FRFR Headphones

J

JDWhite

Inspired
I know this has been asked in the past, but technology changes and so do opinions.

I have moved into a new place where I am unable to use my monitors for recording.
I need to keep my music as professional sounding as I can due to some current projects.

What are your opinions on the best FRFR Headphones for home recording, nowadays?

Say, pricewise, anywhere up to around $1000 ish?

Thank you in advance

JD
 
You're bound to get a range of good responses, as headphone preference can be very personal. My personal choice is Grado; I love 'em. Others might say Sennheiser. But with a budget approaching $1,000, you'll be able to do very, very well.

Still, if at all possible, final mastering should be done in the open air with monitors. Your situation sounds a little like mine; I'm able to do much of my tracking via headphones, and then wait to do the final mix when the neighbors are out. It's not ideal, but as much as I love headphones, they're just not appropriate for a final mix.
 
My $20 Sony headphones are great. I'm just a home hobbyist, but they serve my purpose very well.
 
Just got the Blue Mo-Fi's, and so far they are worth every penny of their $350 price tag (got a demo model from Sweetwater for $300, so even better)...
 
+1 on the MoFi. Just got them and wow! First closed backs I heard that sounded that well. Which is good for vocal tracking!
 
I'm using a set of Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro phones at the moment. They are pretty good. I wouldn't trust them like I trust my speakers, but I don't have access to those at the moment. I wouldn't trust any headphone as much as a decent monitor though, regardless of price.

I considered LCD-2s when choosing a pair, but I was a bit scared off by their -10db drop off at around 4khz. 3-4khz is where human hearing is most sensitive, so I found this to be surprising and couldn't imagine them translating well to speakers with a more neutral high end (I haven't tried this though, so I could be wrong about that). -10db is half the perceived volume. The Beyers had a flatter response in this region, and don't deviate as wildly from flat(ish) as the LCD-2s until nearly 6khz, which is about the upper limit of the frequencies reproduced by guitar speakers, anyway. Obviously the LCD-2 is flatter in the lows & mids, but our hearing is not as sensitive to these frequencies.
 
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I'm using the Beyerdynamic DT880 pro. They are very detailed and do not seem to be boosting or lacking in any areas, although I haven't done much as far as comparing my headphone recorded sound when played back on the CLR.
 
Sennheiser HD 650 and 25 are great choises. Open vs. very closed, depending on what you want.
 
Thanks all for the responses.

@Gutta. The number is not the target. Just trying to hear good ideas. If I wouldn't have put a number, then that would have been the first question I got back :)
 
I own the DT-880s and the Blue Mo-Fi. The audio quality is on a par, IMHO.
I love the active headphone amp in the Mo-Fi.
While I find the Mo-Fi to be comfortable and not heavy, the DT-880 are the King Of Comfort. No sweaty ears.
 
yek said:
I own the DT-880s and the Blue Mo-Fi. The audio quality is on a par, IMHO.
I love the active headphone amp in the Mo-Fi.
While I find the Mo-Fi to be comfortable and not heavy, the DT-880 are the King Of Comfort. No sweaty ears.
Click to expand...

Now I'm confused.... I've seen threads where people have said that there is such a small difference between the DT-880 Pro and the DT-770 Pro, but then found a different thread where everyone (including the big guy himself) says the Mo-Fi's were a LOT better than the DT-770 Pro. :nightmare:

I know it all comes down to personal preference and style of music, so I guess headphones are a definite case of 'try before you buy'. I have the DT-770 Pro and whilst they sound nice, I want to be sure I'm getting a realistic image of what my patches sound like without having to wake up the baby. So I'm leaning towards the Mo-Fis, but reading your quote makes me wonder if it's worth the jump?
 
Can't tell, haven't heard the 770s.

In any cases, presets through headphones will always sound different than through an amp/speaker.
 
Good point Yek, I'd have to compensate for the headphones regardless of if they were 770s or the Mo-Fis at the end of the day. Thanks for the advice. :)
 
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Thanks Luke! Wow, the DT770s are all over the place, although between 200Hz - 1000Hz they are looking pretty good. No wonder I'm confused. :D
 
I never liked DT770s.
I liked DT880s (as comfy as air.)

But for me, the Blue Mofi gets more use now than anything else.
Yek pretty much nailed the reasons why. The onboard amps are very powerful and useful for me in the studio working alongside loud live amps and cabs. They're also the business on a flight.
 
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