Day-to-day headphone recs

[gravitygauntlet]

Hi all, I'm going to be in the market for new desktop headphones soon - for day-to-day use and to do basic mixing with. They don't have to be anything fancy - my current ones are just Logitech G433s - but I'm looking for:

- Price of $100-300

- Not fully noise-canceling. Some mild noise cancellation is fine.

- Better bass / low end definition than the G433s

- Not much sibilance. A lot of "gaming headphones" have been too tinny or too loud in the 3-8khz range, etc.

- Durability! I've had the G433s for 5+ years and they still haven't fallen apart, even with use on most days.

Mixing-wise the bass thing is starting to become noticeable, to the point that I have to test on other systems (ex. car stereo) to make sure everything below 100hz sounds fine. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Edited November 16, 2024 by gravitygauntlet

[Master Mi]

Sorry for the late response - just recognized some days before that somebody could need some help with professional studio headphones.

I'll give you a detailed answer, as I own 3 different studio headphones myself (closed-back model: Sony MDR-7506, semi-open model: Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro, open model: Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro) and have also extensively tested many well-known studio headphones (like AKG/Austrian Audio, Sennheiser, Audio-Technica) in several music and technology stores.

For more information and recommendations regarding good studio heaphones, you can also use the search function in the upper right corner of the OC Remix webpage interface, because there are already some threads for this topic.


But to make it short.

The best studio headphones model I ever experienced, was and still is the  >>> Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro <<< (250-ohms model, originally in the silver design - if you go for the black edition of the DT 880 Pro model, just buy and attach the silver velour pads called "EDT 990 V" for a comparable frequency response and sound experience:

https://www.amazon.com/beyerdynamic-880-Over-Ear-Studio-Headphone/dp/B001B1QENY

https://www.thomann.co.uk/beyerdynamic_dt_880_pro_black_edition.htm


The Beyerdynamic DT 880 Pro convince with the following features:
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- one of the best and finest audio resolution in studio headphones I have ever experienced (really clear bass, mids and highs)
- very even, neutral and natural frequency response (no exaggerated bass, treble or reduced mids), which is very beneficial when mixing
- organic, dynamic, airy, relaxed and analytical sound image (if a piano is playing softly somewhere in the background slightly right behind the strings, that's pretty much exactly what you'll hear - and sometimes even the touch of various instruments or maybe the thumping of a fierce bunny)
- very large, authentic sound stage (also good for watching films - you literally feel like you're right in the middle of the action)
- extremely comfortable to wear (really large velour pads that lie relaxed over your ears, almost like pillows from the Cloudland)
- I can't say too much about the longevity yet - but after about 5 years they could still be my first ones from this model if I hadn't had the reckless idea of vacuuming the velour pads with a vacuum cleaner (and damaging the membranes in the process)...

Other Beyerdynamic headphone models such as the DT 770 Pro (closed-back model) or DT 990 Pro (open model) don't stand much of a chance against the DT 880 Pro because they tend to have exaggerated bass or sharp to piercing highs, which can quickly tire the ears and adversely affect the mixing quality.
Even the newer models such as the DT 900 Pro X (with which I immediately had no sure feeling how to mix anything, because - presumably due to the extremely thick velour pads - somehow everything on the sound stage sounded like it was playing far in the background) somehow can't quite keep up with the good old DT 880 Pro model.

However, bear in mind (especially if you want to use the DT 880 Pro for online multiplayer games) that these headphones are a semi-open model - this means that a little sound penetrates into the headphones from the outside as well as out of the headphones from the inside (at normal listening volume, however, it only sounds like a soft whisper approx. 50 cm away from the headphones).


So if you absolutely insist on buying a well-shielded closed-back headphone model, I could recommend this one as the next best studio headphones model I've experienced over the years, the Japanese Audio-Technica ATH-M50X:

https://www.thomann.co.uk/audio_technica_ath_m50_x.htm


The Audio-Technica ATH-M50X convince with the following features:
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- really good audio resolution and sound stage for a closed-back headphones model
- also a very even frequency response
- kinda similar sound image like that of the DT 880 Pro
- quite comfortable to wear
- Thanks to the detachable cable, you can even (especially for online multiplayer games) attach an additional microphone and turn these studio headphones into a little studio headset.

If my closed-back studio headphones, the Sony MDR-7506, were to break at some point, I would definitely replace them with the closed-back Audio Technica ATH-M50X.

...

I hope I was able to help you a little with this. ))

Edited December 26, 2024 by Master Mi