What Reference Headphones do you recommend?

[audientronic]

I like Grados. They are not comfortable, but they break in a bit.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

I like Grados. They are not comfortable, but they break in a bit.

i think grados are terrible idea for reference cans....at first i loved my sr325i's, but they led to extremely bad mixing decisions for me....the highs and mids were so hyped that over a short time my ears got fatigued and deadened to the treble...this led to everything sounding dull and me adding so much treble boost (or bass cut) that were actually painful in translation to listen to

this can be somewhat avoided by taking regular breaks, but after a while i just couldn't listen to them anymore

add to that them being really heavy and physically uncomfortable and them having zero isolation and i was glad to get rid of them

[A1AWI]

not if you are gonna be around other people...'open' cans ca be a real problem for others in your vicinity as they have next to zero isolation...they alo leak sound in

Sound Leaking in might be a big problem for me.

impedance is also quite high at 300ohms....just because the m-audio can drive to 600 it is no indication of sound quality....

I do agree that the Impedance is not indicator of quality, But the biggest difference between Amps and Sound Interface Preamps mentioned at least only in this topic is Impedance.

it also means that you can't just plug them into an mp3 player for instance...maybe not important to you, but if i'm spending that kinda moola on headphones, and away from home, i'mma want them a bit more multi-purpose

I have Earbuds, They are good. So I want my Headphone to be as accurate as possible and not colored.

Now I'm confused between Buying the Headphone without Amps or buying a cheaper Headphone with Amp... I might give NwAvGuy a shot, His Amp is really good if the specs are accurate.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Now I'm confused between Buying the Headphone without Amps or buying a cheaper Headphone with Amp... I might give NwAvGuy a shot, His Amp is really good if the specs are accurate.

as dux has pointed out, good quality audio interfaces/soundcards will have good quality headphone preamps

it would be kinda trying to polish a turd (if m-audio sucks as much as its rep) by trying to improve the quality after a weaker link in the chain

if you wanted to improve the signal chain then changing the audio interface would be a better move

however, it remains to be seen whether you would notice any appreciable difference

there are plenty of good headphones that can be easily driven by your interface, and within comfortable limits so as not to be pushed too hard..you can even get some very well regarded superlux headphones for 50$ that would work out fine

i think that if you only want to ever buy one set of cans, and are willing to push the boat out, you could use them with what you have and then look to upgrade the interface at a later stage should you feel the need...it would be a real shame to pay a lot for cans that have a sweet spot (when driven properly) and are revealing if the interface just doen't kick out enough quality to justify it

i'll also echo what has been said about comfort....there were sessions when i used the grados where after a couple of hours i could not bare to put them back on for the rest of the day...nothing gonna ruin your creativity like physical discomfort/pain

[A1AWI]

as dux has pointed out, good quality audio interfaces/soundcards will have good quality headphone preamps

it would be kinda trying to polish a turd (if m-audio sucks as much as its rep) by trying to improve the quality after a weaker link in the chain

if you wanted to improve the signal chain then changing the audio interface would be a better move

however, it remains to be seen whether you would notice any appreciable difference

there are plenty of good headphones that can be easily driven by your interface, and within comfortable limits so as not to be pushed too hard..you can even get some very well regarded superlux headphones for 50$ that would work out fine

i think that if you only want to ever buy one set of cans, and are willing to push the boat out, you could use them with what you have and then look to upgrade the interface at a later stage should you feel the need...it would be a real shame to pay a lot for cans that have a sweet spot (when driven properly) and are revealing if the interface just doen't kick out enough quality to justify it

You gave me another Confusion, Now I got 3 options; Headphone Without Amp, Another Audio Interface and Cheap Headphone with Amps. However I don't use my Audio Interface features much, I'm just using it for my Sound Monitors sometimes, I rarely use my mic. Only thing I use frequently in my Interface is MIDI, So if that's all Audio Interface has to offer I don't think replacing it helps as much as getting new Amps. and I can't think of any other Audio Interface that does significantly better than M-Audio, Except if I pay big money of course.
One of the options I'm thinking about is K701 + NwAvGuy O2.

BTW, I can't believe how much you hate M-Audio is it really that bad?

[cyphersuit]

Shure 840 without extra amp.

