Another headphone buying thread...

Psalm

Psalm

New member
I know these type of threads get posted a lot but I have actually done some research and am more after some first hand experience on these certain headphones and also if someone can explain the difference between each price bracket.

So for starters, I don't really have a budget but cheaper is better as long as I'm not wasting that money on low quality.
I need them to be closed back, VERY comfortable for long periods of time, also a detachable cord would be preferable but not essential, I want them to last and obviously the best sound quality possible.
I'm by no means a mixing engineer, just a hip hop producer but I intend to learn the basics of mixing and mastering at some stage. (I know headphones aren't suitable for mixing, just referencing.)
I will be using these for producing mainly.

After reading up on some reviews and comparisons I've virtually shortlisted these two headphones

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 - Amazon.com: Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Headphones: Musical Instruments


Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO - Amazon.com: Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO, 250 ohms: Electronics


Both very similar prices which would be a better purchase do you think?

I'm open to spending more as well, but I'm not going to spend more unless it's necessary.
These headphones in a dearer price bracket get a lot of praise as well.

Focal Spirit Professional Pro Studio Headphones - Amazon.com: Focal Spirit Professional Pro Studio Headphones - Closed: Electronics


So after reading all that I will recap my questions for you:
Have you used any of these headphones? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
Which price bracket is suitable for me? Is it a waste of money if I buy a more expensive pair? (Considering I'm not a professional mix engineer).
And which one should I choose? (I am still open to other models).
 
Last edited:
Did you hear anything about KRK KNS 8400 headphones? I used that to produce the beat in my sig. I'd be interesting in knowing, but the headphones you picked out were great choices from what I've heard as well.
 
I am aware of the KRK KNS 8400's but a couple people complained they were uncomfortable after a while. I think I will go with the ATH M50's thanks!
 
Psalm said:
I am aware of the KRK KNS 8400's but a couple people complained they were uncomfortable after a while. I think I will go with the ATH M50's thanks!
Click to expand...

Very smart man. The guy at guitar center recommended those to me and I say its one of the best purchases you can make.
 
My recommendation in the ~$100 range is the Sony MDR-7506.
They've been a music industry standard in studios since the 90s:



If you decide to spend ~$300, I'd recommend the AKG K702.
That's the most accurate in that price range:



-Ki
Salem Beats
 
Last edited:
I've owned Sony MDR 7506's and I will tell you that anything you get to sound good on those headphones will ONLY sound good on those headphones. Your mix will sound like garbage everywhere else. They're great for tracking and field recording but absolutely horrible for anything else. They're good for listening to music also. Be prepared to change the earpads often, they start to flake with less than a year of usage.

Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic or Sony 7520's (Dr. Luke uses 7520s) would be my only choices. Audio Technicas are popular because they make everything sound good. That's the exact opposite of what you want.
 
metroidprime said:
I've owned Sony MDR 7506's and I will tell you that anything you get to sound good on those headphones will ONLY sound good on those headphones. Your mix will sound like garbage everywhere else. They're great for tracking and field recording but absolutely horrible for anything else. They're good for listening to music also. Be prepared to change the earpads often, they start to flake with less than a year of usage.

Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic or Sony 7520's (Dr. Luke uses 7520s) would be my only choices. Audio Technicas are popular because they make everything sound good. That's the exact opposite of what you want.
Click to expand...

With a handful of very exotic exceptions,
headphones attempt to reproduce the entire frequency range with one driver.

There's no subwoofer to properly handle the 50Hz-and-below rumble,
and no tweeters to properly handle the 10KHz-and-above sizzle.

Because of this constraint of domain-specific drivers,
most high-end headphones are less accurate than the drivers in even the most common consumer bookshelf speakers.

However, to offset this issue,
a pair of headphones comes its own controlled acoustic environment.
You don't have to worry about your room's flutter reverb, bass traps, etc.
This is the redeeming feature of headphones, and a major reason why they should be included in your audio decisions.

Anyway:

Many sets of headphones ignore the constraints and try to do everything well with a single driver,
and as a result, they don't do very well at anything in particular.
The MDR 7506, on the other hand,
sacrifices reproduction attempts at the frequency extremes (below 50Hz and above 10KHz)
in order to focus on accurate reproduction of the rest of the range.

If you treat any set of cans as though it's a perfect studio monitor,
and don't pay attention to its design paradigm,
you're going to end up surprised by the result.

Ideally, you shouldn't be mixing solely on a pair of headphones,
but rather,
using the headphones as a secondary tool with its own benefits and drawbacks.

If you do this, the Sony MDR 7506 is great.
You simply need to double-check with another system to ensure that you have
the proper amount of "weight" below 50Hz,
and the proper amount of "air" about 10KHz.

-Ki
Salem Beats

P.S.,
They have velour earpads for the 7506.
I've had mine for about 6 years.
They don't flake, and they feel extremely comfortable.
 
