Which headphones for my interface?

L

limbs

New member
Hi

I just got a Roland duo capture ex interface which has 47 ohms headphone output (other specs).
Now, i am looking for a pair of affordable headphones. But am dramatically confused after some research about which impedance or sensitivity these headphones should have. Ive read about the 1:8 rule? but then others say that sensitivity is equally important?? I just dont know anymore man.

Is it ok to plug 32 ohms headphones into my interface?

thank you!
 
Never heard of any 1:8 rule, any modern headphone or 'in-ear monitor' should be fine. Unfortunately with the fall of most real brick and mortar audiophile stores, there is no real way to listen to many different brands and price points under one roof. Do some online research, read the reviews on the products in the price range that interest you and make your order. Best of luck!
 
limbs said:
Hi

I just got a Roland duo capture ex interface which has 47 ohms headphone output (other specs).
Now, i am looking for a pair of affordable headphones. But am dramatically confused after some research about which impedance or sensitivity these headphones should have. Ive read about the 1:8 rule? but then others say that sensitivity is equally important?? I just dont know anymore man.

Is it ok to plug 32 ohms headphones into my interface?

thank you!
Click to expand...

I'm pretty much a moron when it comes to impedance and such like, but for a good set of headphones for a decent price, try Sennheiser HD 280 Pros. Mine are 64 ohms. $99 at Guitar Center. They ARE a bit tight, but they seal out outside noise well and sound great.
 
Sony 7506 is another very traditional studio headphone. I keep a dozen or so different makes/models laying around for various parts of the recording/mixing/mastering process. I use the 7506's in many stages. Great phones esp for under $100.
 
I have 4 sets of headphones. AGK, KRK, JBL and Pioneer. I guess I have slight addiction to headphones!

- JBL Syncros S700.
- KRK KNS 8400.
- AKG 240K Studio.
- Pioneer HDJ-2000 MK2.

The JBL's are my favourite.

They all sound different and is great for getting a mix thats decent sounding over a large variety of different speakers/phones.
 
The 2 most important things to be aware of when purchasing studio headphones.

1. Unless you have a headphone amplifier or an interface with a high output headphone amp, stick with a low impedance headphone with high sensitivity. This will ensure you have adequate power to drive them at a good solid healthy level.

2. Choose a headphone that has as close to flat frequency response that you can find in your budget. Even if you are only using them for tracking, having a flat headphone means that you can make tonal judgement calls (guitar amp EQ for example) without going to another source like monitor speakers etc. which for me is important.

For tracking purposes, I have the Sennheiser HD280 and Shure SRH840. The Shure absolutely blows it out of the water. The Shure SRH840 sounds that good that you could just order them online without hearing them and be confident in your purchase. Now, they are heavy and a bit bulky, but for the money they sound incredible.

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD650 (open back - no good for tracking) which are more than double the price of the Shure, but the Shure's tone is just as good.
 
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I haven't heard of a rule called 1:8 rule, the thing you should be concerned about is the quality of the headphone. If the sound quality and noise cancellation ability of the headphone is top class then there won't be any trouble. Also for mixing it is better to use headphones that does not leak sound. I have a pair of Audeze LCD3 and I am very happy it's sound quality. This video may help you understand how to choose a good headphone, https://youtu.be/pK23WHQd0Eo do find time to watch this.
 
bulldozer1984 said:
For tracking purposes, I have the Sennheiser HD280 and Shure SRH840. The Shure absolutely blows it out of the water.
Click to expand...

I have the Senn's HD280 as well...I am, however, using it for both tracking and mixing. Of course, I can get it sounding great in the phones, but it doesn't translate well to other systems without going back and forth a ton of times. Tiring actually. I'm strongly considering using monitors very soon. BullDozer, have you used the 280's for mixing at all? I'm just wondering what others with those phones think of them for that purpose...how it might affect your mix, those specific phones.
 
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