[badtz]

Was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for headphones for music production? [primarily, but not exclusively, electronic]....

also, if you can help, pair them up with some amp suggestions [lower budgeted amps preferably].......


Right now, I'm eyeing on:

Sennheiser HD 600
Sennheiser HD 280 Pro
AKG 270M
AKG 240M
Beyerdynamic DT 150

Would having a flat response on the curve be best for headphone recording/monitoring?

they headphones will compliment with mackie hr824 studio monitors..... primarily using these headphones for night time monitoring and for cd player usage.

thanks!!!!!

*fyi* did search but couldn't find a definite answer...

amp eyeing: some of the available jmt amps

 

[cajunchrist]

Quote:

Originally posted by Badtz Was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for headphones for music production? [primarily, but not exclusively, electronic].... Would having a flat response on the curve be best for headphone recording/monitoring? amp eyeing: some of the available jmt amps

Theoretically yes, the flattest possible response curve would be the best, since the resulting mix would sound neutral over many different types of equipment. If you mix with bright cans, the overall mix will sound dark, if you mix with dark cans, the overall mix will sound bright. But then it also depends on what system the end user will listen on, so when mixing it's important to listen to a rough mix on many different sources, like in the car, on a clock radio, on a cheap boom box, on a high-end home system, etc., so you can get a mix that sounds good on both bad and good equipment.

The 280's are not known for an overly sturdy build quality, so if you want a pair of cans you can drag around, they may not be the best choice. I get the impression that the AKG headphones are more appropriate as monitors for vocal talent rather than overall mix headphones. The 600's were designed for classical music mixing, I think that the big soundstage will make your mixes for electronic stuff sound too thick.

Have you considered any of the Beyerdynamic line?

 

[kwkarth]

When you ask for "monitoring" cans, by implication, you mean sealed / closed headphones. The 600's are wide open and therefore disqualified on that basis.

The most neutral monitoring can I am aware of and particularly well suited for electronic music is the BeyerDynamic DT-250/80.

I'm familiar with your near field monitors, and I think you will be very pleased. They also work very well with Mackie mixers. I use them with my SR24/4.

Cheers

 

[badtz]

Thanks for the replies so far!

cajunchrist
The only beyerdynamic cans that i've really had my eye on is the DT 150's. Are there any others I should highly consider?

kwkarth
The 250-80 seems like a good choice, but is it always beneficial to get closed headphones? Wouldn't open headphones in a quiet environment be good also? And, is there an amp that goes well with the 250-80?

thanks for all your help so far!

Also any word about the:

Beyerdynamic 250-250
Sennheiser 250

 

[kwkarth]

The concept of a monitoring headphone has always implied a closed can for the purpose of minimizing interference from ambient sound. If your environment is quiet, then indeed, you could use open cans.The 250/80 is easier to drive than the 250/250, therefore recommended for most monitoring applications. If you have a dedicated headphone amp then you may consider the 250/250, or more importantly, if you've no background noise to contend with, then that changes the picture entirely regarding the potential cans you can consider.

 

[badtz]

kwkarth::::

thanks for the response, i really appreciate it

I was wondering if you had any recommendations for open back headphones?

also

what is technically better, the 250/250 or the 250/80?

I wish some of these headphones would esthetically look better

have you tried some/any of the jmt diy amps? [i like the idea of having a small altoid sized amp]

thanks again!

 

[Eli's Adventure]

Quote:

Originally posted by Badtz kwkarth:::: what is technically better, the 250/250 or the 250/80?

Well, the 250-80 has an impedence of 80.
And the 250-250 has an impedence of 250 and different (improved) drivers than the 250-80's, and therefore it is harder to drive.

The 250-250's will sound better than the 250-80's with an amp.
The 250-80's will sound better than the 250-250's without an amp.

Also, maybe you should look into the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro's.

Hope that helps.

