I have to switch to studio headphones, help me pls

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Goschie
Posts: 6
Joined: 05 Aug 2021

05 Aug 2021

I have moved recently and acoustic treatment is out of the question. One of my monitors broke, and there is no point in getting a new pair if I cant do an acoustic treatment within reasonably financial means. Also, my interface has garbage power for headphones (its power is too low, and its resistance is too high), and has mismatched power to resistance making its headphone options super narrow. I guess amp recommendations would be helpful too.

Basically, I am looking for a all round replacement for my studio monitors. I need studio headphones that sound flat or let me accurately produce/mix music which sounds similar enough on other speakers.

I feel hopeful of headphone technology considering its 2021.

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jam-s
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11 Aug 2021

You could use beyerdynamic DT770 pro (80 ohms) with your current interface. They are not as flat as the 250 Ohms model, but then you won't need a new headphone amp. Also instead of getting a dedicated headphone amp you could also just get a new audio interface with a suitable headphone jack and have the bonus of additional inputs.

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Rising Night Wave
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11 Aug 2021

i am using shure srh1840. they are great. when i was buying my 1st studio reference headphones... all were talking about these shure srh1840 headphones. and all were saying they compete smoothly with all headphones till 1.000€. this shure srh1840 studio reference headhpnes did cost me around 375€. i bought them at thomann.de. just after new year. so i got them around 100€ cheaper as regular price was.

on the other hand they/people are saying senheisser are good ... reall good for that purpose.
Rising Night Wave & Extus at SoundCloud
HW: Asus ROG Strix G513QM | Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen | M-Audio M3-8 | M-Audio Uber Mic | Shure SRH1840 | Shure SE215 | LG 49UK6400
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PhillipOrdonez
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11 Aug 2021

Dt770 80ohm together with sonarworks can get you a very long way.

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miyaru
Posts: 624
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Location: Zaanstad, The Netherlands

11 Aug 2021

PhillipOrdonez wrote:
11 Aug 2021
Dt770 80ohm together with sonarworks can get you a very long way.
Exactly, I have DT 770 (be it the 250 Ohm version) and Sonarworks software - works like a charm!!!! Highly recommandabele!!!!

:clap: :clap: :clap:
Greetings from Miyaru.
Prodaw i7-7700, 16Gb Ram, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen, ESI M4U eX, Reason12, Live Suit 10, Push2, Presonus Eris E8 and Monitor Station V2, Lexicon MPX1,
Korg N1, Yamaha RM1x :thumbup:

danc
Posts: 1017
Joined: 14 Oct 2016

11 Aug 2021

I have a lot of headphones .. including numerous AKGs and Beyers. For me the Sennheiser HD 560S which I own trump's them all. Check out the YouTube reviews... Everyone that tries it loves it.

I picked mine up from Amazon when it was on a special offer for £119. Bargain.

The sonarworks profile for the 560 does help a little, but it's not anywhere near extreme profile changing compared to other headsets.
Check my Soundcloud:

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bxbrkrz
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Joined: 17 Jan 2015

11 Aug 2021

Goschie wrote:
05 Aug 2021
I have moved recently and acoustic treatment is out of the question. One of my monitors broke, and there is no point in getting a new pair if I cant do an acoustic treatment within reasonably financial means. Also, my interface has garbage power for headphones (its power is too low, and its resistance is too high), and has mismatched power to resistance making its headphone options super narrow. I guess amp recommendations would be helpful too.

Basically, I am looking for a all round replacement for my studio monitors. I need studio headphones that sound flat or let me accurately produce/mix music which sounds similar enough on other speakers.

I feel hopeful of headphone technology considering its 2021.
All the headphones presented here are great, but also consider these:
https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/iloudmtm/

ARC self-calibration adjusts to any room
757365206C6F67696320746F207365656B20616E73776572732075736520726561736F6E20746F2066696E6420776973646F6D20676574206F7574206F6620796F757220636F6D666F7274207A6F6E65206F7220796F757220696E737069726174696F6E2077696C6C206372797374616C6C697A6520666F7265766572

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motuscott
Posts: 3422
Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: Contest Weiner

11 Aug 2021

I'm on the Shure 840's. Seem to work. New Scarlet 4i4 has less firepower than my old motu 828mk2.
Still I will endeavor to maintain my previous high output as pertains to changing the face of musics as we know them.
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

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raymondh
Posts: 1776
Joined: 15 Jan 2015

11 Aug 2021

I use closed-back KRK 8400s for tracking/recording/mixing, great to isolate when the rest of family have the TV on etc.

When the house is quiet I use open-back Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro for detail mixing and master.

