Best studio monitor headphones

Dagon

Ok I know... monitor speakers are the only way to go for serious mixing.

But if I need to eq and mix my music using headphones, which ones are the best?

I'm looking at:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/AudioTechnica-Studio-Monitor-Headphones?sku=240569&src=3SOSWXXA

Also I've heard good things about Beyerdynamic ones.

ogy

id highly recommend these and know a lot of people who use them...

http://www.thomann.de/ie/sennheiser_hd25_c_ii.htm

iquinn

I like the Sennheiser HD580 & HD600, haven't heard the 650's but they seem to be just as good, if not better.
The low end is a little light on those though, you need a good headphone amp.
Really comfy also.

as headphones go, the HD280 pros have a pretty accurate low end i think...maybe....but not as nice a listening experience....and they can be uncomfortable after long periods.


Also AKG K701's.

tweeky

Been using these for years,

Sony MDR7506

More of a stateside studio thing, they sound really good with a really low bass end. Usually seen in "the making of" albums documentaries.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MDR7506/

Seziertisch

Or better yet go for the Sony 7509's. I found they took a while to break in (like all speakers), but are really detailed with a bass response that far exceeds most headphones.

They were recommended to me by a German engineer who does gear tests for various music magazines. He has also programmed factory presets for a number of synths including the Yamaha DX7. Interestingly he told me the factory presets in a lot of cases vary depending on where you buy your synth i.e. there is a difference in what is perceived as "musically desirable" in Asia and the west.

Soundman

tweeky wrote: »

Been using these for years,

Sony MDR7506

More of a stateside studio thing, they sound really good with a really low bass end. Usually seen in "the making of" albums documentaries.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MDR7506/

+1 for these.

They are also known as Sony MDR-V6. Can't get them in this country that I can see. Had to get mine on eBay. I use them live but they are hands down the best headphones I have used. I see so many engineers with these be it live, studio or broadcast.

studiorat

http://www.gradolabs.com/

Ultrasone

For just monitoring

Dagon

A lot of choices there...

Right now I'm leaning towards the Sony 7506 ones, and Grado. What do you think of these Grados:
http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/sennheiser/76/Grado+Headphones.htm

Pretty decent prices...

Also looking into the Seinhheiser HD25

studiorat

I have the Grado SP-60's. They are very open and detailed and have a really good bass and high end response.

iquinn

http://www.headphone.com has some 'possibly' useful write ups about some of the headphones people have been suggesting....

Seziertisch

When I bought my Sony 7509 I also had a chance to directly compare and found that they sounded a bit better that the 7506. If I remember correctly better bass response and more detail on the top were the things I noticed.

tweeky

Seziertisch wrote: »

When I bought my Sony 7509 I also had a chance to directly compare and found that they sounded a bit better that the 7506. If I remember correctly better bass response and more detail on the top were the things I noticed.

I agree they are "bit" better but they are about double the price of a pair of
the 7506's. Get a friend in NYC to get either as they start at $89 at moment or the 9506's.

Seziertisch

tweeky wrote: »

I agree they are "bit" better but they are about double the price of a pair of
the 7506's. Get a friend in NYC to get either as they start at $89 at moment or the 9506's.

A bit better is the very nature of the gear game. Preamp A costs three times as much as preamp b. Is it three times better? Hard to say, but it definitely is better and if you want that bit extra its going to cost you.

In the case of headphones like these seeing as twice as expensive (there wasn't that much of a difference when I bought them, maybe things have changed) is a hundred euro at the most it is a small price to pay for something that you will use so much. In fact looking at Ebay prices the difference is closer to 50 euro.

PaulBrewer

Seziertisch wrote: »

A bit better is the very nature of the gear game. Preamp A costs three times as much as preamp b. Is it three times better? Hard to say, but it definitely is better and if you want that bit extra its going to cost you.

In the case of headphones like these seeing as twice as expensive (there wasn't that much of a difference when I bought them, maybe things have changed) is a hundred euro at the most it is a small price to pay for something that you will use so much. In fact looking at Ebay prices the difference is closer to 50 euro.

Ah Seziertisch, I've taught you well ......;) I'm chokin' up here ....:o

tweeky

Seziertisch wrote: »

A bit better is the very nature of the gear game. Preamp A costs three times as much as preamp b. Is it three times better? Hard to say, but it definitely is better and if you want that bit extra its going to cost you.

