Headphone questions

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tappmusic

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These are a few questions I have about studio headphones:

1. Do higher ohms regarding impedance translate to higher quality sound?

2. For studio monitoring, is higher sensitivity better?

3. Is it harder to find good "closed" headphones that still maintain a natural, clear and accurate representation of your music?

4. Do semi-open or supra-aurial heaphones leak too much sound for using them for vocalist recordings?

Thanks!
 
Headphones

I will chime in here and suggest the Etymotics Er-4 in ear buds..I dont know if that is a viable option for you...but these are without question the best phones I have ever used, absolutely the best isolation, best quality throughout the frequency ranges..just winners all around. They are 200 bucks and destroy my 600 dollar Sennheisers and 7506s.

Teddy


tappmusic said:
These are a few questions I have about studio headphones:

1. Do higher ohms regarding impedance translate to higher quality sound?

2. For studio monitoring, is higher sensitivity better?

3. Is it harder to find good "closed" headphones that still maintain a natural, clear and accurate representation of your music?

4. Do semi-open or supra-aurial heaphones leak too much sound for using them for vocalist recordings?

Thanks!
 
tappmusic said:
These are a few questions I have about studio headphones:

1. Do higher ohms regarding impedance translate to higher quality sound?
No, they are simply different loads for various amplifiers.

2. For studio monitoring, is higher sensitivity better?
Not always.

3. Is it harder to find good "closed" headphones that still maintain a natural, clear and accurate representation of your music?
Yes, accurate closed headphones are hard to make (and very expensive, compared to their open air cousins).

4. Do semi-open or supra-aurial heaphones leak too much sound for using them for vocalist recordings?
Yes, they aren't a good idea for most singers.
 
Although you've gotten great advice so far, i'll chip in a little.

First of all, for all questions about headphones, see headfi.com,
a forum dedicated to headphones. Tons of information, lots of reviews,
for sale forums, knowledgeable DIY'ers who build audiophile grade gear at a fraction of cost of high-end commercial products, guides to make this gear etc. Checking out the forum will answer your headphone questions, and also save you a lot of money. There should be a sticky thread on headphones that mentions headfi.com.

The Etymotic er4 that Teddy recommended have a great level of detail and isolation. They come in 3 versions, though - p, s and b. P has very low impedance, and therefore (partly) easy to drive. S has higher impedance, and would benefit greatly from a dedicated amp. Slightly better sound quality than P. You could also buy the P version and an additional p/s converter cable, to have more flexibility. B is for binaural recordings, and is not really suited for hifi or monitoring. The er4 are rolled off above 16khz, and a bit on the bright side.

For monitoring if leakage is not a problem, try the Akg K340. They are discontinued but show up on ebay from time to time for ca. $150. The imaging is really great for headphones, and have lots of detail.
They are very hard to drive and need a dedicated amp.

If you just won the lottery, try to find a pair of Sennheiser he60.
It will cost about $1000. The detail is just absurd. Everything is there.

For singers, the etymotics are an option, however some people find the fitting very cumbersome and sometimes even painful. Shure makes some similar products in their e2-e5 line. Sennheiser HD280 are closed full-size cans that are usable, but sound quite dead.

Avoid Grado's reference series. Grado phones are foreward, warm, on the bright side. Very musical and intimate especially the sr325i. But nowhere close to flat or reference. Avoid Grado's reference amp. The $400 price tag will get you $0.30 worth of opamp and a few dollar other parts. And a very, very coloured sound.

Anyway, check out headfi.com.
 
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