Good ''phones for Mixing around $100?

[Max Arwood]

I have several 7506 's and they are my favorite.  I have some expensive Sennheiser's but I use the Sony's most of the time. I just replaces the pads on the pair I wear the most, but they are 20+ years old! 

 

[Michael McBroom]

20 hours ago, jonathan boose said:

 At this point, I just try to make it sound good on my monitors and headphones, and if it's critical, send it to a mastering engineer.

That's pretty much my attitude as well. I mix for the best stuff I got, which right now are my reference monitors and some good phones.

Oh, and I have a update for y'all. My new AKG K240 Studio phones arrived today. So far, I've had the opportunity to listen to two of my compositions, to which I ended up making some fairly substantial changes in the mix. I was hearing rather glaring things with these phones that my old closed-backs had missed entirely. This is good news and bad news. I'm glad I can hear so clearly now, but I was just about to put to bed three albums worth of material, but now it looks like I'm going to have to make at least one more pass through every piece of music before I'll be 100% satisfied -- if that's ever even a possibility.

You know, if I had to describe what these phones feel like -- because of their open back design -- it's like I don't have any phones on at all, but that I'm just leaning in real close to my speakers to catch all the subtle nuances. In other words, they sound very natural with no coloration that I can detect -- so far.  They're also very light and comfortable, and I think my wife will appreciate the open back designs, cuz now when she calls out my name from across the house, I can hear her. Used to be with my old phones, she'd have to poke me for me to know she wanted something.

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by Michael McBroom

[Jim Roseberry]

Can't go wrong with K240s.

I've used them for decades... but tend to use them for another listening perspective (not to actually mix).

 

When mixing, make sure to vary the volume at which you monitor.

ie:  Turn the level significantly down.  Can you still hear all instruments.

Over time, our ears become less sensitive... so there's a tendency to keep increasing the monitor level (same as playing live gigs with amps).

You can help save your ears (and mix) by turning the level down... and making sure the drums/bass/etc don't disappear.

[razor7music]

On 9/28/2020 at 2:50 PM, Michael McBroom said:

Heh, I found this out with an old set of AKGs I have. The pleather coating flaked off years ago, leaving behind comfortable foam padding. Surprisingly, the foam hasn't rotted yet, and I bought those phones -- must be 18 years ago now.

If you don't want to wait for your pleather cans to flake out on you, (pun intended) go with something like the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro ( I got the 250 Ohm). They have nice fuzzy pads and won't melt on your ears!

[micv]

I started years ago with the 7506, too bright for mixing, and also think that's it's crazy for a headphones to cost over $150.  Then every other few years I try to get a 'better' one.  I now use Sennheiser hd6xx.  Twice your price range but you wont need another 'better' set next year.

 

[razor7music]

1 hour ago, micv said:

I started years ago with the 7506, too bright for mixing, and also think that's it's crazy for a headphones to cost over $150.  Then every other few years I try to get a 'better' one.  I now use Sennheiser hd6xx.  Twice your price range but you wont need another 'better' set next year.

 

"Buy nice, or buy twice"?