The open back phones are no good when there is external noise but they are a lot more revealing when mixing. Whatever you decide, definitely worth investigating open back, closed back, semi-open.

+1 on Sonarworks. Makes a big difference (for both phones and studio monitors).

thedude
Posts: 110
Joined: 08 May 2021

11 Aug 2021

Also want to add that goodhertz can opener has been really great for me when working in phones as well.

https://goodhertz.co/canopener-studio/

download the trial and give it a go.

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moalla
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Location: DDR WEST

11 Aug 2021

For me the best headphone after different other models, like ATH 50, ATH50x to much bass, Sony MRD and Yamaha HPT with a extremly flat sound, Ultrasones not neutral enoug... Ii ended up with the Beyerdynamic DT 880Pro 200 Ohm+ silver Version, their different to the other 880pro versions, these headphones have a real neutral sound, the stage stereo handling is amazing good, you can make muskic for 4-5hours with it without ear or wearing problems, and the only limitation in conclusion with more expensive topnotch headphones Ii would say after 100hours on my head is, the thing to find the dezibel at the mixing process in the last step, but therefore in especial cases a db check with a loudness meter could be very useful, what i´m not really learned to use till this time.

So for me the Dt880pro 200Ohm + silver headphones are now my last headphones for the next years i thing, the other thing for the right mixing is your headphone preamp, and if you own a Motu, RME or audient interfeace there are no problems with cheaper focusrites or other stuff it could be difficult, if the ohm number of your headphones are to high, was my experience after test sessions and usage with cheaper stuff with my earlier headphones. But the DT880pro are also working well enough for short usage with my Thinkpad t440 onboard sound, what i think is crazy.
.
So these beyerdynamic headphones are amazing for deeper electronic or classical stuff with difficult soundstages and fx and more than most people need for music with lower dynamics. ( I make music with crazy high dynamics that i need three kinds of speakers a the end to find the right loudness of the channels :lol: )

Yeah a lot of person swear, use the Beyerdynamic DT770 250Ohm for professional mixing/postproduction, their good but sounds harsh and produces a hiss in your ears at longer sessions, this is my and the opinion of a lot of musicians.

So go to your local dealer and test wat could be the best headphone for your demand, for a lower price i can recommend the ATH 40x headphones, wich have the best sound under 80bucks i would say, similiar to the ath50x but with a more neutral, not such a bassy loudness sound.

My 5inch Eve Audio SC205 Monitors are also not ass harsh ass Adam A5x Monitors for example, for the half of the price of my speakes i found the presonus Eris5 sound really good, the new xt version must have a little more stereo field the company wrote...

My brother uses a audient ID14 mlk2 and that´s the cheapest highend entrylevel interface with a good output.. he uses also Dt880pros and Aiaia TMA 2 DJ Headphones with cheap mc crypt 8inch piezo tweeter party pa speakers for music making and mixing.

So at the end its not a thing of expensive stuff, it´s the right mix of stuff. And my himtip for lowbudget monitors are the Yamaha e 400 or 800 passiv speakers from the pianocraft series, wich you could find used for 40-60bucks at ebay, what sounds on this speakers, sound on every speaker, so i would say these are the sucessors of the NS 10 speakers, much more better then the Hm series my opinion.
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Rising Night Wave
Posts: 1217
Joined: 03 Sep 2019
Location: Vransko, Slovenia
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11 Aug 2021

perhaps the most easy way is to check something like tihs:

google search: most flat headphones 2021

then just simply check first two pages of results - the reviews
look just ... am, write down the models, read pros and cons and decide what to buy according to budget.
just simple advice in advance: use yourself an MS Office Excel app to help with decision. just wride down into that squares pros, cons (copy/paste)... and see which modesl have most pros you like. then just sort by price. and look what you can afford.

i hope i did not complicated too much with the latest paragraph.
Rising Night Wave & Extus at SoundCloud
HW: Asus ROG Strix G513QM | Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd Gen | M-Audio M3-8 | M-Audio Uber Mic | Shure SRH1840 | Shure SE215 | LG 49UK6400
SW: Windows 11 Pro | Reason 10 | Reason+

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MrBlue
Posts: 85
Joined: 12 Oct 2015
Location: France - Burgundy
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12 Aug 2021

AKG K240 Studio...

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DaveyG
Posts: 2499
Joined: 03 May 2020

12 Aug 2021

For recording, use closed back headphones and, tbh, in most cases the quality is not that critical for that application.
For mixing, buy the best open back headphones you can afford and consider using headphone correction software like Sonarworks. It's not the same as even a mediocre monitor speaker setup but you can still achieve great results once you get to know the headphones. Practice and regularly compare the results with reference tracks.

