What is the best "Closed-Back Studio Reference Headphones"?
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- KVRian
- 643 posts since 27 Apr, 2018
For headphones >300€ you should seriously regard to connect them to a dedicated headphone amplifier.fabianhurel wrote: ↑Tue Nov 30, 2021 8:07 pmSure!n9research wrote: ↑Tue Nov 30, 2021 2:59 pm No matter the price, you say?
Sennheiser HD820 beat everything else mentioned into the ground, but the price is
€1.999,00
I wonder if my Universal Audio Apollo x8 could handle these ones.
BTW, I have the 1990 pro, but in my case they fulfill the studio headphone cliché. They are like magnifier glasses, you hear really everything, but they are no fun.
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- KVRist
- 267 posts since 18 Apr, 2019
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- KVRist
- 126 posts since 10 Sep, 2015
Hmm.. I cannot fork out a big sum of money for headphones, so I settled for a relatively cheap KRK KNS-8400. It has a nice flat frequency response, is comfortable to wear (for me that is) and it works great when I cannot use my monitors (late at night or comparable circumstances).
I tried others (even very expensive ones), but for some reason I keep using these ones. I guess they just "click" with me.
I tried others (even very expensive ones), but for some reason I keep using these ones. I guess they just "click" with me.
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- KVRian
- 720 posts since 25 Aug, 2019
Austrian Audio Hi-x55:
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- very well built and comfortable.
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No, they are not comfortable, that the main reason I haven't purchased them.
DT770 Pro 250ohm are super comfortable, but very sibilant and have hyped highs. Selling them right now, after I got a pair of 6xx.
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- very well built and comfortable.
...
No, they are not comfortable, that the main reason I haven't purchased them.
DT770 Pro 250ohm are super comfortable, but very sibilant and have hyped highs. Selling them right now, after I got a pair of 6xx.
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- KVRer
- 3 posts since 14 Dec, 2021
What do you all think of the new DT 700 Pro X?
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- KVRist
- 120 posts since 7 Nov, 2021
The best are the ones you are used to, the ones that you know. When you wear and use headphones for several hours, comfort is very important. Everyone's size and shape of head is different, so hard to recommend headphones.
The quality of most headphones today is pretty good soundwise. Unfortunately most producers produce in China today, so the quality of material might have changed. Sennheiser HD 280 Pro are not the same when they were released years ago any more
The quality of most headphones today is pretty good soundwise. Unfortunately most producers produce in China today, so the quality of material might have changed. Sennheiser HD 280 Pro are not the same when they were released years ago any more
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astralprojection astralprojection https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=443661 - Banned
- 361 posts since 30 Jun, 2019
ill vote mine, SRH-940 
i love it and its really close to a monitor 'sound' or 'speaker feel' imo. sure build quality is plastic asf but thats really beside the point if theyre comfortable and sound great. Ive tried so many headphones during the years its not even funny :p but theres still many i would have liked to try but since im so happy with the 940 i honestly dont even think about it anymore. but then i use the speakers 95% of the time these days.
2nd would be the akg k712 pro but i sold that one (but its open back, so i suppose it shouldnt be here), and got the above mentioned and didnt regret it one bit. but then i also didnt have proper amplification for the k712 as they 100% require a low impedance output amp. They sounded better from your phone than from your sound interface lul.. and even then its more an audiophile headphone than anything to do with mixing and mastering.... but damn did they sound good, when you did power them correctly AND used sonarworks to correct the strange eq curve. they became HD650+ instantly.
3rd id have to say the roland rh200 which afaik is very similar to the sony 7506
some of the "bad" ones ive had before are m50x (way too treble focused, too high energy in bass but beside that I honestly think theyre a decent low budget choice), srh-440 (plasticy and bad all around), dt770 (too much bass AND treble), dt990 (not good at all), k712pro (way too much hassle)
just sharing some insights and stuff, not trying to sound like an authority on the matter. and also, all of the above are budget. if you have capital and its not a problem - then you shouldnt get ANY of those, you should probably spend like 10k on a dac/amp/headphone system. /s (or is it?)
i love it and its really close to a monitor 'sound' or 'speaker feel' imo. sure build quality is plastic asf but thats really beside the point if theyre comfortable and sound great. Ive tried so many headphones during the years its not even funny :p but theres still many i would have liked to try but since im so happy with the 940 i honestly dont even think about it anymore. but then i use the speakers 95% of the time these days.
2nd would be the akg k712 pro but i sold that one (but its open back, so i suppose it shouldnt be here), and got the above mentioned and didnt regret it one bit. but then i also didnt have proper amplification for the k712 as they 100% require a low impedance output amp. They sounded better from your phone than from your sound interface lul.. and even then its more an audiophile headphone than anything to do with mixing and mastering.... but damn did they sound good, when you did power them correctly AND used sonarworks to correct the strange eq curve. they became HD650+ instantly.
3rd id have to say the roland rh200 which afaik is very similar to the sony 7506
some of the "bad" ones ive had before are m50x (way too treble focused, too high energy in bass but beside that I honestly think theyre a decent low budget choice), srh-440 (plasticy and bad all around), dt770 (too much bass AND treble), dt990 (not good at all), k712pro (way too much hassle)
just sharing some insights and stuff, not trying to sound like an authority on the matter.
and also, all of the above are budget. if you have capital and its not a problem - then you shouldnt get ANY of those, you should probably spend like 10k on a dac/amp/headphone system. /s (or is it?)-
- KVRian
- 808 posts since 2 Mar, 2018
But the question wasn't for the price. It was the best, period.
I'd say if someone doesn't care about cost as the OP appears not to (must be nice), buy the most expensive ones. They may not necessarily be the best ever, but they're likely to be on the short list. So something like the Sennheiser 820s (a mere $1800) say.
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- KVRist
- 66 posts since 12 Jan, 2006 from London
Agreed on OP specifically wanting the best available - they stated price wasn't an object. (I initially wondered what they'd meant by the best, but it's clearly stated).
Perhaps look at headphones used by the most high end studios for tracking big name vocalists on big budget productions? Presumably they've already done the research to save you the effort.
It's still hard to say that would qualify as "the best", as it depends on what needs you need to meet.
Perhaps look at headphones used by the most high end studios for tracking big name vocalists on big budget productions? Presumably they've already done the research to save you the effort.
It's still hard to say that would qualify as "the best", as it depends on what needs you need to meet.
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thecontrolcentre thecontrolcentre https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=76240 - KVRAF
- 35159 posts since 27 Jul, 2005 from the wilds of wanny
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X here ... great for tracking and vocalists seem to like 'em
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- KVRer
- 26 posts since 8 Jul, 2021
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X 
