Recommend me some good production headphones

[Captain James Mission]

Audio Technica ATH-M50. They have 32 Ohm, quite easy to drive out of any source. Best BANG for the buck. Period.

 

P.S.: If you want Bass, you can go with the Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro, 80 Ohm Version. Or the 250 Ohm Version for a more balanced Sound. but with 250 Ohm I would recommend an Headphone-Amp.

 

Thanks. More Ohm means you need a louder signal coming in to have a good response?

 

In general I noticed, most headphone companies only have closed models in the range of 100-300 euros, but many open or half-open models way more expensive and probably also better. Why is that?

 

regarding the impedance you can say so, most times. but there are exceptions. the beyerdynamic dt770pro 80ohm is easier to drive than the 32ohm version. can't say why...

 

with open phones you get a much more realistic sound, but the closed cans deliver more bass, in general. if you have the money, go for the beyerdynamic dt880/990 or sennheiser hd600/650, they deliver audiophile sound. then an amp is necessary, too!

 

if you want audiophile portable sound check out the beyerdynamic dt1350 or the t50p. they are both excellent portable cans, the t50p is quite controversial, either you like it, or you don't. i have them and i love them. for a portable headphone amp check out the fiio e11, it can drive my dt770/250ohm quite well...

 

someone said it before: go to www.head-fi.org , but beware, once you get the audiophile virus, it can be very expensive... be warned.

 

also, good call on the koss porta pro, they are open cans and can compete with many expensive phones.

 

p.s.: open headphones leak much sound to your enviroment.

[mcbpete]

P.S.: If you want Bass, you can go with the Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro, 80 Ohm Version.

Though for music production you really want to go for ones with as flat a frequency response as possibly and not ones that accentuate the lower end of things. So make sure you check reviews before a purchase ....

[chim]

Ok I'm going to say this once. What people don't seem to realize is that the human ear (and by extension, the brain) is not only one of the most complex and sensitive instruments that we know of, it's one of the most adaptive instruments. There are indigenous people who adapt their eyes to see 10 times as well underwater than normal people do by simple training.

 

This means that if you learn to listen to what you're doing and what happens in your output of choice, you will understand what professional musicians are doing. It's actually pretty simple, they're following a certain EQ "image" and that image can be equalled and even surpassed, it just requires training so that the ear is sufficiently sensitive to audio. For instance, compressors are difficult to understand for most musicians because they work in the ms range, and most ears aren't accustomed to that range. But if you practice enough, your ears will be able to discern what happens between a 20ms attack and a 40 ms one. And you don't need a state of the art setup for that.

 

So basically, what happens in your setup tells you what your setup does, and if you listen to and adapt to that sound, you can make professional music.

 

A starting tip that I will offer is that when you listen through headphones, your private EQ "image" of sound is going to be abit faulty in that you imagine there is more bass than there is.

[tokn]

Thanks for all the info. But I really want closed models. I want to use them for listening for fun mostly, also on the subway and so on. I have the AKG K 520 (half open) and some very old and cheap AKGs which are very bad in comparison with the half open ones. But I am really looking for closed cans and they don't even need to be that realistic or natural responding, because I want a nice listening experience listening mostly to electronic music with a lot of bass.

[Captain James Mission]

You should really take a look at the beyerdynamic dt-1350 then.

[Guest catharsis]

As a headphone enthusiast myself, you guys (or gals) are right on the money. All great recommendations.

 

I own the beyerdynamic DT880, Shure SRH440, Sony MDR-7506, Audio-Technica ATH-AD700, and Goldring DR150.

 

For studio production I would go DT880 (open backed), or Sony MDR-7506 (closed backed). The SRH440 and MDR-7506 sound nearly identical and measure nearly the same. I find the comfort of the Sony to be more tolerable over long periods though.

[YO303]

I heard "The Beats" headphones by Dr.Dree will turn you into Rick Rubin.

[Guest catharsis]

"Beats"? Oh God no - don't every consider buying over-hyped over-priced fart cannons from a company that already produces over-hyped, over-priced cables and accessories. Unless you like your bass fat and unwieldly, stay away!

 

People who own Dr. Dre beats are probably the same people who like Skrillex.

[Squee]

lol

[Captain James Mission]

lol

[auxien]

I would never use headphones for production.

I agree but I'm using an Ipod Touch during the day so it makes it a little tricky doing it otherwise lol.

 

Using a set of headphones during production is great, in my experience, but only as a secondary reference point. I can't imagine using only headphones...which brings me to this question. Promo - you're doing writing on an iPod Touch? Using what program, I'm quite curious.Also, I use a set of Sennhesiser HD 595s. They were a gift, so I'm not sure how they sound in comparison to other headphones, but I like them. They're comfy as can be, but aren't really of the portable style because of it.

[chim]

People who own Dr. Dre beats are probably the same people who like Skrillex.

 

I'm pretty sure they like Dr. Dre.

[mcbpete]

I use Dr. Dre phones to listen to 32kbps RealAudio streams of The Hafler Trio. It's what Mr. McKenzie would want.