83X5T
Posts: 3
Joined: 20 Mar 2021

12 Aug 2021

I have the dt1990pro I love them! they sound amazing. Very large stereo image and very detailed sound, from bass to high. 100% recomended. Try them if you have the chance.

danc
Posts: 1017
Joined: 14 Oct 2016

12 Aug 2021

The website I use to check out headphones is RTINGS. For me they go deep with their reviews and understand the needs for mixing and mastering needs. They also do X vs X comparisons.

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/revie ... er/hd-560s

Sonarworks do detailed reviews as well - but nowhere near as in-depth as RTINGS.

https://www.sonarworks.com/soundid-refe ... r-reviews/
Check my Soundcloud:

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motuscott
Posts: 3422
Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: Contest Weiner

12 Aug 2021

Really want some good open backs, but yikes, three Franklins!
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

Goschie
Posts: 6
Joined: 05 Aug 2021

21 Aug 2021

Thanks for the recommendations,

I have done a ton of deep diving on headphones, and I have stumbled upon lots of data. With my kind of interface, an amp will be required or the headphone will be too quiet. Next, you have to equalize any headphone you get, so its better to have a headphone that requires minimal adjustment and handles eq well, but also has a good stereo image and good sound stage for sounding like speakers (helps with translation)

Out of all the data I have gone through, the actual best headphone you can get for a reasonable amount of money is the Hifiman sundara (2020). It actually rivals the HD800s in neutrality, has a good stereo image, and a good sound stage. Other independent reviewers have verified this, and agree that it needs minimal eq only in the low end, and that if you eq the low end it responds very well. Its a planar, so stereo image can a little less reliable, but it actually has a very good stereo image out of all the planars that exist.

I had no idea that a planar could be good for mixing, as I always thought planars were more for headphone enthusiasts and not serious work, but its apparently one of the best.

Goriila Texas
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Joined: 31 Aug 2015
Location: Houston TX
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22 Aug 2021

Yep I upgraded from 1440's to the 1840's very accurate.

Rising Night Wave wrote:
11 Aug 2021
i am using shure srh1840. they are great. when i was buying my 1st studio reference headphones... all were talking about these shure srh1840 headphones. and all were saying they compete smoothly with all headphones till 1.000€. this shure srh1840 studio reference headhpnes did cost me around 375€. i bought them at thomann.de. just after new year. so i got them around 100€ cheaper as regular price was.

on the other hand they/people are saying senheisser are good ... reall good for that purpose.

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Skimrok
Posts: 628
Joined: 12 Jun 2018
Location: U.K.

04 Sep 2021

for me closed back are shure srh1540s and for open backs ollo audio s4x

both are great I do i have a headphone amp which has made me seen the importance of having one, most audio interfaces lack this improvement below the 300 pound range audio interfaces , I got a zen can after watching a few videos online , mind you i have a few headphones away from the 2 above

you can go mad on this 1 headphones i keep eying up is audeze lcd x ,but its a big purchase for a hobby, don't bother with lcd 1 or lcds 2, from a reliable source for anything electronic music they just don't come close and other headphones cheaper trumps them 2 easy , and i value Dans recommendation his music making ears is up there with the full on pros on the forum , we are spoiled for choice which is great in 2021 , one thing I would say any shure and senns make sure you go to a official delaers because sadly fake rip offs floating about

good luck
12 with 11 Suite :reason:/ Akai Mini Mk3 / MPD218 /Eve SC207 Monitors / Mrs10 Sub / Motu M2 / Zen Can

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tronam
Posts: 486
Joined: 04 Mar 2015

05 Sep 2021

The Beyerdynamics don't require much power at all, despite their ohm ratings. Both my laptop's 3.5mm output and even my phone have no trouble driving my DT-770 and DT-990 to loudness levels beyond my tolerance.
Music is nothing else but wild sounds civilized into time and tune.

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miyaru
Posts: 624
Joined: 28 Oct 2019
Location: Zaanstad, The Netherlands

05 Sep 2021

tronam wrote:
05 Sep 2021
The Beyerdynamics don't require much power at all, despite their ohm ratings. Both my laptop's 3.5mm output and even my phone have no trouble driving my DT-770 and DT-990 to loudness levels beyond my tolerance.
+1 here - easy to drive from my phone, iPad and Focusrite 18i20 3rd gen....... Even my cheapo Cuvave Baby Cube guitar gizmo does it with DT 770's........
Greetings from Miyaru.
Prodaw i7-7700, 16Gb Ram, Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen, ESI M4U eX, Reason12, Live Suit 10, Push2, Presonus Eris E8 and Monitor Station V2, Lexicon MPX1,
Korg N1, Yamaha RM1x :thumbup:

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