headphones?

[mboud]

i'm looking to buy some decent headphones for my home set up - trying to keep the neighbors happy.
i am interested in something under $100 and produce primarily electronic music. i've tried going to the local music stores to listen to all the styles available, but the setup they have never seems to play the music at the same volume level and is not adjustable by me. the difference is so great among all the different sets that i'm thinking it can't be the difference in quality. even some of the $200+ sets can barely be heard.
so, for good clean all around sound in a closed-ear design, what are some good ones to look for under $100?

thanks in advance,

mike

[Krakit]

Around $80. You'll thank me for it.

I've had the same pair since 1984 and I've never considered getting any other.

[Krystof01]

I also have the AKG K240's, mine are df's also (diffused field). The funny thing is, I'm wearing them as I write lisetening to music; no problems so far.

They are the best I could find for what I want. They are studio monitor headphones, designed for comfort (hours of wearing), expensive enough (quality) but not over the top. What you may not know is that really expensive headphones will actually hinder your listeening of your own music as they will colour the music (great for listening to your CD's you make though).

[mboud]

thanks to the both of you for your responses.

i'm in a bit of a rush so it looks like i'm heading to the store within the hour to make my purchase.

mike

[Buck62]

It's too bad that you rushed out to get those AKG headphones without listening to a set of Sony MDR-7506 headphones.
My studio has several pairs, and they're pretty much "industry standard".
Simply put, the clarity and response is nothing short of "awesome" for a set of cans that go for only $99.
Use the search function in the upper right corner and check out "all" of the opinions on this subject.
Then, put those AKG's up against the Sony's in a side-by-side comparison.
I've compared them both and prefer the MDR-7506's by far.
I'm not saying to "buy" the Sony's based on "my" recommendation... I just think that they deserve to be equally considered.
You would'nt buy a car without test-driving it first.
So why would you buy a set of cans based ONLY on other peoples opinions?
Compare for yourself. That's the only way to make the decision on what works best for YOU.

[Krakit]

but the AKG K240 was the industry standard when I grew up and I see that the exact same model that I bought almost 20 years ago is still being sold today. Not to mention that I've had the same pair for all that time and I have never had a reason to give them up.

As it would happen, I have tried a pair of the Sonys and I found that they didn't feel very comfortable nor did they block extraneous room noise very well (for me anyway).

I certainly wouldn't want to wear a pair for 8 hours. I also wouldn't be comfortable mixing live with them either.

Again though, that's just me.

[bongolation]

Glad to catch this thread, as I was just coming in to ask the same thing.

OK, so who has the real brother deal on either of these headphones?

I suspect that I want a set that has good isolation as I'll be using them during recording vocals when I wouldn't want them feeding back, etc.

Any thoughts on this quality in the two respective headhpones suggested?

As always, thanks for any help!

[bongolation]

Doing a little digging, I discover that there really isn't any such current animal as the AKG K240. There is the K240M and the K240DF, which is substantially more expensive, around $160.

There is also a lot of user complaints on the K240DF requiring its own headphone amplifier as it takes a lot to run, having an actual impedance of around 600 Ohms, rather than its advertised 200 Ohms.

Not many complaints about the sound that I've found yet except that the bass is less pronounced.

I would probably go for the AKG except for the problem runing them with standard headphone outputs.

[Krakit]

These look like mine, but mine aren't "M".

Click here


I know that mine ARE indeed 600 ohm but I have never noticed the slightest problem plugging it in to everything and anything with a 1/4" phono jack and I've also used an adapter for 1/8" jacks.


I did see a pair at Guitar Center in Carle place but someone snatched it during the big sale last weekend.

[bongolation]

Originally posted by Krakit
These look like mine, but mine aren't "M".

Click here


I know that mine ARE indeed 600 ohm but I have never noticed the slightest problem plugging it in to everything and anything with a 1/4" phono jack and I've also used an adapter for 1/8" jacks.

They of course _work_, but the universal complaint with the K240DF is that they are hard to get volume out of in most applications and that this impedance mismatch may be responsible for the diminished bass.

I've seen no comments about the "M" version, which at about half the street price of the "DF" version, must be a substantially different set o' cans. The K240DF is what the studio/audiophile people with AKGs seem to use and comment on.

