Best high quality headphones for FM3?

Those high-end phones are very very very expensive here, and I’m saving for a CLR.

What do you think about Sennheiser HD280 Pro, ATH m50x and AKG K240 MKII?
I've used the HD280 and M50. They both sounded good, but to my ears the M50 had a slightly clearer upper midrange. I have a set of M40s, too; they sound very similar to the M50s, with a slightly less present low end. Comfortwise, I like the M50 more than the HD280, but not by a huge margin. The HD280 has a tighter fit and you definitely feel it if you wear them for 4 hours. For the purposes of playing by yourself, any of those should do the job; just know that you'll have to adjust any presets that you dial in with the headphones when you use them with monitors or a FRFR setup.
 
How would you compare the 1990 to the 880? In my mind I'm thinking they have a little more low end and less of a treble spike, so flatter sounding and less harsh?
To my ears, yes, exactly. I think the Tesla 2.0 drivers have something to do with that. They're still quite clear, but the treble in them doesn't feel overwhelming to me. And they take the comfort factor up another notch, also.
 
@Admin M@ recommended a blue headphones on a Facebook post answer, so i ordered the blue mix-fi... Will see how it goes :)
I've used the Blue Mo-Fi for about three years. I really like them. They translate to monitors about as well as a headphone can, I think. Added benefit: if you use the built-in amp, they even make your phone sound punchy.

Some people complain about the weight. But in college, I used the Koss Pro4AA's, which were a quarter-pound heavier, so no big deal. :)
 
I've used the Blue Mo-Fi for about three years. I really like them. They translate to monitors about as well as a headphone can, I think. Added benefit: if you use the built-in amp, they even make your phone sound punchy.

Some people complain about the weight. But in college, I used the Koss Pro4AA's, which were a quarter-pound heavier, so no big deal. :)
I hope the mix-fi is the same, it's supposed to be its new name...
 
I hope the mix-fi is the same, it's supposed to be its new name...
Actually, I have both now. The headphone amp went out on my Mo-Fi, so I got a Mix-Fi as a warranty replacement. Sounds identical. The headphone amp isn't quite as powerful on the Mix-Fi, but that's not a problem — the amp on the Mo-Fi has enough power to cause internal bleeding. :)
 
Meze Audio's 99 Classics. The clarity and crispness is unbelievable. Even when listening to pre-recorded music, every instruments stands out as though having its own frequency range. Superb... and they go for about $299 USD. And some of the most comfortable... I can wear them for hours.
 
What's the difference in closed, semi-open and open headphones? Which is best for Fractal?
 
What's the difference in closed, semi-open and open headphones? Which is best for Fractal?

Biggest difference is going to be in noise isolation. Open headphones have holes in the ear cups so it lets in outside noises (like your guitar pick on the strings or noisy kids in the house) and also lets some of the sound from the headphones out into the room (so you won't want to use these while recording with a sensitive mic). Closed back headphones will tend to seal off the sound much more, letting in much less noise from the outside world, which can be helpful if you are in a noisy environment or if you want to do things like pitch shift your guitar.

The other big difference is that some closed headphones can be more fatiguing as they can do things like create some pressure on your ears (if they have a really tight seal with good bass) or have reflections bouncing back into your ears. A good open back headphone can sound more natural, more like a set of speakers in the room. But this totally depends on the headphone and your preferences.

If you use headphones quite a bit, I think it's nice to have both options. I used open backs for a few years quite happily but right now I'm in a bigger wooden room that has more reflections so I have to turn up the headphones louder to drown out the sound. That's one reason I've been trying some more closed back headphones as it blocks out more outside sound and I can play at lower volumes.

On a budget (under $100), there's two really popular headphones. For closed back, the Sennheiser HD 280 Pro is very popular, it's been a studio standard for many years for tracking. For open back, the Philips SPH 9600 has been a really well regarded budget open back. It'd start there...you can order both and either keep both or return what you don't like.

