[tubeAmp]

Hello,
 
I'm a bass and analog synth player. I'll be in studio next week recording first EP with my band. It's a self made recording so I'm looking for some suggestions. I need really good headphones for this. I know that some of high priced headphones are disapointed for that purpose ( suited for audiophile but not for recording session). So i'm mainly asking to those who works in studio out there. I know that there are some standard, like akg k271 (which couldn't fit the bill because of his lack of bass), beyer dynamic dt770 pro, german maestro GMP 8.35D, etc....
 
I'm looking for headphones with nice bass (analog synth are bass oriented mostly) but not that kind of loudness contour eqed headphones (if you can follow what i mean). Something pretty close to what it'll be in the mix. Really clear, warm and detailled.
 
Regards.

 

[LithosZA]

Using colored headphones might lie to you what is in the mix. Also I don't think you would want a 'warm' sound, because the mix might sound warm(boosted around 200Hz) on those headphones and sterile/cold on something else.
 
For the sound that you are looking for I think AudioTechnica ATH-M50 or beyerdynamic DT770 should work:
http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php?graphID[0]=713&graphID[1]=533&graphID[2]=1973&graphID[3]=2941&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones
 
Personally I would use Sennheiser HD280 PRO or Sony MDR-V6 / MDR-7506, but your ears need to get used to the sound first.

 

[valerianaoff]

Quote:

Using colored headphones might lie to you what is in the mix. Also I don't think you would want a 'warm' sound, because the mix might sound warm(boosted around 200Hz) on those headphones and sterile/cold on something else.
 
For the sound that you are looking for I think AudioTechnica ATH-M50 or beyerdynamic DT770 should work:
http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php?graphID[0]=713&graphID[1]=533&graphID[2]=1973&graphID[3]=2941&graphType=0&buttonSelection=Compare+Headphones
 
Personally I would use Sennheiser HD280 PRO or Sony MDR-V6 / MDR-7506, but your ears need to get used to the sound first.

 
Perfect recommendation...DT770, M50... 
 
Just to add:
 
KRK KNS 8400 - quality bass...not too much...but just nice...
 
And if you want to try and safe $...Superlux HD 661 ( $48 Professional Monitoring Headphones )  which are copies of MDR-7506 ($99)
Both are using same technology of speakers.
 
Check out the graph:
 
 

 
Comfort maybe the only issue here...sounds really good for the price...
 
Cheerz !

 

[buson160man]

    You say you want a headphone that gives you what you want that is close to the sound of the actual mix.But you say you like something that is warm sounding.This sounds at odds with what you want.I am a firm believer in neutrality which at least IMHO will give you a honest representation of the original mix.
   I would recommend the akg 701 but you do have to have a pretty healthy sounding amp to get the best from the akgs.The akgs are very honest about what is beeing fed to them.I believe that phone is popular with a lot of recording engineers.I have a pair and I find them to be the most neutral sounding headphone that I own.They are even more neutral than my audeze lcd2 v2 phones which have a warm sonic signature which can make for pleasent sounding listening sessions but though they do sound great but sometimes music and recordings sound out of sorts and an honest reference should sound out of sorts if that is what the source sounds like.Hence it is something like the akg 701 phone that you want.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

 
Perfect recommendation...DT770, M50... 
 
Just to add:
 
KRK KNS 8400 - quality bass...not too much...but just nice...
 
And if you want to try and safe $...Superlux HD 661 ( $48 Professional Monitoring Headphones )  which are copies of MDR-7506 ($99)
Both are using same technology of speakers.
 
Check out the graph:
 
 

 
Comfort maybe the only issue here...sounds really good for the price...
 
Cheerz !

Wait what? The 661 is a copy of the 7506? I didn't know that. Sweet, that saves me $25

 

[valerianaoff]

Wait what? The 661 is a copy of the 7506? I didn't know that. Sweet, that saves me $25

Yeap ... I got mine too. Comfort is the only issue.
But others don't suffer as much as I do SQ ... worth every penny They may need some EQ - ing. Burn in necessary.
Hope u like em.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

Yeap ... I got mine too. Comfort is the only issue.
But others don't suffer as much as I do SQ ... worth every penny

They may need some EQ - ing. Burn in necessary.
Hope u like em.

How uncomfortable? I owned a pair of Superlux HD681 and what bothered me most were the sweaty firm pads.

 

[postrock]

Couple of thoughts...
 
I've been using studio monitors for almost 30 years. I have many different phones that I use in my studio. Some are better for mixing and others for playback. Reference monitors (speakers) are essential for mixing, but I know we can't always have that as an option. The other posters are correct in that you really need something as flat and neutral as possible for mixing.
 
Headphones I use often in the studio:
 
Fostex T50-RP
Very neutral. Great for mixing.
Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro (this is NOT the regular DT770)
Most comfortable for long sessions. They have a drop-off in the upper mids which you need to compensate for but that also means they are less fatiguing.
Equation Audio RP-21
They seem to have a bit of a bass boost, but still pretty neutral. Not very comfortable though. Some people have modded them with velour pads.
 