[quadgee]

Hello from a long time listener...first time poster.
I had to chime in about the Sony 7506 phones.
I have owned 3 pair of these. I am now down to one working pair. The other two pair had the same exact problem. The left side driver just went bye-bye one day. Of course, this happened after I had them for a year, so I had no recourse.

I'll be looking into the AKGs.

[mboud]

well, thanks for everyone's input. i actually didn't end up buying anything because the people at the store just frustrated me. i tried listening to all the sets they had available. the problems with this... the salesman wouldn't leave me alone, wouldn't listen to me that i wanted to spend less than $100, couldn't tweak the volume settings on anything so i could judge anything equally, blah blah blah, etc. it was completely annoying, so i left, deciding that if i bought anything it would be a while, i'll just have to stop my latenight sessions.

thanks for everything, i'll keep all the info you have given.

mike

[Rubo4]

I just got Beyerdynamic D-150 closed cans. Wow very clear and accurate sound. I compare them to my Alesis monitor ones and it's totally different sound, much more precise. I'm in the Techno/Trance genre, so if you're doing electronic music - go with Beyerdynamic. I got mine from http://www.musicians-gear.com/ for $110 including shipping, but it took one month to receive it from Germany all the way to Canada.

[JimH]

I assume you're going to be tracking vocals since you mentioned that you wanted closed-back headphones. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the K240 has a closed-back version. That's why I bought the Sony MDR-7506s. They're known to be a bit more trebly, but they're fine for me.

Jim

[finetunes]

Check out reviews of both the Sonys and AKG's.
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/Headphone/

[Krakit]

Originally posted by finetunes
Check out reviews of both the Sonys and AKG's.
http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/Headphone/

Thanks for the link, finetunes.

I'm particular partial to Bernies review. Sums up my feelings to a T. On reviewing the Sony MDR 7506 headphones he said:

Weaknesses: boomy bass, highly colored sound
Similar Products Used: AKG 240M, AKG 240DF
Price Paid: $90
Purchased At: Guitar Center
Review Summary: I'm surprised at all the rave reviews here. I am a musician, and the primary use I have for headphones is recording. I want an accurate transparent sound, that reflects what I'm trying to record. After buying and using the 7506s, I assumed they were cheap Sony consumer crap geared towards the average rock listener who likes to crank the bass to ear-damaging levels. I can't believe these are considered regular pro gear.

My pair of AKG 240DFs got a short when I loaned them and their cord got yanked, and I needed a new pair to finish recording some vocal tracks in a hurry, so I went down to the local Guitar Center. They were out of the DFs and my second choice, the AKG 240Ms, so the Sony was the best they had in the $100 range. Man, was I disappointed. These things are WAY boomy (hell, I'm a bass player, fer gawd sakes), and my ears haven't yet been destroyed by high volumes, and I'd like to keep it that way. When I went to record the vocal tracks, all the wonderful prescence of my DFs was gone, and the amped up bass response of these phones made it hard to get an accurate sense of how the vocal was going to sound once recorded and mixed with the other tracks.

My recommendation in the same price range is the AKG 240M (about $90). Not as detailed and a little harsher in the mids than its higher priced cousin, the 240DF, which is the best midpriced headphone I've found for my purposes (about $130 at the time, maybe more now?), but good enough. Both don't have loud bottom ends, but the DF bottom is very clear and detailed. Both AKGs are widely used in the recording industry, and been around for ages. I haven't yet tried the Grados (60 and 125) or the high end Sennheisers (580 and 600).

Perhaps the 7506s are good phones for specific functions, like radio DJs who like to hear more bottom on their voices, or ham radio operators or computer gamers, but I can't recommend them for music listeners who want an accurate detailed transparent sound.

[finetunes]

I read that one. But it was in the minority. I've got the Sony 7506 and I think the bass is fairly accurate.
The reviews vary greatly, almost as if each review was of a different brand of headphone!
I think one can gather that they are both pretty good sets, one ought to audition them before buying. The AkG's are not suitable for portable players, they need a headphone amp and they are fully enclosed so they might not be suitable for tracking. On the other hand, they might give a more accurate stereo presentation, being semi open, so they theorically might be better for mixing.
Bubba

[Krakit]

I've never required any kind of amp with my AKG K240's. I've never tried the DF version and the M appears to be a letter added to my model after the DF's were introduced. Mine are just AKG K240's period.

