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Any Hi-End mastering studio headphone recommend?

I have some choice:

beyerdynamic DT 48e, DT 770 Pro, DT 990 Pro, DT 150, DT 931, DT 880

AKG K 1000, K 271 studio, K 240 studio

Sennheiser HD 650, HD 600,HD 250 II

Sony MDR-7506, MDR-7509, R-10

Grado RS-1

Stax omega II

Which one is better for any kind of music?

Comments

joe lambert Fri, 04/16/2004 - 13:58

I have headphones in my room. But they are for the clients. They sometimes like to hear it on headphones. The ones I keep in the room are SonyMDR 7509. A good quality headphone that people like. We also have Stax and Joseph Groddo headphones for the people who want a very flat sound. (those Jazz and Classicical dudes)

The only time I use headphones is while I'm in the gym. I take records home and QC them while I hit the treadmill. There sucky little headphones that do just what I want them to.

anonymous Sun, 04/18/2004 - 22:04

What do you think beyerdynamic DT 48 compare with Grado RS-1 and Stax omega II?

I saw some famous mastering studio use Grado RS-1 and Stax omega II to mastering music but beyerdynamic always use in broadcast , film .

Anyone give me some comment about Sennheiser HD 650,beyerdynamic DT 48,DT 880,Grado RS-1 and Stax omega II?
What is the characteristic of these brand?
What is the sound like?

I read some information about sony R-10 ,it is very Hi-End ,around 3000 U.S dollars

Is it good?

What is the different between closed nack and open headphone?

What is the different between Hifi audiophile headphone and studio headphone?
I saw some Hifi audiophile headphone is very crazy price compare with studio headphone.

I would like to know Which one is better ? no coloration accurate and flat sound?

Michael Fossenkemper Thu, 04/22/2004 - 07:02

I need a new set of headphones and I'm going to check out some grado's. I usually lean towards closed ear type but you never know. I've listened to several Stax headphones, can't remember all the models numbers, and at first they are really amazing but after awhile I find them annoying. They also don't seem to work well with a variety of music. A little too much hi end detail for my taste although i've never tried them with the tube amp. I'm sure that makes a huge difference but they are really hard to find now. All the usual places in NYC don't carry them anymore.

anonymous Thu, 05/06/2004 - 14:42

Headphones...Ahhh

It can be done, takes practice to learn the spacial translation.

Stax Lambda pros.
Sennheiser Orpheous.

These do well.

Not inexpensive. Cost more than very fine monitors but since I have both systems, I have learned to trust them when I am mastering out of town with the portable system.

Works great!

For an idea of the level I are speaking of, read this:

http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?s=d3037a59823ad083b3d713d72af1820a&threadid=3542

Ammitsboel Sat, 05/08/2004 - 09:49

Yeah Michael... I always thought of you as a wannabee :lol:
I have the Grado SR60, AKG 240 and Koss Pro/4AA. They are all very different and have their own quality's.
It also comes down to what headphone amp you are using, what are you all using?
I'm using the Greek OBH-11 at the moment witch is good but often I find it too sharp and edgy sounding and after and hour of listening my ears are tired.
I'm looking forward to try a Sugden headphone amp when I can get hold of one... or maybe I should just put the headphones on the outputs of my tube monoblocks!

Best Regards

Michael Fossenkemper Sun, 05/09/2004 - 08:36

I have one by studio technologies that's ok. I also like the headphone amps in the panasonic dat machines. I think they are pretty good sounding and pleasant to listen to. I haven't really invested heavily in one because I really only use headphones for clicks and pops. I like listening to headphones on the subway and such but find it too difficult to work with them. I did try a pair of headphones at the AES show that places the driver lower down and fires it upward utilizing more of the ear shape. I thought the imaging was very good and very 3 dimensional. They also advertised that their headphones are more magnetically shielding to the brain. Then I read how much electro magnetic radiation is delivered by a simple pair of headphones. Pretty scary.

anonymous Fri, 06/18/2004 - 01:55

Ultrasone makes the best phones in my opinion. Check out the HFI-650 or the HFI-550. You can try doing an AB test and find out yourself. Their sound is very clear, and the supression of the external noise is amazing.

One thing the ultrasone have is that the driver is aimed in an angle kindda pointing to the lower part of your ear. This allows the sound to be captured by your outter ear rather than having the sound blasted directly to your ear canal like phones normally do.
I guess what I am trying to say is that when you listen to a set of monitors, it is your outer ear that captures the sound and sends it to your inner ear. That is a natural process. Using headphones is like putting small monitors on the side of head aiming directly to your ear... now I know that is not the way you should listen to music. The purpose of the angle used by the Ultrasone headphones is to give you a more realistic listening point of view.

Cheers

Jose Luis

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Pro Audio Solutions
Nashville, TN
http://www.proaudiosolutions.com
1-800-834-5986
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

anonymous Fri, 06/18/2004 - 05:26

I've owned a pair of Grado SR225's for about ten years. I don't use them much anymore, the new room is very well isolated so I don't need them for tops and tails like I used to. The Grados sound very good, but the biggest problem with them is that they are extremely uncomfortable to wear and the foam earpieces tend to fall off. I imagine the RS-1's are better in this area.

Michael Fossenkemper Mon, 06/28/2004 - 20:17

I finally found a pair of headphones (or should I say in ear monitors) that I really like. Etymotic ER4P's. Kills 2 birds with 1 stone. They noise cancel up to 25db and sound really good. I can also use them with my ipod in the streets of NYC and I don't have to crank it up to hear it. Really great sounding compared to any headphone. They list for $330 but I found them on ebay for $205. If you don't mind the sensation of earplugs in your ear, I would highly recommend them.
etymotic.com

Michael Fossenkemper Mon, 06/28/2004 - 20:17

I finally found a pair of headphones (or should I say in ear monitors) that I really like. Etymotic ER4P's. Kills 2 birds with 1 stone. They noise cancel up to 25db and sound really good. I can also use them with my ipod in the streets of NYC and I don't have to crank it up to hear it. Really great sounding compared to any headphone. They list for $330 but I found them on ebay for $205. If you don't mind the sensation of earplugs in your ear, I would highly recommend them.
etymotic.com