Monitors, Headphones?

Why not get the Marshall "Monitor" headphones - because they look and act like headphones...but they're called Monitor's o_O
 
with headphones you don't need acoustic treatment and you get the full spectrum plus you don't disturb anyone.

Monitor speakers are better , no ear fatigue ( at decent volumes) and if their really good better fidelity etc...

if you have none at the moment i'd go for headphones so you learn stuff then you think you need monitors go for the monitors and buy good ones not 100 dollar crap

yamaha HS + sub would be nice to start! :p
 
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Salem I could not see the article you mentioned about 7506's.
Do you really recommend those for mixing?
I have had my pair for a good 8 years and they are terribly bright to use for mixing.
 
Salem I could not see the article you mentioned about 7506's.
Do you really recommend those for mixing?
I have had my pair for a good 8 years and they are terribly bright to use for mixing.

Well, under ideal circumstances with a good budget and a spacious room,
I wouldn't recommend mixing on headphones at all.

For more money, I recommend the AKG K702,
especially since the price dropped so drastically when they moved manufacturing from Austria to China.

For around $100 or so, though, the Sony MDR 7506 (LINK) and the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro (LINK) are definitely my top 2 picks.
I lean towards the Sonys because the build quality is just so good, they're on par with Shure microphones for durability.

The Senn 280s aren't nearly as bright as the 7506 (which is fairly characteristic of the entire brand in general),
so you might want to check them out if you're in the market for inexpensive headphones.

As usual, I like backing up what I say with measurable data when possible.
Here's a graph comparing the tonality of these 2 sets of headphones:

v2mo8i


Each non-numbered vertical line on the chart represents 1/10th of the distance between numbered lines.
Hence, the first 10 lines represent 10Hz each, the next 10 lines represent 100Hz each, and the next 10 lines after that represent 1KHz each.
You see with the Sonys that they're light on bass at under 50Hz, but the bass that they reproduce at 50-150Hz is flat-line accurate.
As you and others have said, they're "brighter" than other headphones at the often-painful area of 3KHz-5KHz, but this is a good thing - they're keeping true to what they're fed!

Also:

On my headphone bus in my mixes, I also have a "neutralizing" EQ that I use, which is a carefully constructed inverse of the above chart.
Looks like this (it might not look accurate at first glance because the decibel scale is different):

lYcdql


-Ki
Salem Beats (+Reviews)
gpWmqu
 
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Well, under ideal circumstances with a good budget and a spacious room,
I wouldn't recommend mixing on headphones at all.

For more money, I recommend the AKG K702,
especially since the price dropped so drastically when they moved manufacturing from Austria to China.

For around $100 or so, though, the Sony MDR 7506 (LINK) and the Sennheiser HD-280 Pro (LINK) are definitely my top 2 picks.
I lean towards the Sonys because the build quality is just so good, they're on par with Shure microphones for durability.

The Senn 280s aren't nearly as bright as the 7506 (which is fairly characteristic of the entire brand in general),
so you might want to check them out if you're in the market for inexpensive headphones.

As usual, I like backing up what I say with measurable data when possible.
Here's a graph comparing the tonality of these 2 sets of headphones:

v2mo8i


Each non-numbered vertical line on the chart represents 1/10th of the distance between numbered lines.
Hence, the first 10 lines represent 10Hz each, the next 10 lines represent 100Hz each, and the next 10 lines after that represent 1KHz each.
You see with the Sonys that they're light on bass at under 50Hz, but the bass that they reproduce at 50-150Hz is flat-line accurate.
As you and others have said, they're "brighter" than other headphones at the often-painful area of 3KHz-5KHz, but this is a good thing - they're keeping true to what they're fed!

Also:

On my headphone bus in my mixes, I also have a "neutralizing" EQ that I use, which is a carefully constructed inverse of the above chart.
Looks like this (it might not look accurate at first glance because the decibel scale is different):

lYcdql


-Ki
Salem Beats (+Reviews)
gpWmqu

But what else was lost when shipping went to china? They were literally cut right in half for price. Its scary.

Also that neutralizing EQ idea is really interesting, in theory. But I don't think it would actually be an accurate way of getting your headphones to flat line. There are too many other variables affecting dB spikes in frequency. Especially in 'cheaper' closed cans like the Sonys. Any EQ neutralizing you do is just gonna be ruined by resonance inside the cans won't it. Might as well just get used to how your cans sound naturally. Unless there is never a time you DONT use the neutralizing EQ, but that would just seem like useless extra work using it every time.
 
But what else was lost when shipping went to china? They were literally cut right in half for price. Its scary.

I'm not one of the people who frets about Chinese manufacturing.
Almost everything is manufactured in China today, including top-of-the line Apple products, Sennheiser products, etc.
I'm sure they're making more money from this move, by cutting the price in half and cutting the cost of product by much more than half.

Also that neutralizing EQ idea is really interesting, in theory. But I don't think it would actually be an accurate way of getting your headphones to flat line. There are too many other variables affecting dB spikes in frequency. Especially in 'cheaper' closed cans like the Sonys. Any EQ neutralizing you do is just gonna be ruined by resonance inside the cans won't it. Might as well just get used to how your cans sound naturally. Unless there is never a time you DONT use the neutralizing EQ, but that would just seem like useless extra work using it every time.

I use the EQ compensation when I haven't put on the headphones for a long time
and don't want to take the time to reference anything (just a quick headphone check).

I can vouch that the EQ curve reduces the difference in tonality between my cans and my monitors.

-Ki
Salem Beats (+Reviews)
gpWmqu
 
Salem do you mind me asking where you got that graph? I'm going to be doing stuff in my dorm and it would probably be good to know what I'm working with.
 
Salem do you mind me asking where you got that graph? I'm going to be doing stuff in my dorm and it would probably be good to know what I'm working with.

Yep!
You can get find the headphone graphs here, with the ability to compare up to 4 models simultaneously.
In addition to frequency response, the same tool also provides graphs for:
- transient response,
- harmonic distortion,
- isolation (very useful for using headphones to record), and
- frequency-dependent impedance.


-Ki
Salem Beats (+Reviews)
gpWmqu
 
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To me they dont sound like that curve. Don't know why.
Well I ain't looking for cheap phones, I mix on HD800s and 650 when on cans.
I just find the 7506 terrible for mixing (cans).
 
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I have those hd 280's. Theoretically if you tried to balance a lack of something with eq, aren't you just boosting things that aren't there?

Like if I was missing a lot of bass (not that the HD's are) and I tried boosting it with eq wouldn't that just confuse my ears?
 
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If you have the money, get monitor speakers and a nice headphone. I use the audio-technica ath-m30, they're nice. I master my beats with the headphones and then I test how they sound with my 80 watts speaker.My music mixes have improved since I started testing it with headphones and speakers.
 
I'm using the Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro (250 Ohm). Best choice for me, it's a studio standard for years now!
But you really have to add a good audio interface for the 250 version, otherwise there's still the 32 Ohm version. (And also 600 Ohm btw).
 
Owned the audio technica ath-m50 for about 4 years now, and still going strong. I dislike my wifes beats by dre headphones.
 
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