Which headphones ?

[wuzzo]

Hello,
Can somebody please recommend headphones at around 100 British pounds, please ? I have the basics of a home studio with an Emu 1820m and a Roland Quad-Capture, both with 1/4 " jack sockets. My monitors are Fostex 4".

 

[Seidy]

sony mdr-7506

 

[Stella Monkey]

For a little bit extra you could go for Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - I think I paid £125 offav Ebay - very pleased with mine.

 

[Stella Monkey]

sorry, wasn't ebay it was iheadphones.co.uk .... came next day no problems

 

[wuzzo]

Thanks very much for those recommendations. I see that both have a 3.5mm jack though. Doesn't fitting a 1/4" adaptor increase the possibility of noise ?

 

[Stella Monkey]

no problems with mine - a gold plated adaptor is supplied wioth phones

 

[kentheriot]

Hi Wuzzo,

I use the 1820m too! Love it. I have been using my Senheiser HD 280 Pro headphones for years. Love those too. Should work fine for your setup.

Hope that helps.

Ken

 

[dustgazer]

For a little bit extra you could go for Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - I think I paid £125 offav Ebay - very pleased with mine.

2nd this. You may be able to find the ATH-M40 for even less, and they are very good, too.

 

[guitaristic]

Sennheiser HD 280 Pro gets a TON of love from people.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Pretty much all real headphones these days come with a 3/8" connector and a 1/4" adapter. No worries. I second what's been said above. I use Sennheiser HD280 for tracking, because the attenuation is really good (damned little bleed). I use Audio-Technica ATH-M50 for longer term listening. The attenuation is good, although *not* as good as the 280's, but they are more comfortable if you have to wear them for 4 hours. Both sound good. Decide what your priorities are- neither one will let you down.-Richie

 

[Seidy]

I use Sennheiser HD280 for tracking, because the attenuation is really good (damned little bleed)... ...but they are more comfortable if you have to wear them for 4 hours.

I like also 280 for tracking, but trying to figure out whats going on with the sound is pretty useless - in my opinion they are a bit boomy and scooped. Well maybe I'm just used to with 7506

 

[wuzzo]

Thank you for all your suggestions and information. One last question, please. The headphone output impedance on my Emu 1820m is rated at 20 0hms. Would using headphones rated at 55 Ohms cause problems ?

 

[Seidy]

no, although you might get too quiet signal with some headphones if you are not using a headphone amp.

 

[wuzzo]

Thanks. Armed with that info. I bought the AKG K271 MKII Circumaural Studio Headphones.

AKG K-271 MKII Studio - stereo closed back dynamic headphones, circumaural design, 55ohms rated impedance, 200mW maximum input power, frequency range: 16Hz-28kHz, 104dB/V sensitivity, self-adjusting headband and auto-shut-off feature, single side jack, Includes 3mtr cable with 3.5mm stereo mini-jack plug, 5mtr coiled cable with 3.5mm stereo mini-jack plug, 1 pair of velvet pads and gold plated 1/8" to 1/4" screw-on adapter, Weight: 240g (without cable)

The decider was the detachable cord. It comes with a straight version, which I like, and the solid connector locks into the ' phones so it can't fall out.
I also bought a four-way Millennium headphone amp with a view to greater things to come
Thanks for all your advice and have a merry christmas.

 

[wuzzo]

You know what- they don't sound as good as my existing AKG K 44s ( £25.00 ) Good- but not as good.

 

[guitaristic]

You know what- they don't sound as good as my existing AKG K 44s ( £25.00 ) Good- but not as good.

Is this "they don't sound good" as in they aren't good for mixing because you don't think they present a rather flat balance of everything or simply "they don't sound good" period?

 

[wuzzo]

Well, I'm using them for listening to John McGlaughlin at present ( Industrial Zen ) The cheaper 'phones send a shiver up my neck when the acoustic bass player leaves his body ( short circuit somewhere ? ) The pricey AKGs iron it all a tad flat. No real worries though. I'll just use the cheopos for transcendental purposes and mix with the others.

It's handy having a four channel ' phone amp. though. I can flip between each.

 

[guitaristic]

Well, I'm using them for listening to John McGlaughlin at present ( Industrial Zen ) The cheaper 'phones send a shiver up my neck when the acoustic bass player leaves his body ( short circuit somewhere ? ) The pricey AKGs iron it all a tad flat. No real worries though. I'll just use the cheopos for transcendental purposes and mix with the others.

It's handy having a four channel ' phone amp. though. I can flip between each.

I know what you mean about the "iron it flat" part! I recently got a pair of Sennheiser HD 380 cans and I thought they were pretty dead-ish flat at first too! But after a few weeks of using them, they sound a lot better now. Still flattish, but in a good way Maybe you just need to work them in some more! Some stuff takes a while to get adjusted, I guess.

 

[wuzzo]

Yes, I guess it's like guitars- you need a whole bunch.

 

[John Willett]

I like also 280 for tracking, but trying to figure out whats going on with the sound is pretty useless - in my opinion they are a bit boomy and scooped. Well maybe I'm just used to with 7506

That's why I like the HD 25-1 - they are great for listening to detail and were designed from the ground up as professional monitoring headphones and not for hi-fi use.