I have a pair of cheap fostex TH-5W they were $60 and I love them more than all my other ones. :)

Bub

Danny Danzi

If you can find them, AKG K-240 DF's are by far the best I have ever used and translate perfectly everywhere to me.

Hi Danny,

I searched for these headphones and found some replacement models since these are discontinued.

There is an AKG K-240 (Without the DF) for $99 bucks, then out of the 4 suggested replacements, it goes up to the 701's for $349 bucks.

Do you remember what price range the DF's were in and do you think the suggested replacements would be comparable (at any price range)?

I'm in a situation now where I have no music room any more. I'm doing everything on the dining room table, so I'm forced to use headphones. My plans for a full blown recording room have been put on hold permanently. So I've been looking in to headphones and don't mind dropping several hundred on them, or more.

I'm using a $20 pair of Sony headphones from Target ... and I have to say, I'm getting really good and mixing/mastering with the meters and compensating for what I know sounds wrong on these, but will sound good in the car or elsewhere. It would just be so much nicer to not have to compensate so much and just enjoy the sound if you know what I mean.

Thanks,

Bub

Edit: Link to Sweetwater's recommended replacement list.

Hi Bub,
 
The replacements are K 240 MK II. I've never actually used them so I can't tell you if they are as good or not. Thankfully, I have 4 pair of the old faithful DF versions here and a set of the K 240 Studio cans which are usually my go to cans for quick monitoring these days. The only time I use cans to mix or master is when I'm on a plane or train and even there, I of course always check things out after on real monitors. I usually come so close with these cans though....I could definitely get away with allowing my decisions to stand. All other times I'm either using them for mic placements or quick references.
 
These two http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=akg+k240 are what I would recommend. The MKII's are supposed to be the equal to the DF's I mentioned, and the Studio model (if they haven't changed them) sounds just about the same as the DF's. The difference used to be a detachable cord and a bit better cup comfort. I haven't bought any AKG's in a long time though, so I can't really say what I'd do in this situation. I'd probably take a shot at the MK II's as they are closer in price to what I paid for my DF's. ($199)
 
I know this probably won't be a tune you'll like much, but in 2010 when I first started working with Acme Bar Gig developing their "Shred" plugin for guitar, this was one of my first little demo's I did for them. It's nothing special, but the entire thing was mixed and mastered through those AKG's. This was just a little test file, but for what it was it turned out pretty fair. The real version smokes it pretty good..lol...but this is a general idea on what I've been able to get with the cans.
 
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4909348/Danny%20Danzi/Shred%20On.mp3
 
Hope some of this helps....but you may need to do a little compensating at first until you learn them but only with the low end. One thing I love is mids and highs are no problem. You just have to judge the bass on "if you can feel it, you're using too much". Hearing the bass is fine, it's when you start to feel it pump in the cans...that's when you'll notice you have to back it down.
 
-Danny
 
P.S. Ed: Yeah, those cans don't have lots of output...which is a good thing. The one thing we ALL have to remember with cans is, they are being sent directly to your ears and can damage hearing so fast, you're better off with lower output. The good thing about the AKG's is, after a certain volume (which is my opinion is way too loud) they start to clip/break up. With the others I have like the Sennheisers or Sony MDR's...man they just keep going up and up and up...and you can kill your hearing in one session if you're not careful.
 
Guys mixing in cans for long periods of time....please PLEASE be careful. You'll lose your hearing faster with loud cans than you will loud music live or in speakers. Try to use a level that allows you to hear everything at a volume you could close your eyes and sleep with. Seriously. All my friends tell me "you have golden ears".....the only truth to that is, while they used loud cans and didn't wear hearing protection and answer with lots of "huh's and what's", I always was conscious of how loud my cans were as well as always wearing ear plugs from the time I was 12 years old. My "golden" part of my ears is only the fact that I can still hear at 45 years old....not because they are "golden". :)

Danny Danzi
 
Guys mixing in cans for long periods of time....please PLEASE be careful. You'll lose your hearing faster with loud cans than you will loud music live or in speakers. Try to use a level that allows you to hear everything at a volume you could close your eyes and sleep with. Seriously. All my friends tell me "you have golden ears".....the only truth to that is, while they used loud cans and didn't wear hearing protection and answer with lots of "huh's and what's", I always was conscious of how loud my cans were as well as always wearing ear plugs from the time I was 12 years old. My "golden" part of my ears is only the fact that I can still hear at 45 years old....not because they are "golden". :)

+1000 - It terrifies me to hear how loud some kids are listening to super-compressed music on their headphones on the subway every day. Sometimes it's so loud it's almost like they're playing it on a boom box, you can hear everything. They are truly screwing their ears. 


I'm careful these days because I've already damaged my hearing and given myself tinnitus from overly loud headphone use, playing in a thrash band with no ear protection when I was younger, countless 12-hour long raves with booming acid techno and Drum & Bass music, and of course traveling on the NYC subway every day with no ear protection. It's a wonder I can hear at all. 


One thing I've learned about headphones over the years is that you can always stand to turn the volume down a little. People tend to crank it up loud to begin with, in order to get that initial "hit" that comes with loud music. But if you turn it down 10%, it sounds lame at first, but after a minute or so it sounds plenty loud enough and you wonder how in the hell you stood it any louder. After a few minutes, turn it down another 10%. Same thing. Pretty soon you're listening at 50-60% of the volume you started with, and it sounds fine. 


Also, I've said this before and I don't know if anyone believed me, but taking a good quality magnesium supplement before exposing your ears to noise goes a long way toward minimizing noise damage. It's been proven by the military. 

