The truest Headphones

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Bguzaldo

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Lets hear em, what are the most HONEST headphones you've ever had to check your mixes on?

I usually check my mixes on a nice set of speakers that I have set up in a listening room and also the crappiest headphones I can find (to really put the mix to the test). So now I'm looking for some good reliable headphones to check em on too.

I'm not looking for the BEST headphones, like the bose one because I feel like those color the sound a decent amount.

Thanks guys,
-Barrett
 
One of the more accurate (in the realm of reasonable affordability) I've used are the Grado Prestige SR225's.



Not that they're really any good for mixing with... Yet to find those and expect I never will. But the 225's are definitely in the 'more natural and true to the source' category.
 
Open back are better for mixing on - apparently (would someone care to explain why that's commonly said? :D)

But, if you're just checking mixes, most people will be wearing closed back so check on them. I +1 sennheiser.
 
Thanks for all the help so far guys. And again, Yeah, I'm not looking for headphones to mix with just to reflect on mixes with. I will definitely have to check out these sr225's!

Thanks,
-Barrett
 
The most honest and accurate headphones I have heard are the Sennheiser HD 800.

When I listened to them the sound was exactly the same as it was when I was standing in the recording space setting up the microphones.

I have listened to several of my own recordings before buying them and they were telling me things about my own recordings I had never heard before.

So - my headphone monitoring set-up is the HD 800 via a Grace m902B.


At a lower price the HD 650 and 600 are also good as is the AKG K701 - there are some good Beyer's in there as well.

I would avoid Grado as they tend to have the Grado "sound" - which may be great for music listening at home but I would not use them for critical monitoring. Same goes for Bose.

But don't forget, headphones normally need a good burn-in before sounding their best and, I am told, the AKG needs longer than most.
 
John Willett said:
But don't forget, headphones normally need a good burn-in before sounding their best and, I am told, the AKG needs longer than most.
Click to expand...

That's interesting, I've never heard that before I'll have to take notice next time I get a new set of cans. Thanks for sharing though, I'll definitely look into the 800s!

-Barrett
 
Bguzaldo said:
I'll definitely look into the 800s!
Click to expand...

Make sure you are sitting down when they tell you the price - £1,000 in the UK, $1,400 in the USA - but well worth the money.

They give their best with a good headphone amp. I use the Grace m902B, but the DACS Headmaster and Lehmann Black Cube are also good.
 
beyer dt770 are the best I have found for true and natural mixing pleasure... however, I'm not the kind of guy that spends a grand on a pair of cans. Don't think there's much better out there for under 200 bucks though...
 
I gave the new Shure line of headphones a listen a few weeks ago. I really liked them. There is a pair in my future.
 
The best ones I've got right now are Senn. HD280's. A pair of Grado's would be nice. A pair of Stax would be out of this world. Most work better with a decent headphone preamp to power them to spec.
 
AKG's

While they're discontinued, I'm partial to my AKG K271's. Tried a few others but they really color the sound to much for me. I know there are better ones out there if you're willing to pay the price but I really like these for the budget minded home studio. One man's opinion...
 
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