Need some ideas on which headphones to buy..

Stab*City

Hi all,

Im just wondering would any of you guys have any experience with any of the headphones i have listed below. Im looking to buy a set for production only purposes as i already have a pair of Sony MDR-V500.. See thing is i have young kids so cant really rock out on my speakers that much anymore cuz they nap/sleep alot!! So im hoping to pick up a half decent set of cans to produce on mainly and then when appropiate work off the speakers.

Sennheiser HD-380 Pro
http://www.thomann.de/ie/sennheiser_hd380_pro.htm

Audio Technica ATH-M40fs
http://www.thomann.de/ie/audio_technica_athm40fs.htm

AKG K-121 Studio
http://www.thomann.de/ie/akg_k121_studio.htm

AKG K-142 HD
http://www.thomann.de/ie/akg_k142_hd.htm

Sony MDR-7506 (These im not so sure about as i have a problem with build quality)
http://www.thomann.de/ie/sony_mdr7506_kopfhoerer.htm



Or if you guys have any other suggestions id love to hear..

Thanks

jtsuited

ok get ready for a chorus of 'Get the sennheiser hd25's'

actually i'll start it.

sennheiser hd25's. get them. worthe every penny and will save you a fortune as all parts are easily replaceable.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/sennheiser_hd25_ii.htm

Stab*City

jtsuited wrote: »

ok get ready for a chorus of 'Get the sennheiser hd25's'

actually i'll start it.

sennheiser hd25's. get them. worthe every penny and will save you a fortune as all parts are easily replaceable.

http://www.thomann.de/ie/sennheiser_hd25_ii.htm

Ya id really like them.. But not sure my budget will strech that far.. I seen them for a bit cheaper on ebay but not sure about fakes.. id probably trust ones from uk/western europe but the cheaper ones are further afield..

jtsuited

i know you'd be stretching your budget, but so so so so worth it. you will never need another pair of headphones again.

EVERYTHING is easily fixable and they're made in tullamore!! All headphones WILL break. At least with the hd25's you can get the parts no problem and replace them.

ICN

jtsuited wrote: »

i know you'd be stretching your budget, but so so so so worth it. you will never need another pair of headphones again.

EVERYTHING is easily fixable and they're made in tullamore!! All headphones WILL break. At least with the hd25's you can get the parts no problem and replace them.

I must go down to Clara Market & see if I can pick up a pair cheap.. Boss

Stab*City

What price are the 25's going for around Dublin?

jimi_t2

Hold on here a second now horsies.

HD25s are closed back cans, and as such IIRC will give an artificial bass response. For PRODUCTION purposes you want something that's as flat as possible, hence why Yamaha NS-10s sound so **** for recreational use but are so popular in studios.

Quiggers

NS 10 do not have a flat response, they're a rubish hifi speaker and a grot box monitor speaker, ie if it sounds good on an ns10 it'll sound better on just about everything else.

closed back hdphones are best for vocalist and djs as the reduce spill in vocal takes and keep external noise low for djs. open back tend to sound more natural, sound on sound did a production headphone round up, its worth a read, some were €400 price range but they cover budget models too.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan10/articles/studioheadphones.htm

jimi_t2

Quiggers wrote: »

closed back hdphones are best for vocalist and djs as the reduce spill in vocal takes and keep external noise low for djs. open back tend to sound more natural,

Exactly. I'm guessing given the forum that the OP wants them for monitoring. For which they'd be unsuitable given the artificial frequency response of the closed backs 'sweetening' the sound, so when you hear it on a convential Hi-Fi it seems bereft of bass.

Console Surfer

appologies for first post in here.. was registered as Book of Bob until the Boards hack a while back, ended up re-registering.

Have HD25s & AKG K-271s.. Can't go wrong with the HD25s , they've taken a good bit of abuse .. i.e. Chairs running over em, Pulled wires after getting up fast to answer phone without realising they're around my neck etc.. they've survived to date. I've Event monitors here for main monitoring and I do find the HD25s over emphisise the midrange a bit ( 2-4K ) , in fact I've an eq setting I usually stick in when it's late and I need to use them instead of the main monitors. I normally use Redline's Monitor plug to make up for using them and results have been pretty good but usually I need to Re-tweak a few eq settings when I go back to monitors ( this could be due to extended time wearing them though ) .. I find them getting annoying to wear after about 5 hours but I shouldn't be working for that long in one go anyhow..

The AKGs I'd rather. I find the bass a bit more defined ( probably due to the can size ) , don't seem to have the same problem with the midrange and they're comfortable. The sound isolation is better ( can't hear the phone or people screaming at me from another room ) . I find them ****e for any vocal work though as with the HD25s at least I can slip the one ear off to hear myself easier. I find them more comfortable for long sessions and the lead is longer so I'm not pulling at it to often.