For a little more money, a lot of people like the Beyer headphones (DT 770, 880, and 990). These are really good German made headphones for the price, although they all have a treble boost. If you like the sound, they are hard to beat, and they have closed, open, and semi open models. I like the 990 most of all three but again for guitar it's on the bright side. If you plan to use just with the Fractal the 250 ohm should be fine, but the 80 ohm is also a good pick as it's a little easier to drive and can be used with more equipment. I would avoid the 600 ohm as they need a lot of power to drive, and avoid the 32 and 16 ohm versions as those are more consumer headphones that are reported to have less clarity.

And the headphones that most people really love under $500 are the Sennheser HD6__ series. The HD 600, 650, and 660 are all pretty well loved as very flat open back headphones (with some highs and lows rolled off a bit). The HD6xx from Drop.com is basically a rebranded HD 650 at $220 which is an excellent value, and why you'll see them EVERYWHERE in audiophile groups. Those have been my main headphones the last couple years.

Again, I've been trying a few different closed back headphones and I'm VERY impressed with the Shure SRH 840. It was creaky out of the box (I had to lube all the contact points), and it's a bit heavy and uncomfortable so won't be ideal for hours of extended use. But the sound seems pretty dang flat to my ears with a little more bass and treble that I don't get on the Sennheiser. I tried a few different ear pads on them (you can get replacements for $15-25), and I have a set of perforated leather pads with thicker memory foam compared to the stock pads. This has REALLY helped with the comfort as it relieves a lot of pressure on my head and keeps my ears from touching the headphones.

I'd be curious to try the higher end models (like the 940 and above), but at twice the price and with leaner bass I feel like it would be a side step. Other higher end headphones I'd like to try are the Beyer DT1770 and DT1990 which are the higher end closed and open back heapdhones that are supposed to tame the high end spike a little more.

As a follow-up to my headphone trial, I did return the Beyer DT 770 as it's too bright, and I ordered another set of lightly used Audio Technica ATH-M50X to test those. Most likely I'll probably use those for listening to music, so long as they aren't overly scooped. I kind of like the KRK 8400 but they just have too much of a bass boost and mid scoop compared to my other headphones, so those will likely get returned next week.
 
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Those high-end phones are very very very expensive here, and I’m saving for a CLR.

What do you think about Sennheiser HD280 Pro, ATH m50x and AKG K240 MKII?
I have ATH M50X and AKG K240... different headphones for different scopes..
I have a good opinion of the ATH M50X because every preset I created with them is good when I listen to FM3 on studio speakers (Yamaha HS50M), in the car (generic/good car system), in loud rehearsal room with my band or with in-ears (different models)... so I think the ATH are well balanced (at least for my ears).
I use them each day 1 / 1,5 hours and I find them to be comfortable for this amount of time.

But I'm starting to think that headphones are like shoes... it's down to taste... if you follow best practices with your rigs they will always sound good, despite of fine eq tuning... or at least you can use the correction curves proposed in previous replies in you daw or in a GEQ
 
I have ATH M50X and AKG K240... different headphones for different scopes..
I have a good opinion of the ATH M50X because every preset I created with them is good when I listen to FM3 on studio speakers (Yamaha HS50M), in the car (generic/good car system), in loud rehearsal room with my band or with in-ears (different models)... so I think the ATH are well balanced (at least for my ears).
I use them each day 1 / 1,5 hours and I find them to be comfortable for this amount of time.

But I'm starting to think that headphones are like shoes... it's down to taste... if you follow best practices with your rigs they will always sound good, despite of fine eq tuning... or at least you can use the correction curves proposed in previous replies in you daw or in a GEQ
What about the K240?

Do the recording made with them translate well to other sound sources?

This is my only concern.
 
What about the K240?

Do the recording made with them translate well to other sound sources?

This is my only concern.
I'll share my personal opinion: every record made in the right way will sound great!

If I have to chose only one headphone for playing guitar it will be the ATH (more focused sound, fuller, glorious!) but for recording purpose every headphone should be the right one.

