What headphones should I buy?

S

shay

Member
I'm looking to buy some good headphones for practice and recording use with the Axe-fx 2, and need some recommendations.
I play mostly rock and metal, and a lot of finger style in the acoustic. My budegt is limitless, but I still want headphones that worth the money. heard a really good reviews about the sennheiser hd 25, but if I'll spend more 500$ will it be worth it? I have 20% discount for beyerdynamic headphones, so I thought about getting the beyerdynamic T 90, anyone have an experience with them?

I also heard that good headphones should be used with headphones amplifier, is it also the case when using them with the axe-fx 2? And how can I know what headphones should be ok by themselves and what should be used with an amplifier?

Thanks in advanced!
 
I've been using the same damn set of HD25's for over ten years now. I've had to replace the pads and stuff twice in that time, but they still sound amazing and they get used almost daily. The nicest part is that they sound great without having to use a dedicated headphone amp.

The only other headphone that has impressed me as much is the new MoFi's from Blue. I got a friend to buy a set last week (so I could test them out) and I was blown away by just about everything with them. The downside is that they need to be charged to really get the most out of them (they're amplified internally). But they last about 12 hours and you can charge them via USB which is nice. I've got a pair of Beats Executives that the wife bought me for work (noise cancelling) and I A/B'd them. The MoFi's aren't noise cancelling but isolation is almost noise cancelling and they are more comfortable (and the Beats are surprisingly comfy). The sound quality though is not a real fair test because the MoFi's crushed them, especially in the mids where they were so clear and smooth. Extended frequencies were pretty similar, but everything stood out better in the MoFi's.

I'm going to bring my HD25's to work and do an A/B with the MoFi's this week. I'll let you know. I know right now that the MoFi's are more comfortable.
 
Thank you for the quick respond. And what about the headphones amplfier thing? do I need one when using the axe-fx?
 
Elliot Scheiner (Steely Dan, ASIA, etc) suggested to me that I look into the ATH-M50 for great, cheap headphones. I've bought two pairs! They cost me $100 bucks and are awesome.
 
Focal spirit pro. These are phenomenal!! Not cheap, but very precise! I mix with them and they are really transparent. I also have a set of Focal CMS 50 monitors and the spirit pro translate very well to those. No amp.
 
I just picked up a set of the powered Blue Microphones Mo-Fi headphones and I feel like I'm listening to music for the first time. FWIW, those are the phones that both Cliff and Matt have been recommending the last couple of months, and now that I have a set, I can see why. Not hyped like most headphones and the details I'm hearing are unbelievable. Not cheap @ $349, but I'm really glad I went for these. Some of the reviews mention lack of comfort and the added weight, but I feel like they fit just right and don't really notice the added weight of the built-in amp. I'm more of a hi-gain guy myself, and these are the first phones I've tried in which the hi-gain tones I get in the phones sound pretty close to what I get from my studio monitors or XiTone cabs.
 
IMHO, just don't waste time with wireless headphones. if you really care about the quality of your audio monitoring, you'll want everything the Axe-FX is putting out. It's a shame to throw it away with wireless, or Bluetooth.
 
I have been rocking a pair of Audio-technica ATH-M30's for 8 years.

Replaced the ear pads once with replacements found on e-bay for $8.

I have been around the world with them several times over (no exaggeration) and they sound great and stand up to heavy use.

Best $50 I spent on headphones.
 
I usually like enclosed headphones for guitar work/play because otherwise i can hear the pick on the guitar in the room at times.
BTW - I was looking at the Beyerdynamic DT880 just now - they have a semi-open-closed thing going on.
How extreme is that?
 
Last edited:
I like these as well.
I wanted a second quick monitoring source to check mixes, midnight playing, and monitoring for recording acoustic instruments.
They work for me.



tfodor said:
Elliot Scheiner (Steely Dan, ASIA, etc) suggested to me that I look into the ATH-M50 for great, cheap headphones. I've bought two pairs! They cost me $100 bucks and are awesome.
Click to expand...
 
Sennheiser HD558. Open air design, very good sound quality without breaking the bank. You simply do not have to spend 1k on headphones in order to get great sound.
 
prometh said:
Beyerdynamic DT880, 250 or 600 ohm.
Click to expand...

Love my 880's, but I am noticing that they sound very different from my CLRs (well, duh, but...).
When I dial in presets on my 880's, everything sounds better with the German tonestack. The same presets with my CLRs sound entirely too harsh and lack body.
 
Alclair the IEM company just released a universal 2 driver IEM that is on sale for $199. I am going to try to pick one up soon
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom