for a (critical) reference tool, but it wouldn't hurt to hear what your audience will hear.

You buy a big bag full of cheap headphones. These are used for all of the musicians during tracking & overdubs. You have your single or single payer of prized headphones you only utilize for your own monitoring purposes or perhaps for a friend that needs a better pair of cans than the junk you have in the studio. You do this because the junk in the studio will quickly become junk in the studio when it is in the studio for any length of time. So buy a bag full of those Sennheiser HD 202's and one of their HD 280's and one of their open air, high quality reference headphones. This is the only thing that makes sense. You could apply it to any other of your preferred manufacturers such as Sony or AKG or even RadioShack. Headphones get broken and they get broken real fast. Investing boo Koo Dinero on headphones is idiotic and not properly thought out. And headphones that can be easily repaired make the most sense. And headphones that have only a single earpiece also makes a lot of sense. We have frequently instructed performers to dislodge a headphone earpiece from one of their ears. This usually aids in intonation because we perceive different pitches at different loudness levels. So at higher sound pressure levels, you perceive pitches lower than they actually are and the result is you end up with a "flat" performance. Not flat in dynamics but flat in pitch. And then people think you suck?! Hee hee, on a couple of occasions, I ran the music headphone mix through the Eventide H910 Harmonizer. This way I could pitch the singer higher, while I was listening to the unaffected tape playback (normal pitch) until I had him just on top of the pitch. This way we didn't have to rely upon the digital "artifacting" of the Harmonizer H 910, as it was only used for a playback reference. What? You thought you should always have to print that stuff? No way. In many ways it makes more sense to use it in this reverse manner when you are working with somebody who has intonation problems. This is how you make a digital process virtual or invisible. Still important in its production value & use except that it is not part of the performance.

It's fun to manipulate headphone mixes
Mx. Remy Ann David

I’ve had the luck to work with and/or audition a number of headphones, specifically the HD 650, MDR 7506 and 9’s, HD280, DT150’s, HD 600, HD 800, K601, and K 701’s. These are all excellent studio and high fidelity headphones, however, I find myself continually picking up a set of Beyerdyanmic’s DT770 Pro’s (250ohm). Our studio tracks with the 80ohm versions, however, the 250ohms are substantially more detailed and transparent. They have a hair of hype in the highs, 1.5 to 2dB starting at 8k and up, however, to me, they’re extremely defined from the bottom to the top and as they break-in the slight high end hype flattens out a bit. As for editing, the closed back design is great and the comfort is excellent. If you have to do long hours of editing, or are mixing with headphones for some reason you may want to consider the 880 Pr,o which are a semi-open back. My first choice is the 770’s closed back design for their accuracy, but the semi-open design gives your ears some breathing room if long hours are a concern.

I've had a pair of AKG K270 for 20 years and they are as solid as the day I bought them. love em.

Same as audiokid AKG 270's I keep for myself. Still my goto headphone.

Ah... I also have a 12 year old pair of MB Quartz 250 that are really comfortable, great bass response phones. Also, Chatting with CharterOak Acoustic the other day, they have a custom built model of the MB Quartz headphones coming out in 2011.
Maybe was mentioned in this thread but I have two pair of the Extreme Headphones. They are excellent for those takes you want less bleed, just don't compare them the our AKG 270's, you'll wonder where the highs went.

I find the Beyer DT770's good for cleaning up the bottom end when I mixdown and musicians seem to like them a lot because they tend to sound quite robust. Not the most accurete cans on the planet but a great workhorse. you will get used to the sound of any cans you use after a while too. just don't get fostex headphones...muddy as hell.

I still have a couple of KOSS Pro4AA's from the 70's I still use from time to time. I just hated it when once one of the mineral oil filled ear pads leaked all over my neck during a live gig, headphone mix gig. Yeachhhh You knew the bass mix was right when you heard it. Then you would back it down a scoshe. Yep. The heaviest par of "cans" I've ever owned.

Head phony
Mx. RAD

Another +1 for the AKG k240's. And by the way you should care if they are closed or open. Open are for mixing, etc, closed are for musician monitoring (they reduce sound from outside and sound from inside going out).

MadTiger3000, post: 237843 wrote: AKG 240S are fine.

Sennheiser is fine, too. The HD 280 model.

yup cant beat em IMO

Hi guys,

AKG 240 is a bit expensive here in Brazil.
Have anyone tested the simpler AKG K 414 P?
Specs are good, and price is much lower. Anyone would recommend it to start with, or am I going insane?