Let me explain my personal approach:
  • I record every instrument without focusing too much on eq / comp / sound shape in general
  • I tend to be consistent with the instrument that I can tweak the less (e.g. drums played using plugin... so MIDI)
  • After recording all of them I try to match the levels and start leveling / eq / compress.. try to find the right place for everyone

After that..
  • I load a reference track that I like in the daw.. (depending on the genre, e.q. Dream Theater if I'm in the progressive metal mood)
  • I try to reach a 'similar' level of volume, emphasis, compression, clarity, etc...

In this process the headphones or FRFR don't take a big part, because using a reference recording takes it to an 'objective' level..
In that way I'm trying to match rather than sound 'good'.

That's my approach and it works for me... but I'm no-one to say this is the right approach, of course!!!
That said the K240 are semi open, so it's a totally different sound, more spatial but less focused and mid rangy... so if I use them for the guitar rig I tend to put too much emphasis on eq
 
I'll share my personal opinion: every record made in the right way will sound great!

If I have to chose only one headphone for playing guitar it will be the ATH (more focused sound, fuller, glorious!) but for recording purpose every headphone should be the right one.

Let me explain my personal approach:
  • I record every instrument without focusing too much on eq / comp / sound shape in general
  • I tend to be consistent with the instrument that I can tweak the less (e.g. drums played using plugin... so MIDI)
  • After recording all of them I try to match the levels and start leveling / eq / compress.. try to find the right place for everyone

After that..
  • I load a reference track that I like in the daw.. (depending on the genre, e.q. Dream Theater if I'm in the progressive metal mood)
  • I try to reach a 'similar' level of volume, emphasis, compression, clarity, etc...

In this process the headphones or FRFR don't take a big part, because using a reference recording takes it to an 'objective' level..
In that way I'm trying to match rather than sound 'good'.

That's my approach and it works for me... but I'm no-one to say this is the right approach, of course!!!
That said the K240 are semi open, so it's a totally different sound, more spatial but less focused and mid rangy... so if I use them for the guitar rig I tend to put too much emphasis on eq
Using a reference track is a great tip.

I record using backing tracks, my fear is that the guitar sounds too harsh or too muddy.

I can load a reference track where the guitar is in evidence and try to match.

Thank you!
 
Using a reference track is a great tip.

I record using backing tracks, my fear is that the guitar sounds too harsh or too muddy.

I can load a reference track where the guitar is in evidence and try to match.

Thank you!
Glad if I can help!
and by the way... wonderful girl..! I have also an RG652AHM and it's such a beauty!
 
I ended up buying the Drop 58x Jubilee phones. Made by Sennheiser. Think I paid $170 for them or so. I like them but this is my 1st pair of good quality phones so nothing to compare to. They seem to be fairly accurate when dialing in a preset and then playing with speakers. Gets me in the ballpark, but I will still need to dial in from there for loud speaker use, usually just eq. Sometimes I’ll put the enhancer block into my preset for the stereo effect with phones. They do the job. I found I don’t use them as much as I thought I would. I use my Waza Air phones for late night practice.
 
I ended up buying the Drop 58x Jubilee phones. Made by Sennheiser. Think I paid $170 for them or so. I like them but this is my 1st pair of good quality phones so nothing to compare to. They seem to be fairly accurate when dialing in a preset and then playing with speakers. Gets me in the ballpark, but I will still need to dial in from there for loud speaker use, usually just eq. Sometimes I’ll put the enhancer block into my preset for the stereo effect with phones. They do the job. I found I don’t use them as much as I thought I would. I use my Waza Air phones for late night practice.
I found with the enhancer block the headphone reveal just how spaced out it can be. I find setting the enhancer to 30 from the default of 50 helps tighten it up. You really hear the difference on headphones and it’s a bit much on stock settings IMO
 
I found with the enhancer block the headphone reveal just how spaced out it can be. I find setting the enhancer to 30 from the default of 50 helps tighten it up. You really hear the difference on headphones and it’s a bit much on stock settings IMO

Haha you should hear the Waza Airs. The ambience is way over the top. Lot of fun to get a little buzz on late at night with these. Enhancer on steroids. With the Waza's you can't be in purist mode but I know what you mean about the enhancer.
 
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