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Headphone suggestions please


Mesh

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Seems like I need to replace my (much loved) Ultrasone 750's (unless I find a reputable fixer). I spend a lot of DAW time with h-phones, so a comfortable set would be much appreciated.

I'll be mostly using it for tracking and some general mixing....would also like it to be compatible with Sonarworks. What are some decent closed back H-phones under $200? (I know, I said decent and under $200 :P)

Edited by Mesh
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My KRK KNS-8400 headphones are not too bad.

http://www.krksys.com/Headphones/KNS-8400

I used to have some BD DT 250 headphones but they started to crackle a bit so I gave em to me lad. He's still using them.

https://europe.beyerdynamic.com/dt-250.html

Both appear to be still available, which says much I think. And both well under your budget, Mesh. Might be too cheap, perhaps...

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I've been using AKG K702 for the past couple of years. Not closed back, but great for mixing, Highly recommend them. Great frequency response too 10 to 39.800 Hz

https://www.amazon.com/AKG-K702-Reference-Studio-Headphones/dp/B001RCD2DW that is amazon.com

but in UK you can get them for £105 at the time of this post, got mine a few years back for about £150, still a good deal.

 

 

Edited by rasure
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2 hours ago, paulo said:

The only "decent" ones I've ever had are Beyerdynamic DT770's and Audio Technica ATH-M50's. I prefer the M50's for both sound and comfort.

I got the same :D

But i prefer the DT-770, maybe because i got so big ears. And they sound different, so it is good to listen to both while mixing (not at once) to see if you hear something...

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These are $100 Sennheiser HD 280 Pro  and are what I've been using

 

hd-280-pro-design-large.jpg

For me they are fine specially for the price but;

Pro :  Decent build quality.  Moderately comfortable.

Con:  Poor isolation   Mid-range heavy audio reproduction

Bulky, unstable design   Bass delivery varies significantly across users

Sensitive to glasses.

Hope this helps Mesh

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I grabbed a pair of Blue Lola's on Ebait for $85 new (regular $250).  They sound nice, have superb isolation, but can feel a bit clunky when you wear them.  if you have the chance to audition they're definitely worth a listen.

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On 3/29/2019 at 1:01 PM, Starise said:

There's always my old faithful fallback Audo Technica  ATH-M50X. There's  a setting for Sonarworks. If you have overly large flappy ears it might be uncomfortable though. 

This is also what I've been looking at and like how they sound.

I saw this on Amazon and it's going for ~$149, but for another $15, saw this deal: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KMFGBFF/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07KMFGBFF

Good ya? 

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On 3/31/2019 at 7:57 AM, bayoubill said:

For me they are fine specially for the price but;

Pro :  Decent build quality.  Moderately comfortable.

Con:  Poor isolation   Mid-range heavy audio reproduction

Bulky, unstable design   Bass delivery varies significantly across users

Sensitive to glasses.

Hope this helps Mesh

I also have switched to the HD280 pro, from the HD380 pro so going "backwards", I found them to be good at isolation, they are in fact one of the best passive outside noise reducers you can get (32db), and this is noticeable. This is why they are so popular as tracking phones. If you want to hear poor isolation, listen to the HD380 pro's they are terrible, really, really bad. I also have glasses and have had no problems there at all and again, they are noted for being good for glasses wearers'. I also would not describe them as mid range heavy.

Are we talking about the same headphones? I guess it depends what you compare them to or personal preferences.

These are tracking headphones, they have great isolation compared to others, and the bass, mid and treble frequencies are about where they should be. There is a slight exaggeration of the extreme high frequencies, just slight, they are not anything like the ATH-M50's which are way too bass heavy to be good general purpose tracking phones. That is unless your not a vocalist and primarily a bass player or produce EDM or just like bass heavy phones. Music sounds better through the M50's though.

I would recommend the HD280 for general purpose tracking phones, especially for vocalists, instrument players, the Sony 7506's are a bit jumbled in the mid frequencies.  The HD280 might not be the best if you are prone to tinitus though. The only thing I don't like about them is the coiled cable. I convert them to straight cable. There are enough of them on the secondhand market going cheap now that it is a no brainer for the budget conscious to grab a pair.

I don't like the AKG phones with the bird cage on top, creaks every time you move. I've not tried the Beyer 770's which are also supposed to be good, something put me off those, don't know what.

I'd like to try the new ATH-M50X, see if it's anything like the old M50. I like the idea that the M50X has a choice of coiled or straight detachable cable and they may isolate better than the HD280 but I am not sure about that. The old M50 didn't suit my voice at all, when recording and using them for tracking, there were horrid bass resonant frequencies building up that were very off putting, also they don't go over your ears well. When miking up the acoustic and also listening to the electric, I got bass heavy interpretations of what I was recording that then sounded thin when I played them back on other sources. I had the same problem with the HD380's as well.

For mixing, I have the Sennheiser 598's which are not that good really, I just want to get closer to the 650's, I don't know what to recommend for mixing phones since I don't really use them for mixing.

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Well, just to be contrarian, I have used both Sennheiser hd280 and 380pro, have used both for tracking and mixing, and I much prefer the 380 . . . of course the 380's have much bigger and more forgiving earcups, for the fat-eared bretheren out there, such as myself.

 

I think the 280's underwent a redesign a year or so ago, fwiw.

 

And I like the better bass response in the 380's, because if you have bass-light headphones, you have no idea how it translates onto proper systems. You can't mix bass frequencies if you can't hear them, and you won't hear most of them in headphones, anyway. So the 380's get you a little closer. But I agree, the 380's have decent detail but it's still a $200 headphone.

 

Well, I have no idea about Sonarworks - and I'm willing to bet there are better mixing headphones out there at some pretty prices. Better detail, too.

 

cheers,

-Tom

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