Studio Monitors: The comfort edition
Sep 13, 2009 at 1:16 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 21
themanbeast

themanbeast

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Hello all
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I have found myself wanting to get a pair of studio phones for home use. I don't have much experience with these, the most being a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pros that clamped my head like no other.

The main reason I want these is for the durability, SQ doesn't matter quite so much for the things I will be using them for. However, comfort is a HUGE concern after using the HD 280s. I will as always be searching around after posting this, but with some new entries on the market I wanted some fresh opinions.
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Anyhow, here is my criteria:

- listenable unamped (source is an Auzentech X-Fi Prelude)
- Comfort
- Price range: negotiable, but not likely to exceed $200
- Decent isolation ( I can use my IEMS for cases where the isolation is greatly needed)

So far, looking around, the Sony V6 is probably tops on my list, though I need to read more about the new Shure models, or if I can even find a way to make the HD 280s less clampy they would work too.
 
Sep 13, 2009 at 1:22 AM Post #2 of 21
ATH-M50 is reasonably comfortable and costs under $100 nowadays.
 
Sep 13, 2009 at 1:23 AM Post #3 of 21
There is a forum for people who use gear for studio use. Google gear slutz. They discuss headphones for studio use frequently.

I'd personally check them out as the mentality on Head-Fi is quite contrary to the opinions of studio professions I've found. Pretty much 180 degrees different.
 
Sep 13, 2009 at 1:26 AM Post #4 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
ATH-M50 is reasonably comfortable and costs under $100 nowadays.


Thanks for the quick reply
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If you wouldn't mind, could you elaborate a bit on how they fit? The main thing I am worried about is that I have a rather wide head, so anything with a lot of clamp gives me migraines.

@ruffle:

Thanks, I will check them out. I was already a member here so I thought I would give it a shot. ^_^
 
Sep 13, 2009 at 3:25 AM Post #7 of 21
akg k271 mkII or 272hd are nice. I wear glasses and I think they are a nice fit in terms of comfort. Pretty good sound isolation.
 
Sep 13, 2009 at 7:09 AM Post #10 of 21
Sep 13, 2009 at 8:14 AM Post #12 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by oqvist /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Do you honestly think they are the most comfortable headphones out there for studio headphones?


For closed headphones...yes for me they are the most comfortable only 220g. The only one that can compete with them are the GMP/QP-240/250.

lol, try the M-50, or the HD-280 for more than 10 minutes.
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BTW, on the 8.35 you can adjust the clamping force.
 
Sep 13, 2009 at 9:14 AM Post #13 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by rayk /img/forum/go_quote.gif
DT250 are extremely comfortable once you wear them in (alternatively you can stretch the out using pc case etc).


X2. Even so, comfort is a subjective thing, so I'd be cautious of those pushing any headphone as 'the most comfortable'. On any decent headphone you can adjust the clamping force. The DT250 has a very well padded all steel headband, so you can customise a lot.

The DT250 was built for monitoring, but is one of those monitors that is actually nice to listen to. No idea what it goes for in your location though.
 
Sep 13, 2009 at 10:18 AM Post #14 of 21
FWIR...

The V6 modded with Beyerdynamic DT250 pads would be comfy for under $100.

I recall reading about a successful mod for the HD280 where a Head-fier strapped a piece of metal to its headband and reduced its clamping force. But a modded V6 would surely be more comfy due to the Beyer pads.

Quote:

Originally Posted by themanbeast /img/forum/go_quote.gif
So far, looking around, the Sony V6 is probably tops on my list, though I need to read more about the new Shure models, or if I can even find a way to make the HD 280s less clampy they would work too.


 
Sep 13, 2009 at 5:42 PM Post #15 of 21
Quote:

Originally Posted by cswann1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Why do they have to be studio phones if you're going to use them at home?


Mainly because I need something I can use that can tolerate a bit of abuse, I am hard on my gear. I will also use them when I go to LANs and the like (I play CSS for a pretty well known team), so being able to stand that abuse and provide moderate isolation are two of the things I am looking for.

Comfort, because in extreme situations these might be on for 12 hours a day. Mainly just a clamping force issue for me.

I suppose I also need some decent directional placement for this as well - I have also owned the DT-250 (forgot I had these for a bit) and was not pleased with how they worked for the games I play. The HD280 was good, but presented different problems after being on for more than a hour.

I am likely going to go for the V6, but the Shures look nice too. I need to look more into the lower models of the Shure monitors before I make my decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acix's German Maestro post
The sound stage of these headphones is not too big. It's somewhere between the RS1 and the K271. I would consider it to be more of a forward sound stage, especially compared to my K 702


Unfortunately, this somewhat disqualifies those for me. I don't need the hugest airiest soundstage for the indended purposes (I've played long enough that I generally know where people are going to be anyway ^_^) but I do need something that has a decent soundstage. Once again, the HD280 was sufficient for this.

...Come to think of it, does anyone have a well broken in HD280? lol
 
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