Headphone recommendations

[bduffy]

Typical KVR. Someone clearly states their budget, but they get upscale, unaffordable, hard-to-find recommendations. Come on, people!

For instance, Grados and Beyerdynamics are very hard to find in Canada, especially in my province. I actually couldn't find any in Vancouver at all, so they'd have to be ordered in, adding substantially to the cost.

xolax, I see you're in BC. If you can, get down to Tom Lee music and ask to get thrown in the demo room with all the headphones. They'll have some super-expensive shit there, but they'll have the lower-level AKG's and Sennheisers too. I think you'll probably wind up with Sennheisers at that price range.

well to be fair hibidy does make a point...I have two pair of the beyers (DT770), I bought my first pair over ten years ago, last year I decided to get a fresh pair...the cost me about 170 usd (from B&H, you might check there duffman), my first pair were about 120 back in the 90s. Yeah, that's above his budget but tbh I spent more on headphones before I bought the first pair in 5 years on replacing "okay" headphones. So in that sense they were cheaper in the long run.

I have to be honest though, during that ten years I also bought a pair of sony mdr 7506 and audio-technica m40s...both are much less expensive then the beyers, the ATs are very good for around 70 usd.

B&H...I don't think we have that in Canada, let alone B.C...so he'd have to ship them. Again, what's the point? It'll wind up costing a whole lot more then $75.

Certainly, you get what you pay for...sometimes. Take my case: I used to use Audio Technica ATH's, they cost about...$160, IIRC. Great sound, nice headphone...but literally fell apart within 6 months; the pads started peeling and the casing cracked; quite disappointing. So that axiom is not always true.

That being said, I would recommend AT's, if there's an affordable model, based on the sound.

[Lance]

Headphones are all shit for mixing, as discussed in previous threads.

They can be very useful for mixing and mastering too. You can even catch with them such fault which would be hidden by speakers. Also lotta people, including me, use to listen music on headphones and earplugs.

My recommendation would be the AKG K240 Studio, if you could find it somewhere for a bargain price. (Look for it in eBay stores.) But as I know the cheaper AKG ones are also good quality.
http://www.scitscat.com/catalog/recordi ... c643acfbae

[bduffy]

From SoundOnSound Magazine, Feb 2007:

There are those who say it's impossible to mix on headphones, but that hasn't stopped plenty of professional musicians, engineers, and producers doing just that. Actually, it's rather important to make sure your mixes sound as good on 'cans' and 'earbuds' as they do through loudspeakers, but listening to some commercial material, I'm convinced that plenty of it is never checked on headphones before release. On the other hand, if you work late at night or have a studio with poor acoustics, or a family that doesn't appreciate hearing the same two bars looping round, you might have no choice but to work on headphones! What's more, headphones can expose lots of tiny details in your mixes that you might miss on speakers. So, with the right approach, getting it right in the cans can result in an even better speaker experience — it's just a matter of adapting and learning to rely on your 'phones. While it's certainly tricky to replace loudspeakers completely during the mixing process, it's quite possible to do about 90 percent of your mixing on headphones. With occasional speaker reality checks, you should be able to create finished results that sound equally impressive (although different) on both speakers and 'phones. So it makes sense to test your mixes on headphones, and to learn how to work with 'phones to create mixes that work well on speakers.

[rockstar_not]

I like AKG K-270studio when tracking vocals or acoustic guitars - seal well against my head and are pretty comfortable. They also have a nice auto-defeat switch so that when you take them off, the switch off automatically. Saves the hassle of remembering to unplug or turn down the phones volume after tracking in the same room as your DAW (isn't that most of us here?).


BTW, AKG have replaced the K270studio model with the K271studio model.

-Scott

[bduffy]

Hmmm...still a little expensive. $299.67 CAD at Tom Lee (Vancouver)... There is the K27i series, at $82...

Personally, I can't wait to get a pro-level pair of AKG's, I'm so thrilled with the lower-end stuff.

[xolax]

Hey people, I was maybe thinking of getting some better headphones and I have a budget of around $75 Canadian. Any recommendations? I would like something with sturdy construction and good sound sound quality. I realize that 75 bucks wont get me the best cans around (but the ones I use now arent great either).

Is this for mixing or for mp3 player? For an mp3 player, I highly, highly recommend the AKG K26 P, but they are a little weak in the highs and hyped in the bass and require EQ'ing, so I don't use them for mixing. Keep in mind they only cost about $50 CAD - but they sound like they cost $80, at least.

For mixing, at work I use the Sennheiser HD477's, and I'm pretty happy with them. I think I paid about $80 for them.

Heh - I am in vancouver.
Just got my 5-string bass at Tom Lee this weekend. I think i might go look at headphones again later then.

[bduffy]

Hey people, I was maybe thinking of getting some better headphones and I have a budget of around $75 Canadian. Any recommendations? I would like something with sturdy construction and good sound sound quality. I realize that 75 bucks wont get me the best cans around (but the ones I use now arent great either).

Is this for mixing or for mp3 player? For an mp3 player, I highly, highly recommend the AKG K26 P, but they are a little weak in the highs and hyped in the bass and require EQ'ing, so I don't use them for mixing. Keep in mind they only cost about $50 CAD - but they sound like they cost $80, at least.

