Help selecting new headphones

[Barry79]

Hi everyone,

I play guitar and sing and wish to buy a suitable pair of headphones. I need the headphones to hear other tracks while playing and singing along and while positioning my mic.

My ears are sensitive so I'd like a pair that aren't harsh to listen to. I'll be plugging them into my Firebox (150 mW/CH @ 60 Ohm Load).

I've seen two pairs which I think will do what I want -

SENNHEISER HD-280 PRO
AKG K240S (only a few left)

Both for €100.

I'm edging towards the K240S, but will they serve my purposes and work with my Firebox?

Thanks very much for your help!

Barry

 

[suprstar]

Those are exactly the 2 sets I was gonna recommend! I love my K240's to death, so much I got a 2nd set.. I've worn em for hours.

To be fair, I've never owned or even heard the HD280's, but with the amount of rave reviews they get from everyone, they have to be pretty good. I believe them to be on par with the K240's.

 

[jeffree]

Barry, I'd suggest running a search here. You'll find a couple of recent, long threads that cover your question. Good luck. BTW, I like my Senn 280s for tracking, but my ATH-M50s rule for more critical listening.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Well you pays your money and makes your choice. The AKG's are more comfortable, and the Sennheisers produce better isolation. If you are going to wear them for hours, I would choose AKG's or Sony's. If your primary use is tracking, the Sennheisers are unequaled. You just won't hear them picked up by the mic. Both sound very good, and I doubt your sensitive ears will suffer particularly. The Sennheisers are particularly useful on old deaf drummers, when you really have to crank the cans. Not only do they not create a lot of mic bleed, but they also tend to attenuate the drums so he can hear what he's playing along with.-Richie

 

[bryantx512]

+1 ATH-M50
Great for tracking and referencing for mixes.

 

[Bristol Posse]

+1 ATH-M50
Great for tracking and referencing for mixes.

another +1 from me
A little pricey at $150 ish but great isolation and very comfortable for long tracking sessions.

I wouldn't use any headphone to mix on but these are good enough to reference mixes on for mix translation judgements to A/B against monitor speakers.