Headphone Recommendation for mixing?

[tonetony]

james wrote:
> I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing option, can
> anyone recommend a good quailty set of headphones with transparent and
> flat response?

Hmmm... if that isn't a big subject... Without being the most
knowledgeable on the subject
on thing that i reckon you should go for is open back headphones. Much
more natural low end
response and you get better space characteristics. Less bass = less
fatigue which yields to more
mixing time . I've got a pair of DT 990s from Beyerdynamic which have
resulted on some decent mixes.
At least when i got to them next day on my monitoring system they
didn't sound that far off.

That is comparing to my 8030A Genelecs that i use at home and Dynaudios
BM5s and BM6s that
exist in the studio.

Could someone with more experience and a better monitoring system shed
more light to the subject?

[Arny Krueger]

"james" > wrote in message


> I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing
> option, can anyone recommend a good quailty set of
> headphones with transparent and flat response?

Not: Sony MDR 7506

Candidates: Sennheiser HD 580/600, Audio Technica ATHA700

[Scott Dorsey]

In article >,
james > wrote:
>I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing option, can
>anyone recommend a good quailty set of headphones with transparent and
>flat response?

Not really, because the low end of the headphones depends a lot on the
volume of your ear cavities, since they use your ears as part of a
resonant system. So headphones that measure flat on my ears may not
measure flat on yours.

There are plenty of standard reference phones that you'll see all over,
though. The Grado D-60 doesn't block outside sounds and it's not very
analytic, but it's a very pleasant sounding headphone for the customer
to listen to. The Sony MDR-V6 is pitched up on top end bottom, which is
no good for making tonal decisions but wonderful for editing. The Beyer
DT-770 and the good old standby AKG K140 are found everywhere for tracking.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[james]

I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing option, can
anyone recommend a good quailty set of headphones with transparent and
flat response?

[Andy Eng]

james wrote:
> I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing option, can
> anyone recommend a good quailty set of headphones with transparent and
> flat response?

Much of my recording is of live shows so for trimming, cleaning up,
setting up busses/aux channels and coarse mixing, I'll use Sennheiser
EH 1430's (found mine at Compusa) open air headphones -- Lightweight
and easy to wear for extended hauls.

Sennheiser HD280's were amongst several recommended on this group. I
like to give the mix a serious audition using these to make sure I
didn't get carried away while piling on (er, I mean adding) on the
ambience. I like to use these monitoring mixes while recording in the
field and at venues because they isolate relatively well.

Best,
Andy

[DeeAa]

"james" > wrote in message
...
>I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing option, can
> anyone recommend a good quailty set of headphones with transparent and
> flat response?

I love my AKGK240 Monitor and Studio earphones.

[JP Gerard]

"DeeAa" > a écrit dans le message de
...
> "james" > wrote in message
> ...
> >I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing option, can
> > anyone recommend a good quailty set of headphones with transparent and
> > flat response?
>
> I love my AKGK240 Monitor and Studio earphones.
>

Hmmm, I couldn't stand the exaggerated bottom of the K240S and sold them. I
have like 6 K240Ms though, very useful for monitoring.

However if I had to mix on something it would be K501s or K401s if I'm tired
(they're more relaxed).

JP

[DeeAa]

"JP Gerard" > wrote in message
...
> "DeeAa" > a écrit dans le message de
> ...
>> "james" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing option, can
>> > anyone recommend a good quailty set of headphones with transparent and
>> > flat response?
>>
>> I love my AKGK240 Monitor and Studio earphones.
>>
>
> Hmmm, I couldn't stand the exaggerated bottom of the K240S and sold them.
> I
> have like 6 K240Ms though, very useful for monitoring.
>
> However if I had to mix on something it would be K501s or K401s if I'm
> tired
> (they're more relaxed).
>
There is a clear difference between the M and the S, yeah...I wonder if it's
due to the impedance. The M's are 600 and the S 55.

[JP Gerard]

> There is a clear difference between the M and the S, yeah...I wonder if
it's
> due to the impedance. The M's are 600 and the S 55.

Different drivers. It's not just the Z.

JP

[Arny Krueger]

"Andy Eng" > wrote in message
ups.com

> Sennheiser HD280's were amongst several recommended on
> this group.

I'd like to dis-recommend these, based on the pair of them I own that I
would only use under great duress. I had hoped that they sounded something
like HD 580s, only maybe a little less smooth and clean. They started my
search for closed-ear phones that sound as much as possible like HD 580s,
which has brought me to the Audio Technica ATHA700.

[Scott Dorsey]

JP Gerard > wrote:
>
>Hmmm, I couldn't stand the exaggerated bottom of the K240S and sold them. I
>have like 6 K240Ms though, very useful for monitoring.

I thought the bottom end was supposed to be the same on the two, if they
were each properly driven with the right source impedance (which is widely
different for the two).

>However if I had to mix on something it would be K501s or K401s if I'm tired
>(they're more relaxed).

I hate trying to make tonal decisions on headphones, and of course it's
impossible to make good decisions about ambience and imaging.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Deputy Dumbya Dawg]

Having AKG 240, Sennheiser HD600 and the MDR 7506 among
others I would agree that the first two are useable for
mixing but the MDR 7506 is not going to translate well.

