headphones for studio monitoring

Manfred-Klose · 2011-09-13T14:44:01+00:00

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...

headphones for studio monitoring

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

greetings

AKG K240 Studio. Semi-open design, best of both worlds. The classic 'phones.

TomCat

I've had a pair of Beyer DT-150's for over 20 years now and they still work perfectly......on their second head padding and third set of muffs.... 8) 8).....and the original Neutrik Stereo Jack I fitted to them when I bought them new........

I've yet still to find a better set of cans for monitoring.....I also use them live for setting up a mix without the PA up and get very close to the right results every time.....

For Me...DT-150's FTW......