Audiophile headphones

[Schmange]

Any suggestions on a top of the line pair of headphones for overall studio use.
Like... what's the absolute best out there?

[Sonixx]

Originally Posted by Schmange

Any suggestions on a top of the line pair of headphones for overall studio use.
Like... what's the absolute best out there?

no such thing as the absolute best...

do you need Open or Closed Back?

need isolation?

regardless, I have a pair of AKG K701 phones that are excellent. very wide imaging and the balance is fantastic.

[timboZ]

Openback I like AKG K240's
Closebacked I like Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs

[punkin]

Originally Posted by timboZ

Openback I like AKG K240's
Closebacked I like Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs

Do tell...the AT's...are they comfy, reasonably durable?

[jeffree]

http://www.headphone.com/products/headphones/

[timboZ]

Originally Posted by punkin

Do tell...the AT's...are they comfy, reasonably durable?

Very comfy and durable. A bit heavy. I don't use them for long periods of time.
The only thing I dont like about them is they only have a 1/4 plug end on them. But that could be a good thing (nobody ever asks to borrow them for an mp3 player)

To me they they sound better than the Sony MDR's and fit my head better.

[Lt. Bob]

open back it's the Sennheiser 650's .... very flat ..... extremely extended lows ..... very transparent non-harsh highs.
UnfortunTtley they're like $450.
But you can still occassionally find 580's which were two models ago and fairly similar for $100. I have two pair of those but I'm really jonesin' for the 650's

[Cosmic]

AKG 271 for studio use; great isolation, sound quality and comfort.
I have had a bad experience with that set of ATs when they showed up for free; they were low-mid-rangey with terrible top end, so out they went.
Never been disappointed in AKG, and I like them better than the top Sonys, which hype things a bit more than I like.

For 'after-recording' critical listening, I too have heard good things about the AKG 701s. If you really want to blow your finances, the Stax series of electrostatic headsets are unbelievable, but definitely just for listening, not tracking.

But short answer for your purpose: AKG 271.

Best,
C

[Somnium7]

Originally Posted by Cosmic

Never been disappointed in AKG, and I like them better than the top Sonys, which hype things a bit more than I like.

C

Not to crap on AKG, I like their products alot but the Sony headphones are really decent IMO. My MDR-7506 cans are really clean and natural sounding to me. I read where many people complain about hype with these but i simply cannot discern where that alleged hype is taking place. Maybe my ears are shot, maybe they just aren't made of glass, I don't know. I don't hear any hyped frequency bands at all. To me it actually sounds like some bands are a tad attenuated. Maybe I lucked out and bought from a manufacturing lot where everything was to spec.

My only complaint with these is that I can only stand to wear them for about 30 mins at a time or my ears sweat.

[Sony-boy]

like a lot of others appear to do here.

One feature of the AKGs (the studio series anyway) that I don't believe anyone has mentioned yet is the REMOVEABLE cord.

Let's face it, when your 'cans' finally go, chances are it's going to be a loose or intermittent connection somewhere in the wiring and it just seems like a nice idea to just be able to quickly and easily replace the old cord WITHOUT sending them in for repair. And headphones are difficult at best to work on - getting them opened, repaired, and resealed in working order and looking halfway decent, is quite a sizeable feat.

The cords of ALL the "S" (studio) series attach to the left can with a mini-XLR connector. You can also get a coiled cord if you prefer. (And sometimes, I'd actually like a shorter cord than the one provided).

This is the feature that really grabbed me when I was looking for new phones after not being able to find anyone to repair my old Koss 2+2s (yes, don't laugh, my sound system includes several vintage quad pieces). After 30 years the things were full of pops and other noises in the volume controls and mode switches (who uses them anyway when you have a headphone amp?) to the point of uselessness. Koss wouldn't even touch 'em. So I gave up and bought AKGs - 3 pairs.

I love both my 240S and my 171S.