[Ub3rMario]

So I just transferred to a new college upon deciding I'd much rather be studying audio. Anyway, in pursuing my BS in audio design technology, i'll be taking several classes involving studio recording and will continue to do so into the future hopefully.

SO my question is which of these headphones would be the best for tracking/mixing/general studio work? Ideally i'd like the most uncolored. On gearslutz a lot of people recommended the m50, but having heard it myself for I thought it might have been a little bit colored in the bass department. However that was a pretty brief listening period of 1-2 hours with my friend's bassy music.

so Ath m50 vs Fostex t50rp

Any help is appreciated! Other suggestions are cool too, but i'm not going to buy a dt48 (dont have enough money yet) so don't bother suggesting that. Budget $150 MAX...I'd like to spend less ideally around $100.

 

[Bullseye]

If you felt the ATH M50 was colored in the bass department, you might like the Fostex T50RP. Once you get used to them they give you an incredible even response.
I have both ATH M50 and Fostex T50RP. In the conditions I have listened to my music and having gotten used to both headphones (well maybe ATH M50 needs a bit more usage time), I think the T50RP sounds more even. Even so I think the bass response of the M50 is not overly colored. I think it sometimes sounds pretty real.

The Shure HPs are very new, and every comment now is surrounded by hype. I would recommend you avoid FOTM as most likely you will never get a clear response on how they sound.

If I would have to mix something I'd be good with the fostex T50Rp or the M50. You can try the Fostex, it is quite cheap. If you feel it can be better (in the bass department, or you dislike it), you could go for the M50. In that price point I see no other better option.

From gearslutz people have said the ATH sounds more real than the equation.

Hope it helps

(BTW, how do you like your STAX?)

 

[Ub3rMario]

Thanks for the great response! That's a great price for the t50 i'll have to look more into it though. I do think that the M50 was a great phone, but like I said I only had limited listening time and it probably didn't help that I was listening to not my own music, but my friend's and he favors DNB music. That may be why I felt the bass was more...because it was bassy music haha.

I agree about the shures. I've been waiting for a more solid consensus but if someone had first hand experience monitoring with them I'd be interested to hear what they think.

In regards to my STAX...I love them. Even though it's just the basic 2050II system, they seem leagues ahead of anything I've owned. Some might think the bass isn't present enough, but I find it to be very realistic. It's funny because I went from denon d2000's to the stax i currently am using and at first thought "...did the bass get removed from my music or something?". But after a few hours I realized that it was just so accentuated with the denons that I had grown used to a huge bottom end.

With the stax, I hear less boom and more detail. Some may say it isn't as fun, but I disagree. They are SO INSANELY QUICK and again super detailed/clear. Loving the balanced sound across the spectrum especially the mids since i've been used to a recessed mid frequency from the denons. With the money you spend on the basic system, i'd say you could absolutely not beat the SQ if you spent that money on a dynamic system.

 

[lejaz]

I'm also looking for comparisons of the m50 and the new Shure with the RP21. I like the Equation, but I find it too heavy in the low end and somewhat lacking in the highs. Removing the foam pads on the drivers helps with the treble end. Once I eq out some of the lows they are quite enjoyable to listen to. I would prefer a headphone that is not overly bass heavy and also has accurate highs. I wish there were more reviews of the Fostex hps. I'm awaiting Bullseye's final head to head comparison of the m50 and the T50. For now I can say that the k240DF is the hp that sounds most similar to my Event monitors, but with a weaker low end.

 

[Ub3rMario]

Well i'm not considering the rp21 anymore. Right now it looks like the m50 & t50rp are the front runners. I looked into akg but most of the guys doing audio work over at gearslutz have recommended cans other than AKGs. Many favor the m50 over the akg studio cans.

Anyway, title shall be changed.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

I'm listening to the SRH840 right now, actually. I would not recommend them for studio monitoring and editing. Mainly because they have this awkward (and sometimes fatiguing) peak in the upper mids.

 

[Ub3rMario]

Hmmm, how long have you burned them in? I read several posts in the impressions thread that after 100 hours things become reallllllllly balanced.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ub3rMario /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm, how long have you burned them in? I read several posts in the impressions thread that after 100 hours things become reallllllllly balanced.

I've had them since the start of August, and have been listening to them liberally. Some improvements, but the peaky upper mids still prevail regardless. Michael Jackson's "Dangerous" album has all of its beats ride on the upper-mids, so it gets extremely fatiguing after a few minutes.

 

[Ub3rMario]

Oh awesome! Exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for. I can tick the shures off my list then

 

[Acix]

I'll recommend the GMP 8.35 D Monitor.
The second option will be the K-240MKll.
The third option will be the M-50, and if you want more balance you can try out the K-271.

 

[Ub3rMario]

What's up with you pushing the GMP 8.35 D all the time? I swear every post i've seen you make is about that headphone. Do you have ties with the company or something? If not, could you please explain why they're so great (they seem pretty rare on these forums)?
It also seems that there aren't many places to buy from in the US at least. I couldn't find any with a brief google search. Do they fall within my price range anyway?


PS: I already said i'm not interested in akg.

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ub3rMario /img/forum/go_quote.gif What's up with you pushing the GMP 8.35 D all the time? I swear every post i've seen you make is about that headphone. Do you have ties with the company or something? If not, could you please explain why they're so great (they seem pretty rare on these forums)? It also seems that there aren't many places to buy from in the US at least. I couldn't find any with a brief google search. Do they fall within my price range anyway? PS: I already said i'm not interested in akg.

I pushing them because they are great especially for studio use.

 

[Ub3rMario]

I can't find any American or English speaking sites for them...could ya help me out? Also, how would you say it compares to the m50?

Edit: Oh wow i'm dumb there's a link on your website to the page where you choose english ahhaa.

 

[lejaz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ub3rMario /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well i'm not considering the rp21 anymore. Right now it looks like the m50 & t50rp are the front runners. I looked into akg but most of the guys doing audio work over at gearslutz have recommended cans other than AKGs. Many favor the m50 over the akg studio cans. Anyway, title shall be changed.

I wouldn't put too much creedence in what is recommended on Gearslutz. Many folks over there are home studio guys who recommend what they themselves are using. Plus they are mostly using the hps for tracking not mixing, so they used closed hps. Some very experienced AE's recommend the k701 as one of the most accurate hps for studio work, yet you almost never see it mentioned on Gearslutz, probably cause it's not good for tracking...and it's expensive. akg k271 and k240 were, and still are, staples in many pro music studios, FWIR.

 

[Ub3rMario]

Hmm....maybe I shouldn't count out AKG yet. Should I have an open headphone for mixing and a closed set for tracking?