Dissapointing headphones

[Jaticus]

Hi all,

I got a pair ProSound circumaural headphones for christmas. I opened them and jumped for joy, finally a good pair of headphones i can use for recording, monitoring and mixing. I dont have any good monitor speakers and cant afford them, and up until now iv been using a pair of normal Panasonic ear phones for every, which are actually really good! But none the less i want a pair of big circumaurals, really good quality because the Panasonics are getting old i trust them less and less these days. The big tradgedy is that the cheapo Panasonic ear phones are better than the big studio ProSound headphones! The sound is weak, not rounded and lacking in bass. So what im asking is, can anyone recommend me a good pair of headphones that i can rely on for good fidelity of sound to use in mixing? Can anyone save my christmas?!?!?!?!

[2000ContourSVT]

Not sure if they are in your budget or not but maybe some Sennheiser HD280's. I've seen them recommended many times and I actually have a pair coming for Christmas so hopefully they're good.

[antichef]

With the caveat that you can't really do good mixes with headphones (at least I can't - I can't even come close) - the HD280s are great cans in my book. They're closed and good at isolation, so they're good for tracking, especially. I pick at my mixes (especially punch-ins and stuff) with them.

[Harvey Gerst]

The Equation Audio 3070 phones are pretty good (and cheap):

http://www.frontendaudio.com/Equatio...9999-02538.htm

The Sennheiser HD201's, or HD202's will also work well in the low price range.

[Massive Master]

Grado SR225's -- $200 'street' price. Amazingly decent sound.

Of course, mixing with them is hit-or-miss on even the best days - as with any headphones.

[Jaticus]

This may be the stupidest question in the world but why is it unadvisable to mix with headphones?

[Harvey Gerst]

Originally Posted by Jaticus

This may be the stupidest question in the world but why is it unadvisable to mix with headphones?

Simple Answer:
Most people listen to speakers. The sound is mixed in the air and you hear some of both the left and right speakers. Headphones don't give you that "mixed in the air sound". It's much harder to hear accurately with headphones; you usually wind up with too much vocal, not enough reverb, and the bass will sound bloated when you switch to speakers.

That's not to say it can't be done, it's just a lot more difficult. For most people, it takes months (and possibly years) to learn how to compensate for headphones. If you plan on mixing strictly for iPod/mp3 player listening, go for it. Just don't expect it to sound good on speakers.