Recommended Headphones for Mixing?

[dancerchris]

The biggest problem mixing with cans is there is no stereo crossfeed (the left ear hearing the right channel and vise-versa). As a result your stereo imaging is off compared to monitors. You can compensate, but a better way is to use a crossfeed plug-in designed for monitoring with headphones. (There's a decent one out there in the freeware world .... I forget the name something like HDPHX.dll ?) I have heard there are even some headphones that have circuitry built in that does this.

Don't worry about getting the perfect frequency response, as everything colors, you just learn to work with it, i.e. know your source.

[FRGus723]

Problem with a lot of phones these days is they boost bass or cut treble and don't give you a clear indication of what your sound is. Similar to listening to your car stereo with the bass boosted. This is NOT how it was originally mixed. So my suggestion is to go for quality in ear monitors like these from Sensaphonics.

ProPhonic 2X-S Yes they are pricey but worth it.

http://www.sensaphonics.com/prod_2xs.html

Just my 2 cents

[Robert Henke]

The biggest problem mixing with cans is there is no stereo crossfeed (the left ear hearing the right channel and vise-versa). As a result your stereo imaging is off compared to monitors. You can compensate, but a better way is to use a crossfeed plug-in designed for monitoring with headphones. (There's a decent one out there in the freeware world .... I forget the name something like HDPHX.dll ?) I have heard there are even some headphones that have circuitry built in that does this.

Don't worry about getting the perfect frequency response, as everything colors, you just learn to work with it, i.e. know your source.

Here is a review of a very expensive hardware solution:
http://mixonline.com/gear/reviews/revie ... oring-amp/

Very interesting approach. If I find the time I'll try to port the concept to M4L, because nothing SPL does here cannot also be done in software. I would also be interested in any existing plug in solutions for that (Mac).

Robert

[JAMM]

i mixed and produced for years with a(130db)headphone and ended up with tinnitus so watch out for high volumes.

[samplehead]

10+ years on AKG K-240's here as well...

[dancerchris]

..snip...

Here is a review of a very expensive hardware solution:
http://mixonline.com/gear/reviews/revie ... oring-amp/

Very interesting approach. If I find the time I'll try to port the concept to M4L, because nothing SPL does here cannot also be done in software. I would also be interested in any existing plug in solutions for that (Mac).

Robert

The basics of "The Psychoacoustics of Headphone Listening" can be had at this location http://headwize.com/tech/headrm1_tech.htm if you're truly interested in building a model. This is rudimentary as it doesn't cover much on diffraction patterns, head shape, room size, etc. However it does cover some of the basic stuff.

BTW...There actually is a cost savings if you consider the posibility that true room spatiality and separation could be simulated (even with an $1800 box) when you compare it to a properly treated room and "good" monitors. Ask the guys that mix in $100k studio's (sans board).

HDPHX is just simply a stereo bleed model with no equilization effects, etc. The bleed can easily be simulated using existing routing methods available on Live.
BTW you can get this plug (PC) at http://refinedaudiometrics.com/products-hdphx.shtml

[DAB03]

770's

[funknotik]

I just picked up some Audio Technica ATHM-40fs for 80 dollars Canadian (less than half suggested retail price) and they are awesome - better than my Sony 7506s, which are also very good. The frequency range on the ATHM-40fs is 5 Hz - 28,000 Khz - they are seriously excellent even for their full retail price.

I do almost all my mixing on phones - just be sure to reference it on monitors before you commit the mix though.

How is the comfort on those? I have heard good reviews. I've been using technics rp dh 1200s and I can't sit more than 20 minutes with them on. I know they arent exactly good monitoring headphones but I usually don't mix through headphones and i had them lieing around. I feel like they are crushing my head, they fucking suck. I'll probably get athm 40fs if they are comfortable.

[locojohn]

audio technica ATH-M50.. read the reviews.. can't go wrong for the money..

These are good phones indeed, especially for the price they sell, but they are closed type. Their primarily use is for recording applications. For mixing you need to preferably have open type phones, as they usually give more natural/equal frequency response overall, plus they're subject to less listening fatigue, so something like Sennheiser HD650 or AKG 701 would do.

Andrejs

[locojohn]

this type of thread REALLY needs to be searched for before you post a new topic on it. you'll get plenty of results as i believe there are 15 threads about this.

whatever the case get Ultrasone brand headphones. you won't be sorry.

Ultrasone produce different phones. I've got 750's and I don't like them for mixing - IMHO they lack in accurate reproduction in the low-mid frequency area. My experience with them is about 2 years. I use them for recording outdoors, as they provide nearly best isolation possible though.

Andrejs

[Porpy]

Another vote for AKG 701s.
I have had my pair for a year now and while they sounded pretty good out of the box, they really have changed tremendously and sound amazing now - incredibly detailed and I just trust them completely.
I use them at least 8 hours every day.

I am using them with an Apogee Duet which is a great card for driving headphones like these.
The new model that AKG have replaced them with look great from a musician point of view - particularly because they have a detachable (replaceable) mini-xlr jack into the headphone.
With my 701s I am paranoid to the point of obsession of not tripping over the cord - I have broken 3 sets of good headphones this way

I have been experimenting with http://www.112db.com/redline/monitor/ and find it works quite well when I compare it with my monitors.

[simpleton]

Sony MDR V600:
40mm Aura-Nomic Designed Driver Unit is positioned within the earcup at an angle which directly corresponds to the angle of the opening of the ear canal for the most natural listening experience possible.

[DaffyDub]

I just got Beats by Dr.Dre..... maybe a little heavy in the low end - but oh my god, they sound great, and the active noise reduction kills the outside world, so that you can work in peace..... must be great for live performance as well - but haven't tried yet, as I'm traveling at the moment..... REALLY good for hotel room micro setup
http://www.beatsbydre.com/

[m:o]

I just got Beats by Dr.Dre..... maybe a little heavy in the low end - but oh my god, they sound great, and the active noise reduction kills the outside world, so that you can work in peace..... must be great for live performance as well - but haven't tried yet, as I'm traveling at the moment..... REALLY good for hotel room micro setup
http://www.beatsbydre.com/

i'm highly sceptic when a company like this compensate the total lack of technical information about their product with lots of blahblah an nice pictures of mediahyped stars "wearing" their HP.......

"the worlds best headphones".....lol this dre dude has some serious cocain issues?!

[stmaximus]

I got the AKG K240 Mk II's, and they're really the only high end monitors i have. i use them for everything.
and I've come to realize that music doesn't necessarily sound good on them, just very accurate.
you mix something so it sounds neutral on these babies, and then play it on some consumer speakers and hear the "Hi-Fi"