In Need Of New Headphones.

Hi all. [Hope this is the right place for this thread] I decided, because of the budget, to get good headphones instead of cheap monitors. Budget: basically around 200$, but I can be flexible. Uses: I'm more of a musician(mainly guitar) than a producer, and I use my DAW/Extremely Humble "Home Studio" mainly to record my ideas and explore them (with VSTs of stuff I can't play or instruments I can't afford), and to record my band or a small jam. I don't usually sit down on a project and mix and master it (yeah, I know this is what most of this forum is about :roll: ) although rarely a certain project comes along that demands it. I record: Vocals, Electric Guitars(sometimes DI, sometimes with my SM57), Acoustic Guitars, Sometimes Bass, and use my midi keyboard to "record" Pianos, Strings, Horns, etc. and e-drum kit for for drums midi input. Genres: Mostly Jazz,Rock,Funk but also Electornic or Symphonic(both rarely) and other stuff. Needs: A reliable product, I intend to use it for a good amount of time :D I know there different kinds of headphones(open, closed, etc.) and i Hope I've been specific enough about what I need so you can direct me in the right way. Thanks for all the upgrade-process help from ya'll. :-bd

me, i use these:




i like em.

i've actually been using a pair of 'nicer' sony ear buds for tracking.

zero bleed.

super comfy.

doesn't make you feel like you are wearing a helmet

I use ATH-M50's.  Once they break in, they are awesome.  They don't require as much power to drive them and once you get used to the response, they serve very well for tracking and mix checking.

http://www.headphone.com/...o-technica-ath-m50.php

Here's a better price:
http://www.bhphotovideo.c...p;is=REG&A=details
Rimshot

And those are pretty good, bat? I've been wanting some new in-ears for a long time, ever since my Shures went south. But I'm reluctant to spend another $150 just to have them break again (they were my second set, too). 

But I see the ones you linked to are only 60 bucks. That would be a bargain if they're reasonably flat, and I'd feel less bad if a pair of 60-dollar earbuds broke. I just didn't think you could get anything decent for less than $150-200.

Put the beyerdynamic 770 and 880 on your shortlist too. They are simply superb.

backwoods


Put the beyerdynamic 770 and 880 on your shortlist too. They are simply superb.

I have them both! The 770s are very powerful in the lows and somewhat similar in sound to the Audio Technica ATM-50s, but with a broad dip in the midrange. If you're tracking with any of these two (singing), make sure to mute the bass track, since the powerful bass will throw the singer's pitch off (happens every session with every singer, in my experience). 


I also have the AT-40FS which, with its much more polite bass, is better for singing. The sound is far less impressive, though...


The 880s are smooth and flattish, yet exciting to listen to. The smooth top end and comfortable fit makes it a breeze working with these for hours. Leaky, so no good for tracking with condenser mics. What I've noticed however is that the smooth top end, combined with the fact that Temporary Threshold Syndrom sets in pretty fast with headphones, makes me mixes far too bright, unless I'm careful!


Sven

jacktheexcynic


sennheiser hd 280 pro. if you want a versatile, balanced, closed-back pair of headphones, you can do a lot worse or pay a lot more. they were $99 when i got them years ago, still as detailed and flat as ever. if i could only take one listening device with me to a desert island, i'd take those.

great for mixing and tracking and general music listening if you want to block out the outside world for awhile and not pay $300 for noise cancelling headphones. wouldn't be my first choice for jogging though and like any closed-back headphones, they'll keep your head warm and they aren't light. but like i said, if you want a pair of headphones that you'll never regret buying, those would be it. and you can save $100 on your budget for room treatment.

Yes , I have a pair of 280's and they are great for tracking, and they are so comfortable you can leave them on for hours

The DT-770s and the ATH-M50s are awesome.

I have the 80 ohn version myself.

from batsbrew "i've actually been using a pair of 'nicer' sony ear buds for tracking. zero bleed. super comfy. doesn't make you feel like you are wearing a helmet " I am sure that many people can wear buds, but I simply cannot get right with them. Just a heads-up. If yer ears aint right, they are VERY personal. Also, buds are even worse than closed phones for plosives, unless there are some that get round that.

Just one comment. Cheap near-fields are indeed not much chop. But phones do give many bad signals when final mixing and you have to be careful. Stereo spread is way more than any speakers will give; you can set up ways to feed L_>R and R->L to help this. Any reasonable phones will be far clearer and smoother then even the best speakers can achieve: room acoustics are just not there: ambient noise is not there. You just _hear_ stuff in phones you will not hear in speakers. So be cautious when using phones to get that final mix. I used to mix on phones, but then burn the mix and just sit in the living room and listen on the (reasonable) stereo...but then I would play in the car, on the boom box etc, to see how it panned out. That's just me.