Headphones-studio and normal listening?

[Trotters]

Hey guys-been a while!

Just knew this was the place to come to for advice. I have searched the site for this topic but can't find an answer.

So, headphones... What closed-back, over-ear headphones would be suitable for both my studio and for general music listening?
I've been eyeing up the AKG K271 MKII cans-will these be fine for listening to an mp3 player as well as recording?

Any/every piece of advice really appreciated.

Trotters

[Tony W]

5 month hiatus huh? Long time no see.

I've been using these, and really enjoy them

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Vic-Firth-SIH1-Isolation-Headphones?sku=443954

I sorta bought them for my girlfriend so she could practice drumming while listening to music on her Ipod. It turns out that A) she doesn't practice ever.... and B) I really like them for mixing. I really like the noise cancelling.

Beyond those, I have no real experience with studio cans.

[64Guitars]

Vic-Firth-SIH1-Isolation-Headphones

Vic Firth?    I thought they made drumsticks!

[Gnasty]

i bought these Bose for $100 on Boxing day and that was a great deal.

They are the best headphones i`ve ever had.

So crisp and clear!!

[cuthbert]

I've got a pair of Shure SRH440 headphones for recording (great isolation), but they're much too heavy for everyday mp3 use...for that I have a pair of Sennheiser earbuds, the model number of which escapes me at the moment.

[Trotters]

5 month hiatus huh? Long time no see.

I've been using these, and really enjoy them

http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/product/Vic-Firth-SIH1-Isolation-Headphones?sku=443954

I sorta bought them for my girlfriend so she could practice drumming while listening to music on her Ipod. It turns out that A) she doesn't practice ever.... and B) I really like them for mixing. I really like the noise cancelling.

Beyond those, I have no real experience with studio cans.

Yeah, was travelling the big world for 3 months,then only lurked here since.. I'll have a look at those.

i bought these Bose for $100 on Boxing day and that was a great deal.

They are the best headphones i`ve ever had.

So crisp and clear!!

Ah, the BOSE phones-read some reviews that they were really fragile...?!

[SE]

Use Sony noise canceling    MDR-NC7 use them all the time for recording and mixing, even used them on the plane too, came with attachment, they even fold up nicely too, £32 out of asda ( walmart) for our American friends.

[Tony W]

Vic-Firth-SIH1-Isolation-Headphones

Vic Firth?    I thought they made drumsticks!

I should have gotten a free pair of sticks in the deal.

There is a massive upside, They are built with drummers in mind, They are impervious to abuse.

2 downsides, they are a little light on the low notes, I assume they were designed that way so live drums ring through the cans while practicing.

The second downside is the coiled cord. it's rugged as hell, but it hooks on straps and  locks while playing guitar or bass.

[64Guitars]

So, headphones... What closed-back, over-ear headphones would be suitable for both my studio and for general music listening?

I've got a pair of Shure SRH440 headphones for recording (great isolation), but they're much too heavy for everyday mp3 use...for that I have a pair of Sennheiser earbuds, the model number of which escapes me at the moment.

Cuthbert makes a good point. Any decent pair of headphones with good isolation are going to be very uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time; so not very good for general music listening. You'd be better off getting an additional pair of cheap, lightweight, open-air headphones for that, and just use the isolation phones for monitoring your recordings.

I use a pair of Scintrex PRO-500 headphones for monitoring my final mix. They have a very flat frequency response and liquid-filled ear cushions for excellent isolation and comfort. Unfortunately, they're no longer available (I bought them around 1973 for about $100).

For general listening, I use Sony MDR-201 open-air headphones. I bought them for $10 (about £6) and I liked them so much that I bought a second pair to use with the computer. They're very lightweight and comfortable, and the open-air design allows me to hear the telephone, doorbell, etc. while I'm listening. As with any open-air headphones, the bass response isn't great but, otherwise, the sound is good. For general listening, I was more interested in comfort and low price than I was in sound quality. The MDR-201's are no longer available either but I'm sure you can find similar lightweight, open-air headphones for a very reasonable price. I think that's the best type to get for general listening, unless you like earbuds (I don't).

I also have a pair of Roland RH-50 headphones which came with my BR-864. They sound much better than my cheap Sonys but not quite as good as the Scintrex. They're not as light and comfortable as the Sonys but they're lighter and more comfortable than the Scintrex. So I sometimes use them for monitoring when I don't feel like using the Scintrex.

Another thing to consider when shopping for general listening headphones is that they tend to get damaged easily. That's why I bought cheap ones. If I break them, it isn't a huge waste of money and it won't cost much for a replacement pair. Often, when I get out of my chair, I find that I'm standing on the cord or it's caught under the wheel of my chair. I haven't damaged the cord yet but I'm sure it won't be long before I do. If you're handy with a soldering iron, you can often repair or replace the cord. The foam earpads can wear out or be easily damaged too. So I think it's best to buy cheapies for everyday, general listening and spend more for the isolation phones for monitoring your recordings.

I've often thought it would be great to have a good pair of wireless headphones. But they're quite expensive, and the sound quality is generally not as good as inexpensive corded phones.

I don't have any recommendations for isolation phones, other than to check out the ones that others have mentioned here. And search through the old messages. This topic has been discussed before and you might find some good recommendations and advice.

[Dmann]

 I spent a $50 gift card on a Set of Samson SR850's http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=2022&brandID=2

-Professional studio reference headphones
 -Semi-open design for enhanced ambient listening environment
 -50mm drivers for exceptional reproduction and wide dynamic range
 -Frequency Response: 10Hz - 30kHz
 -32Ohm impedance
 -Self-adjusting headband
 -1/8-inch to 1/4-inch gold plated adapter included

 I have not been happier with a headphone purchase in my entire life, and they only costed $45.00 CAD.

 The thing is if your mixing you need to know a couple things. Most general-listening, consumer headphones are sweetened in some way. For critical listening such as monitoring a mix, you don't want any sweetening at all, but rather a flat frequency response that lets you compare and set levels precisely. It takes some getting used to after the fact but after using studio Cans for a while I can really tell when there is some post processing being done by the speakers now.

 If you really wanna hear crystal clear defined lows and highs you need a set of Cans that have a good range and a high impedence so there is no distortion. While shopping I've noticed most consumer headphones have a F.R. of 18-20Hz to 20-25kHz and an Impedence of 16 Ohm's. While these are perfect for listening to MP3's, after A-B'ing a set of Creative (18Hz-20kHz @ 16 Ohm) with my Samson (10Hz-30Khz @ 32 Ohm) I nearly crapped myself. The Creative ones started to distort at 80% volume on the MicroBR, where the Samson could handle 100% easily. In addition to that, with the creative ones, it's almost as if the bass got lost in the mix, while the Samson made the bass so clear and defined it just sounded amazing and no I didn't change any settings. The shocking part of it all, the Creative ones actually costed more than the Samson.

 While these Samson's do the job for me and are a great deal (price wise) they are quite bulky and look pretty retarded if I was to wear them out in public, so they are not really meant for that, but if your looking for a home/studio solution I would totally recommend these or something comparable.