i just ordered a pair of BeyerDynamic DT880 Pro Semi Open headphones, 250 Ohms, for 210 GBP (from Absolute Music Solutions). Really looking forward to receiving them next week
All advice given by everyone was much appreciated !!
I’m BIG fan of AKG K702’s… bit more expensive but wonderful! less hyped in the bottom end than some cans, i find this advantageous if i’m wearing them for a while as it helps prevent fatigue… because of their open backed design they’re quite similar to listening on mid fields in a lot of ways… a much more open and natural sound field than closed back cans, sounds more like stereo than binaural
Don’t forget that your new cans will most likely need a fair ‘burn in’ period too… mine took about 300hrs of continuous playback before they really settled down… a bit like letting a decent bottle of red wine breathe… the difference is quite dramatic before and after the burn in… they were quite scratchy and harsh in the upper mids and highs out of the box but after burning in they’re smooth as silk!
I’ve been looking at AKG headphones for a good while now, can’t really justify the cost but I really want one
+1 for open back headphones though, my Sennheiser HD515 sound way more natural than any other closed back headphone I’ve tried.
i saw it tonight advertsied on the SoundIron VSTi page and watched the introductory video. Just wondered what anyone else thought about it (ie. is it just another waste on money !!) lol
What about a plug-in on the master output that simulates the ‘room crosstalk’ that’s absent iwhen monitoring on headphones? Is that important nowadays??
I’ve been using sennheiser for 15 years and never looked back. I currently have the HD595 and I could wear them all day and night (open Back) with no ear fatigue. The bass response is incredible on them, I have tried the 600 series and wow!!! is all i can say. I bet you could find a great set used if shop on ebay or wherever you can find used equipment via trade papers/internet etc. I bought newest set used off ebay for ~$200 USD about 4 years ago. The set I had prior last at least 6 years.
I have other closed backed but I can’t mix with those
Kenny
I have also Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro and Sennheiser HD 650, but AKG K 701 sound best to my ear, and are by far most comfortable on my head. They are open model and higher quality build than DT770 or HD650. Price is also quite fine, cca 180eur afaik.
And, yes, I also use crossfed plugin while mixing on AKG K 701 phones. I use Redlime Monitor, 112dB Redline Monitor . Without such plugin mixing on headphones is impossible for me, balance is just all wrong without it. With plugin it is actually possible to balance instruments initially quite well. Of course you need to check it on several monitors later on, as usual. But with crossfed plugin you can get quite close. And sound is usually much better over headphones in the situation of small home studios.
I preferred the AKG K601 (Open) for mixing over the 701s (I think they were just the preceding serie), but definitely AKG K271MkII (Closed) for tracking.
I have been using DT770 Pro’s for many years. They work for me very well for both tracking and mixing.
People who visit my studio to either record or just hang are always blown away by them.