The Sony ones I was going to get but borrowed my mates AKGs a while back and wanted to go with something I knew worked rather than risk the extra cash.

Edit - oh and the HD25s come in a nice bag which is handy for keeping USB keys in or headphone Jack convertors that have a habit of going walkabout!

ICN

Whats better Guys? Closed Cup or Open Back?

Funny - There are a lot of discussions about these Headphones on a couple of different forums at the moment..

What do you think?

Reading that Open Back give better bass response?

Do the HD25's give an accurate bottom end?

flyswatter

Have AKG K271's and like them a lot, can't compare them with any other headphones though as they're my first proper pair.

Console Surfer

ICN something to consider in open vs closed is how loud is your room.. are there PC fans sounding like the cockpit of a 747.. sound isolation on closed back can great ( especially if you have kids/family in the next room ) also if you ever use microphones and need fairly loud monitoring , having open back earphones "can" bring feedback into the equation..

Also large closed cans get your ears cooking over longer periods.. not an issue as bad with HD25s as the AKGs as they cover less of your head

sound qual I can't comment on as I don't own a pair but the closed cans I have I am happy that my bass monitoring seems to be as accurate as the monitors since the room acoustics come in.. I've never had problems with bass in mixes on cans it's always midrange issues

ICN

Console Surfer wrote: »

ICN something to consider in open vs closed is how loud is your room.. are there PC fans sounding like the cockpit of a 747.. sound isolation on closed back can great ( especially if you have kids/family in the next room ) also if you ever use microphones and need fairly loud monitoring , having open back earphones "can" bring feedback into the equation..

Also large closed cans get your ears cooking over longer periods.. not an issue as bad with HD25s as the AKGs as they cover less of your head

sound qual I can't comment on as I don't own a pair but the closed cans I have I am happy that my bass monitoring seems to be as accurate as the monitors since the room acoustics come in.. I've never had problems with bass in mixes on cans it's always midrange issues

Appreciate that Mate - Dont know anything about it - so thanks for the lowdown! :pac:

Makes sense. I was thinking about getting something better than my cheapo Senn 201's - Might go for some enclosed cans - People sleeping etc.. would potentially be an issue that I would like to avoid.

Think I would implode if someone told me to turn down headphones in another room!

Stab*City

Ok so now im really confused.. i took a trip to dublin yesterday and into x-music.

They had the Audio Technica m40fs which were the first i tried.. i found them a bit cluncky comfort wise kinda reminded me of my mdr-v500's. the sound quality in my opinion sounded great (not that that means s**t, as only ones ive used past 6 yrs are the sony's).. I really liked them but for some reason they just remined me too much of my sony's and i was hoping for something a little different.

Then i tried the Sennheiser HD25-1 II straight away i noticed the sound quality was pretty awesome. but it would want to be for €185!!

He also highly recommended the Audio Technica Ath-M50 which he said were better sound than the m40fs's and were more comfortable to hours on end.. but they were quite large and came in at €140 so i was thinking i might as well go for the hd25's as the m50's..

Moral of the story now i dont know which to get.. i was even gonna strech to the hd25's price but now after your guys input im not sure..

Here is my situation you might be able to get a better idea of what i need..

• Have mdr-v500 looking for something totally different and better for studio plan to use the sonys and speakers for other points of reference
• have 2 loud young kids (daytime only)
• have nagging female (only messing, love ya babe)
• have loud computer
• studio in attic dead quiet after 9 except computer
• strictly want cans for production
• broke
• going to buy today before the money is plundered!!
• these are strictly for bedroom production nothing else

im wondering as well is there much difference between the 4 differnet variations of the hd25's

I got the ath-m50's...cant say enough good things bout em..

Stab*City

Deleted User wrote: »

I got the ath-m50's...cant say enough good things bout em..

Can ya tell me a couple?

Stab*City

I like think i might try these:

http://www.thomann.de/ie/akg_k141_mkii.htm

ICN

Stab*City wrote: »

im wondering as well is there much difference between the 4 differnet variations of the hd25's

Found this on Ableone w/site for future searchers - Dont hate me if its **** btw! :pac:

HD 25-1 (also referred to by Sennheiser as just 'HD 25').
HD 25-13. 600 ohm version of the 25-1.
HD 25-SP. Cheaper, single headband.

HD 25-1 II.
HD 25-SP II. Cheaper, single headband.

http://www.sennheiserireland.com/ie/home_en.nsf/root/professional_headphones-headsets_dj-headphones_502188

Variants

Product Article No.

