Which headphones?

[Jem]

Hi, I'm in the market for a new set of closed headphones to be used mostly for live gigs and also to use while I'm mic'ing up a drumkit (there are no monitors in the drum booth) so it's obviously pretty important that they block a lot of sound from outside the headphone. I was originally considering AKG's K271 model though when I went into a local pro audio shop today the guy who works there was swearing that they Beyer Dynamic (DT 770) headphones were WAAYYYY better than the AKG's so now I'm also considering those. I was just wondering which you guys believe would give me the most accurate sound and also what your experiences are with either of these headphones. Thanks.

[WEAPON_X]

sometime back i was looking into another pair of cans since the akg271 did not block enough, and stumbled across the beyerdynamic dt770m which blocks about 35db (according to the specs - however it is fairly enough for me, and definitly more than the 271).

you may want to consider this model for setting up mics additional to the ever-standart akg271s which i like for headphone mixing and tracking.

[Don S]

Jem,

Any headphone that is closed will be a compromise. The most natural sounding cans I've used have been open. (Sennheiser HD600). The closest that I've heard in a closed design was the DT770Pro. I loved the amount of isolation when I had to record chamber music while being in the same room as the performance. Plus, the Beyer's were very comfortable. I got mine for $200 at a local Guitar Center.

[tINY]

Try the Sennheiser HD280. It blocks a lot of ambient sound from about 100Hz up. And it is as accurate as any headphone I've heard.

If you need isolation below 100Hz, you'll need to look at in-ear phones like the ones Shure makes.



-tINY

[Reptil]

sennheiser HD25
brilliant for drummers, live performance etc.
have used one pair for 8 years
now I got 3 more for recording
spare parts readily available
simple, light, loud, accurate
not especially designed for mixing but...

[Alexi]

sennheiser 280

[monrock halo]

FWIW the Senns are comfy and block outside sounds pretty well but my problem with them is they sound quite scooped and distant in the mids, very hifi-ish. The drummers we see coming through, and musicians in general, usually prefer more direct-sounding cans like the popular (but fragile) Sony 7506 and 7509 that have an upfront mid/upper mid range but block less outside sound. Question of taste, I suppose.

I also like the Beyer DT150s for their robustness, they sound less scooped out than the Senns and they block a lot of outside sound as well.

[Jem]

Thanks for the responses guys. I was offered a very good price on the Beyers and Ive heard nothing but praise for them so far so i think I'll grab a pair of those.

[genericperson]

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-VIC-SIH1.html

or:

http://www.drumperfect.com/extreme_headphones.asp

the second ones look better to me.