[Soloman Tump]

I use Dr. Dre phones to listen to 32kbps RealAudio streams of The Hafler Trio. It's what Mr. McKenzie would want.

 

Hafler Trio hey? Your pretty cool, bro. Is that Dubstep?

[Silent Member]

It's brostep.

[mcbpete]

Neither, it's spectralstep - It's what the kids listen to nowadays on the back of buses (Usually the driver has to tell them to stop playing it as he keeps thinking the engine is broken, or that the bus is travelling through dimensions)

[Silent Member]

shiiieeeeeeet

[tokn]

I use Dr. Dre phones to listen to 32kbps RealAudio streams of The Hafler Trio. It's what Mr. McKenzie would want.

 

Okay, that got me.

 

Nos eriously I just bouguth the beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm. They arrived today and in one hour I can finally listen. I really was looking for nice, bassy cans, which are comfortable for home and for being on the way, so I guess my choice was quite easy after all. If I would wanted to use them for monitoring I would have bought the AKGs.

[Guest catharsis]

The DT770 headphones are really nice headphones and have a huge amount of sound attenuation which is great for tracking or nearby sleeping spouses. They're mega-comfortable too and built like a tank.

Relative to the vast majority of headphones, they're still relatively flat, with a boost in the sub-200hz region, and a spike around 10khz. They sound fantastic to me, but I would be reluctant to trust the bottom end if I were using them for mixing. Like most people have said here, a trusty pair of good studio monitors are essential.

[Soloman Tump]

I use Dr. Dre phones to listen to 32kbps RealAudio streams of The Hafler Trio. It's what Mr. McKenzie would want.

 

Okay, that got me.

 

Nos eriously I just bouguth the beyerdynamics DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm. They arrived today and in one hour I can finally listen. I really was looking for nice, bassy cans, which are comfortable for home and for being on the way, so I guess my choice was quite easy after all. If I would wanted to use them for monitoring I would have bought the AKGs.

 

I have been after a pair of these for months - and am hoping to get a pair from Santa

 

If not, I will be buying some in the new year... let me know how you get on. All reports so far (including in this thread and several others on various forums) say they are excellent.

[tokn]

Yep I have small KRKs as well. I'm very happen with the new cans though I expected a bit more a sound revolution or something. Let's see how my listening experience continues. I already love their punchy sound and the stereo field they make up is very nice and much wider than the one from my cheap AKGs.

[TwiddleBot]

I like to switch between headphones and monitors because in this day and age, music is frequently listened to on headphones anyway. I tend to do a lot of comparisons to balance my mixes for effective listening on both.

 

edit Oh yeah typically I just go with sony 7506's.. I've used them for years, enough to know their weirdness in the bass and treble, and they don't seem to require a headphone amp so great for on the go.

[Fred McGriff]

lol @ overpriced fart cannons

 

been using various Sony MDRs for over a decade and probably until they bury me. which leads me to Squee's comment that he would never master with headphones. sometimes your environment requires you to, but other than that, I'm torn thinking about that. A lot of times it's utterly heartbreaking to hear your final product away from the teat that is a nice pair of headphones. My setup now is with some pretty decent monitors but I feel "blind" when using them, so I end up doing most of my composition on heapphones and then make sure I switch it up and spend plenty of time listening to how things sound on the monitors as well. It's a pretty good balance. I use Sony MDR-V700 headphones right now with Fostex Pm0.4 monitors. I also work a pair of Sennheiser HD 570 heaphones for my open-air needs, but I find the sound on those exceedingly bright.

 

I'm starting to become a firm believer that you can use anything you want that farts out sound so long as you know how every move you make will effect the end result of the sound on a large range of sound systems.

[Guest catharsis]

After years of hunting for perfect sound and spending a good penny doing it, I'm now of the firm belief that if you get to know the sound of your particular setup you can use it quite effectively; regardless of its flaws.

 

And don't buy into the assumption that better gear is always more expensive. I've traded in several over-priced pairs of headphones and speakers when I came to the realization that accurate sound can be had for reasonable money.

 

If money was no object, I would have to say that the AKG K701, DT880, HD600, T1 and HD800 are the flattest open headphones available (the ATH-AD500/AD700/AD900 are close), while the MDR-7506, SRH440, DT250, and K271 are among the most accurate closed backs. The DT770, ATH-M50 and SRH840 are also excellent cans, but are slightly more "v" shaped than some of the less expensive alternatives and probably better for tracking. Quite honestly, the difference between a $100 pair of good headphones and a $500 pair is quite marginal, and I speak from experience. YMMV

[Goiter Sanchez]

I like to switch between headphones and monitors because in this day and age, music is frequently listened to on headphones anyway. I tend to do a lot of comparisons to balance my mixes for effective listening on both.

 

I do the same... For detailed edits headphones act like a magnifying glass, but both headphones and monitors are essential. Multiple pairs of headphones (some shitty as well) can help to balance a mix by colouring the sound differently and potentially revealing weaknesses. If your mix sounds good through a lot of different gear then chances are it is good!

 

I use a pair of Grado SR325is. They sound great but are not the most comfortable for prolonged wearing unfortunately.