[arctan2000]

Hello, I registered to this forum a few minutes ago.
Could you recommend one or more exceptionally
(or ought I say relatively?) --- transparent ---
reference headphones? I noticed past posts that mention
a Beyer model called 770 is not ideal for this, which was
helpful. I have no experience with pro headphones.
For example, what do you think of the comparable quality
AKG K270S for this purpose? Any others? K270S seems reputable, and I noticed today it happens to be available for
$120 (65% off list price) at one store (probably partly
because I had heard this model is being discontinued).
I do not intend to pay more than $200, so that seems
like a good and target deal for me, unless it is not
transparent.

I will be using a good, transparent mic pre-amp (perhaps
a Millenia Media HV-3B, or a Grace model, etc.) to record
a very nice acoustic guitar. This is why headphone
transparency will be important to me; the music will
primarily have some other acoustic instruments as well
(and no or little drumming). Not only when experimenting
with mic placement during the recording, but I might primarily
(not solely) rely on the headphones during mixing (and the
later stages) as well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TimSchirmer]

You will have to spend a lot of $$$ for a good transparent headphones.

So far, the general consensus is that the grado HP-1's are the most neuteral headphone out there, with the Sennheiser HD600's leading a close second.

Note that I have not heard any of the megabuck esoteric headphones out there like the Sennheiser Orphus or the Sony R10.

 

[jms007bnd007]

A pair that I can suggest that is well within your budget, are the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro's. You can get them from Headroom. They have great isolation, which would be useful in the studio. They also offer a fairly neutral presenation to my ears. There are plenty of reviews of them on the forum. Just try running a search.

Hope that helps

 

[Dr. Picker]

arctan2000,

You came to the right place to get a variety of thoughtful opinions.

If you are planning on recording with gear like the Millenia or Grace, you should consider a headphone amplifier and headphones of comparable quality. As you search the forum, you'll find several schools of thought on monitoring with phones during recording or mixing.

I record my classical guitar using a Demeter mic pre and AKG 451 mics. I monitor (while recording) using a Headroom Max (old version) and Sennheiser HD600 phones. I monitor at a low enough level to avoid the mics picking up the sound of the phones. I also use the Max and Senns to monitor while editing in ProTools.

This approach works for me because as the guitarist and the engineer, I prefer a musical sounding setup for monitoring. Others may prefer a phone that is more likely to reveal flaws in the recording such as the Sony or AKG models often found in recording studios.

I'll close with the traditional warning to newcomers. You are about to spend as much on headphones as you are on the rest of your recording gear.

"Sorry about your wallet."

John

 

[Sovkiller]

Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet....(the usual greeting here)
Well reference headphones at that price for mixing? Well MDR-7506 (V6) or the MDR-7509, they are very good for mixing, very transparent and closed, some others will suggest you the MDR-V700DJ a little bit uncomfortable, (others will hate that one), but your specific aplication all of them will fit perfectly IMO.

 

[Mike Scarpitti]

Quote:

Originally posted by arctan2000 1. Could you recommend one or more exceptionally (or ought I say relatively?) --- transparent reference headphones? 2. I do not intend to pay more than $200

1. Yes: Stax electrostatics
2. Not nearly enough. Stax begin about $700 new.

Oh yeah, sorry about your wallet.

 

[Sovkiller]

Jesus an Stax for mixing? Don't you think that are a little bit overrated for that particular application? Even when maybe they are in fact the most transparent....

 

[screwdriver]

IMO - id try the AKG K501

 

[Mike Scarpitti]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sovkiller Jesus an Stax for mixing? Don't you think that are a little bit overrated for that particular application? Even when maybe they are in fact the most transparent....

Well, he sure as hell should not get anything like a 7506!

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Scarpitti Well, he sure as hell should not get anything like a 7506!

Well Carl Palmer, just to mention one, use them for mixing the ELP albums all the time, so probably they are not so bad for that purpose, I've heard never of a recording studio (or any other person) that uses the Stax for mixing, but there is always a first time.....

 

[Mike Scarpitti]

Quote:

Originally posted by Sovkiller Well Carl Palmer, just to mention one, use them for mixing the ELP albums all the time, so probably they are not so bad for that purpose, I've heard never of a recording studio (or any other person) that uses the Stax for mixing, but there is always a first time.....

I cannot imagine why not.

The problem with mixing on a phone like the V6/7506 (unless it is equalized) is that the mix would tend to be thin in the range where there is emphasis in the phone (bass and lower treble). We would end up with a very mid-rangy sounding final mix.

 

[Zanth]

For pure mixing...Yes...HP-1000's if you can get some. Do a search right now on ebay I think there is a set of HP-2's running up quite the total.

 

[Zanth]

Here is the link...move fast....bid lots. I'm dead serious.

 

[arctan2000]

Thanks for your responses so far! I used the last couple of hours
after my post reading other useful info online, especially at HeadRoom, thanks Dr. Picker for mentioning the site.
About the models that were mentioned.

Senn HD600: After one recommendation (from TimSchirmer)
and one user (Dr. Picker), I read about this quite a bit.
Looks impressive. Seems available in the low-mid $300s.
Bumped into a brief consumer review mentioning
availability around $190 (120 pounds) at a UK store's site,
but probably meant 220 pounds...Got excited there for a
moment (especially since I will be visiting the UK shortly),
argh!

Beyer DT831: This I had read about earlier today. Then,
I am now seeing it's HeadRoom's favorite closed headphone.
Price comparable to the AKG K501 and MDR7509
(suggested above by screwdriver and Sovkiller, respectively),
and suitable for my $200 criterion before my wallet was
apologized to (thanks! I'm now trying to warm up to $300).
Any comparison opinions for these three? Also, is HD600
going to give me so much more? Let alone its qualities
overall, it is an open model, so that right there is worth
the extra $100 perhaps...

MDR7506, MDR7502, HD280 PRO: After seeing the above,
I got a bit too confident and lost interest in these $99
models.

I presume the headphone out of my Roland VS880-Vx
would be fine for any of the models above without an amp?
Hope so...For example when I looked into the HeadRoom Max
mentioned by Dr. Picker, and especially after seeing the $2K tag on it, my first reaction was, oh boy I need an "amp for a
headphone" now?!? Getting a cream of the crop
(= transparent for my application) mic pre-amp is one
thing, but I'd certainly like to be able to get away with
a headphone amp with a similar expensive price tag...

Oh also I saw the Etymotic ER-4S, looks interesting.

Dr. Picker, when recording the classical guitar, how are you
able to keep the volume level low on your open headphone
and still be able to block the non-headphone sound
direct from the guitar? Is this pretty tricky? Open phones
seem like the better option for me.

Thanks again.

 

[arctan2000]

> Getting a cream of the crop
> (= transparent for my application) mic pre-amp is one
> thing, but I'd certainly like to be able to get away with

"Without" of course, not "with"...

> a headphone amp with a similar expensive price tag...