What are your favorite headphones? When and why do you use them? Are you happy?
Each Tuesday we open our mic to readers and lurkers alike to come out of the woodwork and tell us your thoughts and opinion, your experiences and mistakes, what you love and what you hate. We want to hear from you, and here’s your chance.
What is your favorite brand and model of headphones? How did you discover or choose them? Are you happy?
Do you use earbuds or huge ear muff headphones? Do you mainly use them when listening to music or producing it? Do you wear them in public or private?
What are the main things someone should look for when buying new headphones? Are there any good cheap headphones, or does price win every time?
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I use the RODE Podcaster. I have it in a little cradle and on a desktop stand. I use it for all my Screen-casts for PSDTUTS+
Sorry, Totally posted that comment on the wrong page
But a great Mic all the same.
No worries – thanks Gavin. Incidentally, back when I was a poor uni student I once used my headphones as a microphone.
Hard to beat the Sony MDR-V6 headphones.
Akg k-240
Represent! I just got them 6 months-or-so ago, and I love them!
Love the AKG head phones, most headphones either hurt my ears or bend my glasses, but these are perfect.
I’ve got several pairs of AKG K-240′s here. I also use M-Audio IE-40′s when I’m doing remote recording jobs.
MDR 7506 sony… standard
toooo mid-rangy!
I’ve been using a pair of Sony MDR-7506 for the last six or seven years. I like them but I really want to try Shure’s new SRH440 headphones.
Sony MDR 7506. Very standard but very good. And cheap.
Audio-Technica ATH-M30. Very good sound at an affordable price. Bought them for around CAD $80, while they are listed at the manufacturer’s website at USD $119. Anyway, these things sit comfortable on your head for hours on end.
senheiser HD280s
great environmental isolation (not a fan of the hype term “noise-canceling”)
wish there was some better bass response, but hey, they’re headphones.
good flat frequency response.
find em for as low as $70+shipping online.
i don’t find myself listening to music on headphones very often, cause I don’t own a portable music player, but when I do (after hours at the house, generally), I can rock these guys for hours comfortably. They fold up well, and travel easily. I’ve used them for production, as well, and although you can’t do a complete project with them, they are a great reference tool.
Can’t really wear them out in public too much, cause the isolate too much noise. I like to be pretty aware of my surroundings. However, when I did have an ipod, i would put the headphones upside down in the hood of my sweatshirt, so they were essentially sitting in a pouch right below the back of my neck. crank the ipod volume up and you can take a walk with your friend and listen to tunes together. that’s pretty sweet.
Gotta be the AKG K240s. Bass is not amazing, but it doesn’t matter because everything else about them is.
Best for bass and track making…. AKG K414p
Best for studio booth tracking…. Direct Sound EX29 or Senn HD280
My favorite for monitoring…. DT770.
Best studio cheap workhorse… Sony $15 cheap-o’s from Wal-Mart.
Sony MDR J10′s they’re 10 bucks, can be found almost anywhere, and sound great… great price-point for me because I seem to always close the cord in the zipper, or run them over with something.
I use KOSS “Porta Pro” when writing and producing, and AKG-240 “Studio” for mixing.
The KOSS are “fun” and pack a lot of punch, cost next to nothing, while being more or less useless once you start fiddling with frequencies.
The AKGs are perfect for monitoring and listening, but the sound is “boring” since it is so flat.
To me, these two complement each other perfectly.
I use AudioChi W Series headphones. The sound quality is… awesome.
beyerdynamics 990 pro (open cans), audio technica ATH-PRO700 SV (closed cans), shure SE 310 (earbuds)
Simple!
Studio/live sound: Sennheiser HD25-1, simply perfect!
For my iPod: Sennheiser CX 300, the cord is somewhat inflexible, but sounds and fits great!
HD25-1 II are finest pair of headphones i’ve ever used, bith for studio work and DJ… They sh1t all over every other product in their price band, and are seriously robust and can take a real pounding…
I love those CX300s. For what they are, they sound really good.
