Hsia Nu Posted July 23, 2006 Share Posted July 23, 2006 If you want the best of the best for headphones and monitors: headphones: Sennheiser HD-650: $499.99 Monitors: Yamaha HS50M 5' Powered Monitor: $199.99 each This stuff is pretty much industry standard nowadays. Especially the yamaha hs50M's they are so crisp and clear you would think they are digital monitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VRXJudge Posted September 6, 2006 Share Posted September 6, 2006 Wouldn't the most accurate headphones be Grado RS1's? Closed headphones are inherently less "natural" sounding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Señor Quetzalcoatl Posted September 24, 2006 Share Posted September 24, 2006 What's the consensus on the analoq-endorsed Grado headphones? Are they too impractical due to being open-eared? Aaron mentioned the sound quality was pretty good. Wouldn't the most accurate headphones be Grado RS1's? Closed headphones are inherently less "natural" sounding. Well, yes, but the price range is pretty high on those. Also, the AKG K701 is good at that $500-$600 price range, and is a suitable competitor to the RS1. If you happen to like the Grado sound but want more neutrality (Grado's aren't neutral, they tend to be bright cans, well, anything below the SR325 models, at least), I suggest to get Alessandro Music Series headphones: http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html I own the MS1 and, at $99, they are a very good deal. They are pretty much modified a Grado SR125, and sound very pleasant, can handle all genres nicely, and best of all, sound great without a dedicated headphone amp due to the low ohms (32ohms), though they do benefit more with a decent amp. The SR125 are brighter and just cost more than the MS1, so I'd just go for the MS1 (keep in mind that most people get hooked in the Grado lineup with the SR60 or SR80, which are Grado's entry level cans, so the SR125 is higher up in the chain). I highly recommend these, especially if you are outside the US and want to try the Grado-ish sound (Grado prices outside the US are just too high). As far as them being "open," well, they do leak a lot, but if you're in a quiet room, it isn't a problem. Also, it lets you hear any outside noise, or if someone happens to call for you, you won't be totally oblivious to them calling out your name, so I like that. However, for commuting on bus and the like, ANY open can, no matter how expensive, just cannot drown out the noise enough for you to enjoy the music, which means you will most likely pump up the volume to compensate for this and feed your ear dangerous volume levels of music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villainelle Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Just wanted to toss this in: largely because of recommendations on this site, I picked up a pair of KRK RP5s last week, and am really pleased with them. Listened to a bunch of other monitors in the same $300-400/pair price range at a Guitar Center and these sounded the flattest and clearest. Thanks for the recommendation, OCR. It really is a whole new world of sound through decent monitors. :S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJDarkmaster Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 i use a $40 pair of Maxell NC-II noise canceling headphones with closed cabinet. they perform very well...except on real heavy bass As far as them being "open' date='" well, they do leak a lot, but if you're in a quiet room, it isn't a problem. Also, it lets you hear any outside noise, or if someone happens to call for you, you won't be totally oblivious to them calling out your name, so I like that. However, for commuting on bus and the like, ANY open can, no matter how expensive, just cannot drown out the noise enough for you to enjoy the music, which means you will most likely pump up the volume to compensate for this and feed your ear dangerous volume levels of music.[/quote'] That is why i like the closed headphones despite the slight quality degradation. besides a good pair of closed headphones shold be able to compensate for that effect anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syn@ps3 Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Krk Rp8 All The Way I Highly Reccomend Theese As They Are Affordable And Reference Very Well ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerrax Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Just bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 280Pro headphones (they are being mailed as we speak). From what I've read they're quite nice and they looklike they have a decent frequency curve. Any have any experience with these cans (good or bad)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avaris Posted March 22, 2007 Share Posted March 22, 2007 I got those same headphones. I've had em for about a month. They are the only monitor headphones I've had so I don't have much to compare to. I really do like them though. The big thing for me is the response from sounds that are