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Post by svart on Nov 29, 2013 23:53:37 GMT -6
It seems that all my headphones are falling apart at the same time. Since they get used by all kinds of people who aren't very gentle. In any case, sound quality is important but if they are going to get beat up quickly, then I'm not going to spend a lot. I need about 4 of them. Any suggestions?
I had the "more me" headphones and they didn't hold up very well and they sounded even worse. I had some other audio technica ones too. And they sounded good but fell apart quickly too.
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Post by tonycamphd on Nov 30, 2013 11:03:23 GMT -6
I like Sennheiser HD 280 pro's, 1st and foremost they are comfortable, they sound nice for the price, i pulled the cord off of my pair, and put a female 1/8" stereo jack(fits right in the cord hole) now i don't have to lug a coil cord around or worry about stepping on it and ripping out the connection. They give you great isolation and very minimal bleed also hope this helps T   |
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Post by svart on Nov 30, 2013 15:30:12 GMT -6
Thanks Tony. I kinda answered my own question. I was out running errands and decided to stop by guitar center and see what they had. They had the audio technica ath-m45 in special edition white for half off. So 49$ for a 90$ set of headphones.
So i got a couple pair. Good call. These are pretty nice! They are much better than what i had. They sound good and are heavier duty than most everything I've had. Only time will tell if they hold up to musicians who don't care about your gear.
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Post by Guitar on Nov 30, 2013 23:13:14 GMT -6
Nice mod, Tony. My original phones are also HD280, very beat up these days, hate the coil cord, sound pretty good. Waiting on some AKG K702 in the mail, can't wait to see what those can do! Right now at this moment I'm using DT770 but I know there's better out there..
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Post by Guitar on Dec 1, 2013 17:44:32 GMT -6
ATH-M50 might be my favorite of the bunch currently price/sound wise, but, they are pretty uncomfortable for long use. Fine for tracking or whatever, not so much for digging in or kicking back. The sound reminds me of a good set of home stereo speakers or something, punchy, plain, and decent.
The DT770 is extremely comfortable. The sound is pretty good overall, but slightly more artificial than natural sounding. They have a strange emphasis and forwardness.
Anyone looking out for open back phones might look at Amazon's used K612 and Q701, they both show up well under $200, which sounds like a steal, given the reputation these have. I have heard that the K612 is a little more reserved and natural sounding, or something, not as wide and bright as the K7xx. Might be worth a listen, especially at the price.
I'll report on the K702 tomorrow..
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Post by jazznoise on Dec 1, 2013 18:18:32 GMT -6
HD-25 II's are what I have. Good bang for buck, if a little on the dark side! The isolation makes them good for field work.
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Post by mobeach on Dec 2, 2013 5:54:24 GMT -6
I have the Senn HD-280 Pro's and AKG K-240 Studio and I prefer the AKG because they have much better bass.
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Post by Guitar on Dec 2, 2013 23:20:42 GMT -6
let me tell you these AKG K702 are a revelation to me in terms of "not cheap" headphones. I posted a review on beersluts, jk, I mean earsluts.
If you've never tried a $300-ish or more headphone, like me till today, well I didn't think headphones could ever rival good speaker systems. It's a different world, yes, but there is light on the dark side. I might even start to do audio work on them. My iPhone 4S plus these is the most bad-ass portable high-end audio system I've ever owned. Just wait until I get garage band on there...demo city, Anywhere, USA. The Tascam iM2 has already opened for me the world of field recording, live recording, stereo recording, for under $30. Now I can listen right off the device in hi-fi, or what do they say Head-Fi.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2013 12:27:14 GMT -6
For long term listening i use still 2 pairs of Sennheisers old HD250 linear. No ear fatigue, diffuse field equalized. Hard to get nowadays, but i like them better than most modern headphones i tried. Don't like the artificial sound of the AKGs at all...
Still looking out for a tracking pair, i glimpsed at the ATH-M50, too. For drummers and similar i have VicFirth, but well, these are VERY uncomfortable, most people i know don't like to get it on for longer than a few takes before you have to put it off for a moment....
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Post by Guitar on Dec 3, 2013 14:27:02 GMT -6
ATH-M50 kind of makes anything sound good and impressive, so, they're great for the musician you are tracking
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Post by tonycamphd on Dec 3, 2013 14:56:47 GMT -6
For drummers and similar i have VicFirth, but well, these are VERY uncomfortable, most people i know don't like to get it on for longer than a few takes before you have to put it off for a moment.... agreed, i have these, they're great for quiet passage drum tracking cause they don't bleed, but they're like strapping rocks to you ears lol |
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Post by M57 on Jul 5, 2015 10:29:08 GMT -6
This seems like the right thread to resurrect for this set of questions..
