[stuart]

hi. i'm a total noob to the world of headphones (well, at least GOOD headphones) and I'm looking for advice on what to buy for my needs. i've got a powerbook & reason and i'm learning to produce drum and bass style tracks. i need some good reference headphones, upper budget limit $200, no amp (well at least at first, i blew most of my cash on the above

.

so far, i'm thinking either AKG240S or Beyer DT770 based on what i've gleaned from online research. i'd be interested in hearing what other members are using for their bass heavy music production.

cheers

stu

 

[Jahn]

Welcome to head fi and sorry about your wallet! DT770 is indeed the Bassmeister. However unamped your poor computer may fry trying to get you serviceable volume level - the 80 ohm version would be your best bet, but even a lil cmoy amp would greatly improve your Bass if you put it in the signal chain.

 

[phil2dot6]

The Beyer's definitely need an amp if you want that big bass sound. But of course, if you don't want the amp, you can always settle with a Sony MDR-V6, as they have a good bass response, and they're good for referencing... all you gotta do is change the pads if you decide on the V6's.

Also, considering that you're going to mix your own DnB tracks, you don't want the bass to be overbearing, so be weary of the 770's, if possible...

 

[Geek]

You want a headphone with a nice smooth flat response so that when you mix tracks, you won't mix them too bass-light. A bass-heavy phone will make you think the music has more bass than it does; mixing with a bass-light phone will make you think the music has less bass than it does. You want a neutral headphone. Your ears will be the best judge then, without colorations.

Ditch the DT770 or other colored recommendations unless your friends like really colored recordings that don't sound good. Probably the closest you can get are DT250-80s for unamped sub $200, the DT250-80s are a tad light on the highs (they roll off smoothly past 10khz or so) but have very neutral mids and bass. The Grados are too colored, sennheisers are a little too bass heavy. AKG phones tend to need amps or they are very bass light.

Cheers,
Geek

 

[stuart]

Thanks everybody! i'll avoid the 770s and research some of those other recommendations then. maybe this is why so many people are dissing headphones in production forums. the usual complaint is that sound mixed on headphones played back on hi-fi or studio monitors comes out thin or flat.

cheers

stuart

 

[phil2dot6]

A big complaint about headphones that you have to seriously consider when in production is that headphones seperate the left and right channels.. so if there were to be any phase cancellation, you can't hear it on normal monitors or speakers...

 

[commando]

Geek said what I was about to say - get neutral cans.

Can anyone guess what i'm going to recommend? A900

From http://audiocubes.com . Or get the A500 if you want to save some cash and still get (i've read) 90% of the sound quality. But for serious production get the A900s. You can get an amp later if you want, they help but aren't necessary.

The only thing is they're big. They seem strong enough, but something like 250-80s might be stronger (although less comfortable). Sony V6's are a commonly used cans by DJs too.

 

[nierika]

Quote:

Originally Posted by commando Geek said what I was about to say - get neutral cans. Can anyone guess what i'm going to recommend? A900 From http://audiocubes.com . Or get the A500 if you want to save some cash and still get (i've read) 90% of the sound quality. But for serious production get the A900s. You can get an amp later if you want, they help but aren't necessary.

A900s NEUTRAL!? Not even close.

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nierika A900s NEUTRAL!? Not even close.

They are the most neutral of all the cans i've heard. Their bass is strong, but not overbearing. The highs are there but not as harsh as the CD3K/Senn 280. The midrange is nice compared with the 271s. I think that's a pretty good sample of closed cans to compare with, but i've never owned any open cans to compare with.

If the 280s had better bass and less harsh highs i'd suggest them.

What would you suggest is neutral nierika?

 

[krushed]

Although I'm doing more and more heaphone mixing it can be problematic if I don't keep rechecking the mix on near fields. The hardest thing to get right when mixing on headphones is bass. I use Beyer DT990 pros but I'd never use them exclusively. Also, they're a bit too large to comfortably tote around. (My wife looked at me wearing them and said, "Help me OB1"). When I'm out and about with the notebook a pair of E2's is all I need. When all you have is headphones it helps to keep an assortment of reference music handy. Then you can check that your not going out of whack too much.

 

[nierika]

Quote:

Originally Posted by commando They are the most neutral of all the cans i've heard. Their bass is strong, but not overbearing. The highs are there but not as harsh as the CD3K/Senn 280. The midrange is nice compared with the 271s. I think that's a pretty good sample of closed cans to compare with, but i've never owned any open cans to compare with. If the 280s had better bass and less harsh highs i'd suggest them. What would you suggest is neutral nierika?

Midrange on the A900s is coloured (especially thin in the lower mids). Highs are definitely smooth, but boosted.

Senn 280s are more neutral than the A900s. I used a pair for almost a year and never found the highs to be harsh. But the bass would be an issue (strong deep bass, weak upper bass)

I'd recommend Beyer DT-150, Beyer DT-250-250ohm, or Sennheiser HD 25-1.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

In terms of frequency balance, the HD25 is the closest I've heard to a good pair of studio monitors. They are harsh if the material is, but smooth if needbe as well. After becoming more familiar with monitor speakers, I definitely wouldn't rely exclusively on cans if I were to be mixing.

 

[hugz]

how are the beyer DTX900 from a production standpoint?

 

[BowerR64]

HD280s feel like a vise on my head. Im using the MDR-D22 eggos now waiting for a new set of D66, the D77s ive had for about 15 years and man i cant find anything to replace them. The cable or somthing is starting to short out at times when i play my guitar the left speaker will quit. They really sound good though compaired to anything else ive used. I think they have the best sound and comfort and since ive used em so long i really have a good ear for the sound i want.

I got these bose ones from best buy they were blue and didnt feel bad but had no mids. I returned those the next day.

 

[commando]

The problem I see with 280s for D&B is you'd mix the bass up because they're bass shy - people playing the music back on better ballanced cans or speakers would have way too much bass.