near/far/left/right. In all the reviews I've read the only criticism I've heard is that the response is a lil greater for high and low freq. The quality for price they can't be beat IMO. I really like em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isosceles Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I used a pair of Sennheiser HD280 PRO's for a while. It got to where I just couldnt use them anymore because they were so damn uncomfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunahorum Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I would not say that, [scene]. It's ultimately up to the ear of the mixer and how familiar they are with their setup. I've personally been using a pair of $50 speakers from Staples and $50 Sennheiser headphones, and I do just fine. true don't fall for the marketing hype guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big giant circles Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/MAudioEX66ReferenceMonitor-main.html these are supposed to be phenomenal. as for me, i recently purchased some BX8A's. they sound pretty hawt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LITHE Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 nobody has posted on this subject in a while, but I just got the sennhieser HD650's and the sound is truelly amazing! I bought these for composing, since most of the time I work on my music late at night and I dont want to wake everyone in the house. some people say these headphones are great for listening but not creating. I highly disagree! I have only read good things about these headphones, and when I saw that it had the most perfect frequency reponse on head room (headphone.com) I was sold. I apgrade from Audio-Technica's ATH-M50's and the upgrade was worth it! these are the only headphone I have ever wore that gave me a sense of depth and feel for where the sound is comming from. I listend to some orchistra tracks and when I closed my eyes I felt almost as if I was listening to a live performance. every other headphones Ive used gave me a sense that the sound is comming from the center of my head rather than around me. rock music sounds as powerfull as it should sound through these headphones. the most important thing I can say about these headphones is that I can hear things in a song that I have never heard before. that includes problems in my own music. I highly recomend these headphones for anyone composing music. the only thing I wouldnt recomend the headphones for is recording or anything else that requires noise insolating. obveously sealed back headphones are much better in this case. these headphones are so "open" that you can hear pretty much everything outside of the headphones. for example, Im listening to music right now at a mid volume and I can here the the clicks comming from keyboard. so these wouldnt block out screaming babies on an airline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conyeezy Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 enough people have already mentioned the mid-range sennheisers (HD280's), and they are a good bang for the buck; they and the audio-technica atm40fs are decent starting headphones for those wanting something to mix with a great mid-range set of mixing headphones would be the audio-technica ath-m50's, and they are standard in mixing booths that do a lot of hiphop work at the really high end, the sennheiser hd650s are golden; to lithe, these are incredible for mixing work, but the key is using them in an acoustically treated environment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 so, under 200$ (unless there's a huge performance gain for going a little over)...what should i get? what's the best, most flat sound you can get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conyeezy Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 so, under 200$ (unless there's a huge performance gain for going a little over)...what should i get? what's the best, most flat sound you can get? audio technica ath-m50's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LITHE Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 audio technica ath-m50's I have a pair of these too. I absolutely love them! they have a decently level, full range frequency response. probably the best sealed back headphones out there. very well insulated and great for vocals and other types of recording. I usually use my ath m50's for recording, and final mastering with my sennhieser HD650's. that is until I get my Adam a7 monitors in about two weeks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 whoops, i meant speakers. monitor speakers. sorry, guys. i tend to shy away from headphones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conyeezy Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 for under 200$ i would get the mackie mr5's, hands down if you were to shoot a little bit higher, step up to the MR8's and throw some auralex mopads underneath them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Derrit Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 hey, i'm not trying to mix anything. or make music. i want a pair of great headphones that i can listen to music on. i've been looking at the A40 by astrogaming which apparently does an amazing job of both a headset and great sound quality but i'd like to hear from you people Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap McNapps Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Audio-Technica ATH-m50 are pretty good. I personally went with the Ultrasone Proline 550... they are AWESOME. