Headphones for mixing (live, potentially front of house and monitors, and in the studio or at home)

[natehamlett]

Hey y'all! I'm sure you get tired of these sorts of threads, but I'm pretty new to all of this an very much overwhelmed with all the selection that's out there. I'm going to school for audio engineering and I'd like some closed back headphones that I can take to live gigs with me and be able to provide a reasonable amount of isolation from the sound coming off of the stage, as well as sound reasonable when plugged into my MacBook Pro for at home reference. Would be a plus if they were low enough resistance to not require a headphone amp so I can listen on the go, but I do have an audio interface (m audio fast track pro) with a built in headphone amp.. I'd like to spend less than $200 or so, but am willing to consider spending more.I'd appreciate any input.

 

[maxsayer]

I vote for the ATH M50.

 

[natehamlett]

I keep seeing virtually nothing but positive things said about these. I was just afraid you get what you pay for. Is it really possible a pair of cans I can find for 85 bucks can beat out anything in the under 200 dollar price range? If so awesome!

 

[BotByte]

Quote:

I keep seeing virtually nothing but positive things said about these. I was just afraid you get what you pay for. Is it really possible a pair of cans I can find for 85 bucks can beat out anything in the under 200 dollar price range? If so awesome!

$85? Must be fake. Buy from a authorized dealer only.

 

[natehamlett]

Damn. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Audio-Technica+ATH-M50&um=1&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.&biw=1600&bih=772&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=9471239444166504050&sa=X&ei=H3NuTvDCG_KmsALem9nTBA&ved=0CF0Q8wIwAA#scoring=tp there's the google shop results, I was looking at "thepwnageshop". It did make me a bit uneasy they had no seller ratings. Guess I woulda got pwned. I saw a couple reviews on Amazon that said they got their brand new ATH M50s for less than 100 dollars...maybe they are real?
 
Anyway, has anyone had experience with the Fast Track Pro driving headphones? Does it do well enough or should I be considering investing in a separate headphone amp? The only headphones I've listened to though it so far are my Sennheiser HD 202s, which obviously don't really need all that much power to drive.

 

[SLaRe]

If you search the web, you will realise that Beyer DT770 or DT880 pro models and 250 Ohm, Shure SRH-840 or SRH-940 and Sony MDR-7509HD (if you can get used to the tricky sound) are almost standards in studio. Also the AKG K701 is almost ideal for mixing purposes. Two classics are the AKG K240M and the Audio Technica ATH-M40FS.
 
I don´t recommend you to rely just in one pair of headphones. You must have at least two very different headphones and a set of speakers, just to make the best mix possible.

 

[natehamlett]

I realize that I need multiple references, but right now I'm just looking for as versatile a tool as possible to add to my bag o tricks.
 
oh and thanks everyone who's given suggestions so far!

 

[natehamlett]

as far as my Fast Track Pro question goes I'm still left guessing. I found another thread on the subject here http://www.head-fi.org/t/478616/m-audio-fast-track-as-a-headphone-amp but it got no response. I found this data here on the specifications site

Maximum Output​	-2.5dBV at THD < 0.05% into 32 ohms​
Working Range​	32 to 600 ohm​

[td=colspan:2]

Headphone Output (D/A)​

[/td] [td=colspan:2]

[/td] [td=colspan:2]

[/td]

 but to be honest I'm not quite certain how to interpret that or how much that can tell me about the unit's ability to deliver quality to sound to headphones.

 

[SLaRe]

Quote:

I realize that I need multiple references, but right now I'm just looking for as versatile a tool as possible to add to my bag o tricks.
 
oh and thanks everyone who's given suggestions so far!

 


Quote:

as far as my Fast Track Pro question goes I'm still left guessing. I found another thread on the subject here http://www.head-fi.org/t/478616/m-audio-fast-track-as-a-headphone-amp but it got no response. I found this data here on the specifications site

Maximum Output​	-2.5dBV at THD < 0.05% into 32 ohms​
Working Range​	32 to 600 ohm​

[td=colspan:2]

Headphone Output (D/A)​

[/td] [td=colspan:2]

[/td] [td=colspan:2]

[/td]

 but to be honest I'm not quite certain how to interpret that or how much that can tell me about the unit's ability to deliver quality to sound to headphones.

I think that the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 Ohm is the right one for you, especially made for live applications and one of the standards in the studio. One of the key points is that all the parts are easily repairable if broken and also its rugged construction.
 
I also believe that the fast track pro will drive them easily, but if you want, you can buy a professional headphone amp, like some Samson or something like that, just because you need rugged equipment to resist all the use that you will give it.