Headphone suggestions

EricBic

EricBic

Member
Hi,

I'm looking for some headphones suggestions, i currently own a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro. Good headphones but I'm not vibing with them for several reasons.

I'm looking for a pair with the following:

1) Over ear
2) straight cord (unlike the 880 which are coiled)
3) Closed back
4) Not too heavy
5) preferably with a detachable cable

I plan to connect these to my Focusrite interface and occasionally directly to my FM3. I'd really appreciate suggestions

Thanks!

/Eric
 
I currently have the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250 omhs. This is just my opinion but I honestly didn't care much for them. I bought them about 2 weeks ago. I hate the coiled cord and they "too" flat for my liking.

I ordered the audio technica ath m50xgm gun metal. I like that they have a little more bass. I will most likely be returning the Beyerdynamic
 
First and foremost what is your budget? You cant buy champagne level headphones on a beer budget. I purchased a pair of Mass drop Sennheiser HD650 (HD6XX) headphones for around $250-300 USD. They are neutral so what you hear is unadulterated, unhyped, and uncolored. They have an impedance of 300 Ohms so they require a healthy amount of gain to drive them.
 
gigawatt said:
If they must be closed back, Audio Technica ATH M50x without question.
Click to expand...
Those were my number two of all I tried. I slightly prefer the M40x as they seemed a little more neutral.

This video compares the AT line using a binarual dummy head, and comparing each with the direct source. The M50x and M40x are both great, especially for the price. I prefer them to several much more expensive pairs I've tried. I haven't tried some of the high-end Sennheisers, but my HD 280 pros sound like garbage.

The only bad thing about the M40x is that it can pinch the skin between your thumb and index finger, and it is AGONIZINGLY PAINFUL.

 
I been using the M50 (the older non detachable cord version) for a number of years and like them. The pads are nice and soft, but that stupid fake leather material always degrades and falls apart over time. Sound wise I find them to be pretty neutral. Like with pretty much all closed back cans, my ears get sweaty during longer sessions. For the money, I've been quite satisfied with them overall. The low impedance means pretty much anything can drive them well too.
 
I dig the shure srh840 - detachable cable, over ear, closed back, detachable cable. Only thing is the cable is actually coiled, which hasn’t bothered me too much. Buying brand new gets you an extra set of pads and a faux leather carry case.
 
Techboy57 said:
First and foremost what is your budget? You cant buy champagne level headphones on a beer budget. I purchased a pair of Mass drop Sennheiser HD650 (HD6XX) headphones for around $250-300 USD. They are neutral so what you hear is unadulterated, unhyped, and uncolored. They have an impedance of 300 Ohms so they require a healthy amount of gain to drive them.
Click to expand...
I have a pair of the HD650s and I have to say that they are very true. I have done several mixes on them and along with the treated studio and monitor set up, I can get mixes that translate well across different systems. I can get somewhere about 90% with the mix on the HD650s.
 
EricBic said:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'm currently looking at getting a pair of Audio Technica ATH M40x
Click to expand...

I know the M40x's are about $50 cheaper but have a look at the M50x's too. They are a bit more heavy duty and the pads are slightly thicker. Either way I think you'll do well.
 
I’ve been happy with my Sennheiser HD600’s. They fit a bit tight on my head. I clamped them over the box they came in for a few hours and they are comfortable now.
 
EricBic said:
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I'm currently looking at getting a pair of Audio Technica ATH M40x
Click to expand...
My one piece of advice with these is to always be patient when unfolding/rotating the earpieces. Never do it in a rush. If you do, you WILL eventually get the skin flap between your thumb and index finger caught in the joint. It hurts, and the only way to release yourself is to rotate the joint, causing even more pain. Once you make peace with them and their tendency to rotate/flip out of place when not on your head, you will love them. Best headphones for the price I've ever seen/heard. The slight V shape of the M50x response might be worth the elimination of this risk for some. My friend pinched himself enough times to replace his, while I learned to slow down and make friends with them. I've never pinched myself since.
 
If you are going to be a fairly frequent headphone user, whether just with your axe or also for listening critically or enjoyably to music, my suggestion is investing a bit in them as the sound quality can improve pretty well if you do and they can last you 10+ years of heavy abuse.

Also, if you are going to want to use them with your phone at all, then you'll want something on the lower impedance and higher sensitivity end so they are easier to drive. And I would not be afraid of looking for lightly used pairs or relatively higher end phones. I have had good luck buying top of the line audiophile headphones that were barely used for less than 50% of retail.

Something worth considering would be the Focal Eleglia which are going for $450 on ebay, which is a strong value for the quality you get. I have a set of Audeze LCD XC arriving tomorrow which are the best option for closed back studio centric headphones that I could find, but they are a little over $1k, so they are a hefty investment.

The thing is my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pros have lasted through 11 years of abuse and still look almost new. My set of JH Audio IEMs have served 5 years of Axe duty, significant work travel, serious weight lifting abuse (no cardio though), and youtube demos when visiting the oval office. The only issue has been needing to replace the cable 3 times now.

Anyway, just something worth considering for anyone who is passionate about music and will get a lot of use out of a set of headphones.
 
gigawatt said:
Ahem; Amazon product ASIN B07NF1FRNH
View attachment 74422

Focal Stellia :wink:
Click to expand...
I'm aware, but those are pretty far from being a neutral, studio centric option. Would not kick them out of bed for just fun listening though. I am happy enough with the Audeze LCD 3 pre fazor that I got for <$1k for having fun though. The LCD XC along with the Reveal+ EQ correction plugin will be a better option for me when dialing in patches late night that will translate better to FRFR monitors.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom