Best headphones for mixing?

A

arosemond

Member
I hope this is the right place to post this but I was wondering whats the best flattest response headphones. I heard open back is better for mixing than closed back. I would get some studio monitors but thats not feasible because of location and need of room treatment. I'm open to all cost ranges but right now say my budget is around $200
 
Generally the basic advice is to get open headphones for mixing....that's true. But......headphones have come a long way and you don't have monitors yet....so....you might want to invest in some good closed back headphones for current and future use. You don't say if you'll be doing vocals with a mic but you'll need closed backs to do that anyway. Open backs will bleed into the vocal track through the mic. I highly recommend the AKG K371's. I have them. They're excellent for both mixing and tracking and are well in your price range. I advise against the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 or ATH M-40 headphones. Lot's people use them for listening and they'll tell you they're all purpose. For mixing they're not good. If you're going to get open backs my best open back headphones for mixing are my Sennheiser HD600's but they might be a little out of your budget. Well in your budget you might consider the Philips SHP 9600's. They're not perfect but will not be difficult to mix with.

I highly urge you to get good monitors soon. They'll get you on your way.

2 cents worth of......been there.....right there where you are....but it's been a while.

Mick
 
Mickster said:
Generally the basic advice is to get open headphones for mixing....that's true. But......headphones have come a long way and you don't have monitors yet....so....you might want to invest in some good closed back headphones for current and future use. You don't say if you'll be doing vocals with a mic but you'll need closed backs to do that anyway. Open backs will bleed into the vocal track through the mic. I highly recommend the AKG K371's. I have them. They're excellent for both mixing and tracking and are well in your price range. I advise against the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 or ATH M-40 headphones. Lot's people use them for listening and they'll tell you they're all purpose. For mixing they're not good. If you're going to get open backs my best open back headphones for mixing are my Sennheiser HD600's but they might be a little out of your budget. Well in your budget you might consider the Philips SHP 9600's. They're not perfect but will not be difficult to mix with.

I highly urge you to get good monitors soon. They'll get you on your way.

2 cents worth of......been there.....right there where you are....but it's been a while.

Mick
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Thanks I forgot to mention I own closed back already some sony more 7506s
 
Im in the crowd of slapping a Mix-Plugin on the master if using Headphones for mixing too...."crossfeed"
It simulates the reality, our ears when listening to real speakers in a room get both speakers in both ears while not true Mono, it isnt perfectly separated stereo either which is why headphones arent usually as good as real speakers....but with the "crossfeed" plug they try to do that
er...crossfeed thing. DeeSpeaker... I dont know which one of these are the best but I use this one thats free.

dotec-audio.com

DOTEC-AUDIO - DeeSpeaker VST & AU & AAX plug-in

dotec-audio.com
 
The best is rarely free. The real issue with headphones is that it's like mixing on hifi speakers. They're designed to make average mixes sound better than they are. Open back have the best reputation if you really must mix on headphones - but they also have a habit of making your mixes distinctly less good on systems with speakers. There's a bit about crossed in Sound on Sound this month I think - talking about stereo. I appreciate sometimes you have to, but any mix I do on headphones is never as good as my speakers!
 
yeah I agree its a "2nd choice" obviously forced, but there are those that have done it and done well...

Home Recording seemed like it used to mean bedroom-recordings on cassette portastudios...
but now the industry seems to have gone "home studio" and all the artists going back to the Beatles started
home recording studios, and its now like a massive milliondollar studios with top line gear in the "home recording studio" and most the larger ones are dead like the dinosaurs with the super-big surviving. The DAW and Plugins and decent lowlabor gear copys changed the game.

so..Im always coming from the home-bedroom, closet, rooms with 8ft ceilings etc...and for that rabbit hole investing a lot $$ in a acoustically tolerable room is probably never going to happen. I did that rabbit hole and its good up to a point. unless you get going like Quonset Hut studios...and start tearing out your celings and walls...wow?

I dont know, the end product arguably worse than my Open Back+ Headphone amp?.... in my case the playback other places (as in a car or earbuds these days) doesnt sound much different....I accept it will be a "demo" version from total-ass to not bad-sometimes.
For me my Beyer 880 pro and the GRace 901 is "true'r" than my small room with bad acoustics and DYNAUDIO BM5's....
maybe in retirement I can change that. ROI?
 
Today.....many....if not most music consumers spend more time using headphones / earbuds than ever listening on speakers of any quality. And...there are certainly some headphones that seem to be designed for the music professional.........for mixing...etc. That said......what does it mean? Should we be mixing on cans if those are the modern day "speakers" of the consumer? Are we spitting in the wind here? Lots of us here on this forum are still from the day of the stereo in the living room.....or any room. Those days are mostly gone. Does this lend credence and serious consideration to mixing and mastering on cans? Just because you can get a set of studio speakers to render a pleasing and commercial mix for many other playback systems....does that really mean it's the only method that works these days and is sacrosanct....no mater how the times and technology change? Yes....no?

I'm not saying......because headphones are so popular....we should be mixing on them. I'm saying........couldn't there be a headphone (or headphones) like the old Yamaha NS10 speakers (they were speakers...not monitors when first designed) that produce excellent results when used to mix or master? Go into any home owned by someone under 40 and try to find the stereo system. If you do....it's likely to be some blue tooth speakers on a counter.....worth less than the headphones they probably have. I've noticed that the current generation is quickly moving away from cheap cans and onto better ones. Are their choices the best......nope...probably not.....but it is their choice for listening.

My 2 cents worth of........what works....works. Nothing is perfect.

Mick
 
I used to use 'flat' headphones, which is typical with most 'mixing' headphones, but people don't listen to music 'flat.' They usually listen with a slight V shape (sometimes more if they like a lot of bass, etc.). In other words, a slight push of bass and treble with the midrange slightly depressed. I sold my studio headphones for the Meze Classic 99s (a company out of Romania if you're not familiar with them). They're about $300 USD. They have a pair that are $3k USD, which are supposed to be amazing (they better be), but I'm not willing to pay that much. In any case, I can mix with those and when I play them through a regular set of speakers or system, I'm able to dial in pretty well, and better than with flat monitoring headphones.
 
Regardless of how people feel about mixing on headphones and that monitors are superior, everyone should at least reference on headphones at some point in the mix.
 
arosemond said:
I hope this is the right place to post this but I was wondering whats the best flattest response headphones. I heard open back is better for mixing than closed back. I would get some studio monitors but thats not feasible because of location and need of room treatment. I'm open to all cost ranges but right now say my budget is around $200
Click to expand...
$200 is a kind of difficult - but none the less - you are going to want to go with OpenBack headphones.

Monolith by Monoprice M570 - not the best but reasonably flat.

Beyerdynamic DT 900 - A transparent sound reproduction across the entire audible frequency spectrum. The bass is remarkably powerful and the mids and highs are defined with precision.

AKG K612 Pro Open-Back Headphones - These headphones deliver across an extended frequency response of 12 Hz to 39,500 Hz. Expect a neutral bass response with transparency in the mid and high ranges. They are my recomendation.

Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x - open and spacious.

Sennheiser HD 599 - These open-back headphones reproduce audio with a natural space and depth.

I don't know if you can try these - but it would help you decision if you could.

​

​

 
I've tried MANY headphones over the years. I still have them all. They all have their pros and cons.....and price is not the defining factor in most cases. I used the Sennheiser HD600's for a long time.....until I was advised to try the AKG371's. I switched to the AKG's and they've really worked out well. Yes...they're not open and yes they're not expensive.......but yes....IMO they're excellent for mixing.

My 2 cents worth of opinion....and advice....based on my experience.

Mick
 
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