headphones(for producin')

Eskil
I'm in search for a good headphone, not one for spinnin' but for producin'...

first i was thinking of buying some nearfield monitors but i think it's bether to buy a good headphone with a flat sound then monitors, i mean if you can afford good monitors allright then buy them but i think it is bether to buy a good headphone then a pair of budgetpriced monitors...

somebody has some advice,prices,brands,etc. ???


thanx & greetz Eskil
thechronic
I'm a big fan of Sony headphones. I've had a Sennheiser too but this had an extended frequency response in the low end which I found a bit unnatural sounding so close to my ears. The high end Sennheiser models are a bit more comfortable to wear though because of their softer padding. This becomes noticeable after a couple of hours Big Grin

I can recommend the Sony MDR-CD770 but I don't know if they are still for sale. I paid around 200 euro for them a couple of years ago. This model sounds the best of all the headphones I ever tried but the drawback is that it looks a bit weird with two arches sticking out above it, but since you'll mostly be wearing it privately indoors you don't need to worry about it too much.

There are only three brands that make studio quality headphones (Sony, Sennheiser, AKG) so the choice won't be too hard once you set your budget. Expect to pay around 150-250 euro for a set of good headphones, but these will last you for 5-10 years, so it's a good investment.

I would stay clear of wireless headphones, you lose signal quality in the transmitter and the receiver.

There are two types of headphones: closed and open.
Closed headphones do a good job of minimizing environment sounds from entering, and you won't disturb anyone around you with the sound coming out of your headphones. You do get scared more often when people suddenly pop up behind you, and the phone keeps on ringing forever.
Open headphones are less tiring for the ears after several hours, but you can hear outside noise coming in, and the sound also leaks out.

Some advice:
- the weakest part of a pair of headphones is the cable. Try buying a pair with a cable that can be unplugged and exchanged for a spare one if it is damaged.
- some headphones (like the sennheisers) use a custom mini-jack > jack adapter which doesn't fit on other headphones. A standard adapter fits on the sennheisers without problems though. It's surprisingly easy to lose the adapter - be very conscious about where you put it Big Grin
- Don't turn up your headphones too loud, mind your ears, you need them! ALWAYS turn down the volume before you plug into a jack you are not familiar with, especially when you plug into a DJ mixer. DJs are known for their ridiculously high monitoring levels.
- Only plug into headphone jacks. If you would accidentally plug into a speaker jack they will blow and your head too.
- Don't plug in the headphones while you wear them, a static discharge can cause a loud click.
- Be very careful with them, don't put them in a backpack or on a chair. Don't drop them. Treat them with respect Big Grin
- Don't EVER lend your headphones to anyone. They will probably be broken when you get them back and you'll have a hard time getting your unlucky friend to cough up 250 euro for a new pair.
- Mind the cable if you rush around from your mixing desk to your keyboard, if it gets stuck somewhere it's gonna hurt. If you got wheels under your chair make sure you don't roll over your cable. Make sure the cable never gets tangled up, unplug the headphones every day and unroll the cable to keep it nice and straight.
- Keep them clean.
- Get to know the sound of your new headphones by listening to a lot of records that you know very well.

Sony
Sennheiser
AKG
Dave_Akuma
using headphones while you're making a tune is fine, but i'm not sure how good it is to mixdown/pre-master with em....
Dave_Akuma
Be very careful with them, don't put them in a backpack or on a chair. Don't drop them. Treat them with respect ...


the same can be said with any hardware/software as well as the music itself.... Bigup
Surya
quote:
Originally posted by Dave_Akuma
but i'm not sure how good it is to mixdown/pre-master with em....

Yeah, was wondering about that too. That's why I think you'd better go for some cheap (¤300 - ¤500) monitors...
thechronic
Ideally you should have two sets of monitors and a good pair of headphones and switch between them often, like every 20 minutes. So don't throw away those PC speakers yet Big Grin
Akura
quote:
Originally posted by thechronic
Ideally you should have two sets of monitors and a good pair of headphones and switch between them often, like every 20 minutes. So don't throw away those PC speakers yet Big Grin


I often switch between my monitors, headphones and hifi-boxes to make sure my final mix sounds on every system like I intend. Is this the reason why you recomend switching or is there another reason?
Halph-Price
kinda am in suspens about this answer.
thechronic
Yes, if you check on multiple speakers you can make a mix that has a better chance of sounding good on a wide range of systems.
Surora23
i got the perfect headphones for you bro... theyre 200$ but theyre what are in top studios all around the world...Smile check em here Big Grin



http://www.pssl.com/bitemdetail.tpl?waGr...r=MDR-7509%2001

these are actually like 220$ but yea...these are what the chronicx was talking about...best prod. headphones on the market Big Grin

goodluck!
Friscko
this are the ones i got:

sennheiser hd500
cynik
quote:
Originally posted by Friscko
this are the ones i got:

sennheiser hd500


what was the price you paid? cause I saw em in a local store, are they good enough? they had only some acoustic music to play so Im not sure about producing with them
Friscko
paid them 99€
they're nice, but somethimes you'll have to turn up the volume, since they aint closed..
but it's a nice headphone for a reasonable price.
cynik
tnx man, seriously consider them, but in that store they were around 120euro u bought them new or used?

anyone else had experience with those sennheiser hd500?
Friscko
bought them new.
i think it was in the "fnac"
@1$-)
i got these.
their not bad cause they kind of close round ya ears, so ya cant hear anything but the sound. so no irritating humans can get your attention...sweet.
sennheiser hd200
Yawn
quote:
Originally posted by MUNKI C
i got these.
their not bad cause they kind of close round ya ears, so ya cant hear anything but the sound. so no irritating humans can get your attention...sweet.
sennheiser hd200


yeah I like the look of those senheisers man I actually nearly bought a pair but got some of these in the end Sony MDR V500 - £34 brand new not bad considering they rrp at £50 everywhere else
Halph-Price
wow my headphones suck, i got the MDR -300, anda few MDR-150.

everyone else has the above ones, that are way better. like MDR-700.
Abnormalbrain
I have AKG K240, and their good. You can hear the details of the sound and the stereo-image very well. The only thing thats not so good is the bass. I don't know what's wrong but it's hard to mix. I use to burn my tunes on cds and play them on all the stereo's at home. Three different, and then I mix the bass again in my headphones. I don't have any moniters, and thats not good...Going to get a pair when I can afford it.
Rude
quote:
Originally posted by crushfuck
quote:
Originally posted by MUNKI C
i got these.
their not bad cause they kind of close round ya ears, so ya cant hear anything but the sound. so no irritating humans can get your attention...sweet.
sennheiser hd200


yeah I like the look of those senheisers man I actually nearly bought a pair but got some of these in the end Sony MDR V500 - £34 brand new not bad considering they rrp at £50 everywhere else



Nice, are they good? Might buy a pair of 'm