Headphone recommendations?

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maximumpower
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2015/05/27 18:41:48 (permalink)

Headphone recommendations?

I am an amateur hobbyist that had only one set of headphones for tracking and mixing. It *was* a pair of AKG K 44s but one side quit working. I did some troubleshooting to make sure it was the headphones and not the audio interface.
 
The AKG K 44 are not available anymore and the replacement seems to be the K 77, for about $50. 
 
Do you have a recommendation for a do everything (tracking, mixing, etc...) replacement for $50 to 100ish? I realize this does not get a do everything pair of headphones but what I mean is, I only want to buy one pair. I would go a little higher that $100 if there was something worth it. I just don't want to get into $150+ headphones at this point.
 
Thanks

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19 Replies Related Threads

    TerraSin
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/28 02:32:31 (permalink)
    I like my Sennheiser HD 280 Pros. They work well. Not sure I'd mix in them but for the price, you can't beat em.
    #2
    Paul P
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/28 13:22:31 (permalink)
    TerraSin
    I like my Sennheiser HD 280 Pros. They work well. Not sure I'd mix in them but for the price, you can't beat em.



    I like these as well for listening, but they're pretty bass heavy so I don't think they're ideal for accurate mixing (as you also point out).  They can also become uncomfortable after wearing them for hours.  If I were to replace them I'd consider something from AKG, but they'd be more expensive than the HD280s.

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    #3
    stickman393
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/28 15:06:14 (permalink)
    I love my KRK KNS-8400s
     
    #4
    tlw
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/28 18:16:03 (permalink)
    I've a pair of Sennheiser HD25s, the compact version, which are pretty good value for money.

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    maximumpower
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/28 19:41:53 (permalink)
    Thank you for all the replies. The Sennheiser HD25s are a bit too pricey for me at this point.
     
    I read a bunch about the KRK KNS-8400 and Sennheiser HD 280 Pros and if there is a common theme it is that the KRK does not reproduce bass very well and the HD280 has too much lol
     
    I am sure they are much better than what I had though :-)
     
    When reading about the KRK KNS-8400, it seems to be compared to the AT ATH M50. Some prefer the KRK and some prefer the AT.
     
    I should have added that I do have M-Audio BX5a monitors too so I don't just have the headphones.
     
    Thanks

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    #6
    lawajava
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/28 20:55:37 (permalink)
    stickman393
    I love my KRK KNS-8400s


    Exactly my thoughts.

    Two internal 2TB SSDs laptop stuffed with Larry's deals and awesome tools. Studio One is the cat's meow as a DAW now that I've migrated off of Sonar. Using BandLab Cakewalk just to grab old files when migrating songs.
    #7
    maximumpower
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/28 21:06:12 (permalink)
    lawajava
    stickman393
    I love my KRK KNS-8400s


    Exactly my thoughts.

    OK. You talked me into it. Ordered for $119 :-)
     
    Thank you for all the help!!!

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    #8
    bluzdog
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/28 22:06:33 (permalink)
    I love my BeyerDynamic DT770 Pros. If you're mixing with cans the Focusrite VRM Box is pretty awesome!
     
    Rocky
    #9
    batsbrew
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/29 15:54:59 (permalink)
    WHAT I USE:
     

    $99 AT REVERB, FREE SHIPPING

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    stickman393
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/29 17:00:11 (permalink)
    maximumpower
    lawajava
    stickman393
    I love my KRK KNS-8400s


    Exactly my thoughts.

    OK. You talked me into it. Ordered for $119 :-)
     
    Thank you for all the help!!!




    Like any pair of new headphones, give them some time to "loosen up", for want of a better term. You could even run a playlist through them overnight if you wanted to speed up the process, I guess.
    #11
    Leadfoot
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/29 17:14:31 (permalink)
    batsbrew
    WHAT I USE:
     

    $99 AT REVERB, FREE SHIPPING

    Yup. I've had my K-240's for about 17 years now. Very open and natural sounding, and no hyped low end. And they're so comfortable, I sometimes forget I have them on. They've been yanked off my head on many occasions.
    #12
    batsbrew
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/29 17:54:41 (permalink)

    Bats Brew music Streaming
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    #13
    scook
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/30 01:28:51 (permalink)
    I used a set of K240s until they rotted off my ears. Now using Q701s because of a great deal but would recommend K240s in a heartbeat.
    #14
    artturner
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/30 14:14:53 (permalink)
    I was interested in this discussion because I have the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro's and have also found them to be bass-heavy when mixing. But after looking at the recommended KRK's above, seems like they would be even heavier on the low end.
     
    http://imgur.com/ssfFu0H
     

     
    post edited by artturner - 2015/05/30 14:25:13
    #15
    lawajava
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/30 16:46:00 (permalink)
    That's interesting. I have two of the three types in the graph.

    My real world experience is that the Sony MDRs are bass heavy and the KRKs are balanced just right. If info is in a graph one would think it's scientifically accurate. But I don't think that graph corresponds to what I hear.

    Two internal 2TB SSDs laptop stuffed with Larry's deals and awesome tools. Studio One is the cat's meow as a DAW now that I've migrated off of Sonar. Using BandLab Cakewalk just to grab old files when migrating songs.
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    cclarry
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/30 17:53:55 (permalink)
    If you're going to mix with headphones look into this...



     
    http://sonarworks.com/headphones/overview/


    #17
    Vastman
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/31 02:56:39 (permalink)
    stickman393
    I love my KRK KNS-8400s
     


    Me too!!!
    Leadfoot, I used those AKG's for decades till I happened on the KRK's... 
    post edited by Vastman - 2015/05/31 03:03:06

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    #18
    Leadfoot
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/31 14:55:18 (permalink)
    I'll have to check em out if my AKG's ever crap out on me.
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    Rimshot
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    Re: Headphone recommendations? 2015/05/31 17:42:34 (permalink)
    I use AKG 240's to track and my ATH M-50's for reference while mixing. The M-50's have a lot more bottom than the 240's which helps me work with those low frequencies when needed.
     

    Rimshot 

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