Which headphones / earphones should I get?

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BrazosPiano

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I am setting up home recording for my grand piano / vocals. I recently bought an acoustic guitar too but don't know how to play this yet... maybe in 1-2 years I will record some with this too.

I was considering buying some earphones or over-ear headphones to go with my set up. I have Zoom R16 and 3 decent mics (two for piano, one for vocals) and Logic Express.

I want to sound isolate myself while recording primarily to hear exactly what the vocals sound like as I sing....

I Considered something as crazy as splurging for UE 4 pro custom for around $400, then thought this is too expensive and perhaps I should get some universal fit earphones for ~$100 (Klipsch S4, UE 220, Bose, others?), or should I get over the ear headphones and which ones and how much $$ to get some decent ones (dunno which ones here.... Sony MDR 7506, AKG K240, Sennheiser HD280?).

I bought some inexpensive ATH-M3X but they are defective out of box and not really over the ear and feels kinda cheap (used to my my dad's old ones which are prob 20 years old but high end). I am returning those ATH-M3X... I don't think these would give good sound isolation for recording...

What should I get? I don't mind a little investment if I get something that will last 10 years, but don't want to waste my money overbuying either.
 
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I don't know how loud you plan on playing. I doubt the piano will get too loud. I play the drums and i use Vic Firth Stereo Isolation headphones. I play loud and the isolation is fantastic. I'm pretty sure if i cranked the volume all the way up i'd hardly be able to hear myself. The sound quality is not so great though.
 
i have a pair of Sennheiser 280's. I've never had a problem with them. the only thing is that the cord is coiled, which kind of bugs me. they sound great though.
 
tswsdrummer4 said:
i have a pair of Sennheiser 280's. I've never had a problem with them. the only thing is that the cord is coiled, which kind of bugs me. they sound great though.
Click to expand...
I have the 280s, as well (the "Pro" version, though I suspect that's the only model anyway), and they isolate *very* well. As long as I EQ the cymbals out of the monitor mix, there is absolutely no spill, and I sing extremely close to my Behringer B-1 condenser microphone - hung from above, it alsmost touches my nose, so it's no more than 15cm away from the headphones, and it doesn't pick up anything.

I don't find them very accurate though - the bass in particular sounds hyped to me, it develops a kind of growly quality, so for checking mixes and the like, I'd use my AKG K-66s.
 
I have 280s 7 years an still going but I prefer in ear for drums but that doesn't apply here anyway:)
 
I bought Grado SR-60 headphones which are bottom of the line audiophile. They cost about $70-$100, but they sound nice.
 
which headphones to use for vocals while recording

So everyone is pointing me toward circumaural headphones?

So earphones are not good option here? They do have good sound isolation....

As for circumaural headphons, the AKG 240 k got great reviews and seem to be very good for the money, but don't isolate well.... I am concerned I may want better isolation or I would go with these...

Seems the Sennheiser 280s are a really good choice. I guess I will go with these unless someone else has another rec...

The AKG seem like well made Austrian phones.... I am tempted to get the 240 k or another model number if better isolating....
 
I've always had good results with AKG headphones.
Back in the day, when I was single 240's and 140's /141's ... but 6 years ago I picked up a a pair of AKG K66 for $60, when my budget was $150. I auditioned 30 pairs at the guitar shoppe, even the $500 ones, as the clerk recommended the comparisson.
I usually break connections on the jack or here wire meets headphones (I'm a headphone wearing late at nite guitar rocking MoFo)
AKG has been the best for me IMHO. If the current set busted, I'd get K141's & extended warranty
 
Another vote for Sennheiser HD280 Pro. They sound OK, and provide the best isolation of any cans I've tried, including Beyerdynamic and Extreme isolation. The only other cans I use on a regular basis are Audio-Technica ATH-M50's. They are a little better sounding than the Sennheisers, and more comfortable to wear for a long time. The isolation is not as good as the Sennheisers. So I use the HD280's for tracking, and ATH-M50's for monitoring.-Richie
 
and another vote for sennheisers.
i have both sony mdr 7506 and sennheiser hd 280. took me 10 seconds to find out that when recording, im using sennheisers.
 
I ordered the Sennheisers. I almost sprung for the ATH-M50s. I was recommended that most headphones are either good at monitoring or good at isolation, and it is hard to be the best at monitoring due to the closed space of isolation phones. The M50 was supposed to be a really nice balance of the two. I went ahead and went for the Sennheisers because they sound really good and have great sound isolation. Nice to have lots of good choices -- I still kind of wonder if I should have gone for the M50s. I will update after I test them out thoroughly.
 
Sound on Sound magazine recommended the Sennheiser 280s as top choice in that price range. Should be a good move.
 
I have the Senn HD280s and the ATH-M50s. For a flat response for mixing, I prefer the HD280. The ATH-M50s sound gorgeous for listening, however, with more powerful bass response and sparkly highs, but I am not sure it is a flat response I am hearing. Both are very comfortable, more so that my Ultrasones 450s.
 
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