[subharmonic]

Ok folks, I'm just trying to narrow down what I'm going to try to buy.
I need a pretty accurate can for accuracy work for working out mixes.
I have a set Tannoy Ellipse 8 speakers but can't use these all the time because of loudness issues. So, what I want to get is something I can use that translates well to my monitors when I go to mix down on the Tannoy's.

So far, my list includes the following...

Senn HD600 or 650
K701
Ultrasones
Grado 325i

I'm also considering some IEMs but I'm really not sure about these for this kind of purpose. I do realise btw that doing mixes on headphones isn't a great idea, but in this case, needs must.

I have been looking at maybe the
Shure e500 or the e530
UM 2 Westone
and maybe something from Ultimate Ears, though I don't know what.

So, obviously there can be a big gap in terms of prices for these cans.
What I want to know is for the money, which of these offer the best value?
What are probably best fpr the job I intend?

Any advice would be geat team...

 

[lostbobby]

There've been threads in the past, which talked about electrostats, Grado's HP-2, some others. Threads may be hard to locate because of the (relatively) undocumented Search feature on this board, so i would use google:

site:head-fi.org studio monitor

 

[F107plus5]

Two very traditional studio phones to consider would be the Sony MDR-V6 or very similar MDR-7506, and the Beyer DT-250.

A lot of recording history behind these tough guys.

 

[gtp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by F107plus5 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Two very traditional studio phones to consider would be the Sony MDR-V6 or very similar MDR-7506, and the Beyer DT-250. A lot of recording history behind these tough guys.

QFT! I have owned both. The Sonys have much more sibilant high-end (too much IMO) and midrange scoop-out. The Beyers are much warmer and smoother, not to mention more comfortable. However, the Sonys are ~$70 and the Beyers are ~$140.

 

[subharmonic]

I'ld like to add just for clarity that I want them to be useable for trying to work out mixes, not just for tracking. I have had in the past DT100 but they were garbage for this purpose. I'm not suggesting thouugh that the DT250 won't do the job though as I ahven't tried them, but is a $140 can going to be a good purchase for this kind of job?

 

[adanac061]

whats the source.??

 

[scompton]

Equation RP21
Used AKG K240M or K240DF - inexpensive on eBay and there quite a bit.

 

[qazwsx]

Most accurate under $150 in my experience:

beyerdynamic DT-250-80 generally good bass, mids, and highs, but not very detailed.
Sennheiser eH350 tonally accurate mids and highs with good detail but a lack of bass compared to these other monitors.
Sony MDR-V6 tonally accurate bass. smooth mids and lots of detail, but sibilant highs.
Sennheiser HD555 accurate and very smooth but lean to being "warm".

 

[Andrew_WOT]

V6 has a bloated bass
DT250 is quite neutral but has wooled details.

The best closed under $300 that I have encountered so far is K271S, it does need an amp though, but that's a worthy investment with any phones anyway.

 

[subharmonic]

The source at the moment is direct from the audio dock of my EMU 1820m soundcard. Getting a headphone amp could be an idea - troo. Any recommendations in that dept? I haven't set a budget of $150 btw, hence why I was suggesting the HD600 etc. Are these lower budget cans you guys mention in the same league for mixing purposes?

 

[skellington]

The problem with HD600 and the other cans you had in mind is that they are not neutral and and are not really suitable for mixing.
There's some threads on good monitoring headphones here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=252986
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=253074

 

[Philco]

I disagree with the K271S recommendation. The K271S sound very weird to me, with abnormal phase relationships in the mids/highs, very unnatural. I thought the pair I've tried was defective, but a second brand new pair proved that it's just the way they sound. Plus, their bass is anemic. Wait...what bass? I couldn't know what was going on down low with those, so they're useless for me when tracking/recording.

The V6's biggest problem IMHO is the overblow high-mids and lack of low-mids. The bass is much better than with the K271S.

The DT250 sound really good and provide lots of details IMHO. It's one of the best set of closed cans I've ever heard, but the soundstage is nearly inexistant.

If I was given a choice among those for my studio, I'd use the DT250 without any hesitation. The old Sony 7509/V900 were also very nice closed cans.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew_WOT /img/forum/go_quote.gif V6 has a bloated bass DT250 is quite neutral but has wooled details. The best closed under $300 that I have encountered so far is K271S, it does need an amp though, but that's a worthy investment with any phones anyway.

 

[Philco]

My HD600 are certainly not my favourite right now, but they're a lot more neutral and accurate than "tracking" or "studio" cans.

A tracking can doesn't have to be accurate, they have to please the performer so he/she performs better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by skellington /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem with HD600 and the other cans you had in mind is that they are not neutral and and are not really suitable for mixing. There's some threads on good monitoring headphones here: Search question - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio ***SOLD***Live/Dead***SOLD*** - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

 

[Uncle Erik]

For neutrality and detail, I like the AKG K-240DF and the Beyerdynamic DT48. They're more neutral than the HD-600.

 

[Philco]

I completely agree with you on this, the K240DF and DT48 sound really neutral.

But I think the "neutral" debate can be ended really quickly by directly comparing headphones to good studio monitors in a treated room. The K240DF, DT48 and HD600 (and many other headphones!) lack the bass impact that speakers have, even if the response is ruler-flat. They also miss the phase relationships between the tones and somewhat have wrong timbres for the instruments. The HD600 doesn't have a good timbre IMO.

My bottom line opinion is that headphones have to be colored in a way or the other to sound like speakers do. Ruler flat neutral headphones like the DT48 and K240DF just don't sound like speakers, but are damn neutral.

I just wanted to point out to the poster that the HD600 were more neutral that the 7506/V6, HD280, K271S, K240M, M40FS, M50, etc. and other "studio tracking" headphones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif For neutrality and detail, I like the AKG K-240DF and the Beyerdynamic DT48. They're more neutral than the HD-600.