I'm looking for cheap headphones for tracking (vocals mostly) - price range $50-125ish. In addition to getting some recommendations, I'm particularly interested in finding out what people think about closed vs. semi open designs. I've read that headphones that bleed a little (semi-open) enable the vocalist to hear themselves better and they'll tend to have less intonation issues - and conversely closed is better when you need isolation, E.g. mixing, tracking drums, etc. Current candidates:
AKG K240 (semi) - I have a pair of the MKIIs, which as far as I can tell is no different but that it comes with a coiled chord) $100
AKG K141 (semi) - On Ear design?? $130
Audio-Technica ATH-M40x (closed) $100
Sennheiser HD 280 PRO (closed) $100
Sony MDR-7506 (closed) $100
If in fact semi is better for tracking and closed is better for mixing - perhaps I should just keep/use the K240 for tracking - and get a pair of closed for mixing, in which case my price range could be a little higher - say $150-200ish.
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Post by tonycamphd on Jul 5, 2015 10:46:16 GMT -6
This seems like the right thread to resurrect for this set of questions.. I'm looking for cheap headphones for tracking (vocals mostly) - price range $50-125ish. In addition to getting some recommendations, I'm particularly interested in finding out what people think about closed vs. semi open designs. I've read that headphones that bleed a little (semi-open) enable the vocalist to hear themselves better and they'll tend to have less intonation issues - and conversely closed is better when you need isolation, E.g. mixing, tracking drums, etc. Current candidates: AKG K240 (semi) - I have a pair of the MKIIs, which as far as I can tell is no different but that it comes with a coiled chord) $100 AKG K141 (semi) - On Ear design?? $130 Audio-Technica ATH-M40x (closed) $100 Sennheiser HD 280 PRO (closed) $100 Sony MDR-7506 (closed) $100 If in fact semi is better for tracking and closed is better for mixing - perhaps I should just keep/use the K240 for tracking - and get a pair of closed for mixing, in which case my price range could be a little higher - say $150-200ish. I have a slew of headphones, the Sennheiser HD280 are nice and cozy, the ear pads are wearing quickly though, I also have a bunch of the $19 monoprice closed, they are cool, and you can just treat them like shit! it's great haha. But ultimately, i think you need to familiarize yourself with any headphones you intend on using for vocals, they just seem to impart different levels of ear drum pressures(even at equal volume), until you know your particular headphone WELL, you'll be hard pressed to make the necessary adjustments to your intonation that they all seem to require, JME, hope this helps. |
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Post by mdmitch2 on Jul 5, 2015 11:37:25 GMT -6
If in fact semi is better for tracking and closed is better for mixing - perhaps I should just keep/use the K240 for tracking - and get a pair of closed for mixing, in which case my price range could be a little higher - say $150-200ish. I think the conventional wisdom is that semi open or open is better for mixing and provides a more natural sound. I use hd280s for tracking but I have a huge head and they hurt after a while. I also use the mono price phones for tracking but they don't isolate quite as well. For mixing , the best I've used so far is beyerdynamic 880s (semi open). They're very even and unhyped ... Similar frequency presentation to my psi a21s. I also like to check mixes on the monoprice phones since they have a little more of a typical loudness curve without overdoing it. I find the 280s terrible for mixing -- I would never trust any mix decisions through those. |
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Post by tonycamphd on Jul 5, 2015 12:05:27 GMT -6
If in fact semi is better for tracking and closed is better for mixing - perhaps I should just keep/use the K240 for tracking - and get a pair of closed for mixing, in which case my price range could be a little higher - say $150-200ish. I think the conventional wisdom is that semi open or open is better for mixing and provides a more natural sound. I use hd280s for tracking but I have a huge head and they hurt after a while. I also use the mono price phones for tracking but they don't isolate quite as well. For mixing , the best I've used so far is beyerdynamic 880s (semi open). They're very even and unhyped ... Similar frequency presentation to my psi a21s. I also like to check mixes on the monoprice phones since they have a little more of a typical loudness curve without overdoing it. I find the 280s terrible for mixing -- I would never trust any mix decisions through those. I too have a gigantic head, you would think i'd have the brain to fill it up? but alas, no, mostly skull 8) I agree with the 280's being unworthy of mixing. |
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Post by aremos on Jul 5, 2015 12:56:03 GMT -6