 

[Snufkin]

I'd probably say Beyer 250-80/250 or 770pro, I personally much prefer the sound of the 770pro over the 990.
But it really does depend on what results you're after.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Badtz [size=xx-small]kwkarth:::: thanks for the response, i really appreciate it I was wondering if you had any recommendations for open back headphones? also what is technically better, the 250/250 or the 250/80? I wish some of these headphones would esthetically look better have you tried some/any of the jmt diy amps? [i like the idea of having a small altoid sized amp] thanks again! [/size]

Well, let's take it from the top...
I could recommend lots of open back cans, but without knowing more about your tastes in music and whether or not you intend to use an amp, I can't be very specific. From the bottom up, the Koss Sporta Pro / Porta Pro are very good values. I like the old Grado SR100, 200, 300, HP-1, HP-2 series. I love the AKG-K501's. I like the Sennheiser HD580's and HD600's. With amplifiers less capable than the Max, I didn't care much for the Sennheisers. The Max tightened up the wooliness of the bass on the Senns considerably, and took away the veil. With anything less than a MOH you may find the same thing with the Sennheisers, then again you may love them without any additional amplification. One can you might want to seek out is the Sony CD-3000. I absolutely loved that can without an amp.
The second question: Eli's Adventure did a pretty good job of answering that one and to that I can only add that some whose opinion and ears I highly respect told me that there's very little real difference in sound between the DT250/250 and the DT250/80. Since the 250/80 is so much more easily powered and less expensive to boot, there is little reason to get the 250/250 even though it is "technically" better. I have listened to a JMT amp and it sounded absolutely wonderful!
Hope this all helps!
Cheers!

 

[badtz]

Playing them thru mididisc/cdplayer, I'll definitely use an amp.

Do I need to use the amp if I hook it up to a mixer/audio interface [or does that depend on impedence output of the device?]?

I'll look into the 770/990 pro's [thanks eli]...

So in the end, I'd almost for sure use an amp [preferably a small one].

maybe the 250/250's then. the akg 501 i liked also but i think i read somewhere about low bass output [or was it too much bass? something along those lines.....]...

i'm hoping to make the headphone purchase soon, as i don't own any, and since i'm' flying soon [long flight], i should invest in some, which i will also use in production............

 

[Atomicarnage]

Sorry this is kind of embarrasing, but where's my HD-280 possie at?

The HD-280's are less revealing (or so I hear) than the 250-80's, but they also have a very flat response curve (flater than the Beyers), and offer the greatest amount of isolation of all of the headphones mentioned. They're also cheaper than the beyer's, but only slightly less comfortable due to the use of pleather instead of velour around the earcups. Their construction is very sturdy, although maybe not as sturdy as the Beyer's, they are still very well constructed and all parts are replacable. They have a 2 year warranty. For an airplane, I would reccomend these phones because they have a greater isolation than the beyers, but the beyer's are probably (this is still not certain as the 280's are a fairly new headphone and have not had as much testing done on them by head-fier's as the Beyer's) a better studio headphone.

The 280 is very easily driven from any source, and does improve using an amp, but according to delenda, the improvement is only marginal.

 

[Atomicarnage]

Sorry, but i had to come back after reading blr's comparison between the HD-280 pros and the 250-80's.

here is the link

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showth...d280+and+25080

To quote blr's opinion

Quote:

In my view, the Senns are much better suited for recording purposes. You can never miss even the smallest mistake in a take. The Beyers simply hide too much information and for mixing the rolled off treble means that you can easily end up with overly bright mix

 

[kwkarth]

I have not heard the Senn 280's so I can't comment on how they sound, but I own the Beyer 250/80's and I can tell you that they are not deficient in the high end. Anyone who says or implies that they are has a hearing problem. The DT250's have a fairly flat reponse curve. They are not falsly accentuated in the high end. So I guess with the misinformation flying around here all I can say is you'd better listen for yourself.

Cheers!

 

[badtz]

after reading the posts, it has gotten me even more in the hole among headphones

I'm still searching about the Senn 280 pro, Beyer 770 (250ohm), beyer 250 (250ohm), AKG 501 and Beyer 150......

for studio use::: i'm looking @ the moment @ the 770 (250) the most........ bad idea?

anything about the akg 270?

 

[badtz]

no new suggestions?