Listening setup

E

enricoguitar

New member
Hello everyone, my name’s Enrico and I play the guitar.
I would like to ask you guys what is the “best” setup for music listening. I was thinking about very good headphones, but if I plug them into my “no-recording-studio PC speakers output” I’m afraid it would result rather bad.
Thanks!
 
enricoguitar said:
Hello everyone, my name’s Enrico and I play the guitar.
I would like to ask you guys what is the “best” setup for music listening. I was thinking about very good headphones, but if I plug them into my “no-recording-studio PC speakers output” I’m afraid it would result rather bad.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Hi Enrico and welcome. Not entirely sure what you aim to do long term? Record the guitar? Assuming you just want to listen to other music then yes, headphones can be very good but they do not give you the stereo effect of a good recording which would have been made ON monitor speakers and intended for speaker listening.

As far as driving headphones is concerned. I have a pair of AKG K92s and driven from the phones output of this HP g6 i3 laptop they sound very good and there is plenty of level even though I am pretty deaf!

Better results would come from an Audio Interface which connects to the PC via USB and would allow recording as well. But! AIs and such is a very big subject and if you want exceptional sound quality both headphones and AI will set you back many 100s of $$s.

Moving on to quality loudspeakers and you START at $500 a pair.

Dave.
 
Listening and monitoring for mixing are 2 very different things, but have a similar need - clear smooth sound that does not fatigue the ears. 'Home audio' often has enhanced bass and treble response in order to make it sound good at low levels - a flat EQ tends to lose a lot of low end and hi end sound at low levels.
So tell us what you're trying to do.
 
mjbphotos said:
Listening and monitoring for mixing are 2 very different things, but have a similar need - clear smooth sound that does not fatigue the ears. 'Home audio' often has enhanced bass and treble response in order to make it sound good at low levels - a flat EQ tends to lose a lot of low end and hi end sound at low levels.
So tell us what you're trying to do.
Click to expand...

You know Mike, this "Home Audio sweetening" must be an American thing? I have been interested in audio and hi fi for high on 60 years and none of the well known speaker manufacturers even made "niced up" speakers. Even the budget end of the Keffs, Goodmans etc has a flat response. There was a sub shoe box sized Goodmans that was very sought after because it was cheap but accurate and gave first class speech repro.

There was of course the totally illogical dalliance with "Loudness" controls around the '80s but they WERE defeatable!

Dave.
 
Thanks for your answers!
I really love listening to good quality (in terms of production) music and, obviously, I also like recording (mainly electric guitar) which I usually do via Line 6 POD XT LIVE plugged in through USB.
I didn't want to over-question you guys, so I started easy. I would like to:

1- Listen to music on a new, more professional level, for the first time. What's the best plan I can attempt at home, considering it is a hobby and I don't have a professional studio?

2- For tracking guitar I usually plug AKG K90 headphones in my pc speaker's headphones out, and then I mix with pc speakers (not good, I know). My AKG's are starting to break and I was considering buying something new, more accurate. Do I need closed back headphones to track a plugged guitar? Or should I use open back that can also serve the purpose of listening/mixing?
The AI ecc83 is talking about could be the Line 6 POD?

Thanks
 
enricoguitar said:
Thanks for your answers!
I really love listening to good quality (in terms of production) music and, obviously, I also like recording (mainly electric guitar) which I usually do via Line 6 POD XT LIVE plugged in through USB.
I didn't want to over-question you guys, so I started easy. I would like to:

1- Listen to music on a new, more professional level, for the first time. What's the best plan I can attempt at home, considering it is a hobby and I don't have a professional studio?

2- For tracking guitar I usually plug AKG K90 headphones in my pc speaker's headphones out, and then I mix with pc speakers (not good, I know). My AKG's are starting to break and I was considering buying something new, more accurate. Do I need closed back headphones to track a plugged guitar? Or should I use open back that can also serve the purpose of listening/mixing?
The AI ecc83 is talking about could be the Line 6 POD?

Thanks
Click to expand...

The Pod will work but is far from ideal. You really need to take a step back and consider what you REALLY want to do NOW. What you think you might want to do a year from now and the level of quality you seek to achieve. You play electric guitar, any acoustic? Do you have a guitar amplifier? Might you want to record yours or another's voice? Is there the possibility of a keyboard, i.e.synth?

These questions will determine the kind of interface you might need. If voice/amp are in the pot, you will need microphones and of course mic inputs on the AI (almost all do) . If other instruments or people could be involved you might need more than the basic 2 in 2 out device. If synths are possible, find out about MIDI.

For headphones I would suggest closed back types for now since they can be used when recording with an open mic. They are not as "hi fi" as the open backs but maybe defer that purchase until you know more and have saved for something really good?

So, check the stickies, and plough back through the newb section (but get around other places). Do NOT worry about asking lots of questions..'swat we here for!

Dave.
 
For listening to electric guitar (as you are playing/recording) I have found that DIing and listening on monitors is the least satisfying. Monitors are fine for mixing, but the lack of guitar-amp-speaker response/feedback like I get when using an amp has me only using DI as an additional input for possible editing purposes when also recording an amp with a mic.
You should also consider that if you buy some 'studio monitors' (I use the term loosely, as many feel that anything under $1000 doesn't really count) your room's inherent acoustics come into play, which is why acoustic treatment is recommended for a room that will also serve as a mixing room.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top