This seems like the right thread to resurrect for this set of questions.. I'm looking for cheap headphones for tracking (vocals mostly) - price range $50-125ish. In addition to getting some recommendations, I'm particularly interested in finding out what people think about closed vs. semi open designs. I've read that headphones that bleed a little (semi-open) enable the vocalist to hear themselves better and they'll tend to have less intonation issues - and conversely closed is better when you need isolation, E.g. mixing, tracking drums, etc. Current candidates: AKG K240 (semi) - I have a pair of the MKIIs, which as far as I can tell is no different but that it comes with a coiled chord) $100 AKG K141 (semi) - On Ear design?? $130 Audio-Technica ATH-M40x (closed) $100 Sennheiser HD 280 PRO (closed) $100 Sony MDR-7506 (closed) $100 If in fact semi is better for tracking and closed is better for mixing - perhaps I should just keep/use the K240 for tracking - and get a pair of closed for mixing, in which case my price range could be a little higher - say $150-200ish. After 20 years both my AKG 240's right ear went out &, anyway, needed more & new ones for tracking mainly vox. Went by GC & tried the: Sony 7506 AT m50 Sennheiser 280 AKG K240 and surprizingly liked the Sony 7506 the most & the Senn 280's the least. Took overall sound & comfort into account. |
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Post by M57 on Jul 5, 2015 13:05:28 GMT -6
880's are out of my price range at this time - I'm trying to save up for a nice mic and possibly a pre, but I know I need more headphones so I'm trying to pick up a few on the cheap - If I end up getting 880's, the others will find use. So what you are all implying (by virtue of eschewing the 280s and liking the 880s) is that Semi-open is better for mixing - the opposite of what I originally suggested.
Are the 240's the best thing going for both tracking and mixing in the $100-200 range?
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Jul 5, 2015 14:04:03 GMT -6
I keep seeing some nice deals in my local pawn shops !
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Post by mdmitch2 on Jul 5, 2015 18:58:01 GMT -6
880's are out of my price range at this time - I'm trying to save up for a nice mic and possibly a pre, but I know I need more headphones so I'm trying to pick up a few on the cheap - If I end up getting 880's, the others will find use. So what you are all implying (by virtue of eschewing the 280s and liking the 880s) is that Semi-open is better for mixing - the opposite of what I originally suggested. Are the 240's the best thing going for both tracking and mixing in the $100-200 range? Some good deals on new 880s on eBay: m.ebay.com/itm/111710247595My money would be on those and a pair of $20 monoprice phones for tracking. They're fine unless you need extreme isolation. Don't know anything about the 240s. Heard good things about the audio technicas but never used them myself. |
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Post by drsax on Jul 5, 2015 22:41:48 GMT -6
ATH-M50's sound great. I like them more than many others that cost much more. My clients really like them also
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Post by Ward on Jul 6, 2015 10:05:31 GMT -6
HD-25 II's are what I have. Good bang for buck, if a little on the dark side! The isolation makes them good for field work. For tracking purposes, a little on the dark side can be a REALLY good thing! Less ear fatigue. |
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Post by M57 on Jul 6, 2015 13:53:57 GMT -6
Thanks all - I've decided to push my budget a little and pick up the ATH-M50's. I started to put in an order for a couple of Monoprices @ $20/per the other day, but didn't pull the trigger. This morning, same thing - and they came up at $24/ea. ! I'm in no rush, but curiosity was killing me at 20 bucks a pop. Apparently I'm too cheap to part with 8 more dollars.
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Post by mobeach on Jul 6, 2015 16:25:52 GMT -6
Are the 240's the best thing going for both tracking and mixing in the $100-200 range? They've been my long time favorite, they really last too! They also have a detachable 8' straight cord. |
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Post by M57 on Jul 6, 2015 17:41:20 GMT -6
Are the 240's the best thing going for both tracking and mixing in the $100-200 range? They've been my long time favorite, they really last too! They also have a detachable 8' straight cord. Yeah - I love my 240's. Considered getting another pair, but figured I need to sample the competition. Basically, they're the same price. That, and because I use cans for mixing about 1/2 the time, I'll have a lot of opportunity to A/Bing them against the M-50's in that capacity as well. |
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Post by mobeach on Jul 6, 2015 17:57:48 GMT -6
They've been my long time favorite, they really last too! They also have a detachable 8' straight cord. Yeah - I love my 240's. Considered getting another pair, but figured I need to sample the competition. Basically, they're the same price. That, and because I use cans for mixing about 1/2 the time, I'll have a lot of opportunity to A/Bing them against the M-50's in that capacity as well. I bought another pair of 240's just to store away. |
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