Good Headphones for monitoring/mixing?

[BigTrey]

Hey RO'ers I need some help with this. I am looking to purchase a set of headphones which I can use for monitoring and doing a little mixing. Does anyone have any suggestions. I will be looking for headphones that will give me the same type of depth as listening to a mix through my monitors. I would like to be able to get into rough mixing starting out in the headphones and then going to the monitors. Hope this makes sense. I would like some ideas on a pair of headphones that would possibly give me the accuracy as if I were mixing straight out of the monitors. Right now I start a mix using the headphones, but I know that everything will still be "loud" once I start to mix using the headphones. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and as always thank you.

BigTrey

 

[StevenColbert]

I like the SONY MDR's. They are great for hard rock and heavy metal. Those are my favorite pair at the moment.
Also try the search funtion here on RO. This question comes up alot
Cheers

 

[BigTrey]

Thanks Steve, I'll try the search right now I am working with the smaller version of the Sony MDR'S; I have the Sony MDRV's which are smaller and cup the ears just fine. Thanks for the tip, I just might continue using the ones that I have.

BigTrey

 

[TeddyG]

I don't know the Sony's, of which you speak - if they are "already so" --- never mind...... AND, I only parrot "experts" who have suggested this for many years, though what experience I do have seems to agree...

For tracking, one might prefer closed headphones to keep the feedback down, but, for listening/editing/mixing an open or "semi-open"(Whatever that actually is) set of phones may be better?

The closed phones sort've have that natural problem of having to be closed/sealed... May not always matter but it is a severe design restriction......

The next phones I get will likely be the Byerdynamic DT-990's, the "natural" companions to the DT-770's(Closed) I use now for everything and they are fine for editing, listening for clicks and pops and stuff, but, again, for any sort of critical listening/mixing(Some say NO phones are "right" for this, but, we do what we must!) the open pair may/should be better for "all else", irrespective of brand -- all the phone makers offer open, closed and semi-open(For those who can't make up their minds?) phones......

I thing I like about phones is that you need not compromise! You can have some of the world's greatest headphones and they still don't cost as much as even a fair set of speakers -- nice to have at least one piece of "best" gear, ey?


TG

 

[AuralReject]

I use Sennheiser HD650s for editing & basic mixing duties (though I don't tend to do the latter very often). I'm currently looking at AKG K701s as an alternative.

HD25s for tracking. I generally give my producers DT250s on location.

 

[Tom Fodor]

I have used the DT 990's and found them to be quite good, the 770's were not as well balanced probably because they are a closed unit. The AKG's are quite nice too. I realy think it comes down to personal taste a lot of the time.

 

[atlasproaudio]

Beyer's are nice...I use the 770's for tracking. They just don't challenge me enough for mix. Check out the Grado's. They aren't huge in the Pro Audio world, more so in the audiophile world. I was impressed enough that we added them to the line card of the store, and the company itself has great customer service and is run by a single family. I personally use the top of the line RS-1's (sell for $695), but even their sub $300 headphones are very close. Very very detailed, and they make a nice complement to my ADAM S3A's and Klein and Hummel 0300D's.

 

[aphid]

Beyer 770 dt pro 80 ohm all the way. i haven't heard the other beyer stuff but these are versitle and you can get a good mix with them in a pinch. the sony mdr stuff isn't reference gear, i own 3 different models of them, and they all artificially sweeten the source. even the big ass most expensive ones. buy a pair of the beyers form GC for $140, don't let the sales person tell you different.

 

[MadTiger3000]

I like the SONY MDR's. They are great for hard rock and heavy metal. Those are my favorite pair at the moment.
Also try the search funtion here on RO. This question comes up alot
Cheers

I like AKG 240S

 

[tallrd]

MDR7506's have long been a (if not "the") standard headphone in the business for a long time. However, like anything, newer better products will follow.

The one gripe I've heard about those are the high frequencies in that they tend to be a bit fatiguing over longer periods of time.

Ultrasone is one of the best on the market these days. The drivers are offset so the sound goes into your ear canal more like actual sound would (i.e. using your ear's shape to get the sound in as opposed to shooting straight at your ear drum). They have several models, and I've heard them all. The Proline-550's sound really balanced imho, but they sell for almost double what the Sony's go for. Depending on how critical this endeavor is, these should be a consideration for you:
http://www.ultrasone.com/htdocs/08_frameset/proline_index.php

 

[aphid]

i didn't dig the Ultrasone they had up GC. seemed kinda scooped to me, but the highs weren't annoying like the MDR stuff. the proline seems to be hifi to me still. although, i think for mastering they might be better than the beyers. i find i like reference monitors and heaphones (Dynaudio, Beyers) for mixing, and high end consumer grade stuff for mastering (Polk, Sony MDR). seems fitting to me

I think the MDR7506's are good for the players while they track, and at that price point, its a good buy. i've met some radio dj's who agree in their respect. good for monitoring, but not for editing/mixing.

 

[passion1]

monitoring headphones

I recommend using the Sennheiser HD600 headphones. They are the most natural sounding headphones I've heard. Hope that helps!