Headphones

[cjj]

OK, this isn't exactly a question on recording technique, but I couldn't think of where else to ask. What sort of headphones do you people use for studio recording work? I'm looking for something that's decent, but not some $500 audiophile type monstrosity. Let's say the budget is in the $150-200 range, is it possible to get something good in this price range? I'd think it should be, but I haven't priced headphones in a LONG time. Now that I'm looking, there are just so many options I have no idea where to even start...

[jps]

I use these:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HD280Pro/

Other to consider are:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HD380Pro/

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/K240mk2/

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ATHM50/

In the past I used AKG K301 and K401 headphones, but their earcup suspension fails fairly quickly so I got the HD280s recently. The Sennheisers offer much better isolation of ambient sounds, but I am still getting used to them as they do sound different enough from the AKGs to make me wonder which are the more accurate!

[teb]

Sennheiser HD280 Pros here. I find the coil cord a bit annoying when playing, but the tone and overall sound balance seem to be be quite good and not too far off from what my studio monitors put out.

[cjj]

Wow, with all the stuff that's been going on lately, I completely forgot about this. Thanks for the info guys, I just ordered the Sennheiser HD280 PROs.

[cassius987]

Is the coiled wire on the headphones not an issue because the impedance is so low as to not have to worry about capacitance?

[cjj]

Is the coiled wire on the headphones not an issue because the impedance is so low as to not have to worry about capacitance?

Well, the capacitance has the same effect regardless of the impedance of the thing at the end, pickup or headphone. The main reason we care about cable length and capacitance for instrument cables is because we're starting with a very low signal level and we want to preserve as much of that signal as we can. Longer cables have more capacitance and will lose more high frequency content. With the small signal levels coming from the pickups, the loss could actually get to the point where there's no signal (high frequency components anyway) left to amplify.

Now, for headphones, the signal being sent is much larger since it has to drive the speakers and move some air. You'll still get the loss of high frequency with more length, but with a stronger signal, there will still be a lot left at the end of the cable. So, if the headphone designers do a good job, they can make the frequency response of the speakers such that it will compensate for the loss of high frequency content. In other words, they make them a bit more responsive to high frequencies to make up for the fact that some will get lost on the way...

[IHeartRics]

Good information here that I'll have to remember next time I get headphones. I have Sony MDR-7506 headphones and IMO the problem with them is they sound too good. They seem to make even the worst mixes still sound good so I won't use them for mixing, but their great for just enjoying music. I also have some Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs headphones that were supposed to be flat response for mixing, but they're so flat I can't stand it. Maybe that's the way is supposed to be, but now I just try to rely on the monitor speakers.

[gibsonlp]

I use AKG K271 MkII, I really like them but they sound really bright, when I take my mixes "out to the wild" they sound a bit mellow and I need to compensate for that in advance.
I still didn't finish the "break in" period though, so hopefully they will sound a bit more truthful in the future.

[jps]

I think I finally realized that none of the AKG headphones I have owned over a 30 year period have been neutral sounding. Great to listen with but in the end they were a bit hyped with shallow bass. I used my Sennheiser HD280Pro headphones in the studio for the first time last night and I think these are superior than the AKGs. I have tried a couple different Sony headphones over the years and found them very hyped in the high end, almost harsh sounding. No headphone will ever replace good studio monitors but they are essential in the studio for musicians to use during tracking sessions. I like that the 280Pros are circumaural so I can sit next to the drums and not be blasted by them.

[tmossman]

The January Sound On Sound had a very good cover article on studio headphones. All price ranges and applications are discussed. If you hury to a book store close to you (by close I mean your kind of close, less than one day drive ) you might still be able to grab it.

Here is a link to the start of the article online:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan10/a ... phones.htm