CakeAlexS


Cheap 30 quid sennheisers. Although mine was 20 pounds. ...

20 lbs.?
 
Think o' the massive neck muscles one would aquire wearin' dem heavy dudes.

It would be good to take the impedance of the phones into consideration. Older hifi and studio phones and some more modern studio stuff can require up to 600 ohms which won't sound too good on modern consumer equipment which seem to prefer phones around 16-32 ohms. Just about all modern phones are below 80.

My newish Soundcraft mixer says not to use phones of less than 200 ohms, but try to find some ! Oddly enough, Soundcraft is now part of a big conglomerate of well-known audio companies and none of them make phones that high in impedance.

The only company I know of that still makes high impedance phones are Beyer Dynamics that you can get at 250 ohms and 400 ohms.

I have to admit, when i was younger i used to crank Kiss Alive through my headphones about as loud as it would go. Its a wonder i can still hear! At 42 yrs old i listen at much safer levels now!

Danny Danzi

Bub

Danny Danzi

If you can find them, AKG K-240 DF's are by far the best I have ever used and translate perfectly everywhere to me.

Hi Danny,

I searched for these headphones and found some replacement models since these are discontinued.

There is an AKG K-240 (Without the DF) for $99 bucks, then out of the 4 suggested replacements, it goes up to the 701's for $349 bucks.

Do you remember what price range the DF's were in and do you think the suggested replacements would be comparable (at any price range)?

I'm in a situation now where I have no music room any more. I'm doing everything on the dining room table, so I'm forced to use headphones. My plans for a full blown recording room have been put on hold permanently. So I've been looking in to headphones and don't mind dropping several hundred on them, or more.

I'm using a $20 pair of Sony headphones from Target ... and I have to say, I'm getting really good and mixing/mastering with the meters and compensating for what I know sounds wrong on these, but will sound good in the car or elsewhere. It would just be so much nicer to not have to compensate so much and just enjoy the sound if you know what I mean.

Thanks,

Bub

Edit: Link to Sweetwater's recommended replacement list.

Hi Bub,
 
The replacements are K 240 MK II. I've never actually used them so I can't tell you if they are as good or not. Thankfully, I have 4 pair of the old faithful DF versions here and a set of the K 240 Studio cans which are usually my go to cans for quick monitoring these days. The only time I use cans to mix or master is when I'm on a plane or train and even there, I of course always check things out after on real monitors. I usually come so close with these cans though....I could definitely get away with allowing my decisions to stand. All other times I'm either using them for mic placements or quick references.
 
These two http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=akg+k240 are what I would recommend. The MKII's are supposed to be the equal to the DF's I mentioned, and the Studio model (if they haven't changed them) sounds just about the same as the DF's. The difference used to be a detachable cord and a bit better cup comfort. I haven't bought any AKG's in a long time though, so I can't really say what I'd do in this situation. I'd probably take a shot at the MK II's as they are closer in price to what I paid for my DF's. ($199)
 
I know this probably won't be a tune you'll like much, but in 2010 when I first started working with Acme Bar Gig developing their "Shred" plugin for guitar, this was one of my first little demo's I did for them. It's nothing special, but the entire thing was mixed and mastered through those AKG's. This was just a little test file, but for what it was it turned out pretty fair. The real version smokes it pretty good..lol...but this is a general idea on what I've been able to get with the cans.
 
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4909348/Danny%20Danzi/Shred%20On.mp3
 
Hope some of this helps....but you may need to do a little compensating at first until you learn them but only with the low end. One thing I love is mids and highs are no problem. You just have to judge the bass on "if you can feel it, you're using too much". Hearing the bass is fine, it's when you start to feel it pump in the cans...that's when you'll notice you have to back it down.
 
-Danny
 
P.S. Ed: Yeah, those cans don't have lots of output...which is a good thing. The one thing we ALL have to remember with cans is, they are being sent directly to your ears and can damage hearing so fast, you're better off with lower output. The good thing about the AKG's is, after a certain volume (which is my opinion is way too loud) they start to clip/break up. With the others I have like the Sennheisers or Sony MDR's...man they just keep going up and up and up...and you can kill your hearing in one session if you're not careful.
 
Guys mixing in cans for long periods of time....please PLEASE be careful. You'll lose your hearing faster with loud cans than you will loud music live or in speakers. Try to use a level that allows you to hear everything at a volume you could close your eyes and sleep with. Seriously. All my friends tell me "you have golden ears".....the only truth to that is, while they used loud cans and didn't wear hearing protection and answer with lots of "huh's and what's", I always was conscious of how loud my cans were as well as always wearing ear plugs from the time I was 12 years old. My "golden" part of my ears is only the fact that I can still hear at 45 years old....not because they are "golden". :)

Thanks Danny.

My ears are already starting to ring louder because of using cans and I've only been using them regularly for a few weeks now. I do try to keep them low except when I'm recording. Sometimes you just have to have things cranked a little to get in to a vocal take though. And then that whole tired ear thing comes in to play. The longer you use them, the louder you have to have them, and it snowballs.

I have two pair of crap headphones now.

Thanks,

Bub

I bought a pair of ATH-M50 headphones a few months ago. I'm very happy with them.

I am using a Sennheiser HD600 for 5 or 6 years, and very happy with it.
It is an "open" model, which is very comfortable, i think.

Ath m50s, then listen to your mix with cheap earbuds, car stereo, boom box, anything the general public might use. Also try mixing to mp3 and listen to the differences. Take notes of what works and what doesn't for each environment, then find common elements and season to taste. 

Then hire someone else to master your mix.