The 7506 may be best for tracking though.



peace
dawg

[Deputy Dumbya Dawg]

"Deputy Dumbya Dawg"
> wrote in message
hlink.net...
: Having AKG 240, Sennheiser HD600 and the MDR 7506
among
: others I would agree that the first two are useable
for
: mixing but the MDR 7506 is not going to translate
well.
:
: The 7506 may be best for tracking though.
Meaning the talent could wear them to good results.
peace
dawg
:
:
:
: peace
: dawg
:
:

[Geoff]

Arny Krueger wrote:
> "Andy Eng" > wrote in message
> ups.com
>
>> Sennheiser HD280's were amongst several recommended on
>> this group.
>
> I'd like to dis-recommend these, based on the pair of them I own that
> I would only use under great duress. I had hoped that they sounded
> something like HD 580s, only maybe a little less smooth and clean.
> They started my search for closed-ear phones that sound as much as
> possible like HD 580s, which has brought me to the Audio Technica
> ATHA700.

Not to mention that they are like having your head in a vice. I don't
dislike the sound though.

geoff

[Here In Oregon]

"Deputy Dumbya Dawg"


> : The 7506 may be best for tracking though.
> Meaning the talent could wear them to good results.
> peace
> dawg

Try the Sony MDR V600 for tracking. Less bleed, comfortable to wear, and
sounds great.
Five of them here and they hold up well. All around ten years old. They
still sell them for around $100.00 or less.

[Arny Krueger]

"Geoff" > wrote in message

> Arny Krueger wrote:
>> "Andy Eng" > wrote in message
>> ups.com
>>
>>> Sennheiser HD280's were amongst several recommended on
>>> this group.
>>
>> I'd like to dis-recommend these, based on the pair of
>> them I own that I would only use under great duress. I
>> had hoped that they sounded something like HD 580s, only
>> maybe a little less smooth and clean. They started my
>> search for closed-ear phones that sound as much as
>> possible like HD 580s, which has brought me to the Audio
>> Technica ATHA700.
>
> Not to mention that they are like having your head in a
> vice.

It's been so long since I used my 280s, I forgot all about that. Point well
taken!

> I don't dislike the sound though.

It's not so much that the 280s are dislikable in the sense that 7506's can
easily be disliked, more that there is little likable about it.

[Arny Krueger]

"Deputy Dumbya Dawg" >
wrote in message
hlink.net
> Having AKG 240, Sennheiser HD600 and the MDR 7506 among
> others I would agree that the first two are useable for
> mixing but the MDR 7506 is not going to translate well.
>
> The 7506 may be best for tracking though.

IME 7506s are good for hearing things that sound bad.

[Andre Majorel]

On 2007-01-22, james > wrote:

> I know it's best to use monitors, but as a second mixing
> option, can anyone recommend a good quailty set of headphones
> with transparent and flat response?

Of those I've tried, the Sennheiser HD 580 would be my first
choice, AKG K240 second (bass heavy and not as clean in the
mids).

The AKG K271 and Sennheiser HD 280 are uneven and fatiguing.
The Beyerdynamic DT 770 is better but has a very prominent bump
in the high mids (and, IIRC, hyped bass). The Audio-Technica
ATH-M40 are very coloured. Those might be good for tracking but
not for mixing.

The Sony MDR-7509 (not -7506) sounds very good and very hyped at
both ends. Probably more suitable for recreational listening
than for mixing.

In my limited experience, closed headphones don't have
sufficiently even frequency responses to be useful for mixing.

--
André Majorel <URL:http://www.teaser.fr/~amajorel/>
(Counterfeit: )
First rule of Usenet : if we don't have an answer, it's not a
good question.

"Here In Oregon" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "Deputy Dumbya Dawg"
>
>
> > : The 7506 may be best for tracking though.
> > Meaning the talent could wear them to good results.
> > peace
> > dawg
>
> Try the Sony MDR V600 for tracking. Less bleed, comfortable to wear, and
> sounds great.
> Five of them here and they hold up well. All around ten years old. They
> still sell them for around $100.00 or less.
>
>
Absolutely! I just discovered the 600 - with the 600s and my U87, I hear
pitch WAY the hell better than ANYTHING I've
EVER used. Comfy, too. THey share the surround-skin-disintegration of the
7506s - but so what.

Mikey Wozniak
Nova Music Productions
Ths sig is haiku

[Here In Oregon]

> Mikey Wozniak
> Nova Music Productions

> THey share the surround-skin-disintegration of the
> 7506s - but so what.

You know that is true. I have a couple that have this problem and three
that do not and they all were bought within a 6 months time frame and all
get about the same use. I think make-up and sweat might possibly play a
role in the disintegration. I might try to find out if there is any type of
protectant to impede this problem other than not allowing women, actors, and
drummers in the studio. ;)

[Michael Rempel]

> > Mikey Wozniak
> > Nova Music Productions
>
> > THey share the surround-skin-disintegration of the
> > 7506s - but so what.
>
> You know that is true. I have a couple that have this problem and three
> that do not and they all were bought within a 6 months time frame and all
> get about the same use. I think make-up and sweat might possibly play a
> role in the disintegration. I might try to find out if there is any type of
> protectant to impede this problem other than not allowing women, actors, and
> drummers in the studio. ;)

My MDR-V600 sets get a damp wipe and rinse cleaning after use on the
leatherette stuff. I do it for hygiene, but I don't have issues with
them falling apart. Same thing with mics, the screen gets a little wipe
from a rag sprayed with lysol, then another wipe from a damp rag. I use
disposable shop rags for this.

That said, I don't know if my sets are made of the same material. I
know Sony is pretty good about changing designs that are having
problems. And the MDR-V600 is probably their most popular set.

Michael

[Eric Toline]

Ultrasone HFI 650. www.ultrasone.com


Eric