your pick for phones - M40fs, Senn 280, or Sony V600?

[maryslittlesecret]

The subject says it all -- I need new studio cans for tracking and some mixing. Current prices listed below (let me know if you find them cheaper).

ATH-M40fs -- $69.99 at MF
Sony MDR-V600 -- $69.99 at a few sites
Senn 280 Pro -- $74.99 at etronics

So what's your pick? Let me know. Thanks!

J
thirty seconds of shame
http://www.30SoS.com

[mallcore pop]

. . .but just to reiterate:

Sennheiser HD280

Note: do not mix on phones. Okay, do not mix on phones exclusively. Okay, you can mix with HD280's. But only a little.

MP

[MISTERQCUE]

Why no AKG's included in this poll !!??
Senns & Sony's are more than capable with the AKG's('specially the 240's) holding thier own in many top-flite studios.

[maryslittlesecret]

I've heard good things about the AKGs, but I thought they were all 'semi-open' and I was looking for closed back for tracking. If I read that wrong, please let me know.

Looks like the 240S and 240M are closest pricewise at around $89/$99 - are these better than the others I've listed? C'mon, I know you all have opinions on this debate...

J

P.S. mallcore pop, I also use some M1s for monitors (all I could afford at the time)

[M Havlen]

OK I admit it.....I don't have 300 to 1000 $ for studio monitors. So I mix with Senn 280 cans. I guess you couldn't get away with that in a real studio, but for my home studio, It works...

Mark

[LooneyTunez]

Stay away from the Sony V600's! Mega-scoop in the midrange!! The Sony's I'd suggest would be 7506 or V6.

The AT's are okay (pretty flat sounding), Senn's are probably a little brighter, but I'm used to the Sony 7506, and prefer them over your other choices.

[maryslittlesecret]

I thought I saw a thread out here saying that the Sony V6s (now the v600s) were essentially the same as the 7506, just marketed to the home user as opposed to the audiophile. Anyone else remember reading/hearing that?

J

[LooneyTunez]

The V600 is not the same as the V6 (or 7506). I've done A/B comparisons, and they are totally different animals. However, when I A/B'd the V6 and 7506, they appeared to be vitually identical.

[TexRoadkill]

Headphones are weird and can sound very different to everyone based on your ear canal. It's a lot more subjective then monitors. Try them at the store or order a few and return the ones you don't like. I have some HD280's and they do the job. Good isolation for tracking.

[Lambo]

I have found the ATH-M40fs ($69.00 @ 8th Street) to be the best bang for the buck. In the $99.00 price range, the Sony 7506's are hard to beat.

[Blue Bear Sound]

The Audio-Technica's are excellent for drum & bass tracking because they can handle double (sometimes triple) the output level of most other cans.

(They are rated for up to 1.3 watts of power, versus the 300-600 milliwatts of most other brands)

Plus they sound good....


Also - regarding headphone mixing -- here's why it's not a good idea: article

[Jeroleen]

Blue Bear

Are you suggesting that cilia differences do not also effect the way each person hears on monitors, only on headphones. That would not make alot of sense unless the differences are exagerrated by proximity.

This is no endorsement of mixing with headphones however but, it would appear that headphones can be used for most anything except level balancing. As far as imaging goes, couldn't one use phones to make more precise placement and then put the mix up on the monitors to see it it actually works.

All I am getting at is it appears you are saying that headphones can be used in the mix process but not exclusively to generate a mix. Therefore, the never mix on headphones should be a never mix exclusively on heaphones. (I think that is what you are saying).

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally posted by Jeroleen
That would not make alot of sense unless the differences are exagerrated by proximity.

Bingo....

Originally posted by Jeroleen
As far as imaging goes, couldn't one use phones to make more precise placement and then put the mix up on the monitors to see it it actually works.

Yes - but imaging is also exaggerrated due to the high-degree of separation/isolation between each "speaker" (compared to monitors)....

Originally posted by Jeroleen
All I am getting at is it appears you are saying that headphones can be used in the mix process but not exclusively to generate a mix. Therefore, the never mix on headphones should be a never mix exclusively on heaphones. (I think that is what you are saying).