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sou Posted September 17, 2009 Share Posted September 17, 2009 Has anyone here had any experience with the KRK VXT series Monitors? I was thinking of getting one to be used in my room while I work on my tracks and projects. I've saved up a bit already and don't want it to go to waste on my 1st Monitor purchase. Here is the link for anyone who is interested http://www.krksys.com/product_vxt.php My budget would be preferably around USD$250, and I'm also open to suggestions if anyone has any other ideas for monitors (even if its out of the budget, I'll look at it). Thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Souliarc Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Hey folks, just ringing in here for anybody looking. I just bought some Alesis M1Active 520 monitors ($200 at Sweetwater). They sound very good to me. They are no JBL's, but for $200 you get an incredible sound and I am impressed enough to keep them. I'm listening to "Human Race" by DHS and the bass is very full! But I think where it shines is its Mids to Highs. 75 Watts per monitor Bi-Amped Room Correction settings Silk Tweeter Power light doubles as a clip notifier And more.... Just my 3 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted October 20, 2009 Share Posted October 20, 2009 If you can't use monitors because 1. it'll wake everyone up, and 2. your room is untreated. Then here are some good recommendations on headphones. AKG 701/702, Beyerdynamic DT880/770/150/250, Sennheiser HD600/650/280, AKG K240DF, AKG K271 MKII, Sony 7509/7506/v6, Equation RP-21, Fostex T50RP, GMP 8.35, Audio Technica M50, and Ultrasone Pro 750. Though be aware that some of them require a headphone amp for it to be driven properly. Below is the estimate street price if you buy used. I copied this from an old thread I created a year ago from another forums. The purpose of the thread was to collect information on what was the most "detailed and revealing" headphones there are. Not all headphones I listed above will show on the list below. Circumaural / Full-Sized Headphones Closed Beyerdynamic DT150 [$200] Ultrasone Proline 750 [$200-$400] Beyerdynamic DT 48E [$300-$400] Audio Technica ATH-W5000[$500-$700] Stax SR-4070 [$1350-$1500] Sony MDR-R10 [Discontinued] Open Ultrasone Proline 2500 [$190-$275] AKG K701 [$200-$250] Sennheiser HD600 [$200-$300] Sony MDR-SA5000 [$300-$380] Stax SR-404 [$325-$425] Ergo AMT 2 [$1100-$1400] Stax SR-007 Omega II [$1500-$2000] AKG K1000 [Discontinued] Sony Qualia Q10 [Discontinued] Sennheiser H90 "Orpheus" [Discontinued] Sennheiser HD800 [$1400] Semi-closed Beyerdynamic DT 880 2005 250ohms [$200-$300] Supraural Headphones Closed Sennheiser HD 25-1 II [$130-$200] Ultrasone Edition 9 [$1050-$1500] In-Ear Monitors (IEM) Etymotic ER-4S [$140-$180] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcana Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 Hey all. I have a possible $400 to spend on stuff and I'm considering something like monitors. However based on this thread I've heard a few things. First, my room is definitely untreated. Is this a huge factor? Like, does it basically mean I waste $400 if I put them in an untreated room? Second, the thread recommends against low-end monitors, like those in the $400 range. I am wondering, with the recent explosion of inexpensive studio monitors, if this still holds true. Currently I mix on headphones but I'm kind of getting mixed results with them and I am wondering if I can improve my mixing abilities. Perhaps you can recommend if monitors are a good idea, or if I should consider something else (for example, to simply mix more, or read a book) until I can get a stronger setup. Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophetik music Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 i'll be purchasing a set of grado music series two headphones in a few days. there's a dealer at my school, and he gave me excellent pricing options on it (they're normally 300$ or so, and i'm getting it for 155!). i'll also be purchasing a set of sennheiser HD280 pros for using as a monitor during recording (the MS two headphones are open ear, so i can't use them while i'm recording myself). i'll post some feedback when i get them in. the guy's on vacation till the 20th, and hopefully they'll be in when he's back in town. edit: interestingly enough, he's selling the 700$ model for 320. i don't want wood headphones, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.