Headphones . . .?

[foo]

Want to use them for playing around at 3 AM, but also for a singer to use for recording.

So, great sound, no bleed into the mic, but also really comfortable to wear.

My other gear is high-end consumer stuff - AT 4033, Mona, Yamaha Motif etc. and I would like comparable quality/price.

Any recommendations?

foo

[Phyl]

I got a pair of AKG K240 headphones and really like them for tracking, they seemed a lot flatter than other models I tried out, no hyped mids or bass.

There are a few different 240 models and I think some of them have a different impedance than others which makes them louder. This can be an important factor if tracking a rather loud source like a mic'ed guitar cabinet.

Price point is around $90-100.

[Badger]

Etymotic ER-6's.....Sound unbelievable. 129 bucks, and they double as hearing protection.

[rushfan33]

I love my Sony 7506's. They are great for "seeing" where everything is in the mix. They are a little misleading in the bass area though. They are a little pricy but IMO worth it. One thing I don't like about them is the phone like cord tangles every time you use them.

RF

[sjjohnston]

The two sort of "standard" recommendations are probably the Sony 7506 and the AKT 240. The AKG is not sealed, though.

Myself, I prefer the Audio-Technica ATH-M40. The Sonys have a hyped upper midrange, at least to my ears.

What works for a particular user is a pretty personal thing. Fortunately, they're pretty easy to try out. Find a store with a listening station and see what you think.

[The Green Hornet]

YO FOO: [Were you ever a FOO Fighter?] (Bet only the old guys out there know what a foo fighter was supposed to be?)[GALS TOO]

Try the Beyer cans. I do have to admit they are a bit tight on the noggin; however, they offer a great sound and are closed; thus, no bleeding into the mic.

But, I'm sure all of the others mentioned above are good stuff too. Buy them ALL.

Green Hornet

[pipelineaudio]

on a technical note Be REAL REAL careful about any AKG headphones. They sound great but many times use silver or aluminum solder, between the transducer and the cable.

Doesnt sound like a big deal, until you have to try and solder them back. If you get AKG stuff, see if you can find aluminum solder, that your iron is capable of melting, just in case.

[Lt. Bob]

For the very best, flattest sound...........Sennheiser 600s and the 580s are almost the same exact 'phones and you can get them for about $150. If you have to have sealed-back 'phones.........the 280s are awfully good.

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Lt. Bob:

Haven't you EVER seen a FOO fighter?


I have.

Kind of awesome.

Green Hornet

PS I know nobody will believe me except Mulder.

[foo]

Went to my local store and tried out what they had, including the AKG 240 and the Sony 7506.

Bought the AKG's.

At first, I liked th eSony's better, but after a while the bass response became too overbearing - plus they were significantly louder - which meant the noise was louder too. It was weird - a digital board, a Radiohead CD and what sounded like tape hiss!

No problem with the AKGs though, and they were more comfotable, too.


Pipeline - as they're only going to be used in my studio (2nd bedroom ) I'm hoping for not too many repairs in the future. I think if they were in a pro studio that would be a consideration.

Thanks to all for your input.

(and what is a foo fighter, y'all?)

foo

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Foo:

A "Foo Fighter" was the term used by pilots in the 50's 60's to describe a UFO.

Lots of flying saucers around since then.

Ever see on out there in California?

Green Hornet

[foo]

Of course I've seen one!

It's part of the Southern California thing, dude!

I remember it very clearly - it was up in the sky, coming in to land and then . . . and then . . .

and then it was two days later and I was really tired and I had this incredible suntan and what appears to be a chip implanted in my forearm.

It's very weird - and very California, dude.

Next up - Roswell on $5 a day!

foo

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Foo:

Sure do dig your creative genius in relating your encounter with a Foo Fighter.

Two dudes I've heard of who fly about in one are: Frikon and Ramu; however, they are probably old and retired by now.

Loved every trip I took to California. It's a great place when the ground isn't shaking.

Enjoy,
Green Hornet

[Sennheiser]

Funny that all of these headphone topics keep popping up on the day the left channel goes out on my 17 year old Fostex T-20's.

Could this be a message from beyond?

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Senn:

FRIKON = RIGHT EAR PHONE

RAMU = LEFT EAR PHONE

Klingon interference maybe.

