Reference Headphones

[hrn]

Stax or the old Koss Pro 4AA. Don't know how the new ones sound though.

[ohad]

senn hd 650 i love them

[evilgrill]

Koss Pro 4AA?
i´ve got an old pair and i think they have absolutely no low end.
they´re on the shelf all the time and last time i used them was as a microphone to get a telephone sound.
could it be mine have been faulty since day one?

[robd]

i like my grado sr325is a lot. they are not perfectly flat, but they are at least as flat as any other headphones I have heard, and are very very detailed

[jayman]

This is a funny thread to me. Nearly every brand and model of headphones have been named here. What's the point?

j

[MIKEHARRIS]

The point is to get some advice and direction...from those i respect..seems the Sennheiser HD600...650...seems to be the leader.
Those that are less demanding may accept less...but you probably cant go wrong listening to a mastering engineer like Bob Katz...and try the 600's...see if you like em...they aint cheap...but quality rarely is

[jayman]

I know... and it IS good to get opinions from all the geniuses on this board. I just find it somewhat humorous on headphone threads or monitor threads where someone asks which ones are "the best." - because everybody has a different opinion and a different thing that works for them. So, inevitably, you get almost every brand and model number. There is a point though.... it always helps to get opinions from reputable guys.

I would love to know how much referencing different people actually do on headphones.... and, what are you checking - bass? midrange? or what? That's a different thread though. I have Sony 7506's and it sometimes helps with the bass, but usually when I mess with anything else, it just screws stuff up.

j

[hrn]

evilgrill,
I find the (old) Koss Pro 4AA very detailed and nice for error-checking. Maybe they don't have the very deepest bass, but it's at least detailed and not muddy or too much as it can be in many headphones.

The best phones I've ever heard was a pair of Stax electrostatics, don't remember the type. Awesome sound.

[joeq]

If I work on my Grado 225's late at night and turn on the speakers in the morning, I am never shocked.

The Sennheiser 600 series are a joy to listen to, but I feel the Grados are closer to what the speakers sound like.

[T.RayBullard]

I have long abandoned my HD 600s and AKGs for in ear etymotic er-4
Fantastic isolation, neutral, and fantastic...

[Bat Head Sound]

I've tried out so many different pairs of headphones (Sennheiser, Ultrasone, Equation, AKG, Audio Technica, Koss, Yamaha, etc..) and I keep coming back to the Sony 7506's. There's something about them that just do it for me.

[PatrikT]

I've recently found a new home in the Sennheiser HD 600's.

Those are the first pair of headphones I've tried that really, really present a stunningly correct 3D-dimension. The first headphone I've come across that play out sounds close and far without any strange phase phenomenas.

Hm, yup. They feel a lot in phase and this really stunned me.

And, well, I hear a LOT of details in recordings that I have not noticed with my former workhorses - the AKG 240 DF. A LOT of things like nails, fingers on keys, fingers on strings, air movement inside of kickdrums and so on. Crazy shit that makes things extremely enjoyable.

Stunning headphones. I have a lot of favourite recordings to listen to the next couple of..........years.

And these cans will probably help me out a bit with my low bass region as I do not have any subwoofer in my room. This, time will tell me.

[Apemandan]

Originally Posted by jayman

I know... and it IS good to get opinions from all the geniuses on this board. I just find it somewhat humorous on headphone threads or monitor threads where someone asks which ones are "the best." - because everybody has a different opinion and a different thing that works for them. So, inevitably, you get almost every brand and model number. There is a point though.... it always helps to get opinions from reputable guys.

I would love to know how much referencing different people actually do on headphones.... and, what are you checking - bass? midrange? or what? That's a different thread though. I have Sony 7506's and it sometimes helps with the bass, but usually when I mess with anything else, it just screws stuff up.

j

Jay,

If you read the start of the thread I am just asking for opinion of which to or not to go try. If enough professionals are using a certain model there must be a reason why, no? I now have three different models to try (Senn, Sony and Grado) to see which suits me best.
I reference lots of different sources when mixing, to give my ears a rest and gain perspective. I also work as a live engineer so would like a good pair for when i'm on the road.

Dan

[mahasandi]

don't forget your headphone amp.
I'am trying out an hpa-2 benchmark, really good.

as for cans i'am trying out the AKG K 701's .
they are good, tight and detailed, i need to get ahold of some others like hd 600 to compare.
the 701's toast my 240 df's .

[lefthando]

Well I don't know about the rest of you apartment dwellers but I find I do most of my recreational listening on phones.

I use MDR 7506's not because they're the best, but because they're what I know.

In the studio they come in very handy if I'm at all uncertain about something. They're just "home" so to speak.

[Andrew Kinsey]

Sennheiser HD600's are practicaly industry standard although their is a newer model out, the HD650, which uses higher grade components.

Equation headphones are also quite good IMO.

[T.RayBullard]

Heck, I might sell my 600s. They just dont do it for me, whereas etys do it in a big way. I guess many cant get around the in the ear thing.

Teddy

[Bob Olhsson]

I really like using the 650 cord with the 600s. A major improvement over the stock one.

[indie]

I'm loving my new Ultrasone Proline 550's. No more headaches from the 7506's.
Great sound.

[Sigma]

Superex St Pro B's coaxial heavy as shiat studio phones from the late 60's...i have never heard any as good again..first off they isolated outer noise, then the cushions [about 1/2 3/4 inch of them] were thick enuff to create this bass rich realistic soundscape by positioning the speakers at a far distance. for headphones.. from the ears..great thread post cause the pickings are slim and i don't think any young people wanna put giant heavy spring loaded behemoths on their heads today ,,but they should at least have had the chance to hear suckers like those old giants

[NickRundall]

Does anyone have any experience comparing the HD600 or HD650 to an in ear monitor like the ACS T1 or T2? I've been considering getting the IEMs for a while now, but I could also use some better mixing headphones, hence the interest in the Sennheisers. Would the IEMs work well for mixing?

[Jaymz]

hah, I wrote a big reply to this but then realised the topic is five years old.....

Regarding IEM's....couldn't tell you. But HD600's and HD650's are open headphones rendering them useless in a remote environment imo. On production, out in the field, or at a gig, you need something closed with decent isolation.

[Brackish]

Originally Posted by Jaymz

HD600's and HD650's are open headphones rendering them useless in a remote environment imo. On production, out in the field, or at a gig, you need something closed with decent isolation.

I had the exact same thought. If you look at most of the names that have come up here again and again, like the Sennheisers you mentioned and the AKG 701s, those are all open back. One exception is the Beyer 770, which is closed back.

[kenoah]

I just got a pair of Akg k601's

Booyah


Pynkhouse.com

[didier.brest]

I recommend the German Maestro GMP400, more neutral (and also more comfortable) than AKG701, Beyer DT880 and 889, which I tried also.