Still, I have used them since around 1984 (same pair) and never had a problem with them. I've worn them for stretches of 8 hours or more at a time and I don't notice any coloring from them.

Also, the 240's all but completely eliminate all exterior noise which comes in handy when you're mixing a live performance.

I wouldn't wear the Sony's for half an hour because after only about 10 minutes I could see that they were uncomfortable and I heard everything that was going on in the store around me while I auditioned the Sony's.

For those reasons alone I would pass on the Sony's.

Carl

[Krakit]

I've also noticed that those complaining about the AKG's are folks trying to listen to CD players with them. That's not the intended use.

[finetunes]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Krakit
"I've never required any kind of amp with my AKG K240's. I've never tried the DF version and the M appears to be a letter added to my model after the DF's were introduced. Mine are just AKG K240's period."

Maybe the K240's are different from the k240M's.


"Also, the 240's all but completely eliminate all exterior noise which comes in handy when you're mixing a live performance."

Again maybe yours are a different design than then K240M, the Sonys are completely enclosed as opposed to the K240Ms semi open design.

"I wouldn't wear the Sony's for half an hour because after only about 10 minutes I could see that they were uncomfortable . "

Apparently your ear shape isn't Sony compatable. When I got my ears bobbed as a child I never realized how it would pay off. :-)

"I've also noticed that those complaining about the AKG's are folks trying to listen to CD players with them. That's not the intended use"

True, but it does limit ones use of them. Though, when I check a mix I've made, I audition it on all the consumer audio devices I have - car, boom box, and portable CD player.

Bubba

[Krakit]

"I've also noticed that those complaining about the AKG's are folks trying to listen to CD players with them. That's not the intended use"

True, but it does limit ones use of them. Though, when I check a mix I've made, I audition it on all the consumer audio devices I have - car, boom box, and portable CD player.

If you're trying to recreate consumer listening conditions, I wouldn't use studio headphones as a test bed. Try getting $1.50 panasonic headphones from CVS and plug that into the CD player, cause that's what the average consumer is listening through.

[Bobsleigh]

I own a pair of the K240M's (M, i believe, stands for monitor).
The purpose of these headphones is obvoiusly to recreate the sound as close to "neutral" as possible, that's why some people find them kinda light in the bass department. They're meant for studio use, as a second opinion to your regular monitors, or while recording.

Many headphones intended for general listening tend to emphasize bass, coz thats what most people regard ac cool. When the general public try out the headphone in the store, they most likely want it to go "boom" a lot. Sony, most often, goes boom a lot. Boom-people like Sony. Sony's a boomphone.

And yes, the 240s are 600 ohm. That means a portable cd player isn't able to make it run unless it's set to 12, but just about anything with a dedicated headphone jack will. It also means you can play them LOUD.

It's smooth, doesn't make your ears weary, and can stay up there for twelve hours straight.

Get'em.

[steveaustin]

After years of of cheap $20 to $50 headphones I stepped up to a pair of JVC HA-D700 phones.........WOW! Their not a studio standard & may colour but the point is you have spend some money to get quality.
I agree w/ Krakit...


"If you're trying to recreate consumer listening conditions, I wouldn't use studio headphones as a test bed. Try getting $1.50 panasonic headphones from CVS and plug that into the CD player, cause that's what the average consumer is listening through. uality."

I just may go for a pair of AKGs.

[Buck62]

The Sony MDR7506's have an average rating of 4.62 stars in 21 reviews.

5 stars = Superior

Twenty-one seperate "lengthy and detailed" reviews, and everyone agrees that the Sony's are the best you can get for under $100.

By comparison, the 240's average 4.27 stars in 15 "short" reviews.

Read, read, read....

http://www.audioreview.com/reviews/H...uct_5679.shtml

The AKG's are weak on the highs.

But, like I said.... the only way to know for sure is to compare them in a side-by-side test.

This stuff is all subjective.

[getuhgrip]

I agree with Buck on the MDR7506's. At the risk of sounding like an ad... good deep lows and crystal clear highs. Two problems I have with them: They don't lie....what I played is what I hear. Zero forgiveness!
The other bitch has nothing to do with them at all: I play my own drums, and running to the drums after pushin' the REC button has become a tangled pain in the cybmbal stand! So now I'm in search of the same quality in a wireless fashion.