HD 25 II 502105

as HD 25-1 II, but with 2m steel cable, straight jack plug

HD 25-C II 502104

as HD 25-1 II, but with 3m coiled cable, straight jack plug

HD 25-13 II 502102

as HD 25-1 II, but with 600 ohm impedance, 3m steel cable, straight jack plug

Stab*City

Stab*City wrote: »

I like think i might try these:

http://www.thomann.de/ie/akg_k141_mkii.htm

I bought these guys, fingers crossed..

ICN

Stab*City wrote: »

I bought these guys, fingers crossed..

I love that photo!

Stab*City

ICN wrote: »

I love that photo!

I kinda expected a reply like that!! :pac::pac::pac:

I got a really good price on em and was hoping to try a set of akg...
I got these for nearly the same price as a entry level set of akg i was looking at..

Ill post a review soon as i have em broke in!!

Thanks for all the help guys..

Stab*City

Well i got my cans. In the end i went for the Akg K 141 Mk II. I picked them up on ebay for €50 less than thomann..

Anyway first impressions were that they were alot lighter than my sony's. Alot less flexible than a dj set of cans but i think thats ok cuz i bought these for a much different purpose.. The design has a really nice kinda retro feel to it..

They are semi open which is a nice change from closed (which is what ive always had). Comes with 2 cables straight/coiled. And velvet/vinyl ear cups x1 each. The headband is an all together type job when you put them on they slide into correct size which is cool cuz im forever adjusting.

The sound is the best i have ever heard bar none.. This might not be a good barometer as ive only ever had dj phones.. They are alot louder than the sonys i have. And when turned up real loud they are crystal clear. No distortion whatsoever. Theres a lovely clear sounding bass and the highs are crisp. I had a mess around last night in ableton just throwing together some 8 bar loops.. And when i listened to them on other devices they sounded very nice on everything.. So from that i think they give a good idea of what the true sound of a track is. Which is what i was hoping for.

All in all a very happy customer.

ICN

Stab*City wrote: »

Well i got my cans. In the end i went for the Akg K 141 Mk II. I picked them up on ebay for €50 less than thomann..

Anyway first impressions were that they were alot lighter than my sony's. Alot less flexible than a dj set of cans but i think thats ok cuz i bought these for a much different purpose.. The design has a really nice kinda retro feel to it..

They are semi open which is a nice change from closed (which is what ive always had). Comes with 2 cables straight/coiled. And velvet/vinyl ear cups x1 each. The headband is an all together type job when you put them on they slide into correct size which is cool cuz im forever adjusting.

The sound is the best i have ever heard bar none.. This might not be a good barometer as ive only ever had dj phones.. They are alot louder than the sonys i have. And when turned up real loud they are crystal clear. No distortion whatsoever. Theres a lovely clear sounding bass and the highs are crisp. I had a mess around last night in ableton just throwing together some 8 bar loops.. And when i listened to them on other devices they sounded very nice on everything.. So from that i think they give a good idea of what the true sound of a track is. Which is what i was hoping for.

All in all a very happy customer.

Nice big "L + R" on them anyway! LOL

Best of luck with them Man!

Stab*City

Stab*City wrote: »

Can ya tell me a couple?

Sh*t dude..only saw this again now..one thing..space..

Stab*City

Deleted User wrote: »

Sh*t dude..only saw this again now..one thing..space..

Explain?:D

Stab*City

ICN wrote: »

Nice big "L + R" on them anyway! LOL

Best of luck with them Man!

Thanks..

Stab*City

Stab*City wrote: »

Explain?:D

yeah, i dunno, there's good depth perception with em..you can mix on em like..anyway...well wear dude..

ICN

Adidas HD 25's!

http://www.freshnessmag.com/2009/11/27/adidas-originals-x-sennheiser-hd-2-1-ii-headphones/

Stab*City

ICN wrote: »

Adidas HD 25's!

http://www.freshnessmag.com/2009/11/27/adidas-originals-x-sennheiser-hd-2-1-ii-headphones/

Ya ive seen these a few places.. When i was up buying mine they had a pair in tower records.. I think they wanted €285 for them.. you are literally paying an extra 100 quid for the addidas branding..

ICN

Stab*City wrote: »

Ya ive seen these a few places.. When i was up buying mine they had a pair in tower records.. I think they wanted €285 for them.. you are literally paying an extra 100 quid for the addidas branding..

In Tower?! :rolleyes:

Deffo - Kerching is right!


Now.. If they were Vans.. I might consider them! LOL

Heatons are doing a Dunlop version I hear :pac: