[OHPC]

Hi guys. My first post here. I already spent lots of hours just "lurking around the corridors of this forum", reading messages until I decided to register and post.
Well, I am a musician, not really an audiophile (although I doubt any "audiophile" would be as demanding about sound as a musician). I am a classical pianist, composer and conductor. I started recording my own compositions in my home studio, using samplers and virtual instruments. The results are very nice until now, but since I record and mix at home I can't use monitors, this is the reason I have to use headphones.
Of course I am accustomed to real instruments and listen to lots of classical recordings. As a composer I am always looking for the perfect sound, which involves the right reverb, eq and mixing. It is insane the amount of time one can spend just trying to change a few settings in the mix just to discover the following day that you don't like it, and start from scratch again.

Besides monitoring and mixing, for which I would like to use a neutral headphone I also listen to music a lot and would like a good headphone for general use. After many hours I found some possible candidates for the task, and I would love to hear your opinion.
The headphones will be used connected to a computer (Audigy 2 ZS Platinum, soon to be upgraded to a Creative X-Fi) most of the time. My budget is really limited at this moment, so I can't spend much.
I should add that I also listen to jazz and rock, and besides mixing my recordings I would also use some portable equipment sometimes to listen to music with the headphones. I am starting to consider buying two headphones (one neutral for mixing and another one for pure listening). Maybe later a headphone amp, I am considering the PA2V2.

The headphones I am considering at this moment:

For mixing/recording:
AKG K141S
AKG K240S
Sennheiser HD280

For general use:
Sennheiser HD595
AKG 501

My questions:
- Is the AKG 240S a "neutral" headphone? What about the 141S?
- Would you recommend the Senn HD595 for mixing? I understand it is very good, but don't really know how "neutral" it is.
- Is the AKG 501 a good option for classical music?

Thanks in advance for all the help you might provide.

 

[Davesrose]

The HD595 is a great headphone for its price. I think it stays fairly neutral on most systems. For some, they feel as though the upper mids can be recessed....but on high end equipment that goes away (it's still my favorite all around general use headphone). Compared to the k501, it's a lot more intimate and has more bass.....so I actually prefer the HD595 over the k501 for a lot of classical genres. If you're looking for just one headphone to listen to all music with, the HD595 is always my recommendation.

For studio use, also consider the Sony MDR-V6 (not V600). It has emphasis in the mids, and should have nice tonality for piano. It's closed and isolating, so it's a favorite for mixing.

 

[Question]

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[Question]

Huh... time travel

 

 

[Question]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Esidarap /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMO you should go with the Sonys. They are the standard for a reason. read the second post on this page. http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...light=MDR-7506

 

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Question /img/forum/go_quote.gif Certainly this is not an argument against Davesrose's comment but you also may notice some posts here that state V6s have a dip in mids. Nevertheless V6s are in my shopping list for my future home studio projects since:

It looks like those comments aren't from audio professionals. Audio professionals like the MDR-V6 for monitoring because of its relative flat response in the upper mids. I dunno....maybe some pick up a dip in the lower mids.

But I've listened to the mdr-v6, and I would say it's very well balanced for mixing. Heck, the reason why it's still being made is that LOTS of studios use them.

http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ghlight=mdr-v6

 

[OHPC]

Thanks for your opinions. Would this Sony headphone be as "good" as the AKG or Sennheiser? I know tastes may vary (otherwise this forum wouldn't exist), but since I only know the "cheap" line of Sony headphones I didn't consider them as an option, this the reason I am asking. I also heard nice opinions about the BeyerDynamic.
I forgot to tell you: my compositions are for varied instruments: string quartet, small orchestra, symphonic orchestra, winds, brass, etc. And piano (solo and duo) sometimes.

So, most of the time I use classical instruments. Electronic music (classical or ambient) and soundtracks would be my next line of "research" in composition, but I guess conventional acoustic instruments will be used 95% of the time.

 

[Lithos]

Quote:

It looks like those comments aren't from audio professionals. Audio professionals like the MDR-V6 for monitoring because of its relative flat response in the upper mids. I dunno....maybe some pick up a dip in the lower mids. But I've listened to the mdr-v6, and I would say it's very well balanced for mixing. Heck, the reason why it's still being made is that LOTS of studios use them.

Im also not an audio expert, but I own both the Sennheiser HD-595 and Sennheiser HD-280.

If I had to mix something then I wouldn't use the Sennheiser HD-595. To me it sounds as if the 595 adds a thin layer of bass to piano notes. In my opinion this sounds totally unnatural. Im not sure how it should sound like, but when I put on my HD-280s then piano notes sound very clear and natural.

