Headphones, Ear Buds etc ...???

[Kenny B]

I'd like to know what you're all using and recommend for listening, recording etc. 

I've used the AKG K240 for about 10 years with my Zoom but wanted a lighter set
a couple years ago when I got my Micro BR ... so I got the Sennheiser PX 100 On-Ear
phones.  They're a good sounding headphone but they just seem to have a little
too much bass.  I find this with many headphones these days.

I listen to mp3's on my laptop with Apple Ear Buds sometimes which are clear and I also
listen with an old pair of SanDisk Ear Buds which seem to have a descent sound for being
so inexpensive.  Can't seem to find reasonable priced good sounding Ear Buds anymore.

[Oldrottenhead]

for recording i use a pair of koss ur20's, padded headphones, my kids got me them for crimbo last year for £16, fabulous headphones for mixing. i never use in ear headphones when recording for fear of sound leaking from them when i am singing and using onboard mic.

the koss sound great on my mp3player but the downside is i look like a dick wearing them. i use in ear bud types for my mp3 player. generally bought for under a tenner in tkmaxx. you can get a decent pair of skullcandy in ears for about 9 quid, but they do a brand called merkury for about £4 and they are pretty good too. and i like the radiopaq bands i think they are called for about a fiver. i go through lots of earbuds cos i listen to music all the time, but am forever catching them on doorhandles etc. but the radiopaq bands are pretty sturdy leads are like big rubber bands

[Redler]

I use AKG K-171 MKII for recording and (lap top) listening. For mp3 player I use Koss Porta Pro. I have 23 years old Pioneer headphones and I have used them a lot! Almost all cushion has gone, but the cables are still working.

[Pete C]

I use a set of Sennheiser padded headphones for recording, mainly because they have a 3 metre lead so I can stand up when playing the guitar, and usually use them on the laptop.  On my ipod and ipad I use some  earbuds I got with a Sony Walkman MP3 or a couple of pairs of Samsungs which came with mobile phones - really nice sound.  I think the standard Apple earbuds are crap!

[Blooby]

I have 23 years old Pioneer headphones and I have used them a lot! Almost all cushion has gone...

Same here so last week, I just bought some replacement ear cushions at Radio Shack for a fiver.  Took some stretching, but my Sony headphones feel like new.

[IanR]

I use AKG K-171 MKII for recording and (lap top) listening. For mp3 player I use Koss Porta Pro. I have 23 years old Pioneer headphones and I have used them a lot! Almost all cushion has gone, but the cables are still working.

I also had a pair or Pioneer headphones for about 28 years before they broke.  I now use some KRK headphones for monitoring.  I've never got on with in-ear buds.  They never seem to work unless I push them in really hard and then they hurt after a while.  Plus they get a bit yucky after a while too!

I also use monitor speakers for listening/mixing/mastering to music I am recording.

Ian

[chip]

For me, I have a pair of AKG271 mark 11 phones which I am very happy with, very true, very light and comfortable to wear for long periods.

[Kenny B]

Thanks for the responses ... I agree the better closed sets are a must for
recording ... especially for vocalists.   The Koss Porta Pro may be the way to
go for listening from a laptop.  I see these compared to the Senn 100's. Just
wondering how much bass they have.  It'd be nice to have a light set to listen
jam and record on the MBR while sitting in the living room watching football all day.

[chip]

When using the AKG 271's I have found I get a very nice mix, once I listen back through the monitors only a few tweaks are necessary, these phones are not bass heavy, just like they should be, they are very flat just like the monitors. Getting bass heavy phones can cause problems ,but, we all know that don't we? I just thought I would mention that as Kenny B mentioned bass.

 Before the AKG 271's I had music listening headphones that had plenty of bass and exaggerated top end, just like home stereo speakers do. When I switched it became apparent that the sound through the original phones was not a true representation of my recording attempts, now things are much better, I can judge bass and treble etc and get a reasonable true reflection of what I am doing.

[Hook]

I have a pair of AKG K44's that sound sweet to listen through but I don't like to mix with them, they seem deceptive. I have a pair of Sony MDR ZX100's in my studio case, I like them because the ear pieces swivel and they lay flat in the case & they sound pretty good. When I get the mix right in the Sony's it always sounds good in the AKG's. As far as earbuds go I only like the kind that have the cushiony, foam coverings. They are like earplugs and i find them very comfortable. They sound good but not much bass.
Rock On!