Headphones for recording

  • Thread starter Thread starter Spinney Lainey
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Spinney Lainey

Spinney Lainey

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Hi, I'm looking for some suggestions for headphones to use for recording. They need to have quite a long cable, so I can have flexibility about whereabouts in my room I want to record and can move around, they should also be good at isolating the sound, so none of it leaks into the recording. My husband will also want to use them for DJing, so would be great if they can be used for this purpose, too.
 
These are just for tracking? What's your budget? You can get anything from $15 Chinese Sony clones to $200 Sennheisers and many people wouldn't be able to tell the difference in sound. Get a set that have an adjustable band (many cheap ones are '1 size fits all').
 
Yes, they are just for tracking but it would be good if I could also use them for producing, if I need to and my husband would like to use them for DJing. I don't want to spend any more than about £80. Do you think flat response headphones will also be suitable for DJing?
 
I have HD280s (£100) and HD201s (£10).
The HD280s have nicer bass and much better isolation but the coiled cable constantly pisses me off.
THe HD201s have a non coiled super long cable which is great but the isolation isn't amazing and their not as clear sounding to me.

I use the 201s for tracking and the 280s for long term comfort wear. Maybe late night editing etc?
I feel I can mix pretty well on the 280s but monitors are always the final stop.
 
One suggestion, perhaps obvious:

Many music stores have display units out where you can put them on and listen to music, so you can see how you like the feel and the sound. Both are somewhat personal, as both are affected by the shape of your head, as well as more vaguely defined characteristics like how you perceive different frequency "bumps," tolerance for weight strapped to your head, etc.

I've used the Audio-Technica ATHM40 for years and years, and they would seem to fit your criteria: the cord is pretty long (and straight), they're a closed-ear design and I guess they're in your price range. There's a newer model now on "top" of them, but since I already have headphones I like, I haven't bothered to try them out. I'm not sure, but they might slide a bit out of your price range anyway.

More general thoughts:
- On the cord-length: most headphones intended for "studio" use have pretty long cords. You can, of course, simply plug in an extension cable without much difficulty.
- Pretty much any fully closed-ear design should provide sufficient isolation for recording, unless you monitor at unhealthily high volumes or are recording a voice or instrument that's very quiet. There are some models with extra isolation, though they're more intended for special situation, I think, like drummers who are more worried about keeping outside sounds out of their ears (i.e. their drums), rather than the other way 'round.
- I don't know anything about DJing, or how its requirements differ. I suppose if it's a loud enough club, you might need drummer-style isolation just to hear the next song well enough to cue it ... though if you're DJing in such a place, you've thrown in the towel on your hearing and can just crank the headphones to the max and go deaf. My ill-informed eye suggests that dramatic color-schemes, strangely "retro" designs and an association with a name hip-hop artists may also be factors in the DJ world.
 
Thanks for your input. In the end, I've gone for the Audio Technica ATH M50 :)
 
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