need budget headphones for studio tracking and light mixing

[woody777]

Hi guys,

Cool forum! I've been searching and reading posts for the last couple of hours, but couldn't find a thread comparing s few budget cans side-by-side. I'm sure there are a few people in here that have used all or at least two of these.

I need a set of closed headphones to use mostly for tracking in a home studio I'm building. I will not be using a dedicated amp, just the headphone jack on my firewire interface. It needs to isolate enough to track acoustic guitar into a condenser mic with no click bleed and loud enough to track a loud drum set. And confort is a plus!

I will be doing some light mixing with these, mostly late at night when I can't use my monitors. I would like a fairly flat, accurate and detailed sound. No puncuated highs or lows and no mid scoop. I know in this price range that's a lot to ask, but keep in mind I'm not using these to listen to an iPod.

Budget is right around $100.

Here are the front runners:

Audio Technica ATH-M40fs
Sony MDR-7506
Sennheiser HD-280 Pros

Thanks so much for the help!

 

[jgonino]

Sony 7506 al the way. You may also look at the akg k240 studio

 

[grawk]

Get the MDR-V6s instead of paying double for no benefit with the 7506s. They're the universal standard. They suck, but they suck in a way everyone already understands

 

[woody777]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgonino /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sony 7506 al the way. You may also look at the akg k240 studio

I did check out the K240s, but they are open/closed back and will cause some bleed through.

 

[jgonino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by woody777 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I did check out the K240s, but they are open/closed back and will cause some bleed through.

the v6 are closed

 

[Iamgag7]

topic creator, im looking for the same exact thing you are... but i can care less if they are open or closed (i heard OPEN are better for sake of accuracy and sounding better) or even In ear monitors...

 

[woody777]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iamgag7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif topic creator, im looking for the same exact thing you are... but i can care less if they are open or closed (i heard OPEN are better for sake of accuracy and sounding better) or even In ear monitors...

But if you plan on using them for tracking you might get some bleed through into the mic. If that doesn't matter, you should check out the AKG 240S. I've never used them, but I've been researching headphones for a few days now and people seem to say they are really good.

I'm giving advice in my own thread

Any other people care to chime in on my original question?

 

[Iamgag7]

Products - HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

how about the HD555 or HD595? i think they are open..but im not sure.. i just read good reviews about them...but i haven't red about them being used for mixing? just suggestions...

 

[woody777]

I've literally been researching headphones all day and this seems to be the consensus - well, consensus is probably not the right word... this seems to be the most consistent finding from one review to the next:

Audio Technica ATH-M40fs: flattest frequency response, most like studio monitors, most comfortable

Sony MDR-7506: most popular and widely used, slightly exagerated lows and highs, good detail in mids, sound the best for just listening to music

Sennheiser HD-280 Pros: most balanced and natural sounding, mids can be muffled, most uncomfortable and tight on the head

Am I on to something with this extremely general conclusion... or just spending too much time on the Internet?

 

[Iamgag7]

i know..i know what you mean..i've been looking around for 3 days for some headphones for the same use you are...instead of studying for my finals...

i just need to get SOMETHING... i also read baout those audio technicas and they got good reviews... but i dont know..they arent as popular as other brands from what ive read... so less people have less expierence with em.