Headphones for mixing and tracking any favorites?

[flexoffset]

Do you prefer circumaural, isolation, etc.?
Will you be using them to track vocals?

I certainly like my Sennheiser HD600's. They're not good for tracking vocals because they are as loud on the outside as they are on the 'inside.'

They're comfortable, have great frequency response at all listening levels, and have tight bass, shimmering highs.
They're good for critical listening, IMO.

Also, a lot of the people here tend to prefer the 580 over the 600. There's plenty other models that will be mentioned so just wait it out for a bit.

[rr1073]

Robert:
I also use the Sennheiser HD600 headphones. They have become my reference headphones. Great for critical listening...but not for use in a tracking situation.

[nlc201]

Have you ever tried the Grados? Expensive as all hell but better than most speakers. Absolutely incredible. Another plus is you get that WWI radio operator look!

[Robert]

Sorry I didn't mentioning what type of tracking I am doing. It would be all vocals. Guitars I am using the midfields. So for Vocals and to reference a mix using other CDS and back and fourth between the nearfields.I hope this info helps. I am hoping this will improve my mixes. I am always looking for knowledge. Thank you for taking the time to reply.....

[joeq]

for tracking you can't go wrong with the Sennheisser 280- about $100. good price, good seal, good comfort, good sound. The musicians love them.

for more critical reference I love my Grados, but they don't really seal up- pretty much useless for a tracking situation. Even when someone else is performing across the room I have to be careful about levels, click track etc if I am using the Grados to monitor.

At remotes, I often use them to check the sound at the beginning and then switch to something else or turn them off for the actual take.

You might think about getting one pair for tracking and one pair for reference

[Robert]

I would purchase 2 pairs. One for tracking and one for mixing. What would be best 2 pairs to spend my money on .
Thanks for the feedback.

[rr1073]

Robert:
We use AKG K240's for tracking. Everyone seems to like them. I would get the HD600 for reference.

[damon]

For critical listening sennhieser HD 650's are wonderful.......open though so not much good for tracking. For tracking try the sony 7506's....they sound good and are relatively cheap.They are also comfy on the lugs .

[sphereman]

The grado RS1s are the best sounding heaphones Ive ever heard. Not overly zingy on the hi end and great low end. Open phones though. The next step is to try them with the grado heaphone amp.

[Jim Williams]

I tried out the Sennhieser HD 580's and 600's. I couldn't get past that mid bump they have between 200hz and 1k. It really clouded the mid balance. The 20k response is also rolled off a bit much. I really like the Stax electrostatic headphones but having 600 volts a 1/4 inch away from your ear can be a bit unsettling. Most of the time the venerable Sony V-6's do just fine as I'm so used to them after 15 years.

Jim Williams
Audio Upgrades

[stealthbalance]

i always check a final mix on my el cheapo grado sr 60. these things are $75 u.s. and they are for me what the ns -10's were for years which is a real world balance speaker. they do sound amazing for the price and also are very similer to an ns 10 sound. as i also do much overdubing in the control room with singers and acoustic guitar players - and dont take the time to check the mic on the s-3a"s - i can easily get a sound on something only in the headphones , and when i swith the monitors back on , they always translate well on the adams. however , i dont do the actual overdub with these phones on due to there leakage. the only thing is they are a bit less present in the 4K range and you can sometimes overdue it around there. i used to also check 30 hz and also 30K on a pair of sony v-6 , they were great in revealing that but as soon as you started to balance more than 1 minute on them they can cause you to wreck the mix.
now though even with the s-3a's, i will still check a mix mainly on the grados - loud and soft they are strong for mixing and really make you carve it out. the sony v-6 is is too bright and scooped out but cool. great for lead vocal balancing.
the sen hd 600 that i have are for me too civilized . they make me over eq in the 4K range. a taste too warm for me.
hope this isn't too confusing here. im rambling. good luck
s

[Robert]

Thanks to everybody for helpful replies. You have given me many options.

[jindrich]

tracking and checking/mixing are two different scenarios that need a proper solution each.

For tracking you need in the first place headphones that dont spill to the mic, and that bring as much isolation as possible. of course, response is importatn too.

for mixing you need flattest response ever and the ability to check balance, deatail, phase problems..etc. And they should be VERY comfortable, otherwise you wont wear them at all.

after lots of research this is what i did:

-tracking: senn 280.
Closed, 32db of isolation, moderately comfortable, and nice and powerful response. Also they fold in may ways so they're perfect for travelling, as they ocuppy no space whatsoever (compared to any other)

-mixing: senn 580/600/650 or AKG 501, both open type of cans.
I chose the latter, which are more comfortable -you can wear them for 10 hours without noticing- with autoadjustable headband, and dont have the cable problem of the senns. They also have better stereo balance IMHO. Some people think they dont have bass enough. I guess they're not right for hiphop. Also they cheaper than the senns

my .002 eurocents.

[kevinc]

Originally posted by jindrich
-you can wear them for 10 hours without noticing-

Is it just me or does it get a bit weird after you`ve had headphones on for 10 hrs and then take them off and try to refocus into the real world.

I end up doing it a lot but I definately think it`s better on my sanity using real monitors.

[Mike H]

Could I also ask a question about the Sennheiser 280 for tracking, while we are on the subject? I currently use Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs headphones for tracking (which I bought in 2000).

Does anybody know how the Sennheiser 280 compares to the ATH-M40fs:
1. Quality of sound?
2. Comfort?

If the 280 is a clear step up, then I will try them.

