Manfred-Klose
ok
i've been using the same old cheap JVC headphones for the last 10 years, my ears pretty much shaped around them.
and i always use them to check mixes and compare to my monitors and other stuff.
but i think its time i get something decent.
i'm looking for closed back headphones.
i tried out BOSE headphones and was quote impressed, i heard stuff that i never heard in my monitors before, and they have a nice stereo field.
but maby not ideal for mixing, its lekka to listen to music on those.
Can anyone recommend something i can go look at?
like sennheisers, sony or something else, and model names ?
thanks
John1587
Hi Manfred,
Dont waste your time on mediocre headphones. The only studio headphones to buy are beyerdynamic. They are reliable, made in Germany and sound great! I would recommend the DT 770, they are the industry standard and used all over (SABC, MNEt etc) An surprisingly affordable.
J
Manfred-Klose
yes i know beyerdynamic DT-770's very well.
had 4 of them at the old studio. (the old ones)
just testing the waters to see what else is out there.
the beyerdynamics is still my first choice, but just checking what else is there
gonna be for home use.
theantirockstar
Have you looked at AKG? depending on your budget you can get some good ones. I have the K77's that I use they were about R650.
AlanRatcliffe
They are Hi-Fi headphones. Designed for a completely different purpose than studio cans.
Norman86
Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
They are Hi-Fi headphones. Designed for a completely different purpose than studio cans.
But knowing Focal, They wont be a one trick pony ?
Check the Grande Utopia III... Home speakers, but being used in some very upmarket and well known studios as their monitors!!
AlanRatcliffe
I can guarantee they won't be using them as their main "working" monitors. Bigger studios usually have a few different sets of speakers so that they can compare mixes on something that is similar to what their target audience is likely to be using - so if you work with a label that caters for audiophiles, you will likely have a pair of Utopias, but that is more as a final check than to do any serious work on. Most studios will also have at least one pair of "grotty monitors" too - used to check what the lowest common denominator of listener will likely be listening to the music on. These days, the grotties are usually iPod or computer speakers (when I trained it was a ghetto blaster ?). So you shouldn't use the fact that some studios have a speaker as any kind of indicator to their suitability.
It's also not unusual in many fields of music (ad jingles, etc.) to have a set of big speakers purely for the purpose of impressing the hell out of the client. Utopias definitely fit that bill (the fact that the ads will usually be heard on TV speakers is irrelevant to the client, they just want to be reassured that they have spent someone else's money wisely).
The thing is, hi-fi speakers are made to flatter the sound, studio monitors are the opposite - they make the sound as flat as possible and reveal any uglies, so they are not usually the best listening speakers. There are also different types of monitors - mains, nearfields and of course, the grotties. Each is designed for their specific purpose and they are not interchangeable. The majority of studio work is done on the nearfields (the pair that usually you see on the meter bridge of the console), mixing is more on the mains and double checking is done on a variety of speakers (depending on the focus of the studio) and the grotties.
In the case of good studio headphones: ISO uber alles. Cans are motly for tracking (and sometimes checking detail), so they are closed back, with as little leakage as possible to prevent the monitor playback from leaking into the mics (as much as that is possible with mics that can usually pick up a mouse fart at a 1000 paces in a thunderstorm ?). You NEVER mix with cans as - regardless of how good they are for listening - they give you a completely false impression of the stereo soundfield and tend to accentuate reverb.
Norman86
?
Anywho... The Focal SM range are their proper monitors... Just pricey!
But people who listen to Focal end up not wanting anything else!
Garth-S
theantirockstar wrote:
Have you looked at AKG? depending on your budget you can get some good ones. I have the K77's that I use they were about R650.
I just pick up a new pair of these AKG K77's last week. Paid R550. They are great headphones, but are considered entry level. Affordability was definately an issue in my case, but they sound seriously good ?
Warren
Check out the KRK KNS series, like the 8400. I have a new pair, and they provide to my ears, a very flat response across the range.
Riaan
as much as that is possible with mics that can usually pick up a mouse fart at a 1000 paces in a thunderstorm
:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:
DrGonzo
Ja Im also in the market for new Tracking cans...
Any more suggestions to add to the mix?
My basic requirements are
- Clear detailed sound (to a degree - they dont have to be flat across the range, just not excessively hyped - these are not for mixing)
- Very good isolation (NB no clicktrack bleed - god that is irritating and a hell of a mish to get out...)
- Head comfort!
- Sounds great for listening pleasure as well...
Under R1000?
Averatu
Besides sound quality, cans that sits over the ear instead of on the ear, so you dont have the sore flat Dumbo's after a long session, with my big 'bak ore' its quite the issue. The Beyer's win in this department. I found the Bose have a 'colour', may as well mix on hi-fi speakers.
Norman86
Averatu wrote:
I found the Bose have a 'colour', may as well mix on hi-fi speakers.
You know that BOSE stands for Buy Other Sound Equipment?? ? ?
DrGonzo
The Beyers ( I assume you talking about the DT770) are a bit pricey for me at the moment seem as tho I just ordered the Beyer DT880 semiopen mixing cans! (Cant wait!)
Im just thinking something cheap (by cheap i mean under R1K) that will isolate sound very well and reasonably comfy...
BMU
For and option less tread, try Equation Audio RP-21. Bought them for about R700 at Marshall Music Cape Town (a while ago).
I use them for tracking and detail checking as described above, in conjunction with Focal CMS50 for mixing. In my opinion they sound seriously good for the price.
DrGonzo
Cool thanks for the advice - Do they Isolate well?
I have also been quite keen on those CMS50 hows the bass range on those things?
BMU
Sound isolation - I don't know, seems ok to me. They're closed back circumaural, so... I'm blasting metal through them now at much higher than comfortable listening volume, if I press the two cans lightly against each other like they'd be on your ear I can't hear them over my laptop fan (which is pretty quiet) from about 40cm away... whatever that means. Real world data, use it/ don't use it LOL.
CMS50 bass - good enough for me but not spectacular, they're small speakers after all. Definitely not what you'd use in a pro mixing studio I guess. Official specs are =+- 3dB down to 55 Hz. Obviously it drops off below that, but I can still hear bass guitar low B (30-odd Hz) fine - after low passing at 35 Hz to get rid of those funny psycho acoustic tricks that make you think you hear the fundamental when you really don't.
Actually those RP-21 headphones show me the low bass better than the Focals. I always high pass the final mix just to make sure anyway.
I had Alesis Mk1 Actives (something like that) which were far inferior to the Focals in clarity and detail but had better bass response. Probably the ported one-note kind of bass...so bass isn't everything, as you know.
One 'problem' with the Focals is they sound so pure and sweet and transparent, that things tend to sound to good. I almost want to get a pair of nasty honky midrange sounding monitors as a second check. (KRKs sound like that to me LOL) Or put another way, you need to really work the mix to get the very best sound you can, not just a 'good' sound.
Manfred-Klose
i tried out the KRK 6400 headphones in the week, they seem like very good and flat headphones for monitoring and mixing, it reveals alot of mids, and the highs is cool to, just lacks some low end. for the price i would regard them as good, they go for about R1000
