[tampabobby]

I produce dance and techno music in a home studio. I have nice monitors but I need some headphones to work with since I live in apartment and can't really crank a lot of bass for any extended period of time.
 
From a lot of Googling I've narrowed it to the DT880, HD 650, or AKG K701 (I am willing to spend $250 - $400 but nothing crazy like $1k or more).
 
I don't need these for DJ'ing necessarily, just music production where I will be working with all manner of bass (electronic kicks, sub bass, etc..) and highs.
 
Also, I have an M-Audio Fast Track Pro sound card with a 1/4" headphone jack. Would this be considered a headphone amp or would I need another device to properly power the headphones?
 
Hopefully I can get a decisive answer and not 1000 opinions but I appreciate any thoughts
 
 
 - tampabobby

 

[BotByte]

Just get some Pro900's
 
They don't need a amp either

 

[TheWuss]

tampabobby,
i wouldn't consider any of the headphones you've listed as appropriate for monitoring, mixing purposes.
first, you're not listening to the music for kicks.  you are trying to do a job.
so, the headphone doesn't need to be "fun" or "colored" or attempt to give a "high end" sound through coloration or nifty tricks of driver placement, housing size, etc. etc.
You just need a really fine set of closed studio monitoring headphones with a 1/4" plug.
 
And, i hate to step on BotByte's toes here, but i'm sure he won't mind:
the Ultrasone cans are highly colored - more prominent in the bass and highs than perhaps is neutral.
So, what you'll end up with is a mix which is slightly deficient in the bass and highs, once it is heard on other transducers.  i hope you catch my drift.
 
I would say look no further than the Shure SRH840. 
First, I'm not a fanboy.  I have no horse in this race.
But, what I am is a critical listener.  I have heard dozens upon dozens of headphones.
And, the Shure is the most "neutral" sounding headphone at the price range you are working within.  Period.
So, when you do mixing and monitoring, you'll have a better sense of what your mix will sound like through other playback equipment (car speakers, home stereo, etc.).
No headphone will be able to produce the low frequencies in the same manner that a subwoofer will.
Even the more technically proficient 1000-dollar ones suffer from the same physical limitations at the $200 ones.  i.e., the bass is coupled only to the ears, and isn't sensed by the whole body.  Etc.
 
so, best of luck.  and let us know what direction you take....

 

[colmustard]

I've owned all three and I would say that the dt880's are the most neutral however they are not as detailed as the k701s. The hd650s are superior in terms of musicality but that's not what you need.
 
If you have an amp on hand I would say go for the k702's (same as k701 but with detachable cable). If not then go for the dt880 32 ohm version. The shures mentioned above are also a good option for production. I would stay clear of ultrasone for production though...

 

[tampabobby]

yes - this is exactly what i want. i don't need it to sound great to me then deficient to everyone else that is for sure. looks like the SHURE's are the front-runner at this point. hopefully they will give me the ability to program sub bass and kicks since that is the part i can't really do w/o pissing off my neighbors. i guess i can always work in the headphones then play it a few minutes through the monitors to see if i can make the correlation. thanks for the info!
 
Quote:

tampabobby,
i wouldn't consider any of the headphones you've listed as appropriate for monitoring, mixing purposes.
first, you're not listening to the music for kicks.  you are trying to do a job.
so, the headphone doesn't need to be "fun" or "colored" or attempt to give a "high end" sound through coloration or nifty tricks of driver placement, housing size, etc. etc.
You just need a really fine set of closed studio monitoring headphones with a 1/4" plug.
 
And, i hate to step on BotByte's toes here, but i'm sure he won't mind:
the Ultrasone cans are highly colored - more prominent in the bass and highs than perhaps is neutral.
So, what you'll end up with is a mix which is slightly deficient in the bass and highs, once it is heard on other transducers.  i hope you catch my drift.
 
I would say look no further than the Shure SRH840. 
First, I'm not a fanboy.  I have no horse in this race.
But, what I am is a critical listener.  I have heard dozens upon dozens of headphones.
And, the Shure is the most "neutral" sounding headphone at the price range you are working within.  Period.
So, when you do mixing and monitoring, you'll have a better sense of what your mix will sound like through other playback equipment (car speakers, home stereo, etc.).
No headphone will be able to produce the low frequencies in the same manner that a subwoofer will.
Even the more technically proficient 1000-dollar ones suffer from the same physical limitations at the $200 ones.  i.e., the bass is coupled only to the ears, and isn't sensed by the whole body.  Etc.
 
so, best of luck.  and let us know what direction you take....

 

 

[Uptown193]

Do you guys think that the K702 are better than the HD650?

 

[colmustard]

 
Quote:

Do you guys think that the K702 are better than the HD650?

More accurate yes, more enjoyable no.
 
I would choose the k701/2 for accoustic/live/instrumental.
 
I would choose the hd650 for everything else.

 

[Uptown193]

Quote:

 


More accurate yes, more enjoyable no.
 
I would choose the k701/2 for accoustic/live/instrumental.
 
I would choose the hd650 for everything else.

There is always a catch. It never fails. Thank you for the response.
 

 

[Graphicism]

I do a little mastering myself and find a neutral phone paramount to matching levels between crops. Of those you have listed the HD650 is overly colored, the K701 is hollow leaving my personal favorite the DT880. The 32Ohm version will be just fine from your soundcard however should you want the better 600 Ohm headphone you would also be looking at the expense of an OTL tube amp.
 
Another option would be the Beyerdynamic DT48 although they have recently stopped stocking them on B&H. Shure SRH840 as mentioned above might fit the bill, however I remember them being somewhat rolled off in both bass and highs... similar to Sony V6 if you've ever heard those, might not work for mastering.