Best Head Phones for Axe Fx II?

Right now I use a Sennheiser HD280 ... it works ... just works.

Me too. However they do have issues when used with an Axefx. For me at least there is a nasty resonance on the 14th fret on the top E. It jumps out of nowhere.

Otherwise they are great, maybe a little light on the bass end. What bass is there is very tight. I just have to adjust the bass down for other environments (car / stereo / TV / other headphones etc).
 
Couple things:

- Judging from the conversations in this thread, lower impedance is better for a headphone when using it specifically with the A2, correct?

- If so, what's the "healthy happy range" of impedance to work with? I'm guessing 250 is a bit too high, what about 80 ohms?

- I've got the opportunity to pick up some DT770 Pro 80 eargoggles, anyone have experience with these?

- I looked on line (Fractal) to see about acquiring the DT880 Pro's that people say are what Cliff uses, can't see them anywhere, and online retailers have high impedance models only.

I'm looking for the flattest headphone out there with respect to sound. Sure, sure, there are ridiculously expensive headphones but I'm not that guy - $200 to $300 is ace by me.

I hope bringing this one back from the dead is cool with you all. Just want some solid intel.

Thank you,
Mo
 
Beyer DT-880 Pros are my number one. No screaming ice pick high end. Not fatiguing after hours of listening. Also use Beyer 770s in the studio and the are no slackers either. Had UtraSone 650s for years. They have more high end than the Beyers, but too thin sounding overall. Also fatiguing after a while. I have a set of JH Audio JH16 Pro in ears which are $1100 worth of outstanding, but anytime I can use the DT-880s instead I do.

Maybe you should give the DT-880s some time to grow on you.
What's the impedance on the ones you're running?
 
Couple things:

- Judging from the conversations in this thread, lower impedance is better for a headphone when using it specifically with the A2, correct?

- If so, what's the "healthy happy range" of impedance to work with? I'm guessing 250 is a bit too high, what about 80 ohms?

- I've got the opportunity to pick up some DT770 Pro 80 eargoggles, anyone have experience with these?

- I looked on line (Fractal) to see about acquiring the DT880 Pro's that people say are what Cliff uses, can't see them anywhere, and online retailers have high impedance models only.

I'm looking for the flattest headphone out there with respect to sound. Sure, sure, there are ridiculously expensive headphones but I'm not that guy - $200 to $300 is ace by me.

I hope bringing this one back from the dead is cool with you all. Just want some solid intel.

Thank you,
Mo

If you're concerned about loudness, you need to know the sensitivity (SPL/mW) of the headphones. It's not just an impedance thing. I've got a pair of Sennheiser HD600's and Beyerdynamic DT 150's, both delivering 97 dB @ 1 mW (300 Ohm and 250 Ohm respectively), and they are certainly loud enough for me. You may need louder if there's a loud drummer in the same room, but then you'd also need hearing aids in not too long.

You may want louder than those if you play with very dynamic (very clean, uncompressed) sounds. But I'd still be concerned with my hearing when playing much louder than those delivers. Some headroom won't hurt though.
 
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Beyer DT-880 Pros are my number one.

I just picked up the DT-880s last week. I had that typical "Oh no, I made a mistake" moment when I first threw them on and queued up a hard trance tune. Bass wasn't what I was expecting, mids sounded strange. But then I started clicking through my music library and listening to a wide range of styles, everything from BT to classical to metal. I began to hear all kinds of reverb trails and effects I have never noticed before. Then I through them into the Axe and now have a whole new appreciation for the Fractal guys and quality of their reverb/delay effects. Hell, all of their effects! These phones take a bit to get use to, and I am glad I gave them a chance.

I know there are plenty of higher quality phones out there, but for the money I am pretty happy with these as well.
 
I just picked up the DT-880s last week. I had that typical "Oh no, I made a mistake" moment when I first threw them on and queued up a hard trance tune. Bass wasn't what I was expecting, mids sounded strange. But then I started clicking through my music library and listening to a wide range of styles, everything from BT to classical to metal. I began to hear all kinds of reverb trails and effects I have never noticed before. Then I through them into the Axe and now have a whole new appreciation for the Fractal guys and quality of their reverb/delay effects. Hell, all of their effects! These phones take a bit to get use to, and I am glad I gave them a chance.

I know there are plenty of higher quality phones out there, but for the money I am pretty happy with these as well.

Are you using them solo or with a hp amp?

I'm wavering between the DT770 Pro 80 (80 ohm) and these DT880 Pro (250 ohm) eargoggles. Just want transparency, clarity and oomph!!
 
ath m45 white, super cool nice and flat. great sale musicians friend, I think 59 bucks normally 150 or so.
 