I thought I made that clear in the article.... yes - headphone checks are useful, but IMO, only for double-checking after you've got a mix set-up on monitors!

[Richard Monroe]

I'm a little hearing disabled, so I have to crank the cans quite a bit while tracking. The Sennheisers have been very good to me, and they are very comfortable.-Richie

[SPINSTERWUN]

As it has already been made clear, you should not do ALL of your mixing with "just" headphones.

I am sure that the article Blue Bear composed has made this apparent.

I would use the headphones for minor references. As well as, mixing at home when it is too late at night. Or....., of course, when tracking vocals .

So, I would suggest the Sony's (either the 7506's, V6's, V600's, or the V900's).

[SPINSTERWUN]

Originally posted by Blue Bear Sound
....Also - regarding headphone mixing -- here's why it's not a good idea: article

BTW, Bruce. Great article!

spin

[jeffree]

Just to add that I'm glad to see the Senn 280s receiving some praise here. I purchased all three of the phones listed and tried them in my home studio before deciding what to keep; for me, the Senns were clearly the strongest contenders for home-studio reference cans:

*Clear, balanced sound, with extended bass that I can feel in my gut and highs that breathe

*Excellent isolation so that the outside world all but disappears

*Comfortable yet very snug fit, prefect for the home musician who
shuffles back and forth while recording

And all for about $80 online. I'm sure other phones that I didn't try, especially those costing much more, are as good or better in some ways... but I can't imagine how, actually. These phones have been one of my most satisfying purchases during the last two years of outfitting my home studio. Highly Recommended.

Best,
J.

[StevenLindsey]

I prefer the Sony 7506s to the 280s. Sound clearer to me and the 280s feel like truck tires on the sides of my head. However, I have heard some detail ( like reverb ) in the 280s that I didn't pick up in the Sony's. I guess each has a use.

[StevenLindsey]

I prefer the Sony 7506s to the 280s. Sound clearer to me and the 280s feel like truck tires on the sides of my head. However, I have heard some detail ( like reverb ) in the 280s that I didn't pick up in the Sony's. I guess each has a use.

[Speeddemon]

I mainly chose the AT's, because I hate the other two.

Seriously, maybe they were faulty ("no no, ghys name is Faaaawwwllty" ), but the 280's sounded very nasal to me, with almost no low-end. They DID however do an excellent job at keeping outside noise to a minimum. But the Beyerdynamics DT770 Pro's have the same level of damping, and they sound waaaaaay better (although the low-end might be a tad too much).

Sony's were harsh and scooped to my ears.

[jeffree]

Speeddemon, I hear you. My first pair of Senn 280s were exactly the same way, and I couldn't figure out why I'd read so many great reviews of them. "Nasal" is a good word choice. I decided to order another pair--along with the Sonys and ATs mentioned--to experiement a bit more at home. I took the time to break the second pair in for 24+ hours, as mentioned by nearly every reviewer, and damned if they didn't sound great compared to the first pair as well as to the other two brands. Maybe there's a quality control problem at Senn, but I know that my second pair of Senns will not leave my studio.

J.

[DigitalSmigital]

I like the Sony, but I prefer Sony's MDR-7506 for my head.

[KEVIN1600]

I love my 280's but sometimes they do feel like truck tires!

[conwaylemmon]

i don't know about the others, but i use the 280's and i love 'em. good even sound at all volumes. comfortable. no leakage and good isolation. they fold up nicely too. very sturdy

[turnitdown]

I like the ATm40fs....

People say they are too flat... Huh???
I use them in the studio late at night, when I have to keep noise down, and I find them to be pretty accurate...

Sure my AKG's and Sony's sound "prettier", but for mixing through phones, the AT's are way more accurate. Only minor tweaking needed whe I listen through my Event monitors...

If accuracy/flatness are your main concern, the ATs win...

If listening to music is your main concern, I like the Sony 7506, with the hyped highs, and enhanced lows....

All depends on the purpose of the phones...