First recording/mixing headphones?

Question

I'm studying audio design looking to buy my first pair of headphones for mixing and recording. My budget is around $100-150.

My friend has a pair of Creative Aurvana Live! that sound good although a bit bass heavy. http://www.audioholics.com/reviews/speakers/headphones/creative-aurvana-live-headphones-review

The Sennheiser HD 280 cost a bit more but are more travel friendly and seem more optimized for working with audio. http://www.onheadphones.com/product-reviews/audiophile/sennheiser-hd-280-pro.html

Would be great to hear some of your impressions or if you have other recommendations.

Answer 1

For very loud sound sources I am a big fan of these: http://www.remoteaudio.com/high_noise_headset/

If you are out in the field recording anything they enable you to keep the volume low and still hear everything. All too often recordists are cranking their headphones.

Answer 2

I recently bought a pair of Sony MDR7506's and I'm loving it! Great for mixing, sound recording in the field and things like dialogue editing and so on.Very comfortable too so highly recomennded.

Answer 3

I just recently got the Sennheiser HD 280 Pros. I am very new to all of this and am in no way qualified to comment on their overall quality except to say that they sound great to me. I needed more noise isolation than the 7506s apparently provide so that was a major factor.

Two things I wanted to mention though... they are very wide (the headband does not conform to the shape of your head - they "stick out" more than others - Google for some photos of people wearing them and you'll see what I mean). Also, I got mine from Amazon (US) for just $74 which seemed like a great deal and made the decision to grab them a little easier. Though now I see that you are in Sweden so I assume they may be more expensive there. Good luck... I don't think there is any one right answer to this question!

Answer 4

FWIW, +1 on the 7506's, but just be sure that you don't use headphones as your sole "source of truth." They're great for getting the basics down, but testing mixes and EQ on more than one set of speakers/cans, especially if you'll spend most of your time wearing cans, is critical. Don't overlook your own (or a friend's) car stereo as the ultimate lowest-common-denominator audio output testing platform...

Answer 5

There was a good article in Sound on Sound a few months back comparing different models. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan10/articles/studioheadphones.htm One thing that's obvious from the article though is that (obviously within reason) opinions on headphones are VERY personal and subjective.

Answer 6

Check out this question. There has been some fantastic answers regarding headphones.

To answer specifically to your budget, I'd recommend the Sony MDR7506. But read the question I gave you the link to, and see what other people think about these so you can decide whether or not they fit your needs. I just love these headphones!

Answer 7

I've been using the Sennheiser HD280 Pro for about five years. I daresay I read some reviews before I bought them, but I really can't remember what influenced me in my decision. I wanted something reasonable without entering into silly money territory (hardly necessary for internet releases)

They're comfortable to wear: not too heavy, and isolate you from background sounds effectively.

As for their audiophilic qualities, I'd say they OK for rough mixing: if I compare them with a pair of Genelec 8040A powered monitors, there's less bass obviously, but there's adequate representation of the mid- and top-range frequencies. If I fiddle with the EQ on the desk I can get the information I need from them without troubling the neighbours.

Answer 8

where u studying? which country, school?

Answer 9

+1 for the sennheiser HD280 pro

and also +++1 for Beyer DT 770 Pro for midprice headphones that i am currently using and i find them fabulous

Answer 10

For recording and mixing purposes, stay away from Creative and that kind of brands because they will give you a polished sound for "better gaming experience".

What you need is a headphone/speaker that has flat sound response. (Does not polish or add characteristics to your mixes.) Sennheiser HD280 Pro and Beyer DT 770 Pro two of the good options out there.

Answer 11

I would recommend the Beyerdynamic DT770pro 80 ohms. They are accurate, comfy and have a good level of isolation. I would stick with industry standard manufacturers like Beyer, AKG, Sennheiser or Sony, all of whom make excellent products that are designed to be both accurate and consistent over their lifespan.

Answer 12

Hi everyone,

I just read these posts and was wondering if an AUDIO TECHNICA ATH-M50 (€166) would be a good choice for Sound Designing purposes. Our professor has been recommending the Sony MDR-7506, which has been the standard in movie-editting for quite a while, but I'm not too keen on buying something because someone else tells me to.

While researching on the net, however, I found a headset called AUDIO TECHNICA ATH-M50. It has recently been acclaimed by many audiophiles in many websites, but my fear lies in the fact that these reviews might be unprofessional or even unbiased. These headphones are supposed to be monitor headphones, meaning that they shouldn't add anything to the sound reproduced (no "ultra-bass" so to speak), but I'm wondering if they are superior to the "recommended" Sony MDR-7506 ones.

Please help me out you guys. I'd be very grateful.