Headphones for Studio use

[James Rock]

I'm looking at some budget headphones for home recording use as i don't have any good monitors and really can use them in the space i have (family computer!).
So far both the AKG K271MkII and AKG K242-HD is the former worth the extra cash (about 100 AUD). What about the AKG K240 MkII? Any good?
Suggestions are welcome my price range is about 150 to 300 AUD (although I'd rather under $250AUD) which is I guess about 100 to 200 US.
I guess there are also the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro and others in that range that may be what I'm looking for.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

I have AKGs, but a set of K240s and a set of K171s; I like them both for different things. Recording vocals or guitar I like to hear a bit of room sound, so I use the K240s which have a semi-open back. I use the fully closed K171s for mixing if I have to mix on headphones.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

M-Audio has a pair that they say you can mix wearing them. I haven't tried them.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

Got no complaints with my HD280 pros. They don't have the deepest bass response in the world, but they're very clear and have great isolation.

 

[J Moose]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

I f'in hate AKGs.

I know they're the standard and all... and they DO sound good & musical... but due to the super high impedance they don't get very loud and blow up rather easily.

For durability over tone its tough to beat the Audio Technica ATHM40 & D40... I have a few pairs that have sustained several years worth of retarded musician abuse and are still going... I'm ordering more soon!

Sony 7506 are popular... I find them bright...

Sennheisers have great tone... had a pair of HD25's which I loved and still love but at this point the drivers are toast. I've really abused them too... for about a decade! Can't believe they lasted as long as they did... save for replacing the cable a few times.

Ultrasones are killer if you can swing 'em...

 

[everdrone]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

the Ultrasones features look pretty cool...I posted my thoughts on this subject in this headphone thread from just 3 days ago...some overlap btwn this forum and off topic I guess:

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=163456

 

[James Rock]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

So from a little info I've gathered I'm better off with Sennheisers for general use over long time especially as I don't have a headphone preamp or anything just the headphones out on my line 6 UX1 as the AKG may struggle without the right signla level.

 

[James Rock]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

After looking at the other threads I thought .... is it better to get half decent headphones or cheap monitors (like in the price range of Behringers) I can't afford much but for mixing headphones aren't the best I've heard (even though I do most of my listening on headphones and I know heaps that do because of the iPod generation).

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

Headphones are nice when you want to get a better sense of panning of a mix, but when it comes to depth, they're very difficult to get an accurate sense of where instruments sit. This is crucial and that's why when I switched from Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones to Yamaha MSP7 monitors, I instantly had much, much, much better mixes (one's that actually translated well in the car without going back and forth a million times).

 

[ginormous]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

Cheap monitors? :nono:

Get the best you can afford. If you can't hear your mix accurately, the rest of the world won't hear you accurately.

Until you can afford the best, get some closed-back, large diaphragm cans for better isolation; as we see all the time, the rest of the world is rather annoying. You may have to get a headphone preamp with separate EQ, to compensate for the roll-off at the low-low end.

For G**'s sake, don't crank them over safe volume. You'll lose your hearing faster than in an AC/DC concert.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

For what it's worth I mix on $200.00 monitors, I can hear everything I need to so that's all that really matters imo.

 

[James Rock]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

For G**'s sake, don't crank them over safe volume. You'll lose your hearing faster than in an AC/DC concert.

Of course I don't tend to use any headphones at anything but low volumes unless say I can't hear cos of a noisy environment (where good isolated headphones will stop this problem!)

 

[Koreth]

Re: Headphones for Studio use

I like my Sony MDR-7506 headphones. They have great clarity and good isolation, IMO.