Thanks,
Mike

[jindrich]

i dont wear phones for 10 hours in a row, it was just a graphical sentence.
But anyway, i like the akg 501 a lot. Sometimes when i'm doing coding/programming, i can hang out anywhere with my powerbook, and listen to itunes wtih the akg for 3 hours. No ear fatigue, not a single trace in head/ears that i've been wearing cans, and great sound, even with (192+) mp3/AAC thru the alubook phones out.


regarding atm40 vs 280 i dont know because i havent used the ATs. But the senns 280 sound rather nice and give you 30 dbs of isolation. You can get them for less than 100 €/$

[oudplayer]

Originally posted by joeq
for tracking you can't go wrong with the Sennheisser 280- about $100. good price, good seal, good comfort, good sound. The musicians love them.

I'd second these. High ouptut, if you ever need to give a pair to a drummer who's nearing deafness... but nice sound quality. Sometimes you can find them for $69 if you shop around.

[oudplayer]

Originally posted by Mike H
Could I also ask a question about the Sennheiser 280 for tracking, while we are on the subject? I currently use Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs headphones for tracking (which I bought in 2000).

Does anybody know how the Sennheiser 280 compares to the ATH-M40fs:
1. Quality of sound?
2. Comfort?

If the 280 is a clear step up, then I will try them.

Thanks,
Mike

I'd say two steps up on both counts. I've used the same ATs (still have them, though one channel went out), and wouldn't "go back." Comfort is way up for the Sennheisers, for me that is. YMMV.

[Mike H]

FYI, in searching I found the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro for $75 + 5 shipping at Able Headphones:
http://stereoheadphones.net/cart/pro...product_id=247

Mike

[GearGuy]

Mike H

I own both the ATHM40 and the HD280pro. The AT headphones are more comfortable due to the tightness of the HD280. Both are good sound quality for $99 but sound very different from each other. I have two pairs of HD280pros which I use for tracking vocalist and musicians.

[snapper]

For critical listening I use the Grado 325's. I Own 325's and 225's.
They arent the most comfortable though. For tracking I'll use sennheiser 280's or the sony's.

[JonCraig]

Originally posted by kevinc
Is it just me or does it get a bit weird after you`ve had headphones on for 10 hrs and then take them off and try to refocus into the real world.

I end up doing it a lot but I definately think it`s better on my sanity using real monitors.

absolutely! i love my grado rs-2's and use them regularly, but i can't make panning decisions with them. it's that "through the head" phenomenon--if i pan instruments (a drum kit, for example), it always seems too small over loudspeakers. solution? i don't pan with the grados on.

--jon

[kevinc]

HA ! I love it when people bring back old threads !

My car broke down for a while and I was forced to lug all my gear home for a while and do some mixes there with some good old 7506`s. There was no way I could crank up some monitors here.

The first project I did through them was relatively simple. The vocalist was so smooth I needed little or no automation. I just put the vocal through my Vari MU with about 3-4 db of reduction with a forgiving setting and the vocalist had allready taken care of the rest with great technique. The rest of the band was very even as well and for the most parts the eq was kept to the bare minimum except for a few cut`s on a muddy guitar. Very little verb was added as well.

In this situation I was surprised at how well the headphone mixes translated and it was one of my best set of mixes to date !

Now I thought I had something here and went back to do another set that a friend of mine was waiting for. These songs required a lot more eq and automation and they requested a more "produced" sound with lush verbs on the voices and backups.

After spending about 3 days getting a song exactly right in the phones I brought it over to a friends house all cocky thinking I`d mastered these phones and could mix anything out of them.

It was absolute shit !

The vocals sounded like they were recorded in an aluminum tank, the bass and kick were rediculously loud, the guitars were just tiny little high pitched fizzy things panned left and right and the reverb settings were completely out of whack.
I thought I must`ve lost my mind but sure enough I waited a day and listened to it in the phones again. It was fine ! Definately as good as I`m currently capable of at least and maybe better than my usual.

So needless to say I got my car back, chucked my gear in the back, fired up my monitors and retired the headphones permenantly from their brief stint as main monitors . I know them well now so they`re good references but I won`t make any real eq/pan/verb/level etc.. decision with them anymore. I just got lucky once or twice with them.

[Exmun]

I had the same experience as Kevin. We recently moved out of state and much of my gear was packed up. I had to send a client some stems for him to record elsewhere out of state. I decided to do a quick balance... not really mixing but just a dry balance just to see how everything sounded. I was surprised how off some of my balances were. This was evident primarily in the vocal range. I used the ATM 40s, which have always struck me as a quality headphone. Not sure if it was the headphones or me, but it didn't really work very well. I'll be glad when the studio's unpacked.

I used to use Sony 7506s a while back and I've done a lot of great mixes on those. But, wearing them a long time always seemed to give me a headache.

[Berolzheimer]

I use & recommend the Beyer DT 770 a lot. They have great isolation, come with nice velour pads, & sound good. I use tham as a low end early-warning system on my mixes too, if I'm enjoying the lovely low end that my monitors produce a bit too much the Beyers let me know right away.

[84K]

My friend has these Fostex at his studio. THey are great and only $65-85. I also like the Ultrasone phones.... the cheaper ones(there are 2 models).... about $150. They handle a lot of SPL and they have a great seal around the listener's ears to eliminate leakage.

[Berolzheimer]

Oh Yeah, and the ultrasones are great too. There's been at least one other extensive thread on this topic, if you do a search you'll find it.

[ISedlacek]

I use Sennheiser HD 650 - excellent. For playbacks I use closed Beyer DT 770 - they are great too. I am completely happy with this tandem

[Jules]

Extreme Isolation headphones are working well for us when folks are out near drum kits and loud gtr amps