[Perox]

Hey guys,
I'm getting into the music stuff lately (well actually I've been making electronic music for about a year now) and I need some studio monitor headphones, because I've been monitoring only on my Koss PortaPros that broke recently. I heard that the Audio Technica ATH-M50 are great. I know a guy that sells headphones like these and he told me that I should rather buy open-back headphones like the AKG K240 MKII, or if I absolutely need closed ones, he would recommend the AKG K271 MKII over the M50s because the M50s have over-emphasized bass. I couldn't try them right now so I don't know how they sound, but I have a strong sympathy for the ATH-M50 because they looks good, seen them in some studio videos and even on the NVidia website in an ad which had nothing to do with music (it was about Windows 8). I also know about other options like Shure SRH-840 and M-Audio Q40 but I didn't hear that much about them. What I like about all AKG headphones is that the cable is removable (I guess you also get both coiled and straight) and that they pack pleather and velour pads with them. The PortaPros of mine actually had the cable defected. No cable replacemant on the M50's.
 
Also, is there any difference between straight and coiled cables in music production (e.g. ATH-M50/ATH-M50S) and the limited edition ATH-M50S LE? What is better open, semi-open or closed-back headphones for monitoring purposes. I will be plugging them straight into the 3,5mm jack on my latop, no amps or DACs (I do play to get a DAC later next year). I also don't have monitor speakers so these headphones will be my only monitoring medium.
 
Thanks

 

[AaronR]

budget?

 

[Tangster]

KRK KNS 6400/8400
Shure SRH440
M-Audio Q40
 
I believe the SRH840 are out of your price range, but I would say they are slightly better that the KNS8400 in terms of sound. Not quite worth the retail price difference, imo.

 

[Perox]

Quote:

budget?

title? basically around 150$

 

[Perox]

Quote:

KRK KNS 6400/8400
Shure SRH440
M-Audio Q40
 
I believe the SRH840 are out of your price range, but I would say they are slightly better that the KNS8400 in terms of sound. Not quite worth the retail price difference, imo.

Well I found the SRH840 at the price of the M50 so they're not out. And why do people recommend the M50 so much? And could you tell me what kind of headphones are best for monitoring? Open, Closed, Semi-open, and why?

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

Well I found the SRH840 at the price of the M50 so they're not out. And why do people recommend the M50 so much? And could you tell me what kind of headphones are best for monitoring? Open, Closed, Semi-open, and why?

Many people who recommend the M50 have never tried another comparable headphone. It's good, but not worth the money it currently commands. For $100 or less, it's decent value.
 
I woulds say that a headphone with some isolation is best for monitoring in order to keep out unwanted noise, open is an option if you use it somewhere with little ambient noise. However any headphone with a suitably flat sound is a good choice for monitoring.
 
The SRH840 is the best, imo, but you sacrifice comfort. The SRH840 is quite heavy and may not be suitable for long listening sessions.
 
Also consider the Beyerdynamic DT880.

 

[Cakensaur]

if you can go for it, get the Shure SRH840.
I've borrowed them extensively. while i don't like them personally, they are probably the best for your application you want. No frequency is really offensive, fairly even.

 

[ostewart]

+1 for SRH840, also has detachable cable

 

[Perox]

Quote:

Many people who recommend the M50 have never tried another comparable headphone. It's good, but not worth the money it currently commands. For $100 or less, it's decent value.
 
I woulds say that a headphone with some isolation is best for monitoring in order to keep out unwanted noise, open is an option if you use it somewhere with little ambient noise. However any headphone with a suitably flat sound is a good choice for monitoring.
 
The SRH840 is the best, imo, but you sacrifice comfort. The SRH840 is quite heavy and may not be suitable for long listening sessions.
 
Also consider the Beyerdynamic DT880.

Well I told you that the SRH840 are not out of my price range because they cost about 150€ (think of € euros as $ dollars right now) but the DT880 Pro are 222€. I don't want to go above 200€ and the best would be around 150€ like the ATH-M50 and SRH840. The Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro are around 150€.
The comfort would be a problem since it will be the only thing I'll listen to my music on but the removable cable is a plus.
And I'm no expert but the frequency response of the M50 (2012 edition in the white box) seems flatter
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AudioTechnicaATHM50B2012.pdf
than the SRH840
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/ShureSRH840.pdf ??

 

[genclaymore]

Last time I checked amazon had a A900 for 149, I don't know if it was used or Refurbished.

 

[Perox]

Quote:

Last time I checked amazon had a A900 for 149, I don't know if it was used or Refurbished.

Unfortunately I live in Slovakia (center of Europe) and I don't even know if Amazon is accessible here, but I want new ones, not used...

 

[Cakensaur]

I don't know.
Me, i find the m50's highs really hard to take. The bass Doesn't have a great deal of texture at all, and i find them really uncomfy. and no detachable cable.
SRH840 is more flat (my ears tell me this) more comfy despite weighing as much as a truck(well...), and more user friendly, with detachable cables. on top of this i find them generally unoffensive, just boring... unfortunately i cant say the same about the M50's.

 

[Rightclick/Scissors]

You just can't go wrong with the M50s: they've been the standard for years and have yet to be dethroned. Highly regarded everywhere and used by pros everywhere. You're not gonna hate 'em. Chances are you'll have the same reaction as everyone else.
 
Also they're so well-built and have great durability. You won't be back here for another 3 years at least.

 

[Tangster]

Quote:

Unfortunately I live in Slovakia (center of Europe) and I don't even know if Amazon is accessible here, but I want new ones, not used...

Does Amazon.de deliver to Slovakia? I think a fairly large number of the German e-tailers should deliver to most of the EU countries. Places like Jaben.net which are Hong Kong based should deliver internationally. Prices are very fair as well. Audio Technica is less good value in Europe than Asia/North America, I dunno why the prices get jacked up regardless of exchange rate for Europe, but they generally do.

 

[Perox]

Quote:

Does Amazon.de deliver to Slovakia? I think a fairly large number of the German e-tailers should deliver to most of the EU countries. Places like Jaben.net which are Hong Kong based should deliver internationally. Prices are very fair as well. Audio Technica is less good value in Europe than Asia/North America, I dunno why the prices get jacked up regardless of exchange rate for Europe, but they generally do.

Dunno, but is Amazon like Ebay, for used things? I said earlier that I want new ones...
And yep, you'e right, 150$ (I guess the M50 cost this in the US) should be 114€, but the cheapest new ones are for 150€ and that's 197$.