[Noshtero]

I'm looking for a pair of headphones for predominently bass guitar playing. I would also like to dabble in mixing my bass guitar into pre-mixed tracks, like tracks given to me from the band members sans-bass for me to add the bass in.

I'm looking at:
Equation rp-21
Audio-Technica ATH-M50
Sennheiser HD280 Pro
Sennheiser HD555
AKG K240 MKII
Sony MDR-V6
Grado SR80
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro-80

Any thoughts?

For reference data:
I have a pair of Koss Pro4AAT and I think they sound muddy and just plain bad
I don't usually use a headphone amp, but outputting from my bass combo amps the heaphone, I believe (?).
I wan't accurate bass response. People sometimes think if it's for bass guitar, you should have boomy bass headphones. No.
Money is important, so I'm looking for a bang-for-buck scenario. If one pair is slightly better and twice the price, I'll pass.

Thanks!

 

[pdennis]

Your bass amp must have a specific headphone jack. You can't use line or speaker outs.

I have the Equations and have had the ATH-M50, and I think either would be okay for this use. I think the bass in both is about average for a mid-priced closed can -- in other words, slightly elevated. You could probably get away with open headphones for the use you describe, though, which gives you more options and potentially more comfort. (The Grados you have there are open, but many folks don't find them particularly comfortable, myself included.)

 

[captian73]

out of that lot, iut would be the RP21's for me

 

[kojebee]

RP21

 

[Philco]

For bass guitar, I strongly suggest the AKG K240 MKII

 

[denl82]

I can't help but say that I've had the HD555, HD 280 pro, sr 80, and dt770/80 all at one point. Not sure how the rp-21 performs, but I also had the rp-22x. For under $200, the HP-M1000 beats them all handily. As a disclaimer, though, I have no idea how these headphones perform with mixing, but as far as bass performance goes, the M1000 shines. It is not the most accurate... I guess you would need a more neutral can like the the k701 for that. But from some of the headphones you've listed, I'm guessing that you want you're bass somewhat on the strong side.

 

[Sherwood]

The only recommendation you need has already been given. AKG k240.

I have personally recorded a lot of bass punches with these headphones, and they're perfect.

 

[Fitz]

I've used my K240 Sextett to good effect the few times I've needed to wear headphones while playing my bass (real late at night). Don't have a clue how they'd fare for mixing though.

 

[Sherwood]

Their real virtue for mixing is how well they isolate the bass from the rest of the mix. They also isolate reasonably well, which is important when you're thrust in the back room with the drummer.

 

[Meloncoly]

I would go with the Senn HD280s. They isolate really well, they're pretty damn neutral across the board, and a lot of people use it for studio monitoring. I owned it before, but I don't use it in a studio aspect, nor am I in that realm of business. Just passing a popular choice. Another choice that's good might be the HD25-1. Many people use the Sony MDR-V6 for monitoring as well, but it doesn't isolate too well compared to the HD280s.

 

[Noshtero]

I went and listened to the majority of these and here's how it turned out:

The top runners for sound were:
280 Pros
K240 MKIIs
MDR-V6s

The results:
The 280 Pro felt like it was squeezing my head in a vice. No good.
The MDR-V6 and K240 MKII had equally beautiful sound, but in the end, the k240 MKII was just SOO comfortable that I went with that.

I was warned that the propriatary connector on the detachable cord is easy to break, so I will be careful of that for sure.

Thanks for the advice all!