Headphones I've tried and don't like for studio use:
 
Sennheiser HD280 Pro
Not enough soundstage and imaging for me.
Sony V6 or 7506
Decent enough but there is a drop-off in the upper bass and a boost in the upper mids. Also, they cut off pretty abruptly at about 10K, so if you're not careful you can end up with some unwanted sibilance and hiss in your mix.
 
Here's some Frequency Response charts (top to bottom - Sony V6, Fostex T50-RP, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro)

 
 
Also...
 
Superlux HD661
I'm reviewing these right now. They do sound (and look) very much like the Sony V6 and are about 1/2 the price. But they are not as comfortable and while I am still burning them in they are sounding a bit brighter and more forward that the V6. Still a very good phone for approx. $50.
 
KRK 8400
I have not heard these but most reviews are good. They seem to be a bit better the the Shure studio headphones. I am expecting to recieve a pair of the less expensive 6400 model for review soon, so I'll post some impressions here when I have tried them.
 
See if you can find a music equipment retailer nearby where you can try them out before buying. But I would recomment the Fostex and the Beyerdyamic.The AKG 701 is an industry standard too. I like them, but prefer the other two.
 
Good luck!

 

[Penarin]

The Shure SRH440 has a fairly flat frequency response, and they are marketed as studio headphones (for what that's worth).
 
I can verify that they seal really well, and I'm quite happy with the sound.  So much so that I went and bought their big brother, the SRH840s (which has more bass).
 
Here's the frequency response chart for those two-
 
http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=2811&graphID[]=913

 

[valerianaoff]

How uncomfortable? I owned a pair of Superlux HD681 and what bothered me most were the sweaty firm pads.

Exactly the same thing. After 45 mins, it hurts my left ear.
But there are velour pads available. must source.

 

[valerianaoff]

Couple of thoughts...

I've been using studio monitors for almost 30 years. I have many different phones that I use in my studio. Some are better for mixing and others for playback. Reference monitors (speakers) are essential for mixing, but I know we can't always have that as an option. The other posters are correct in that you really need something as flat and neutral as possible for mixing.

Headphones I use often in the studio:

Fostex T50-RP
Very neutral. Great for mixing.
Beyerdynamic DT 700 Pro (this is NOT the regular DT770)
Most comfortable for long sessions. They have a drop-off in the upper mids which you need to compensate for but that also means they are less fatiguing.
Equation Audio RP-21
They seem to have a bit of a bass boost, but still pretty neutral. Not very comfortable though. Some people have modded them with velour pads.

Headphones I've tried and don't like for studio use:

Sennheiser HD280 Pro
Not enough soundstage and imaging for me.
Sony V6 or 7506
Decent enough but there is a drop-off in the upper bass and a boost in the upper mids. Also, they cut off pretty abruptly at about 10K, so if you're not careful you can end up with some unwanted sibilance and hiss in your mix.

Here's some Frequency Response charts (top to bottom - Sony V6, Fostex T50-RP, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro)



Also...

Superlux HD661
I'm reviewing these right now. They do sound (and look) very much like the Sony V6 and are about 1/2 the price. But they are not as comfortable and while I am still burning them in they are sounding a bit brighter and more forward that the V6. Still a very good phone for approx. $50.

KRK 8400
I have not heard these but most reviews are good. They seem to be a bit better the the Shure studio headphones. I am expecting to recieve a pair of the less expensive 6400 model for review soon, so I'll post some impressions here when I have tried them.

See if you can find a music equipment retailer nearby where you can try them out before buying. But I would recomment the Fostex and the Beyerdyamic.The AKG 701 is an industry standard too. I like them, but prefer the other two.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for this. I really appreciate it.
Very good sharing.

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

Exactly the same thing. After 45 mins, it hurts my left ear.
But there are velour pads available.

must source.

 
These cost about $45 at Amazon and velours cost about $25 (assuming they cost this much). For a similar price you could get the Sony MDR V6 (same as the 7506) which is pretty comfortable and has a nearly identical sound (though it appears the Superlux wins in this category). What do you think?

 

[valerianaoff]

Quote:

 
These cost about $45 at Amazon and velours cost about $25 (assuming they cost this much). For a similar price you could get the Sony MDR V6 (same as the 7506) which is pretty comfortable and has a nearly identical sound (though it appears the Superlux wins in this category). What do you think?

 
Hmmm...you do have a point. But I guess will save up for the velours...maybe the HD661 may surprise us with some different behaviour again What say ? :

 

[Supertoaster]

Quote:

 
Hmmm...you do have a point. But I guess will save up for the velours...maybe the HD661 may surprise us with some different behaviour again What say ? :

I guess it just depends on if the person wants to choose a bit of extra SQ over comfort or vice versa. Both are pretty good value anyway so you can't really go wrong 

 

[valerianaoff]

Absolutely