For mixing, at work I use the Sennheiser HD477's, and I'm pretty happy with them. I think I paid about $80 for them.

Heh - I am in vancouver.
Just got my 5-string bass at Tom Lee this weekend. I think i might go look at headphones again later then.

5-string! Sweeet. Yeah, check it out; they'll chuck you in there with all the headphones and leave you be. They do the same with the monitors (love doing that!). Good luck to you!

[hibidy]

Typical KVR. Someone clearly states their budget, but they get upscale, unaffordable, hard-to-find recommendations. Come on, people!

For instance, Grados and Beyerdynamics are very hard to find in Canada, especially in my province. I actually couldn't find any in Vancouver at all, so they'd have to be ordered in, adding substantially to the cost.
javascript:emoticon(':roll:')
xolax, I see you're in BC. If you can, get down to Tom Lee music and ask to get thrown in the demo room with all the headphones. They'll have some super-expensive shit there, but they'll have the lower-level AKG's and Sennheisers too. I think you'll probably wind up with Sennheisers at that price range.

typical kvr. Someone clearly states a set of cans in the price range specified then makes a comment on how maybe to save and stuff (it's just a suggestion ) and that is completly ignored.

bduffy.....I'm sorry my clairvoyance for what is/isn't hard to find in canada was not working before I posted.

[bduffy]

Typical KVR. Someone clearly states their budget, but they get upscale, unaffordable, hard-to-find recommendations. Come on, people!

For instance, Grados and Beyerdynamics are very hard to find in Canada, especially in my province. I actually couldn't find any in Vancouver at all, so they'd have to be ordered in, adding substantially to the cost.
javascript:emoticon(':roll:')
xolax, I see you're in BC. If you can, get down to Tom Lee music and ask to get thrown in the demo room with all the headphones. They'll have some super-expensive shit there, but they'll have the lower-level AKG's and Sennheisers too. I think you'll probably wind up with Sennheisers at that price range.

typical kvr. Someone clearly states a set of cans in the price range specified then makes a comment on how maybe to save and stuff (it's just a suggestion ) and that is completly ignored.

bduffy.....I'm sorry my clairvoyance for what is/isn't hard to find in canada was not working before I posted.

Hey man, it was just after several posts that would get our friend nowhere that I posted that in frustration. I know you had a reasonable recommendation, wasn't directed at you.

As for clairvoyance, I just wanted to get it out there that those brands aren't very common in this neck of the woods - but still; their prices are prohibitive too, so you see why I was getting annoyed. Anyway, not so much directed at you. Just wanted to snap it out of the "I know you asked for $75, but my faves are $200" trend, which always happens. Just had to vent.

[hibidy]

Typical KVR. Someone clearly states their budget, but they get upscale, unaffordable, hard-to-find recommendations. Come on, people!

For instance, Grados and Beyerdynamics are very hard to find in Canada, especially in my province. I actually couldn't find any in Vancouver at all, so they'd have to be ordered in, adding substantially to the cost.
javascript:emoticon(':roll:')
xolax, I see you're in BC. If you can, get down to Tom Lee music and ask to get thrown in the demo room with all the headphones. They'll have some super-expensive shit there, but they'll have the lower-level AKG's and Sennheisers too. I think you'll probably wind up with Sennheisers at that price range.

typical kvr. Someone clearly states a set of cans in the price range specified then makes a comment on how maybe to save and stuff (it's just a suggestion ) and that is completly ignored.

bduffy.....I'm sorry my clairvoyance for what is/isn't hard to find in canada was not working before I posted.

Hey man, it was just after several posts that would get our friend nowhere that I posted that in frustration. I know you had a reasonable recommendation, wasn't directed at you.

As for clairvoyance, I just wanted to get it out there that those brands aren't very common in this neck of the woods - but still; their prices are prohibitive too, so you see why I was getting annoyed. Anyway, not so much directed at you. Just wanted to snap it out of the "I know you asked for $75, but my faves are $200" trend, which always happens. Just had to vent.

Hey man, that was such a cool NOT TYPICAL kvr response.............

f**k man, forget I said anything................it's all good!

[FrankT]

I think with a $75 budget you are a bit stuck in nowhereland - neither consumer nor pro entry-level. I can recommend this workhorse at approx $100 USD: http://www.akg.com/site/products/powers ... ge,EN.html
I had them for approx 15 years, hence workhorse. But since my 2-year old did some extensive product testing on them - which no equipment would have survived - I finally had to get me new ones: http://www.akg.com/site/products/powers ... ge,EN.html
These you get for approx 120 USD. My ears like them.
Add 30-50 bucks to your budget, I believe this small additional investment is worth every penny.

Hey people, I was maybe thinking of getting some better headphones and I have a budget of around $75 Canadian. Any recommendations? I would like something with sturdy construction and good sound sound quality. I realize that 75 bucks wont get me the best cans around (but the ones I use now arent great either).

[p356]

That's about my budget, too. I can't afford reference speakers either (according to my wife). I've been using Sony MDR-V600 for years, and yes I need to check my mixes on other speakers to be sure I get a somewhat balanced mix, but overall, pretty happy. They're about $70 dollars in the US, so maybe them or a next step up if not good enough.