This is terrible logic. Brand name does not automatically equal better, in any field.

tiesto and quincy jones have theirs availale from akg.

yeah the focal spirit pros are the best studio headphones of all time by a fairly wide margin. it's highly not recommended to mix with headphones, unless you got these.

Why choose just one. Get the......

50Cent
Dre Dre
Guru
Souljah Boy
Nelly
Rza
Bb Marley


Variety pack.

Lol Ill just wait till the bundle gets cracked

Under $200 = ATH M50's
Under $400 = Focal Spirit Professional's

Another vote for ATH M-50s. They sound great and balanced on the low end. I've used them for hip hop and like them a lot.

dt770s

Before you decide, have a listen or two.

I've read great reviews on Beyerdynamic Custom one pro. I have the DT 250 and they are good, but not so much stereo width imo.

Niether

Sony 7506's only $100 a pair. Balanced, non fatiguing.
Amazon.com: Sony MDR7506 Professional Large Diaphragm Headphone: Musical Instruments

I've tried every headphone under the sun (I can't mix on em still, strictly a monitor mixing guy). I keep coming back to the Sony's.

Also, if you are mixing on headphones, a great headphone amp makes a WORLD of difference.
It is imperative to hear non-distorted, balanced sound if your mixing on headphones. Beats and Guru's aren't gonna give you that.

I use the Lynx Hilo for my headphone reference amp. Also probably one of the best 2ch AD/DA converters out there as well

Based soley on reviews & threads like this, I'm down to:

-AKG K-271
-AKG K-702
-Audio Technica ATH-AD900
-Audio Technica ATH-M50
-Beyerdynamic DT-770
-Beyerdynamic DT-880
-Focal Spirit Pro
-Grado SR225 (Because I already own them, but they have a short I need to fix.)
-Grado SR325e (Because I'm considering them for non-studio use.)
-Sennheiser Momentum Over Ear (Because I'm considering them for non-studio use.)
-Sony MDR-7506 (While visiting, my brother blew my last pair out plugged into a guitar amp. Makes me nervous.)

Big price differences. Are K-702s or Spirit Pros outperforming M50s & MDR7506s relative to the prices?

General speaking, regarding open vs closed back headphones, does one work better than the other for mixing?

And are there any on my list I shouldn't consider at all?

Basically, my listening environment sucks. Small, untreated room in the basement, 13'10 x 8'10, 7' ceiling. I reference my favorite mixes in that same space, and reference my material in another room & in the car like I did even when in a better space. I just takes longer now. I'm hoping & wondering if the right headphones would help make things more efficient.

In general, open backs are better for mixing and closed backs are better for tracking.

If you're looking into Sennheiser headphones for mixing, the HD600s are your best bet. Momentums can be good for casual listening but definitely not for mixing.

These are exclusively for mixing. I'll focus on the open backs.

Reviews praise the Momentums for their balanced sound. I guess balanced is relative to the purpose.

Thanks!

For mixing you probably would want to go for a semi or fully open ear model to get a more natural low end. Some closed ear ones will have a hyped low end, others will be more subdued though so it will still come down to taste. The open ear ones would also make poor tracking headphones though as they will have sound bleed.

I imagine the Dre headphones would have a hyped low end since their prime market is more music listeners than engineers.


A lot comes from going to the store and listening to them. Headphones from like AKG, Beyerdynamic, Sony, and Fostex are popular studio brands.

Beats headphones are ridiculously high priced though and I think their main purpose is canceling noise rather than providing an even frequency response.

A lot of headphone mixing will come down to learning the headphones than anything else.

I own these:
-Focal Spirit Pro
-Audio Technica ATH-M50
-Beyerdynamic DT-770
-Sony MDR-7506
-AKG K-271 (MKI)

I have to say the athm50's are a little hyped but dollar for dollar the best value for sure. Once you learn them you can definitely work around it. I've only had the Focals for about a month now and am really liking them. Much flatter response across the spectrum and has really good punch in the low end but not hyped.

DT770's are nice and at the time I purchased them they were the best cans i had but i've learned how colored they are. Good for casual listening and very comfortable. The k271 has only been used for tracking here not really something id recommend to mix on but i've never tried it.. The Sonys are pretty flat and also a good value for $100 but just a too bright for my taste.

All this being pretty subjective my vote is athm50s are a good starting point and the Focals would be the next step up. Sen HD600 was the other headphones i was considering before i got the Focals.

I haven't tried them but dream of owning (or at least trying) the Sen HD800. Can't justify $1500 on headphones, not until I hit the ceiling with the Focals which probably wont be for sometime.


No experience with these:
-AKG K-702
-Audio Technica ATH-AD900
-Beyerdynamic DT-880
-Grado SR225
-Grado SR325e
-Sennheiser Momentum Over Ear

Interesting. I've always heard open back headphones were better for referencing mixes, but most folks seem to use closed back.

And I should've been more specific with the AKG 271s. I'm looking at the MKIIs, if that makes a difference.

I'm feeling that video, I'm guessing this is way back in the day, but whatever happened to riff raff?

The SMB-02 by Phonon are supposed to be great.

SMB-02 Headphone | PHONON

ATH-M50 are what I'm currently using, but would like to try the Phonon's next.

KRK's

No Dre, no Guru. Go with Sennh. hd 600 or even hd 25 will do

I think that's generally true. With open backs you get less of that boxy feeling and they are better at placing sounds. I always check an adjust my mix on monitors so I rather have something detailed and neutral for editing and EQ an stuff. Then use monitors to tweak the panning and volume if needed.

At the end of the day it really comes down to preference.

Only reason I would consider getting a pair of beats by dre is because I know a LOT of people are listening to music on them. It would be a good reference set just to know how it playback.

Neither,

Senheiser HD 600 or 650s.

Big fan of dr dre but his headphones suck!!