 

[jdimitri]

I don't think too many of the headphones we use will do..
Most are too coloured

I think (not sure, but it's possible) that the DT880 from beyer will work

Otherwise just use the standards that people usually use, Sony V6 and AKG 141.. or is it 241? Just ask those folks at the pro audio store

 

[Davesrose]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OHPC /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for your opinions. Would this Sony headphone be as "good" as the AKG or Sennheiser? I know tastes may vary (otherwise this forum wouldn't exist), but since I only know the "cheap" line of Sony headphones I didn't consider them as an option, this the reason I am asking. I also heard nice opinions about the BeyerDynamic. I forgot to tell you: my compositions are for varied instruments: string quartet, small orchestra, symphonic orchestra, winds, brass, etc. And piano (solo and duo) sometimes. So, most of the time I use classical instruments. Electronic music (classical or ambient) and soundtracks would be my next line of "research" in composition, but I guess conventional acoustic instruments will be used 95% of the time.

I think your idea of having two headphones is a good one. The Sonys are prefered for mixing, but professionals seem to say they get fatiguing for just listening to music. When you want to relax, you want something with soundstage and character. The 595 offers that, but has a balanced tonality....so it handles the most music genres. Beyer DT880/DT990 are similar.

Though if you lean towards more percussion intruments (ie things that require bass), then I'd also recommend the HD580 or HD650. They have a bigger soundstage and bass response so they go really well with ambient music.

 

[luidge]

My questions:
- Is the AKG 240S a "neutral" headphone? What about the 141S?
- Would you recommend the Senn HD595 for mixing? I understand it is very good, but don't really know how "neutral" it is.
- Is the AKG 501 a good option for classical music?



I have the K240S and seriously you can scratch them off your list, they are very bass and mid prominent leaving no place for treble, so not neutral a bit i

when i see them in hip-hop videos. For neutrality i heard that the AKG K701 are hard to beat, but if you want to create music for the mass i believe you shouldn't use hifi phones cause it's not lot of peeps that own good equipment. I think the sony's are a good guess, they have been used since a loooooong time in the music industry so they should be just what you are looking for.
I never heard the HD595 but i heard they are pretty neutral but not that great, so maybe a good choice for mixing.
The K501 are THE classical cans from what i heard in numerous threads so this is a great choice, i would suggest you to buy a pair from the for sale forum before the price jump!
Good luck with that friend.

 

[OHPC]

Wow, excellent answers people. Thanks a lot. You are helping a lot.
I was considering the HD280 but heard it is not very comfortable for long hours of use.
I was also told that besides the Sony, the AKG141S is also widely used by pros in the recording industry, should I consider them as a viable option too?
The reason I am asking is because I found a retailer that has the K141 and the K240. I live in Brasil (yes, here we spell it with an "S", not a "Z")

, so I will probably order them from this vendor. I will wait the end-of-year craze to come to an end and then will make my choice, so I still have more or less two weeks to consider all the options.
I heard lots of good comments about the K501 too. Too many options, it seems...
I don't know where to get a Sony V6. There is one vendor in USA that ships to Brasil, and the shipping costs include all taxes, I am considering buy the Senn HD595 from them, as it will cost less than half what I would pay here, and will be delivered to my home. I will see what they have in stock, maybe they will have a Sony V6 there, although I would love to try an AKG or a Sennheiser.

 

[moonsurf]

I used to have HD280, and it was very comfortable. Well, I believe the level of comfort must vary by the shape and size of head, but for me (whom I consider to have a large head) HD280 was very comfortable for long wear. And, I liked its sound, I haven't done any mixing myself, but I think the sound was very neutral. I haven't tried V6, but I used own V600(which I believe not as good as V6 although more expensive). I liked the sound of HD280 than V600 by a far margin. Sounds were much more cleaner and accurate. Except that V600 had more base than HD280, in every aspect including the quality of the base, HD280 was better. Again, people say V6 is superior to V600, so my input may not help you much. I didn't get to see where you live, if you live in US I believe V6 can be purchased around $50 to 60 and HD280 for around $70 or $80.

 

[OHPC]

I think I will buy AKG 141S for mixing/recording and Senn HD595 for listening. Any reason why you would not recommend the K141S for home studio use?

 

[Tantra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OHPC /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am starting to consider buying two headphones (one neutral for mixing and another one for pure listening).

That was my choice too: I use Sennheiser HD 280 pro for recording, they have accurate reproduction and excellent attenuation of "outside" sounds when recording. For editing and checking the final mix I use beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO, which are very involving headphones. I even use the beyerdynamic for my audiophile "needs". For acoustic piano you could consider Sennheiser or AKG sets, but avoid the AKG K240; working with them for many years I found it a bit un-neutral. (Edit: That being the K240 from 1998, have not heard the new version).

I think you will be better of with two headphones, as there is no headphone that is doing both jobs; neutral for monitoring/editing and audiophile for listening to the final products. Just my thoughts...