AKG K702 – fabulous sound.. Crystal clear. Exceptional sound. Checked them against quality Genlec monitors and virtually identical. I am in love with them…. Open back circumaural so only use them in the studio mixing space but wouldn’t trade them for anything.. Lightweight but fabulous to wear and use.
AKG K 271 MK II – again fabulous sound for the live room. Sure a little expensive but amazing cans and will last a long while so a great investment.
Closed back circumaural. – always prefer circumaural as I don’t like my ears being crushed with smaller ones (supra-aural) .. makes my ears tired.
Hate in-ears.
These just rock my boat and performers that use them seem to enjoy them too.
Sennheiser HD650s … I can’t say enough great things about these cans.
Comfortable to wear for hours at a time (very necessary when working at all hours of the night). They have some bleed to them, so they’re not ideal for tracking, but I use them all the time and never really have any problems.
Frequency response is superb – totally even throughout the spectrum.
Worth every penny spent on them, and then some!
Oh, and since someone mentioned iPods … I also have a pair of Bose noise canceling hps, which are IDEAL for listening to anything in the loudest of places, like NYC streets and airplanes.
I can hear the quietest pianissimo passage of an orchestral piece in the middle of rush hour in Times Square… very nice!
AKG K414P/K26P are great quick and dirty headphones. I tend to use them for all external/outside listening and they’re superb for listening to music on the bus (they’ve got great isolation for their size). They’re especially good if I need to listen to something quick in less-than-ideal conditions, with a particularly rich and tight bass response.
Sennheiser HD555 for general audio work, as they’re a bit more transparent and have a better dynamic range. They’re also the most comfortable pair of cans I’ve had, although after nearly four years they’re starting to get a bit worn down. I really fancy some with the bits of foam above your ear as I have rather perpendicular ears, to say the least.
At work I have to wear HD555s (as they’re open-back and I can have a conversation with them on), but pumping straight out from a PC sans amplifier is quite depressing. However, I found a program called Breakaway Personal that has absolutely changed the way I listen to music at work (particularly the bass response, which can really pull out the best from the HD555). If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were going through an amp…
For what it’s worth I really like the Bose® in-ear headphones http://www.bose.com/controller?url=/shop_online/headphones/audio_headphones/in_ear_headphones/index.jsp
They’re a little steep at $89, but they’re incredible as far as sound quality for an iPod and they never bother my ears… wear ‘em for hours on end.
I use them for producing stuff in Logic 8 as well, tho I admit they may not be the best solution for that.
I have a pair of Ultrasone HFI-555. “Widescreen for your ears” is their claim and THEY DELIVER! The LARGEST stereo field I have ever heard out of a pair of headphones. Ultrasone is a company everyone should definitely consider when in the market for a new pair of cans.
My favourite are Audio Technica ATH-M50..Really impressive sound..Those are my main monitoring headphones now..
I use a pair of Audio-Technica ATHD40FS, and I love them. I could wear them all day, and not feel uncomfortable. They may not be $150 Sonys, but they work great, feel great, and I travel with them everywhere.
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro
AKG 240. I’ve had my pair for years but I confess that when I bought them I did so because a friend got a deal for me.
For recording, I like the 240s for both their sound (natural, clear, smooth, warm) and their comfort (seriously, I have never tried on a more comfortable pair of headphones). Ditto for listening, but since they’re bulky, I never travel with them. For that I use cheap ‘buds because I loose them all the time!
Jeff
http://www.cerebellumblues.com
I I couldn’t ever wear earbuds until I discovered Sennheiser’s CX300 in-ear buds. Absolutely amazing. The clarity and bass response is fantastic and they come with 3 different sized bud covers for a custom fit which makes them wearable for hours and hours. I had tried bose and sony buds of similar price range before finding these (bose too muffled, sonys to flat sounding) and I will buy them again and again -although I don’t think that will be for a while. The cables are coated in a more rubbery material than a lot of other brands which makes them less prone to bends and therefore breaks in the cabling. I like it looooud and these have never let me down and it’s been about four years. Also there is virtually no sound bleed so you won’t be annoying anyone else on the bus! Sennheiser has also come out with a set for the iPhone which includes a mic.
