[ADUHF]

I am a mixing and mastering engineer and have several high-end headphones that I use as reference—Focal Mg Clear, LCD-X and HEDDphones. However, I would like to have something that represents the “average” sound. Not bottom of the barrel, but with a “consumer” sound signature. What do you guys think?

This is just my opinion. So take it fwiw, but I think most people like a fairly neutral, accurate sound. Most consumer headphones are tuned to approximate the sound of an accurate, anechoically flat speaker in a semi-reflective room, that extends well into the sub-bass frequencies.

If you are using some high quality speaker monitors with a very flat direct response, and reasonably linear or slightly U-shaped off-axis response (with maybe a bit of a dip at the cross-over of the tweeter and midrange driver at around 2 to 2.5 kHz), combined with a nice linear sounding sub-woofer that extends the flat direct response down into the lowest sub-bass frequencies, then you should be in the ballpark.

If you strive for the greatest accuracy in this way, then the other stuff will pretty much take care of itself. And it'll sound good on just about anything other people are listening to in their ears, or cars, or homes.

This is what all of the Harman research concluded as well btw. So it's not really just my opinion. And is also backed up by some hard science and fairly rigorous subjective testing.

 

[WorksUnit]

Would be interested in OPs suggestions for commercial productions he admires.

 

[bradysays]

Just to check, you mean headphones that the average consumer might use, not headphones with the most neutral sound?

 

[crawline]

Beats, bose or apple buds would be the headphone of average user imo

 

[Ymzable]

If you are talking about an "average" sound headphone, it must be the audio-technica ath-m50

 

[atarione]

Sony MDR-V6 / 7506?

 

[iFi audio]

Drop 6XX ?

That's a solid choice too.