Thats what i am using nowadays. Perfectly happy about it. Much better than the Audio-Technica ATH-M50. I also like them better than the AKG 701/702, because the stage is smaller on the 840ies. That's better for electronica.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

as dux has pointed out, good quality audio interfaces/soundcards will have good quality headphone preamps

it would be kinda trying to polish a turd (if m-audio sucks as much as its rep) by trying to improve the quality after a weaker link in the chain

if you wanted to improve the signal chain then changing the audio interface would be a better move

however, it remains to be seen whether you would notice any appreciable difference

there are plenty of good headphones that can be easily driven by your interface, and within comfortable limits so as not to be pushed too hard..you can even get some very well regarded superlux headphones for 50$ that would work out fine

i think that if you only want to ever buy one set of cans, and are willing to push the boat out, you could use them with what you have and then look to upgrade the interface at a later stage should you feel the need...it would be a real shame to pay a lot for cans that have a sweet spot (when driven properly) and are revealing if the interface just doen't kick out enough quality to justify it

You gave me another Confusion, Now I got 3 options; Headphone Without Amp, Another Audio Interface and Cheap Headphone with Amps. However I don't use my Audio Interface features much, I'm just using it for my Sound Monitors sometimes, I rarely use my mic. Only thing I use frequently in my Interface is MIDI, So if that's all Audio Interface has to offer I don't think replacing it helps as much as getting new Amps. and I can't think of any other Audio Interface that does significantly better than M-Audio, Except if I pay big money of course.
One of the options I'm thinking about is K701 + NwAvGuy O2.

BTW, I can't believe how much you hate M-Audio is it really that bad?

all interfaces will have a built-in headphone amp, you just need to get one to match the headphone quality....you might not need the other features of an interface now, but may later

the other thing about interfaces is the convertors..if you want to ditch the interface completely and just add an amp to the laptop output i'm not sure of the implications in this regard, nor for the latency of performance

what i'm saying is that i think that spending a ton of money on top-end cans might be overstepping the quality of your interface...i dont think you need to spend up to the range of your budget to get great production/monitoring/mixing results on the go, but i just think you'd be better off spending less on the cans and if you feel the m-audio is lacking to change that....forget the separate amp, that only has one function as compared to an interface which offers much more in terms of usage (for now, or in the future

i'm using a vrm box to help with virtualising a set of speakers...it' a little hardware unit that also acts as a great kittle headphone amp...it's a great little combo for travelling...focusrite also offer the same technology built into a full audio interface

[Dean Aka Nekro]

First choice is AKG K702 everything is in its right place and very clear/revealing with these I find, Expensive? Yes but the quality is there also.

Then for something with more low-end perceivable and more hyped for a different but equally useful impression due to the design and less neutral but a really good balance between the benefits of an open backed design and a closed back design, Good VFM also it would have to be Beyer's DT 770.

Obviously personal preference

One of those little VRM boxes which el-bo mentions sounds like it would make an ideal solution for your needs at the moment and under the circumstances, All you would need is to go for a USB MIDI controller keyboard. That way you could do away with the interface if it is only being used as a MIDI input and headphone amplifier to be honest or if not the VRM box a small powered number such as this by Neco Soundlabs Portable V.2 Amp: http://www.ebay.nl/itm/DUAL-AMP-portabl ... 0574869933 (Thinking powered so you don't have to worry about lots of PSU and not enough wall sockets. Or again with Focusrite like el-bo mentioned a Sapphire model with the VRM technology/processing built-in. Good VFM & decent mic-amps

Sticking with Focusrite again it is hard to go wrong with Novation's controllers depending what you need/want & are willing to spend. If not then Akai's range are dependable.

It does all get abit What should I do with all the options available, Trust your ears is all I can say

All the best

Dean

[DuX]

Acquiring Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, low impedance ones [32 or 80 ohm], would probably be the easiest solution for you, and since they're low impedance, you could drive them easily with any preamp. They're also very comfortable, and give you good sound isolation, too. I don't think AKG give you that many options. They only give you the choice between something low [60? 80?] and 600 ohms, I think? My K240DFs are 600 ohms, and HD280 64 ohms. I can drive both loud enough for me with TC Konnekt 48 or TC BMC-2. I don't like to listen loud on headphones anyway, or on monitors, for that matter, just on occasions when I need to check how the mix sounds loud.

If you worry about how the impedance influences the sound, the low impedance headphones usually sound more bassy, and they can go louder, of course. Since DT770 are bassy enough IMO - the 250 ohm version I've heard often and even mixed with them, I would recommend you the 80 ohm ones, instead of 32 ohm ones that are usually used for drummers [because they're usually a bit deaf and 32 ohms is really easy to drive loud as hell with any preamp ], but if you can, try the different impedance models yourself. Maybe you'll find the 250 ohm ones the best sounding? I mean, you don't care how loud they can be, but how accurate, right? And what sounds the best to you, with your choice of music, is always better IMHO.

