[soundtest]

Hi Head-Fis,
I've been looking into buying a new set of cans lately and have been impressed with the amount of activity and discussion on this site, so I thought I'd come here for some advice. I'm looking for a pair of headphones that is as honest and transparent as possible at around the $300 range. I've been trying to make an album for quite some time, and while I have a decent set of headphones (Sennheiser HD 280 Pro), after having a chance to listen to my mixes on good full-size studio monitors, I could tell that the best mixing environment I had available to me was not quite up to par. After browsing these forums, other sites, and getting a little advice from a couple of friends, I've come across a few choices that seem promising.
 
SRH940
GMP 8.35D
GMP 8.3D
 
Any input you can give on these and others would be much appreciated. Keep in mind that I want to treat my mixes as critically as I can so that I can work in as good as an environment as possible and then adjust from there for weaker playback environments. I am more interested in closed headphones as I do live at home with other members of my family, but if open-air sets are going to provide an advantage I'd be open to those as well. Thanks a million.
 

 

[lejaz]

I use the hd580(same driver as hd600), and at normal listening levels you have to really strain to hear any leakage from over 2 or 3 ft. away. It wouldn't bother anyone in your family unless they are practically right on top of you. If they're on the other side of even a small room, they won't hear anything at all. The hd600 often  gets recommended for mixing  since it's claimed to be very neutral. 

 

[soundtest]

I'm more concerned about outside noise bothering me, but thanks for the input. I'll take a look into the hd600s. I'm not exactly avid in my headphone knowledge, but I noticed the hd600 requires an amplifier. I have a couple of audio interfaces. Do those generally have headphone amplification tech built in?

 

[lejaz]

They all have a headphone amp AFAIK, but the senns require a bit more power than those normally provide. Oh yeah, as far as outside noise getting in goes, I was working on remixing a song recently and I heard this hiss on a track and I was really pissed. "How the hell did all that noise get in there?" I thought I'd have to re-record it. I took off the phones and realized that the damn tea kettle on the stove had just started boiling. So, yeah, noise DOES get in.
Quote:

I'm more concerned about outside noise bothering me, but thanks for the input. I'll take a look into the hd600s. I'm not exactly avid in my headphone knowledge, but I noticed the hd600 requires an amplifier. I have a couple of audio interfaces. Do those generally have headphone amplification tech built in?

 

 

[koolkat]

The GMPs look stunning and have good reviews. Senns are usually described as being "veiled", smooth sounding and not very revealing but I don't have experience with any high end Senns so I don't know for sure.

 

[LFF]

I highly recommend you look into the Fischer Audio FA-003. It's a closed headphone that sounds like an open headphone. Moreover, it has a very neutral sound signature that provides a very realistic picture of what is on a recording. I use them to spot check masters and audio restoration projects. Another reason I love them is that their soundstage is very accurate and I have found that anything mixed/mastered on them translates very well to other systems. I never master solely on headphones but they are priceless when it comes to checking certain critical details. An even better reason to get them is that they are very affordable.

 

[soundtest]

I reached a couple of contacts I have last night and got some more interesting feedback. The director of sound and audio engineering stuff at my alma matter (he does both big live shows and studio work and has worked with some major artists) took a look at my original list and told me to go with a closed headphone. He actually recommended the Sony 7506 over the srh940. Another friend of mine who has done some professional composition work went totally the opposite route and said to never mix on closed headphones if possible. He said writing on closed headphones is alright, but actually making a final mix really requires an open-air set. He recommended DT880s.Thanks for all your input. This is a hard decision. I wish I just had a closet of things to try as recommendations seem to differ so much. I'll take a look at those FA-003s.

 

[lejaz]

The guy who recommended the 7506 must have been recommending them for tracking/recording. I doubt anyone on head-fi would choose them over any of the others mentioned for accuracy/neutrality. I imagine most of those mentioned are in another league, but I haven't heard most of them... only the v6, which is supposed to be identical to the 7506, and I can't imagine anyone recommending it for mixing duties, though they're widely used for tracking. Most closed phones aren't suitable for mixing I don't think....maybe the 003 is an exception.

 

[grizzlybeast]

+1 for the germans if you need isolation if not then go with an open headphone. If not would look into the akg k712