All the same just because it costs more doesn't mean it's better, go to any hi-fi exhibition or pro-audio do and you will find that cost doesn't always translate into a product sounding better. Then ask the punter his fave and that's another story.
I own both expensive mic amps and cheaper ones and the "better one" is the one for the job in hand and that's not always the dearest.

Seziertisch

tweeky wrote: »

All the same just because it costs more doesn't mean it's better, go to any hi-fi exhibition or pro-audio do and you will find that cost doesn't always translate into a product sounding better. Then ask the punter his fave and that's another story.
I own both expensive mic amps and cheaper ones and the "better one" is the one for the job in hand and that's not always the dearest.

That's all well and good, but in this case the 7509 cans sound better than the 7506 cans. There is no disagreement. The price difference is about 50 yo-yos which isn't much at all.

A good set of headphones with which you are familiar are a must for anybody recording, particularly if you find yourself in unfamiliar monitoring situations. A better set of headphones for 50 Euro more is for me a complete no-brainer.

tweeky

I have been using Sony 7506 for about 14 years so i would be reluctant to change, i really don't need any more top or bottom. I would really be wary of entering any Studio without bringing familiar monitors so the tins would only be for a quick check.

Seziertisch

tweeky wrote: »

I have been using Sony 7506 for about 14 years so i would be reluctant to change, i really don't need any more top or bottom. I would really be wary of entering any Studio without bringing familiar monitors so the tins would only be for a quick check.

I wasn't suggesting you had to change, just that when I was buying my headphones I had a chance to compare both and went with the 7509 because I thought they sounded better, something which I haven't regretted. As for not needing more top or bottom, that's fine, I felt the extra 50 euro or whatever it was, was worth it for having that much more sonic detail.

As for bringing familiar monitors, a lot of the time this is just not an option when you're starting out, particularly if you are just assisting someone else.

af_thefragile

I herd some really good things about the Sennheiser HD-25
But they're really expensive at like €250.

Soundman

af_thefragile wrote: »

I herd some really good things about the Sennheiser HD-25
But they're really expensive at like €250.

Are they THAT much? Wow. I love getting things for free.

jtsuited

maybe a bit OT, but I got a pretty serious ear problem after mixing on headphones for 2 days (i was down the sticks without me monitors).

I went to a doctor and he said (he wasn't an audiologist so maybe he's wrong) that having a sound source that close to your eardrums for any extended period of time is bad for your ears no matter what level it's at.

Funnily enough after my ear problem had cleared up, a bassist friend of mine got the exact same problem after tryin to spend a weekend mixing on headphones.

Maybe my ears are just sensitive to headphones or something, but it's something to look out for.

sei046

What sort of ear problem?

That lad on the sintruments forum scared the crap out of me. His ears were hearing different pitches so all harmonys and chords sound off!

jtsuited

sei046 wrote: »

What sort of ear problem?

That lad on the sintruments forum scared the crap out of me. His ears were hearing different pitches so all harmonys and chords sound off!

haha. no nothing like that. I started getting bad pains in my neck and ears. some sort of inflammation of the eustachian tubes. didn't effect my hearing but was not fun at all.

sei046 wrote: »

His ears were hearing different pitches so all harmonys and chords sound off!

maybe it was just the band he's in. I've heard plenty that sounded permanently 'off'.

ogy

hd-25 are only 179 on thomann, well worth it!

how did you get free ones?:)

Soundman

ogy wrote: »

hd-25 are only 179 on thomann, well worth it!

how did you get free ones?:)

Found them. Hahaha... DJs are always leaving stuff behind. After 2 months of nobody claiming them, I adopted them as my own.

Dagon

On thomann, the Sony 7506s are €125, the 7509s are €225, so thinking of going with the 7506 for now, as it's a lot extra for not much more.

Are the Seinnheisers good also?

Seziertisch

Be sure and find a pair that are comfortable as well. The Sony's are a very comfy wear, but I found some others to not be so good over longer periods. It probably depends on the shape of your head. I could see someone having problems wearing cans that put pressure on certain parts of your head for a longer period. It might not seem like much initially but after a few hours you might feel a lot different.

tweeky

Dagon wrote: »

On thomann, the Sony 7506s are €125, the 7509s are €225, so thinking of going with the 7506 for now, as it's a lot extra for not much more.

Pity you don't know someone in New York as in Manny's the 7506's are about €65.

PaulBrewer

A lads yer all messin -

Surely it's the
Sony's MDR-7509 HD you're really after?

tweeky

is the "HD" suffix the new "i" prefix ?

PaulBrewer

I'm going to wait for the HD2 , they're due 2010