The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Gonna buy some headphones.
Y'know, for mixing.

What'n do y'recommend?

Please hold all "buy some nearfields instead" until the end.

For this purpose, I suggest a pair of expensive open-backed Sennheisers.

j

Agreed. Is it the 650s? Also, those standard Sony's work really well.

Ken

If you also need to use the headphones while tracking, the Sennheiser HD280's are a great compromise. (Though JB's right: If they're just for mixing, go with the open-back.)

Another vote for the 7506s, although they do seem to have a bit more low end and high end than a lot of other brands... i.e., you need to be careful not to let too much midrange into the mix. They are really sturdy (the way I mistreat mine, I probably ought to be on my second or third pair by now), and they're also the "standard" in the sense that just about any serious studio will have at least one pair, so once you're used to the sound of the 7506s, it makes it a little easier to move around from place to place.

Charles

As in the past, I also defend the Sony 7506s. Great for around the town, too. I never leave home without them. One of the problems of summer is not having a jacket pocket to fold them up into.

I love my 7506's, but I never mix with them. I've tried, and the mix comes out pretty unbalanced and muffly through normal speakers. YMMV.

Plus for listening hours at a time, Sennheiser has such a nice soft padding-- it's almost like terry cloth, but softer. My 7506's make my ears sweat, and they're closed-back so there's a seal which adds to the effect.

Frank has a nice pair of Sennheiser open-backs, and they are just so comfy and the sound is so nice and clear. That's why I suggest the Sennheisers. Go for something in the $200-and-up range, if you're serious about it.

J

deshead wrote:If you also need to use the headphones while tracking, the Sennheiser HD280's are a great compromise. (Though JB's right: If they're just for mixing, go with the open-back.)

this is all i've ever used for mixing. i friggin LOVE these headphones. they are the most comfortable headphones i've ever used. they never, ever hurt my ears after listening, mixing, and wearing for 6 or 7 hours at a time.

two thumbs way way up here.

Just to add to the discussion, if you want a pair of headphones for tracking, you must have Extreme Isolation Headphones.

Ken

ken wrote:Just to add to the discussion, if you want a pair of headphones for tracking, you must have Extreme Isolation Headphones.

Ken

This (isolation) is one area the 7506s are tops over Sennheiser and other open backs like Grado. I have all three. Plus, I always found the opens to create a boomy mix as they have little bottom end. I still haven't found the right mix but the Sonys have helped.

I think what it comes down to is this: buy or borrow a couple pair. All quality phones have stengths and weaknesses and you can't find them by reading reviews from people who have different ears, technigues and equipment than you do.

I think the key is just knowing what companies to look for:

Sennheiser
Grado

There are some others, but those two are at the peak I believe.

The only Sony model ever mentioned is 7506-- take that into account.

Open-back vs closed ("sealed").

These are the key vendors and terms to be aware of when you're trying to buy a quality pair of headphones.

If you're in a hurry, consider that the 7506 are inexpensive ($100) and that a bunch of us have them and like them.

i have enjoyed my AKG 240's, but I don't have experience with any other brands.

-craig

I have read good things about the Grado sr60 and 80, but have not used them yet. Anyone have these and could give an opinion?

Freddielove wrote:I have read good things about the Grado sr60 and 80, but have not used them yet. Anyone have these and could give an opinion?

I have the Grado 80s and love them for truly transparent clarity. But there's NO low end, so be careful about that in the mix. It is clear I should be employing them more in the process, though...haven't used them in a long time.

what exactly should one look for, spec-wise, when shopping for headphones? obviously, nothing beats actually putting them on and trying them, but i'm still curious as to what i can tell from a quick look at a spec sheet.

I really enjoy my Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones for tracking and mixing. You can get a pair, with a straight cable, for $75 here:

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx ... 200&ref=cj

You have to add them to your cart then apply the promo code emkswizz to see the discount from $99 to $75.

I use Audio-Technica ATH-M50s too

Lunkhead wrote:I really enjoy my Audio-Technica ATH-M50 headphones for tracking and mixing. You can get a pair, with a straight cable, for $75 here:

http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx ... 200&ref=cj

You have to add them to your cart then apply the promo code emkswizz to see the discount from $99 to $75.

chocolatechips wrote:I use Audio-Technica ATH-M50s too

Came here specifically to post in favor of the ATH-M50. I love 'em.

I was going to recommend the Sennheiser HD424: light and comfortable with an open, clear sound. The bass is understated compared to most other headphones, but I wouldn't call it weak; more like normal, or not pumped up for effect. (And I'm a bass player.)

But these headphones are not just discontinued; they're now supercool "vintage" items. Which makes me a hipster -- not an old fart who bought them with his first turntable! I feel so much better knowing this.

I use those AT-M50's too. I like them. Haven't used enough headphones to say anything more poignant than that

josh wrote:I use those AT-M50's too. I like them. Haven't used enough headphones to say anything more poignant than that

I use AT-M40fs - which seem to be a cheaper version of the M50 - but seem OK to me.

I notice people mentioning "open back" headphones for mixing. What is the advantage of these??
Am I right in guessing that these would leak sound - meaning you couldn't use them for recording?

And on a similar note - I recently bought some studio monitors. Just a small pair of Alesis Elevate 3. Am finding that after mixing only on headphones for so long - I find it slightly awkward not having headphones on to mix. So at the moment - I have on my desk the Alesis monitors, and a small set of stereo speakers I use to watch TV on my computer - and find it useful just to use these to hear two 'versions' of my final mix to try to check that nothing sounds too horrible.

ATH-M50 were amongst those I tested. They sounded okay but I liked some others better.

Caravan Ray wrote:I notice people mentioning "open back" headphones for mixing. What is the advantage of these??
Am I right in guessing that these would leak sound - meaning you couldn't use them for recording?

Yes, they leak sound. The advantage is that the sound tends to be a bit more "open"... yes, really. Basically, by not enclosing the sound space, it's much easier for the phones to not sound boxy. In my experience it's generally easier to get decent open-back headphones at lower prices than similarly decent closed-back ones.

I recently bought some studio monitors. [...] Am finding that after mixing only on headphones for so long - I find it slightly awkward not having headphones on to mix.

You didn't ask a question, but I'm going to pretend you did. Who knows, maybe someone finds this helpful.
Yeah, mixing on monitors is quite different from mixing on phones. It's much more expensive to get decent monitors, and now you have to think about the room's acoustic properties, too. For instance, the room I'm set up in now resonates quite noticeably on E flats. Not nice!
The big "advantage" of monitors, though, is that you listen to both channels with both ears, much like most consumers do, and so you get a much more realistic impression of what that's like. With two speakers you have a danger of phase cancellations, i.e. parts in the left and right channel that eliminate each other, so that your mix ends up sounding extremely thin and weird to the listener. Now again, phase cancellation depends a lot on the room, too (the sound waves are reflected by walls, after all), but at least you get some idea of what the direct sound is going to do if someone listens on a similar speaker configuration (similar distance etc.). You just can't do that on headphones.
I guess the reason most professionals recommend mixing on monitors first and foremost is that this stuff is really important throughout the whole mixing process. Of course you can mix on headphones, but suppose your mix starts creating horrible phase cancellations everywhere right from the start... so, once you're close to getting done, you re-listen on monitors and it sounds crappy. Chances are you'd have to start over to fix it...