Headphones

[Makke]

To spare my girlfriend from all the noise I make when composing/remixing, I tend to use headphones these days. I recently bought a (what I consider) pretty expensive pair of KOSS headphones, the PRO4AA Titanium, and I must say I'm a bit disappointed with them.

My old pair of Sennheiser EH 350, which I payed about half as much for, sound so much more balanced and with a much clearer sound - especially in the higher register, where I think the KOSS-phones fall pretty flat. The flat high register was also my main beef when a colleague recommended I'd buy a pair of KOSS Porta Pro for the iPod. So maybe that's something that all KOSS headphones are affected by - in which case I don't really understand why they come so highly recommended (OK, the PRO4AAT I bought could probably withstand a nuclear blast, that's how solid the structure is, but the sound is still pretty disappointing).

This bad purchase made me think a bit about different headphones, and thusly I want to ask everyone which headphones they prefer?

Personally, I think I'll stick exclusively to Sennheiser in the future.

[Analog-X64]

I'm using Sennheiser HD 433 which I think are a lower model then the EH 350 this is what they look like.



I want to get back to some serious recording and have been thinking about getting those special ear bud type monitor headphones, but I'm worried about ear damage using ear buds.

[Dr.Future]

I can't recommend AKG enough.
I use a K240DF for monitoring, and it's great.
I use a K171 Studio when recording vocals and it's great.
So...yes, I'd everytime choose AKG again!

[trace]

I'm using Philips SHP895 and they works magic with my music as you might have noticed

I am very happy with those headphones, I do the music, mixing and mastering in them so i can really recomend those to anyone who wants a pair of pretty cheap headphones

[Instant Remedy]

I also listened around with different headphones some years back and fell instantly ( ) for Sennheiser because of the clarity in the treble too. No monitors though.
Needs a repair though, the connectors/small plugs to the wires are not 100%. I can have them on my head for a whole day without feeling warm or annoyed at all (wearing glasses too). That was also an important aspect for me as well.
Not in production anymore, but similar to these

[Makke]

I'm using Sennheiser HD 433 which I think are a lower model then the EH 350 this is what they look like.

I used to have a pair of HD 433's. Most comfortable headphones I ever tried! There were days I wore them almost 12 hours straight without any problem. Had to throw them out a couple of years back because the connector got a bit wobbly, and the padding was just disgusting! (There was probably about seven years worth of ear sweat in them! )

Another thing I've thought about it how some headphones give you very sweaty ears. Also, a lot of headphones make me sore behind the ears - the specs doesn't help with that either. Some models even make the top of your head sore after no more than 30-60 minutes! Makes you wonder what kind of design testing is being done.

[jgb]

I would go for the Beyerdynamic DT-770, lovely things!

[Dumper]

What about these?

[Analog-X64]

Another thing I've thought about it how some headphones give you very sweaty ears. Also, a lot of headphones make me sore behind the ears - the specs doesn't help with that either. Some models even make the top of your head sore after no more than 30-60 minutes! Makes you wonder what kind of design testing is being done.

WOW Makke.. I couldnt have said it better!!!. I have experienced all of the above with various headphones.

My HD 433's are very comfortable however I'm not sure if they are the right ones to use for Monitoring.

I definitely don't want Ear Bud type Monitor headphones which seem to pop up when I do searches.

I want something that fits like my Current headphones and that they wont hurt my ears or top of my head.

Maybe I'm asking for too much

[Makke]

I can't recommend AKG enough.
...
So...yes, I'd everytime choose AKG again!

Hmmm... considering the clear sound you always have in your mixes, I'll definitely take your word for it. Might have to check a couple of AKG's out some time in the future.

[Hazel]

I have to agree with Dr. Future.. I am using AKG 271 myself. They are just a pleasure to wear. You hardly notice that them because they fit perfectly, even on my weird head..
The sound is crystal clear and one of the nice things is that when you take them off then the sound turns off..

[Chris Abbott]

I would go for the Beyerdynamic DT-770, lovely things!

I've been using a pair of these since BIT 3: luckily the pads are washable

Chris

[Tonka]

Related topic here with lots of recommendations:

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3522

I recommend the K240DF's. I suffer from constant headaches and sinus problems which both feel much worse when I stick a pair of headphones on my head! The K240DF's are hardly noticable, they are so light. Really flat response too. Not too sweaty either (leather pads I think)...

There is a slight variation of the design which boosts the output which is something you will want to consider if you aren't going to go through a mixing desk all of the time...

[Razmo]

Sennheiser HD600... I've had mine for more than 10 years by now, and they still play beautifully. They go all the way down to the subs (I can hear stuff in these I cannot with my Behringer TRUTH monitors) and the highs are crystal clear...

One thing I've always suffered from with headphones is if they rest on your ears, which make my ears hurt and feel like someone is trying to rip them off when I take the headphones off ... always go for those that tighten around your ears... the HD600 does this, and they're made from a VERY soft material... it's like putting a maincoon cat on each side of your head!

Theese babies are open headphones though... so sound WILL leak to the surroundings, but the way they have been made makes them trustworthy to use...many headphones change "color" in sound if you press them harder against your ears... these don't...

All in all; very good (and expensive!) headphones that I'd buy again if these were ever to fail... but I don't think they will... they lasted more than 10 years now, so why should they?

BTW: an alternative could be earplugs for the lady... they are less expensive, and they give the nice extra feature of being able to sneak around at night without getting heard

[omoroca]

I generally don't like headphones bc you always get hot ears when you wear them and you cannot move your head as you want to without having them fall off all the time.

So I prefer earphones. I know, I'm making myself ridiculous bc they cannot compete with real headphones, but the ones I'm currently wearing are (subjectively) pretty close to headphones, so I can really recommend them. And they are extremely inexpensive.

Sennheiser PX 10



@Makke: Especially for the synth-style music that you usually do, they sound wonderfully full, clear and well-balanced and are also capable of playing the bass sounds correctly. Only LFO effects can hardly be heard, that's a big disadvantage if you want to use them, of course.