Author Topic: Which headphone? (Read 2594 times)

LazyNinja · « **on:** April 23, 2007, 09:20:41 AM »

I decided I'm gonna get a Shure Sm57 to go through into my Line 6 Toneport UX1 for recording. I also need to buy a new PC because at the moment mine is infested with bugs, very slow and only has USB 1.0. That limits my budget quite considerably so I thought rather than getting a pair of monitors, I'd get a headphone as I figured a quality headphone would be better than cheap active monitors.

I have looked at few reviews and came up with this shortlist, granted they are kinda obvious ones:

SENNHEISER HD 25
SENNHEISER HD 25 SP
AKG K-271 STUDIO
AKG K-240 STUDIO
AKG K-171 STUDIO

Any opinions on those? What other brands/models do you guys recommend? Are the expensive ones worth the money or not that different from the mid-range ones? Or are mid range ones mediocre that I should just buy a cheap one instead? Thanks.

rahnooo · « **Reply #1 on:** April 23, 2007, 09:34:14 AM »

For tracking you want closed back headphones, so that you don't start leaking sound into the mics. For mixing you (ideally) want open back headphones for a more natural sound. That being said, if you spend sometime getting to know your headphones it's perfectly possible to get a good mix out of closed back 'phones.

Prtety much the industry standard for closed back tracking phones are the Beyerdynamic DT100's. I've got a pair and they're very comfortable for long periods of use, and have no leakage whatsoever. I swear by mine. They shold set you back somewhere in the region of £70 - £80.

I'm not overly familiar with the models you mentionned however.

*Rahnooo*

LazyNinja · « **Reply #2 on:** April 23, 2007, 10:16:39 AM »

Quote from: rahnooo

For tracking you want closed back headphones, so that you don't start leaking sound into the mics. For mixing you (ideally) want open back headphones for a more natural sound. That being said, if you spend sometime getting to know your headphones it's perfectly possible to get a good mix out of closed back 'phones.

Prtety much the industry standard for closed back tracking phones are the Beyerdynamic DT100's. I've got a pair and they're very comfortable for long periods of use, and have no leakage whatsoever. I swear by mine. They shold set you back somewhere in the region of £70 - £80.

I'm not overly familiar with the models you mentionned however.

*Rahnooo*

Thanks, I didn't know much about the differences between the designs. What does impedance mean when it comes to headphones? I see values from 10 to 500.

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #3 on:** April 23, 2007, 10:51:16 AM »

I have some Samson CH-70 which cost me £40.

Sound great and are very sturdy - But I don't know much about headphones...

Davey · « **Reply #4 on:** April 23, 2007, 11:53:01 AM »

for tracking, look no further than sennheiser HD280Pro .. they slay

though, for mixing and listening i prefer my monitors as the sennheisers have a mid spike and they make everything sound hotter (and the clip faster than the monitors)

Canadian Steve · « **Reply #5 on:** April 23, 2007, 12:29:04 PM »

I would also say Beyerdynamic DT-100s. I'm not sure how they compare to the Sennheisers but they've been around for a long time and used by Queen,Alan Partridge,etc.!

MDV · « **Reply #6 on:** April 23, 2007, 12:46:15 PM »

HD25s

Pretty transparent, high quality sound, tough as nails, light, comfortable, and they block out external nose very well, so you can track guitars in the room and listen only to the recorded signal.

LazyNinja · « **Reply #7 on:** April 23, 2007, 03:02:47 PM »

Quote from: MDV

HD25s

Pretty transparent, high quality sound, tough as nails, light, comfortable, and they block out external nose very well, so you can track guitars in the room and listen only to the recorded signal.

Is it comfortable even though they don't cover around your ears? My head is quite big (:lol:) and don't want the headphone to crush my skull...

No opinions on the AKGs?

MDV · « **Reply #8 on:** April 23, 2007, 04:07:52 PM »

Quote from: LazyNinja

Quote from: MDV
HD25s

Pretty transparent, high quality sound, tough as nails, light, comfortable, and they block out external nose very well, so you can track guitars in the room and listen only to the recorded signal.

Is it comfortable even though they don't cover around your ears? My head is quite big (:lol:) and don't want the headphone to crush my skull...

No opinions on the AKGs?

You can wear them for hours. I forget I have them on. And I too have a big head.

the_bleeding · « **Reply #9 on:** April 24, 2007, 04:20:34 AM »

i like my shure e4c's, they double as ear plugs so its great. They are also the best sounding headphones i've EVER heard, and i often borrow my sister's Bose set. Watch out for the pricetag though, its a killer.

other than that, you can't go wrong with sennheiser.

LazyNinja · « **Reply #10 on:** April 24, 2007, 09:24:30 AM »

Is there any place where I could try them on? I know soundcontrol would probably have a few. Maybe I'll have to go into one of those trance hardcore DJ shops *shudder*