Good headphone ?

[JoPo]

Hi.

I'm looking for a very good headphone... I'm using this one for the moment :
http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-MDR7506/

It is not bad but it miss bass frequency, completly different when I listen to music via my really very gooOOd 'dynaudio acoustics' monitors ; I love there sounding.

I like to create music in the night -> headphone needed : my family is sleeping. So I need a very good one, closed on my ears.

Any idea are welcome.

- merci ! -

[dawman]

I just bought one of those for 50 bucks.
But if I were you Id go with custom IEM ( In your ear ) monitors.
They are better for your ears, that are designed arounf your particulat 4k notch, many many benefits.
Many developers too so they are cheaper than ever.
I suggest 4 ways, or 6 ways if you really want excessive freq control.

Plus you still check out a mix while you're taking a dump....

[JoPo]

Thanks jimmy ! I didn't think about this solution ! I'm going to look for a manufacturer...


Mmmm... Anyone knows any in France ?

[JoPo]

I found this :
http://sculptedeers.com/products/?lang=fr

It looks nice and no need to go to an expensive specialist..

[petal]

I have had a pair of these for years now and been quite happy with them:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/akg_k271_mkii.htm

I do prefer the sound in these though and will be buying a pair at some point:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/beyerdynamic_dt770pro.htm

Bring some music you know well (your own mixes perhaps) to a store and try out different models until you find something you like

[helldriver]

Sennheiser HD600 - nothing else!

[JoPo]

I found this one :

http://www.son-video.com/Rayons/Hifi/Ca ... x_007.html



I gonna eat potatoes with rice for some years and buy it.

[dawman]

Unbelievable to pay that much money and still be handcuffed with wires...

[petal]

Perhaps the wire is to ensure "the best sound quality possible"?

[JoPo]

I'm in contact with the canadians here :
http://sculptedeers.com/pcs-200-custom- ... s/?lang=fr

and I believe I gonna try this. Anyone who knows them ? Tell me fast if that is worth it ! Or I gonna loose 270$ !

[jksuperstar]

My greatest doubt, would be the advertising...these are made for consumers on planes.

I have a set of in-ear headphones, and they are nice, for some situations. Like on stage, or on a plane. or next to noisy co-workers.

I think open backed, circum-aural designs are the best for long term, accurate listening. They don't create a situation of imbalance in the ear (by plugging up the ear, you don't allow air pressure to be balanced on both sides of the eardrum, and you can feel fatigue from this). They are very comfortable, but do also leak the most sound into the room. But it's not that loud, and if it is, you're ears are feeling that too!

I personally like the AKG 240M. They aren't too loud in any certain frequency, so they are pretty fair to listen with. I've heard good things about the Beyer dt990 from people I'd trust, but never tried them myself. Otherwise, the DJs I know all use Sony, for some reason.

[scopus]

i agree, these look like more consumer phones than pro audio. While looking for new pair of phones a little back got into a research frenzy and if ur interested only in-ear phones than these are the ones came up as accurate and useful for audio work:
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er4.html
http://www.jhaudio.com/collection/jha-p ... c-products
n top shure n ultimate ears models

if inear not a must my vote goes to trusty hd 600's

[vascomusic]

I suggest 4 ways, or 6 ways if you really want excessive freq control.

After doing a lot of research of IEM's (in Ear Monitors) available on the market, it became clear that in some cases an IEM in price range $300,00 can sound as good as an $600,00 IEM and it also turns out that more drivers are not always better.
A 1-driver-IEM can outperform a 3-driver-IEM.

They are better for your ears, that are designed arounf your particulat 4k notch, many many benefits.

4K indeed is the most sensitive frequency area of the human ear.
But there are big performance differences between IEM's.
The choice of your headphone or IEM may depent on the musical style you're producing or listening to.
E.G: for rock-related music, a Westone 3 or 4 IEM might be a better choice than a Ultimate Ears Triple fi 10 Pro, because Westone's midrange is more present. For Electronic music like Hiphop/Dance/Techno, the Ultimate Ears Triple fi 10 Pro is probably more appropriate.