Cheers!

[pljones]

They do an 80 Ohm specifically for drummers, too - DT770M's. On my "buy for birthday" list . (They'll have to double as mixing 'phones... and I have no alternative monitoring... but that's life.)

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Agreed DuX man and Peter I doubt you will be disappointed when you treat yourself either

A good balance of quality, flexibility and a fair price. Good combination

[liv]

I use the AKG K270 and they work well.

[musikmachine]

as dux has pointed out, good quality audio interfaces/soundcards will have good quality headphone preamps

it would be kinda trying to polish a turd (if m-audio sucks as much as its rep) by trying to improve the quality after a weaker link in the chain

if you wanted to improve the signal chain then changing the audio interface would be a better move

however, it remains to be seen whether you would notice any appreciable difference

there are plenty of good headphones that can be easily driven by your interface, and within comfortable limits so as not to be pushed too hard..you can even get some very well regarded superlux headphones for 50$ that would work out fine

i think that if you only want to ever buy one set of cans, and are willing to push the boat out, you could use them with what you have and then look to upgrade the interface at a later stage should you feel the need...it would be a real shame to pay a lot for cans that have a sweet spot (when driven properly) and are revealing if the interface just doen't kick out enough quality to justify it

You gave me another Confusion, Now I got 3 options; Headphone Without Amp, Another Audio Interface and Cheap Headphone with Amps. However I don't use my Audio Interface features much, I'm just using it for my Sound Monitors sometimes, I rarely use my mic. Only thing I use frequently in my Interface is MIDI, So if that's all Audio Interface has to offer I don't think replacing it helps as much as getting new Amps. and I can't think of any other Audio Interface that does significantly better than M-Audio, Except if I pay big money of course.
One of the options I'm thinking about is K701 + NwAvGuy O2.

BTW, I can't believe how much you hate M-Audio is it really that bad?

I didn't realise you had a fast track pro, i don't know how bad they are but yeah if the source is crap then it will just be polishing a turd. An interface upgrade would be a good move. There are some good low impedance cans around now like the Shures so get an interface with a good quality converters, you can always add an amp later, even better if the interface has spdif you can buy something with an integrated dac.

[james0tucson]

People who give unequivocal recommendations for AKG, are probably speaking from experience with Austrian-made headphones and not the newer Chinese ones.

I thought that only the cheaper AKG headphones (e.g., my K240 Studio) are now made in China. AFAIK, the higher end models (e.g., K702) are still made in Austria (they still have the "Made in Austria" label on the earcups).

New headphones, K240s and K702s and others now say "Made in China". I'm not going to draw my own value judgment, just communicating a fact.

(edit) My understanding is that this became known from an episode of "How it's Made" that features AKG K702s being made in a factory in China. It's pretty clear that this surprised more than a few people...

[A1AWI]

what i'm saying is that i think that spending a ton of money on top-end cans might be overstepping the quality of your interface...i dont think you need to spend up to the range of your budget to get great production/monitoring/mixing results on the go, but i just think you'd be better off spending less on the cans and if you feel the m-audio is lacking to change that....forget the separate amp, that only has one function as compared to an interface which offers much more in terms of usage (for now, or in the future

i'm using a vrm box to help with virtualising a set of speakers...it' a little hardware unit that also acts as a great kittle headphone amp...it's a great little combo for travelling...focusrite also offer the same technology built into a full audio interface

You have a point, I checked the Focusrite Audio Interface the one with the DSP chip, It's a good option, However I would have to save more money for Headphones, it's ok I'll buy Headphones later.

If you worry about how the impedance influences the sound, the low impedance headphones usually sound more bassy, and they can go louder, of course. Since DT770 are bassy enough IMO - the 250 ohm version I've heard often and even mixed with them, I would recommend you the 80 ohm ones, instead of 32 ohm ones that are usually used for drummers [because they're usually a bit deaf and 32 ohms is really easy to drive loud as hell with any preamp Very Happy], but if you can, try the different impedance models yourself. Maybe you'll find the 250 ohm ones the best sounding? I mean, you don't care how loud they can be, but how accurate, right? And what sounds the best to you, with your choice of music, is always better IMHO. Wink

Well, I can't work with Bassy Headphones, I don't know why, But I always reduce the Bass in the Equalizer to listen to most of the Songs, even in the car stereo I always reduce the Bass. So I guess the Headphones with more Impedance are the good ones for me.