New studio headphones and how to treat them

M

MikeEffay

New member
I'm about to order my first serious pair of headphones for music production. It's the AKG k712's. I would like to treat them as good as possible, and im wondering if you guys have some tips on how to keep new headphones fresh looking, fresh sounding.

A lot of people tell me to let them play for a couple of hours in order to receive proper sound for the rest of their lifetime. Should i do this, and how do i do it properly? What benefit does it grant me?

Also, aside from a possible DAC/amp, are there any must-have hardware/software i should get for my new phones?

Also, is it possible to keep clean earcups, when not made of leather? The ones i have now are really dirty, and i dont want hair wax and other kinds of dirt on them. Is it possible to get leather/fake leather cups or something similar for the k712's? Any other solutions are welcome too!

Thanks in advance and have a great day.
 
MikeEffay said:
I'm about to order my first serious pair of headphones for music production. It's the AKG k712's. I would like to treat them as good as possible, and im wondering if you guys have some tips on how to keep new headphones fresh looking, fresh sounding.

A lot of people tell me to let them play for a couple of hours in order to receive proper sound for the rest of their lifetime. Should i do this, and how do i do it properly? What benefit does it grant me?

Also, aside from a possible DAC/amp, are there any must-have hardware/software i should get for my new phones?

Also, is it possible to keep clean earcups, when not made of leather? The ones i have now are really dirty, and i dont want hair wax and other kinds of dirt on them. Is it possible to get leather/fake leather cups or something similar for the k712's? Any other solutions are welcome too!

Thanks in advance and have a great day.
Click to expand...

just use rag to wipe them down no big deal
and don't use them for general beat making use your old ones
and when you want to do some light mixing use your new headphones
then go back later and mix through you studio monitors
 
fataltone said:
just use rag to wipe them down no big deal
and don't use them for general beat making use your old ones
and when you want to do some light mixing use your new headphones
then go back later and mix through you studio monitors
Click to expand...

I dont see any problem in not using his old ones at all. Break in your new ones AND get used to how they respond to the sound by using them as much as you can. If you're jumping back and forth between cans you're gonna have to switch back and forth(in your head) between what each can translates too based on the frequency response..which is unnecessary and risky.

The only thing that is going to come from not using them as much as you can (mixing aside, use monitors for that) is you won't break them in as fast and you won't get used to their 'sound' as fast. Neither of which are positive outcomes. Not really sure where you're coming from with that advice but thats my take on it. The only thing I can see supporting your point is maybe use them less so they dont get 'worn out.' but to me that isn't even a concern. If I'm buying cans, I'm buying them to use them a lot. The only time I'm not going to be using them is when I'm mixing with my monitors. FOR ME, toggling between 2 different sets of cans for the same thing makes no sense. It defeats all the logic behind 'getting used to your gear,' imo.
 
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Yumid said:
I dont see any problem in not using his old ones at all. Break in your new ones AND get used to how they respond to the sound by using them as much as you can. If you're jumping back and forth between cans you're gonna have to switch back and forth(in your head) between what each can translates too based on the frequency response..which is unnecessary and risky.

The only thing that is going to come from not using them as much as you can (mixing aside, use monitors for that) is you won't break them in as fast and you won't get used to their 'sound' as fast. Neither of which are positive outcomes. Not really sure where you're coming from with that advice but thats my take on it. The only thing I can see supporting your point is maybe use them less so they dont get 'worn out.' but to me that isn't even a concern. If I'm buying cans, I'm buying them to use them a lot. The only time I'm not going to be using them is when I'm mixing with my monitors. FOR ME, toggling between 2 different sets of cans for the same thing makes no sense. It defeats all the logic behind 'getting used to your gear,' imo.
Click to expand...

I prefer to use different tools for different situations
1.any cheap headphones for making beats
2.high-end headphones for light mixing
3.Studio Monitors for a full mix

these three steps/tasks take place at different times

I guess it comes down to workflow
 
Use everything you got whenever you want...
i mean at any time....before.. during ect....
use what u can to end with a balanced mix....
 
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