Using them solo straight into either my AxeII or my Motu 828mk3

Thanks so much for the update. And JUST to be on the cautious side, please reiterate, you've had ZERO issues with volume when using these cans direct into the A2, correct??

Thank you immensely.
Mo
 
Thanks so much for the update. And JUST to be on the cautious side, please reiterate, you've had ZERO issues with volume when using these cans direct into the A2, correct??

Zero. I usually leave my out level on the axe set to 3 o'clock. Never had to bump it up past that. Because of the semi-open design, they are louder than they seem sometimes. There have been days where I've had them on for hours and didn't realize exactly how loud they had been until I took them off.
 
Zero. I usually leave my out level on the axe set to 3 o'clock. Never had to bump it up past that. Because of the semi-open design, they are louder than they seem sometimes. There have been days where I've had them on for hours and didn't realize exactly how loud they had been until I took them off.
And with this, I've just hit the BUY button on some DT880 Pro's - thank you.
Mo
 
Keep us posted.

I believe you've already done a good job of this... Nothing for me to do now but get 'em and play 'em. I'm happy with this decision; I wanted some other cans from the ones I've been using that weren't totally closed back and were seemingly a bit more comfortable to wear. Volume had me concerned, now I'm relieved. Cool.
 
Are you using them solo or with a hp amp?

I'm wavering between the DT770 Pro 80 (80 ohm) and these DT880 Pro (250 ohm) eargoggles. Just want transparency, clarity and oomph!!


I strongly DO NOT recommend the DT770's. They sound really good for some types of music (bass -heavy), gaming, and movies. However, I really do not like them for guitar-oriented music and hence, the Axe II. They have a big dip between 2khz to 5 khz, which is an important frequency range for guitar. The dip in this range makes these cans sound mid scooped because what you end up primarily hearing is bass and the high highs. I own a pair (80 ohm) but rarely use them. I was so dissapointed with the way they sounded for the Axe that I'm probably going to be selling them soon. They absolutely do not translate well to monitors, FOH, etc.

I do know that some people use them with the Axe and like them. I'm guessing they simply haven't tried a "flatter" heaphone to know what they're missing.

I've tried a pair of DT880's in the store but not with the Axe. Based on what I heard, I think they'd mesh much more nicely with the Axe. They're not completely flat in terms of EQ, but would probably only require a few adjustments to the global EQ to get them sounding good with the Axe.
 
I strongly DO NOT recommend the DT770's. They sound really good for some types of music (bass -heavy), gaming, and movies. However, I really do not like them for guitar-oriented music and hence, the Axe II. They have a big dip between 2khz to 5 khz, which is an important frequency range for guitar. The dip in this range makes these cans sound mid scooped because what you end up primarily hearing is bass and the high highs. I own a pair (80 ohm) but rarely use them. I was so dissapointed with the way they sounded for the Axe that I'm probably going to be selling them soon. They absolutely do not translate well to monitors, FOH, etc.

I do know that some people use them with the Axe and like them. I'm guessing they simply haven't tried a "flatter" heaphone to know what they're missing.

I've tried a pair of DT880's in the store but not with the Axe. Based on what I heard, I think they'd mesh much more nicely with the Axe. They're not completely flat in terms of EQ, but would probably only require a few adjustments to the global EQ to get them sounding good with the Axe.

Thanks for the intel.

I went full steam ahead on the DT880 Pro set. Should be here by end of week.

Mo
 
I got a pair of Sony MDR 7506s - after a good amount of research. I didn't want to spend a lot on headphones, and these had good specs and reviews and are only around $100. They're pretty comfortable too. Probably would not compare to those costing 3X as much though.
 
Hey Luke! Are you using those with any particular head phone amp or can they be plugged into the axe and/or the Duet for instance? I'm really interested in these head phones as I want to keep working late at night and what not. But I don't really want to spend a grand extra just for a head phone amp. How do the sound of these compare plugged in to a head phone amp as opposed to straight into the unit?

I always plug the Audeze LCD-2 direct into the Axe-FX (and it is awesome), but this weekend I will try them through my DIY "ultra-hi-end" 8) big-bottle headphone amp, just to see if there is any difference.

900x900px-LL-d0e2bf14_IMG_6398.jpeg

The Ultimate Ear-Max-Pro/Morgan-Jones/Cavalli/Sense-G3 amplifier with 6F8G big bottles
The front-panel is still unfinished... do not judge by the appearance

Regarding spending more money on this headphones: I come from the Sennheiser HD650, and since I got the Audeze I am re-listening all my favorite music again. It is a new perception experience! A completely different and superior level of quality

ps: Thank you Luke for giving the hint about the Audeze LCD-2 on your signature. I discovered them after watching it, and then I confirmed from the head-fi.org forum that they are really that good.
 
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