PuRe-eViL Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Hey everyone, I just got myself a new bass guitar off ebay (never touched a bass in my life - but they seem cool so I shelled out the dosh for one xD), and now that I'm making a lot more noise in the house, I was wondering what kind of headphones I should be getting. Basically, I want to use it while playing my bass so no one besides me gets irritated at the bad playing, and also to use it in my multimedia stuff for University (which involves stuff like balancing audio levels so they don't clip, removing 'impurities' from the audio - even going so far as composing my own little pieces of music). Are there any good headphones that have a student-friendly price range? I had some Logitech majiggy, but my girlfriend ended up snapping it in half accidentally =| and my gaming headset isn't comfortable for more than an hour or so. I just need something good and cheap. And I'm in Australia if that helps. Ty =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverCoat Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Assuming you can't find Stanton XXI's like I have [you can't, they were discontinued in like 1980], look into AKGs or Sennheisers. They can get expensive but they're sturdy enough [at least in my experience, the AKGs are] and worth the cost. Save up $100 and you should find some decent ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PuRe-eViL Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Ty for firstly recommending something close to 30 years old xD But yeah, I was looking to get something solid, and as long as they don't crap out on me after a few months (and, instead, last a lot longer), I'm not so fussed shelling out a bit more, so I guess I'll have to shop around to get me some AKG or Senn action. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huggie Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I have Sennheiser HD25-1 great bass response... Hugo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion303 Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102657 -steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fray Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 (Waiting for Analoq to pop in here and pimp Grados...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverCoat Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 I actually just got myself some AKG K240s I am recommending AKG twice :V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analoq Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 (Waiting for Analoq to pop in here and pimp Grados...) you know, I don't like to think I'm predictable as much as I am consistent I considered mentioning them but Grados are difficult to get outside of the US. American dealers are not allowed to ship them internationally and I don't know if there's an Australian dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannthr Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Currently, I have the MDR-7506's which have great detail but have the slightest bass boost and the slightest high boosts--great for monitoring dance music, but not so good for orchestra. My next pair will probably be these bad boys: Senn HD650 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_muteKi Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 MDRs are good. I use a pair of MDR-210. Very nice, surprisingly good bass response for headphones in general. I don't think they're too expensive, but they are comfy and produce good sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted December 2, 2007 Share Posted December 2, 2007 Currently, I have the MDR-7506's which have great detail but have the slightest bass boost and the slightest high boosts--great for monitoring dance music, but not so good for orchestra.My next pair will probably be these bad boys: Senn HD650 Look into the Beyerdynamic DT880s. They sell for $175-225 (depending on year) but if you look at reviews in general, many people consider them to possibly be the best headphones ever. They are ULTRA-comfortable and finely detailed; supposedly, the 2003 model has weaker midrange, but I own 'em and don't think that's the case at all. The 2006 pair apparently fixes that, regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannthr Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Thought this would be interesting, some frequency response graphs on various headphones discussed here. The Beyerdynamics definitely seem right on for the money--I'm just not sure if I'd want the boost on the highs or take the hit for the senns... I'm almost more wary about boosts over damps, but it's definitely a solid candidate, Zircon! (the iPod buds are for the cat who suggested radioshack phones) The iPod buds are great for listening to someone speak and trying to hear someone speak clearly because it has a frequency boost in the vocal range and it's got a spike around 4khz, right around where the bulk of human intonation occurs. Of course it's camel hump response does nothing for mixing. The AKGs aren't bad, but they taper off the highs, eliminating the ability to hear certain details in the mix--especially bad details that might hit off the spectrum--and they have an insane, nearly 10dB bass boost. The Beyer and the Senns are quite comparable, and the Beyers are quite a bit cheaper--but I, like I said, am not too big on what those couple of high end spikes would do--might just bring out some of the detail, but it might be for the worse? Not sure--but at the same time, I'm not big on the Senn's dips either, even though I do like that it keeps most things low and even. Interesting, to say the least... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zircon Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 In my opinion, the high end is more detailed and clear on the DT880s, but definitely not piecing or fatiguing. I usually work for hours straight, sometimes up to 5-8 at a time (only with small breaks) and not only are they luxuriously comfortable, but I don't feel like my ears are being blistered at all. I also don't feel like the slight high end emphasis impacts my mixing or mastering at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fray Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 I'm getting way over my head trying to talk about psychoacoustics, but I'm not sure the ideal mixing headphones would actually lack the notches at 5kHz or in the super high frequencies... Headphones would ideally sound the same as super high end monitors (flat response) in a perfectly treated room. But when you stick the speakers with a flat response right next to your ears, you don't get the same effect. For one thing the sound would be way too damn bright. Everything from the air in the room to the shape of your head changes the sound before it gets to your ears. Point being, you can't judge headphones by looking at the graphs and grabbing the one that looks most like a straight line. But you can use it to see the difference between the headphones you're considering and top-of-the-line models like the HD650s... For one thing you will see that most consumer headphones, even expensive ones, are nowhere close! (Dannthr probably knows all this already, but as an FYI for other readers...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SenPi Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 I think this is where its at http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/5066/6090/ultrasone-headphones-headset-expensive-drivers.phtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverCoat Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 way over my head puṇ̣̣̣̣̣̣̣ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted December 3, 2007 Share Posted December 3, 2007 Plenty of good headphones feature frequency responses out of typical range of human perception. Out of curiosity, does anyone know why? Sure, high freq sounds can get aliased back to low freq sounds so I can see some purpose in having higher than a 20kHz response. The DT880 reportedly have a 5Hz low end response though. What's the purpose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fray Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 It's because you can physically feel a 5hz vibration even if your ears don't actually pick it up. I don't see a purpose in going over 20kHz -- aliasing is only a problem when you're trying to digitally sample a waveform with frequency content greater than half the sampling resolution. That's not an issue with headphones or speakers, they're going to act more like a low pass filter really... The only reason I could see that a headphone manufacturer would spec at over 20k is if designing them that way made the frequencies under 20k better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnappleMan Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 None of this conversation will help any of your guys' music suck less. Just letting you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 It's because you can physically feel a 5hz vibration even if your ears don't actually pick it up. Hmm, I suppose I hadn't considered that. Although I wonder what musical impact something that slow has over the sound. Listen to a metronome at 300 BPM (aka 5Hz). Does something that intermittent really have a tonal quality that will add to or detract from a mix?I don't see a purpose in going over 20kHz -- aliasing is only a problem when you're trying to digitally sample a waveform with frequency content greater than half the sampling resolution. I was actually thinking more in terms of the psychoacoustic idea that the fundamental frequency can be perceived through only harmonics, even though the fundamental frequency might not actually be present. Then, if harmonics are present above the actual range of perception, a fundamental freq that may actually be perceptible can be heard. That wouldn't work if the speakers didn't actually play the non-perceptible frequencies. I don't know much about it, but from what I've read that's what I've gathered. But you're right, that idea and aliasing are different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fray Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 Hmm, I suppose I hadn't considered that. Although I wonder what musical impact something that slow has over the sound. Listen to a metronome at 300 BPM (aka 5Hz). Does something that intermittent really have a tonal quality that will add to or detract from a mix? I was actually thinking more in terms of the psychoacoustic idea that the fundamental frequency can be perceived through only harmonics, even though the fundamental frequency might not actually be present. Then, if harmonics are present above the actual range of perception, a fundamental freq that may actually be perceptible can be heard. That wouldn't work if the speakers didn't actually play the non-perceptible frequencies. I don't know much about it, but from what I've read that's what I've gathered. But you're right, that idea and aliasing are different. I'm pretty sure super low frequencies can mess up a mix, even if they're inaudible. If nothing else they might screw it up in the same way a DC offset would -- it would start clipping at a lower volume level than normal. I guess that's why a lot of guides will suggest you low-cut your kick drums at somewhere around 20-30Hz. For example they mention it in this one (http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov03/articles/logicnotes.htm) in the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs, but no explanation other than that it decreases muddiness. As for the super high stuff... I dunno None of this conversation will help any of your guys' music suck less. Just letting you know. Nor will it loosen your sphincter, but it's still an interesting discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannthr Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 It's just a really low annoying rumble and if your listeners have a decent (or even a shitty) sub--it'll get all brrr on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fray Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 It's just a really low annoying rumble and if your listeners have a decent (or even a shitty) sub--it'll get all brrr on you. Yeah I think I've heard that effect before on stuff that wasn't mastered very well Super low freq stuff really does mess up your headroom too -- I looked it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harmony Posted December 4, 2007 Share Posted December 4, 2007 it'll get all brrr on you. Sorry Dan, I don't understand all of this technical mumbo-jumbo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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