Green Hornet

[StevenLindsey]

The 7506s sound very good and they cut a lot of external noise ( for recording with mics ) but they hurt my head after a while. Not very comfortable. But it may just be my malproportioned head. I would like to try the Sennheiser 280s.

[Lt. Bob]

I haven't tried the 280s but I have two pair of 580s. They were a class B recommended component in Stereophile and they sound awesome. Very flat and detailed and extremely comfortable for long periods. I have read very positive reviews on the 280s and they are supposed to be nearly as comfortable as the 580s. As mentioned earlier, the 580s have been replaced by the 600s and so you can get the 580s for fairly cheap. And I believe you can get the 280s for about $100.

[B.SABBATH]

Originally posted by Lt. Bob
And I believe you can get the 280s for about $100.

WOW!! I was just lurking around and I saw your name as the last reply in this forum.. I check the thread and bam! Your talking about the headphones that I bought yesterday (Sunday) at GC! I paid $100.. I didnt hear anything about them before I bought them, I just took a chance.. I only listened to them briefly so far, but they aren't that comfortable.. The padding seems kinda hard.. Maybe I have to get used to them, but so far I don't like the feel.. They sound nice and flat though so hopefully my head will grow into them.. I have a pair of Sonys, and they are a lot more comfortable, but not as flat sounding... I have 30 days to return them.. If they don't grow on me, I'll probably see what Sony has for the same price..

[Lt. Bob]

Yeah...............I doubt anything is as comfortable as the 580s. Like I said, I haven't tried the 280s so I don't know about them. I really, really recommend the 580s or 600s BUT they are open-air and I know a lot of ya'll hate the slight bleedthrough you'll get into a vocal mic. It hasn't ever been a problem for me but I can see how some might object.

[crawdad]

i use the Optimus Nova 71's and they are far from great, but they do the job for about 15 bucks a set. They way I go through them, they are a good deal!

I've wanted to get a reference set but I've held off so far. Maybe these sennheisers are the ticket.

My reasoning is that you can't mix on headphones, so I just use them for tracking. Whatever.

[Lt. Bob]

You can mix with the 580s or 600s. That's the whole reason I bought them. But you also have to have a good headphone amp. I have a Headroom amp. It's audiophile quality with a circuit in it that makes the headphones sound more like listening to speakers instead of that 'blob in your head' sound you usually get with headphones.

I guarantee you that the 580s or 600s are flatter than any of the monitors most of us use. But most headphone outs in our board and stereo are cheap op-amps that were an afterthought. The thinking is along the lines of "Hey, it's just headphones." And most of the little home studio headphone amps I see are equally horrible. I was turned onto the 580s and the Headroom line of amp from reading Stereophile and as out of control as they can get with their $700 speaker cables.....they do have 'golden ears' and when they recommend something....it usually sounds very good; just usually unaffordable. But you can get the 580s cheap and Headroom had headphone amps from $100 to around $4500.
They have a very cool and informative website that you can learn a lot about headphones at. I don't have a link but Headroom should be easy to find. In fact I'll go get it and come back.

[Lt. Bob]

Here it is
http://www.headphone.com/layout.php
It's a very cool site with lots of info and their picks for best sounding headphones from cheap to big bucks. They don't make headphones, just the amps so they have fairly unbiased opinions on the cans. And basically all they do is listen to the things so they have a good ear for it and listen to almost everything whereas we rarely hear more than a couple.

[littledog]

I agree Bob, the 580's are fabulous. I use them for checking mix details all the time. But doing a whole mix on them? Especially when it comes to applying reverb and panning? You must be far more skilled than me.

[Lt. Bob]

More like my wife goes to bed about the time I can get free to do anything so I have no choice. I certainly check the mixes out on my monitors but one of the things the Headroom processor does is make the headphones sound like speakers. So it's the combination of the 'phones and that amp. With the processor engaged my monitors and my 'phones sound extremely close. It's actually hard to tell the difference when you listen to the phones and then switch to the speakers. So when they're that close....what's the difference?

[stonepiano]

I hate to post this after the fact but the input jack on my first pair of 240's has been resoldered twice now. I didn't know about the silver solder (I also was not the one doing the soldering ) but I'm sure I will be learning about it soon if it keeps happening.

I've had the first pair for about two years and bought a second pair for continuity sake. I also think the 7506's are too tight on this noggin.