If you want extremely good noise isolation, custom made (molded) IEM's are a better choice (but generally also more expensive), like the JH Audio JH16 Pro or the Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor. The latter is IMO the very best studio IEM at the moment.

[garyb]

doing critical monitoring on headphones approaches futility, even though it's convienient.

[JoPo]

Well... It's just for having good sound in my ears during the night. I'll still make mix / mastering during the day and without headphones !

Thanks, Scopus... It is very interresting. And thanks to JK too ... I was going to make some bloody stupid thing !

I guess I'm going to try some headphones at Paris and then take a serious decision... Hem...

[garyb]

sure, beware of ear damage. to isolate sound, you'll need a closed back or an IEM. there are serious issues with having the ear canal closed off, like bacteria growth. also, since your ears adjust to high volumes over time, it's very easy to unknowingly destroy your hearing that way. you should limit the hours with those types of headphones on.

personally, the AKG 240m is still a great pair of studio cans. Sony and Sennheiser make excellent cans as well. i don't think there is really a "best". just buy a set of headphones made for your purposes. while a pair made for playback might sound "better", a pair made for studio monitoring will probably be more "honest".

[JoPo]

Thanks for my ears ! But no worry, my father was deaf, my wife is a little, both because of health problems. I allways took care of my ears, when I used to go a lot in live, party , percussion playing... I allways put ears protection. I have an excellent hearing and no tinnitus at all.

Thanks, the AKG 240m is not too expensive and seems to be a good neutral headphone.

[MCCY]

I once had an MB Quart (I think it was the qt 240) and I ued it for so many years. After it got broken, I realized how important this device was to me. I couldn't live with any other headphone and managed to order a new pair and an MB Quart QT400. I now switch between a sony, an AKG and those two, but if I had to decide I would allways chose the Quart either 240 or 400. For me the 400 makes too much highs, but both are so damn clear.

Martin

[Neil B]

When my trusty old Sennheisers packed up, I thought I'd be faced with a huge bill to replace them with something as good.
I nearly went for the sennheiser 600 but then found AKG K240 MkII's on offer somewhere.
I must say I was pleasantly suprised that they seemed better than my old Senns. Comfortable too for long periods (remembering to take a break every so often).

Of course you can't get to the stage using cans where you can mix with them, but I find these get me close enough to reduce the final mixing work.

Hope that helps

[krizrox]

sure, beware of ear damage. to isolate sound, you'll need a closed back or an IEM. there are serious issues with having the ear canal closed off, like bacteria growth. also, since your ears adjust to high volumes over time, it's very easy to unknowingly destroy your hearing that way. you should limit the hours with those types of headphones on.

personally, the AKG 240m is still a great pair of studio cans. Sony and Sennheiser make excellent cans as well. i don't think there is really a "best". just buy a set of headphones made for your purposes. while a pair made for playback might sound "better", a pair made for studio monitoring will probably be more "honest".

I'm in agreement with the AKG phones - I love them for monitoring and general mixing duties. To my ears they are more neutral and flatter sounding than many other phones which I assume is a good thing when you're mixing. Also they are open-back style so there is some air-flow to keep your ears cooler. And they tend to be built like tanks. And lastly, they are reasonably priced.

As far as the argument about not using headphones (or limiting their use) I'm sort of the opposite. I prefer to start with headphones and then do the finishing touches with speakers. I feel I can get into the mix a little closer with cans and make better panning and editing decisions. It depends on the session though. If I have clients in the room we always start with the studio monitors and I let them guide me through the process. There are so many people using earbuds and various other types of headphones these days it's crazy not to check your mixes with phones.

For tracking I love the Audio Technica ATH-M40s - they isolate well, grip the head well, are really affordable and lastly, easily repairable! AT makes ordering replacement parts a breeze and cost of the components is surprisingly low. Plus I like the fact they come standard with 1/4" instrument plugs and not those annoying 1/8" inch adapters.