Cheapest isolation headphones for vocal recording

[poonna]

Hi,

Sennheiser HD280 Pro has been considered one of the most recommended isolation headphones suitable for vocal recording (in which bleeding into microphones is best avoided). But as I won't do monitoring on headphones, sound quality isn't much important. Is there any (way, way) cheaper alternatives that provide comparable isolation?

Thanks,
Poonna

 

[commando]

So let me get this straight - you want a recommendation for isolating headphones for a singer to use?

 

[Taurui]

Uhm .. the cheapest isolating phones that are worth looking into are the Sennheiser HD 202. Beware, though .. they have bloated bass (Not sure if that matters for voice recording) and don't isolate as well as HD280 phones.

-Taurui

 

[Takashi]

Welcome to Head-Fi.

I suppose you are looking for feedback/backing "monitor" headphone for vocalist.
The best I can think of for lower budget is Sony MDR-V6, it is quite usable for feedback monitor for players --- light weight, durable, donesn't leak. Even though I personally don't like V6's sound, it doesn't really matter since feedback can be mixed to whatever the player likes.

If you want to keep it real cheap then HD202 might be better, I don't know how it performs though.

 

[poonna]

Thanks for all your suggestions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by commando So let me get this straight - you want a recommendation for isolating headphones for a singer to use?

Yes. I need a set of headphones for a singer to use when recording.

The most important factors are isolation, and cost. The Senn HD202 looks interesting. I've also seen another interesting pair in the web: Audio Technica ATHM3X. Have you heard these? Any idea?

 

[halcyon]

My friend uses HD 280 Pro for vocal monitoring by the singers and yes they are overkill for that (in terms of price and sound quality).

In addition to HD202 which is among the cheapest usable closed cans, you could also look at (street prices from around the web):

Behringer HPM1000 $15 USD
Behringer HPX2000 or HPS3000 $25 USD
Behringer HPS5000 $35 USD

or some of the DJ headphones:

Numark or Gemini range DJ headphones (cheapest start at around c. $15 USD)

They are cheap and should isolate, although I can't guarantee that, because I haven't tried them myself.

Behringer cans are cheap to replace and the better priced DJ headphones should stand some knocking around before falling apart. Some come with replaceable cords and ear pads.

If you do find a cheap pair that you find works well, please report back with your experiences.

 

[nobody020]

Mdr-v6's might not be too good for recording. Someone at my school last year was running an experiment where they were recording and playing back clapping sounds. They had to buy HD280s because the V6s that they normally used were bleeding into the very sensisitive recording microphones.