I want to get in the habit of producing from scratch and mixing solely on headphones as I am travelling a lot more now and am not just making beats in the basement anymore. (Oh how I miss it)...

Which ones are the full package and give the best most adequate sound for producing and mixing?

These or these?

Young Gurus:

AIAIAI TMA-1 studio headphones engineered by young guru


Or Dr. Dres and if so which Dres:

Wireless Bluetooth Headphones | The New Beats Studio Wireless

Noise Cancelling Headphones | Tune Out the Noise with Beats Pro

Thanks

i wouldn't get either, you're paying extra for the name.

So what are the best for producing and mixing? Preferably ones without wires for comfort reasons, but doesn't rly matter.

damn Dres has headphones?

heh

None of those, garbage!! You want precise, balanced/neutral headphones for mixing. Consider Beyerdynamics' DT series, preferably the 880's.

Well if I had to choose, I'd go with Guru. I've tried both, Guru's are much more balanced. Dre's are basically a kids toy, they hype up the low end like crazy.

Get Quincy Jones' cans, if you want to pay for a name and have some good cans. His are a rebraned set that you will actually see in some studios. (The original labeled ones not the QJ labeled ones. For your purposes the differences are cosmetic) Don't mix on headphones though.

I canNOT stress this enough:

Focal Spirit Pros.

Not even a debate w/o dropping at least $800-&1000 on some other pair- and if you have that scratch: get two pairs!

Read the reviews. If you love that NS-10 "ugly until it's right" philosophy then these are the cans you want.

Point of reference: my previous favs were k240s (at less than $500 range)

I have the option to shoot out several pairs as a good friend of mine is a tad obsessed... He has 8pair and insists on listening to different genres on each....

BeyerDynamic DT770s are pretty solid too...

But again: Nothing out there will be as reliable as the focal pros. (Opinion of course, but I stand by it 100%)

Now for the disclaimer: they are NOT that rugged- so be prepared to baby them.

i would get audio technica ath m50s. you can choose strait or coiled cords. i would recommend the strait.

Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Studio Monitor Headphones with Coiled Cable

Mix with either of those 2 cans and play your mix in the car or on a stereo and the bass will definitely kick... distorted signals.

I actually have a pair of 2 or 3 yr old k240s mebe I should crank em out again.

Damn! I wasn't even in the market but you made me plan a long lunch break to b&h to try them.
edit: they are expensive.

i'd say the audio - technica m50's decent price and they get the job DONE

Absolutely, that's a great tip. You can get those for around 150$.
More than usable for mixing and producing. You really get a lot
for 150$, in terms of accuracy.

Other great headphones, which I get almost comparable results with, but with
a better bass response, are the AKG K 271 MK2. You can get those for around
180$.

There are also other great models from Beyerdynamic, Sony, as well as AKG
which are higher priced.

It really depends on which you are most confident with. There really is
no way around testing for yourself.

If you don't have a chance to do that,

I would buy the Audio - Technica. That's really the best bang for the buck,
and not only that.



Jig

The ATH-M50's sounded great...I loved them. I just hated that the fake leather cracked on the ear pads and they made my ears sweat during long sessions. I switched to the Beyerdynamic DT-770's and I can sleep in them they are so comfy. And sound great too! Not as exaggerated in the low end as the ATH-M50's. Even though those are only slightly exaggerated.

^ This

Wow, I didn't even notice! Mine are like 2 years old and starting to crack ...
I don't find them exaggerated in the low end at all ... compared to my sub at least, they're severely lacking - I usually listen to commercial tracks with the bass at +3db with them

That fake leather **** will be all over you desk, under your fingernails, inside your keyboard and everything. I hate that ****.

Compared to Sennheiser high end or Grados... Quite cheap.

But: I feel ya. Not a casual purchase... But a truly incredible deal compared to comparable products.

Of note: having used each of the products mentioned so far (except the gurus) I can tell you that the Focals "translate" FAR better than any of the others here. Most of these are great cans- but not making reliable critical decisions. Including the K240s (which are still the least fatiguing cans IMO).

If you are mixing in a poor environment, they are lifesavers (once you learn them) Again, the are unforgiving, brutally honest headphones!

No, I believe you.

I actually happen to have the latest SOS (JAN 14), they have the 2nd review I've seen on these, lemme point out one thing that stood out that might be what you allude to.

Unlike some other headphones (def like my Senns) they maintain the 'pure' mids but slightly tilt the 'edges' of the midrange. So from what I can see -honest midrange with an emphasis on the ugly LMF and important HMF, a little pronouncement in those nasty resonant areas. They mentioned some upper head grip un-comfort, but comfort has never been an issue for me personally, I have a small head lol.

350 is a serious investment, but for the reasons you've listed, I am paying attention my man.

If you plan on using headphones for mixing, I highly recommend getting an open back model... I also highly recommend running as far away from Beats headphones as you can. They are ridiculously hyped and won't get you an accurate representation of your mix at all. I've heard good things about Guru's headphones, but haven't tried them myself to give you an honest assessment.

Honestly though, I'm a bit skeptical whenever I see a producer's name attached to gear like this. It just seems like a big marketing ploy to sell more to the masses, rather than deliver a top notch professional product. There are plenty of tried and true pro models out there.

I have the Beyerdynmaic DT770s, which are amazing, but I regret getting the closed backed model. Closed back models are good for recording because there is less bleed, but with mixing, having the back of the speakers covered up can cause low-end build up. This causes some cancelation issues and can make it harder to judge what is going on in the top end of the mix. I suggest the slightly more expensive open-back DT880s or an open back model by Sennheiser.

Sony MDR

Those Guru headphones look generic.

Beats by Dre is a brand name. Brand name products work better than generic ones so go with the Dre headphones. If Dre is using them, shouldn't you be using them too?

The padding on the M050's can be replaced with comfy pads for cheap. There was a thread here somewhere. Mine are all good though.

sony mdr7506 call it a day ... sound good and are pretty rugged... most widely used headphones and u can do a great mix on them...

I have both the Beyerdynamic DT770 and Sony MDR7506's. Both are great headphones. If I'm on an airplane and want to make a beat, I use the Sony's. When I'm at home with my speakers, I use the Beyer's for alternative monitoring.

YES!! if u want to pay for a name, get these. for me it's audio technica and akg all the way. sony mdr aren't bad either. herbie hancock records with them. if they are good enough for him, they are good enough for any of us.

Yea it's too bad a lot of headphones out there, both studio and hi-fi use that type of material by default. One of my studio pairs and a wireless surround sound set that I use for gaming is starting to shed that crap.

Dre is selling them, but you can bet your ass he doesn't use them when it counts.

Ugh

Might as well throw in the
Wu-Tang "Rza 36 Chambers" head phones,
Bob Marleys