[ThisIsaName]

Hello there Head-Fi. I've been reading this non stop trying to decide what headphones to get and finally decided to just join and ask. I'm very new to the whole audiophile business so here we go.
 
I'm currently using a pair of on-ear JVC noise canceling headphones that I got as a gift a few years back. They were fine until my friend at school got me started on lossless and I tried his HD 650's. So now I'm slowly building my lossless library and am looking for a major upgrade in cans. I don't have an amp or a dac yet but plan on expanding. I'm using my iPod and my macbook pro right now but will hopefully be upgrading sources in the future. When I record I run through a Motu Ultralight mk3 USB 2 connection. 
 
So I'm looking for a good pair of (probably closed cans). I will also be using them to track vocals, rudimentary mixing and perhaps on stage too. I'm looking to spend around 200-500 and so far the leaders are the akg k271 mkii, Denon ah-d2000/5000 (is there a big enough difference in quality to justify difference in price?) and beyerdynamic dt 770 pro. I know open cans would be bad for vocal tracking but would it be completely awful? The more I listen to music the more I just want great sound quality to the point that I'd be ok keeping the JVC's for recording. Could I survive vocal tracking and on stage performance with open cans?
 
Any and all advice is appreciated. I'll be quick to answer follow up questions which I'm sure will ensue. 

 

[gryphon]

The Akg 271 is a good choice. It is pretty flat in response meaning it is good for mixing. It is also closed and signals will not leak into your Mic when tracking vocals. It's also a nice sounding pair of headphones.

 

[keanex]

From what I understand the big difference between the D2000/D5000 is aesthetics. Dt770pro 80ohms version are very muddy on the bass, I wouldn't recommend them. The K271 are the best of your list for recording purposes.

 

[ThisIsaName]

Thanks for the replies.
 
So how's the sound of the Denon's? And I see you (keanex) use Audio Technicas. Do you have any experience with the ath900's or m50's or any of the closed Audio Technicas? people really seem to like them here. 

 

[keanex]

Denon's, at least the D1001, have a "fun" sound leaning a bit more dark. They have punchy bass, with nice mids and highs, but they definitely aren't balanced for mixing with. I've heard the D2000/D5000 are also a bit bass heavy themselves. I have been wanting to try A900s very much so, but I've had no luck in finding a place to audition them here and I don't have the money to try them out sadly. The m50s I'll have to audition next time I'm at Guitar Center, but I believe there's two versions, one is more balanced and would be decent for mixing, the other is a bit bass heavy.
 
The K240 I've listened to and was rather pleased with their sound for listening purposes. For mixing I'd say they're decent and I can at the very least point to one album that was mixed/mastered solely on them and it came out good.
 
You say you're only using them to track vocals though, could you please elaborate on this?

 

[ThisIsaName]

When I say I'm tracking vocals I just mean I'm a (probably crappy) musician doing some home recording with Logic. I record vocals as well as some guitar with a few MXL condensor mics. Nothing fancy but I'm trying to sound remotely professional without using good monitors which are out of the question as most of the time I'm recording in my dorm or in a house with other people everywhere. From what I understand the k271s are good for recording (as well as on stage performing as a monitor) but what about just listening to music? I want to hear as many details as I can in everything I listen to.

 

[keanex]

I can't comment on how the K271 sound as I haven't heard them, but the K240 were good for both in my opinion. A lot of others seem to like the Sony MDRV6 headphones which also are supposed to be good for both.

 

[ThisIsaName]

Well the k240's are semi-open which I hear leaks just as much as open so maybe isolation isn't the most most critical thing when recording vocals? and the more I think about it the more I just want superb quality cans and maybe I'll just buy a cheaper closed pair for tracking. 
 

 

[keanex]

The one album I know of that was entirely mixed/mastered with the K240 was Sufjan Stevens - Michigan, which is an indie/folk album. Most of the album hovers in the mid-range and the vocals are very important on the album. With that said, I think the album sounds amazing, especially when all of the other obstacles he went through are added in. I'm not sure if he was fighting an uphill battle mixing with these, but others seem to recommend them as well. Personally I'm looking into these and Sony MDRV6 for my mixing/mastering headphones.