I’ve used the Sony 7506 (as noted, a standard, but not my favorites), the AKG 240 (these always seemed accurate, but weak).
But I’m with Milan on this – most recently the Audio Technica ATH-M50, which are my current favorites. Extremely comfortable, clear and flat response, but still ‘feel’ powerful (especially in the low end) without coloring the mix.
AKG K-171
Small, great sound. Replaceable cable. Comfortable.
DT 990 PRO is one of the best IMHO
- AKG K-601 for checking vocals and higher frequencies in a mix (great resolution above 16K). Open architecture so very low to no fatiguing after listening for a long time, also very comfortable to wear!
- Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro for tracking and as the headphone for the musicians and singers. Closed architecture so minimal spill into mics even at high volumes. Also good for checking the bass, i know – still headphones, but they even tend to overemphasize down there
- AKG K-240 for pretty much everything, as mentioned many times before in this thread, they are good in every aspect exept the bass being a little weak, but still – best semi-open hp’s out there in my book
Cheers
Sennheiser HD-215 here.
Great lowbudget headphones…
earphones will mess up your hearing, I wear headphones have a sony pair
I use an Ultimate Ears Super.fi 5 EB. Great sound, but bad fitting.
HD650′S ! Had to put in my vote.. These cans made it possible to make music without my monitors. (bad living situation). Most headphones would of made me deaf by now. I am so glad I listened to the other 650 owners and dropped the $400. Best purchase I have ever made.. If you do alot of headphone work buy open backs! Your ears will thank you.
What do you guys think of the Beats By Dre headphones?
AKG K271 at home for anything. Funny thing, I usually need 30 seconds to get accustomed to the sound (coming from my monitors).
For commuting I use “cheap” Sennheiser MX51 and recently (in-ears) JVC HA-FXC50 (first time I have to reduce bass in earphones).
beyer dt250 , dt770, sennheiser HD25.
My first headphones that I had were Aiwa ( I think the frequency range for them was like 10Hz-20Khz which is pretty good )
They suited me for a very long time, until I ripped them apart after I lost a huge audio project that I was working on because my computer was shut down from a storm….
Then of course I got some really good headphones…
Sony MDR 7509HD… !!!! They are good… I think the details bragged a bit too much, like for example : up to 80Khz , and that way you can hear very high and tiny sounds from trumpets and flutes… blah blah blah blah…
Oh and about the ” HD ” they just said that since these headphones have a 50mm driver, and have some better quality in the coils…
Anyway, the Sony MDR 7509 HD are awesome.!!! I love them!!!! I’ve listened to the MDR V600, the v600 is nice as well, but it has this kind of small reverb effect, which I think might get you lost when mixing music….
PS: Check out my music on http://www.soundclick.com/djwilliam
check the song — Fancy Rythmic —-
And hit me up and tell me what you think..!!!!
GRADO!!!
I compared & researched many different headphone types before deciding on Grado. Great for monitoring since they have an open design. The best sound I’ve ever heard in a headphone! I compared in store to sennheiser, akg, sony, & AT and nothing came close. I would put on one pair & when i went back to the Grado’s it was like night and day.
Went with the SR-125 for about $150. I’ve had them for years.
http://www.gradolabs.com/product_pages/sr125.htm
AKG K240M for myself (for anything)
Beyer DT770Pro for artists (vocal recording etc).
Grado SR225.
I recently compared my Grado SR225 headphones with the Sennheiser HD650s and both were very different and enjoyable experiences. The Senns are comfortable and seem to make music fuller somehow. The Grado headphones, in contrast, seem really accurate. While the Sennheisers fill up the ear with a very full sound, the Grados make the music sound (to my ear) exactly the way it is supposed to sound, no more, no less. Every instrument in every frequency is specifically placed, without noticeable “bass boost” or anything like that. Since I’m a studio guy and need accuracy, I prefer the Grados.
I’m looking for headphones with good isolation..would anyone tell me which one shold i get?
I mean REALLY good isolation, I’ve got very noisy neighborhood here