Last edited:
Salem Beats said:
most high-end headphones are less accurate than the drivers in even the most common consumer bookshelf speakers.
Click to expand...

Wrong. I don't even have to explain as this is an asinine statement.


Salem Beats said:
However, to offset this issue,
a pair of headphones comes its own controlled acoustic environment.
You don't have to worry about your room's flutter reverb, bass traps, etc.
This is the redeeming feature of headphones, and a major reason why they should be included in your audio decisions.
Click to expand...

No one said headphones shouldn't be.


Salem Beats said:
Many sets of headphones ignore the constraints and try to do everything well with a single driver,
and as a result, they don't do very well at anything in particular.
The MDR 7506, on the other hand,
sacrifices reproduction attempts at the frequency extremes (below 50Hz and above 10KHz)
in order to focus on accurate reproduction of the rest of the range.
Click to expand...

Wrong again. MDR 7506 has scooped mids along with hyped low and high ends. When compared to headphones like Sennheiser HD600 it's clear why one is considered "budget" and the other "high end". The Sony's are popular because of their price/performance ratio, not because they are accurate. You can see in the charts below:

hd600.pngMDR 7506.png

Salem Beats said:
P.S.,
They have velour earpads for the 7506.
I've had mine for about 6 years.
They don't flake, and they feel extremely comfortable.
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]

I have owned my pair of 7506's for over 5 years, and yes the pads do flake if you use them regularly. I've had to change mine twice in the time I've owned them. No sense in putting velour pads on $100 headphones. It's like putting shiny new rims on a clunker car.
 
metroidprime said:
Wrong again. MDR 7506 has scooped mids along with hyped low and high ends. When compared to headphones like Sennheiser HD600 it's clear why one is considered "budget" and the other "high end". The Sony's are popular because of their price/performance ratio, not because they are accurate. You can see in the charts below:

View attachment 42726View attachment 42725
Click to expand...


Fantastic. We've got the battle of the measurement authenticity going on:

graphCompare.php


Nobody describes the MDR 7506 as a "disco curve, scooped-mids" sound.
They sound as the blue line above indicates -- fairly flat, with its most major deviations being a slight prominence in the midrange between 500Hz and 1000Hz.

Perhaps your belief that they reproduce "scooped mids" explains why you could never get anything to sound the way you wanted on them!
Maybe you should crack them open with this new perspective, and see whether you can get something to sound good while using them.

I put together a Pro-Q preset a long time ago in an attempt to inverse the deviations in the 7506's response.
It looks like this, and ends up with the headphones sounding much closer to the response of both of my monitoring systems (if it was a "scooped mids" set of cans, this curve would merely exaggerate the effect):

mdr7506_response_level.png


metroidprime said:
Wrong. I don't even have to explain as this is an asinine statement.
Click to expand...

It should be perfectly clear that different sizes and materials are selected for the drivers attached to the crossover in a bookshelf speaker.
Tweeters are constructed using something very lightweight and small so that they can react quickly to information,
and subwoofers are built out of large and heavy materials to maximize excursion distance and prevent blowouts while moving large volumes of air.
These are the common-sense basics of frequency reproduction in the extremes on a bookshelf monitoring system, and these specializations are not available when only one driver is available.
Certainly, you'd need to come up with a fantastic reason to defy common sense!

-Ki
Salem Beats
 
Last edited:
Salem Beats said:
Fantastic. We've got the battle of the measurement authenticity going on:

graphCompare.php


Nobody describes the MDR 7506 as a "disco curve, scooped-mids" sound.
They sound as the blue line above indicates -- fairly flat, with its most major deviations being a slight prominence in the midrange between 500Hz and 1000Hz.

Perhaps your belief that they reproduce "scooped mids" explains why you could never get anything to sound the way you wanted on them.

Maybe you should crack them open with this new perspective, and see whether you can get something to sound good while using them.

-Ki
Salem Beats
Click to expand...

Hehe, we get it. You love the Sony MDR 7506s and your perceived "more accurate than high end headphone" sound which is more like placebo effect than anything.

The fact that you refuse to accept the reality that these headphones are lacking is present in your music. I checked out your youtube and all your tracks have a very "boxy" sound. Very hard to listen to. This is because your beloved 7506s are lying to you. You think the mix is spot on, which is what the Sony's are doing, but you're off and it's very noticable.

Believe what you want, there is a reason those headphones are only used for tracking vocals, recording drummers and field recording.
 
Last edited:
i have a $100 pair of sennheiser 280hd pro that have served me well, but i only use headphones for the creative part not for any mixing or mastering.
 
ego killer said:
i have a $100 pair of sennheiser 280hd pro that have served me well, but i only use headphones for the creative part not for any mixing or mastering.
Click to expand...

Yeah.

I have my Maschine off to the left of my main desk with its own monitor and mouse.

Having headphones on helps me to make panning decisions,
since both pairs of monitors would be playing primarily into my right ear while my chair is spun to the left.

-Ki
Salem Beats
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top