Headphone advice

[Gunrunner]

So after a number of years playing I have yet to use headphones, but circumstances at home dictate that they may have a fit here on occasion. I just visited Sweetwater, and found prices that varied from $11.99 to $3,990 (seriously!), so clearly there’s some substantial difference from brand to brand... looking for some advice from my BGU compadres!

 

[sdbrit68]

depends on usage.................I have a pair to connect to the amp that are, at best okay. I also have some Tascam studio headphones that I use for mixing music

 

[Elwood]

These are both in the hundred dolla range, real price.

I really like my MT-5s, if I were to nag them the folding feature is a PIA. They sound good, maybe a bit bass heavy, and comfi on my pumpkin.
The 280s are pretty standard good phones in this price range, tough as nails. Tight and hot to me for long wear (yeah, they are broken in ).

https://usa.yamaha.com/products/proaudio/headphones/hph-mt5/index.html

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/hd-280-pro

Up from there in the food chain, others will help.

 

[CapnDenny1]

I’ve been in the Sennheiser camp for over 40 years.

I am using my HD598SE now. I tend to leave them on all night. I have a hard time sleeping more than a few hours at a time. I had a real issue with my ears getting sore from anything on them. This model sits around the ear so it works for me.

If you are using them to isolate the sound, the closed backs that seal around the ear are best. The 598’s are open backed, which are ok for my use. But if you want higher volume and nobody else to hear it, then closed back.

I couldn’t stand any sort of in the ear style either.

 

[CaptainMoto]

How will you use them?
-Guitar playing/practice
-Listening to backing tracks
-Recording guitar
-Recording vocals
-Music enjoyment
-Critical Listening

How long do you think you'll be wearing them?
-10 minutes
-30 minutes
-Longer

Closed back style are a requirement if you want to record your own vocals.
They fit tight and block out other ambient sounds.
Difficult to hear or communicate with others.

Open Back style can be more comfortable to wear for extended periods.
Some sound will leak in and out making it possible to hear other people but still minimizing leakage that others hear.

I spend hours in my studio playing, practicing, recording and mixing.

These are my go to headphones for general use:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/K240S--akg-k240-studio-semi-open-pro-studio-headphones

For vocal recording amd some mixing I use these:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MDR7506--sony-mdr-7506-closed-back-professional-headphones

 

[MikeS]

I have the Sennheiser HD449 and my only complaint is that the faux leather has disintegrated over time and it leaves bits of black material around my ears (easily wiped off, but...)
I just found replacement ear pads ($16) and head pad ($11) at Newegg, so I ordered them. We'll see how good they are.

 

[MikeR]

For vocal recording I use these:
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MDR7506--sony-mdr-7506-closed-back-professional-headphones

Same here. They just sound good and are more comfortable than some others I've tried.

 

[Elwood]

One feature that swung me to the Yamaha is the replaceable, thin straight cord. This feels much lighter to me than the coiled cord on my Senn280s. I get uncomfortable with the neck shoulder area so this matters to me. That skinny little cable is tough too! More than once, after a longer than necessary session, I have found the cable wrapped around my chair wheel. If it fails the fix is readily available.
I'm surprised no one jumped in with eye candy headphones. I know there are some nice ones out there. It looks like I'm not the only one happy at the $100 price point though.

 

[MarkDyson]

I'm another in the $100 range camp: mine are the Audio-Technica ATH-M40x studio monitor 'phones. Got them at my local shop on the recommendation of a local audio engineer.

 

[matonanjin]

I am totally unqualified to give advice on this subject. I don't know a thing about the different specifications of headphones. But I suspect my needs are similar to yours. "Circumstances at home dictate" that I use headphones on occasion. I will never have professional needs, in fact, the only time I use them to record is when exchanging video lessons. The rest of the time it is just to play/practice quietly as not to wake someone.

A couple years ago I went with Seinhauser 280's. For my very limited needs they serve me perfectly well and only $100. Not too long after I got the first pair a puppy decided that they were an ideal chew toy! I like them well enough that I replaced them with the exact same model. I then got the chord repaired on the damaged ones so I now have two!

 

[dvs]

I have a set of these https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SE215--shure-se215-sound-isolating-earphones-clear and a pair of these https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SRH440--shure-srh440-closed-back-studio-headphones. Either one is $100. Both sound great to me, but I haven't done much in the way of comparisons. The in-ears work better with reading glasses than the around-the-ear headphones, although there's a bit more of a process involved in putting them on or taking them off.

 

[Paleo]

Mine cost $5.99 at Walmart.

 

[PapaRaptor]

I'm certainly no expert on headphones. Back in 1971, I bought a set of Koss Pro-4AA headphones. At that time, they were considered one of the finest headphones available and were a staple at about every radio station in the country. They were heavy, but they were the best sounding phones I could buy at the time. I had those headphones until around 2004. My oldest son was using them to practice drums and he loved them because they were closed back and had an incredible ear seal for excluding outside noise. They used a fluid filled cushion on each earpiece. Long story even longer, he managed to break them beyond repair.
I bought another pair immediately and today I still have that pair. The only issue in 16 years was when one of my dogs chewed the connector off the end of coil cord. I replaced the plug and they are sitting here right next to me, plugged into my Eleven Rack. I also ended up with another pair as a Christmas present. Considering what's out there today, there are certainly headphones that are more comfortable for long periods of time, but I have yet to find a set that actually sound better than these. The new ones no longer have fluid filled cushions, which is a shame.

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

I received my first set of headphones when I was five. I used them with my crystal radio set, and shortwave receivers that I built. When I was 15 I became a radio amateur. At 17 I enlisted in the Air Force, and became a Radio Operator. We were taught to “never put earphones over your ears”! We often had static crashes, loud sounds and noises to contend with. It was a basic form of self protection, which I use to this day. Old habits are hard to break.

Not wearing headphones over the ears allows you to hear what is going on all around you. However, there are times that we may not wish to be aware of such things.

I have several sets of headphones – some expensive, and I still place them just in front of my earlobes, a bit towards the temples. It works for me. Everyone is different – sort of – some of the time.

Tom

 

[JohnHurley]

There are so many good ones in the 100 to 200 range ... I don't use them a lot anymore since COVID since I now have the whole basement to myself and have a nice attenuator to keep amp sound down.

You want something big probably and way over your ears that is comfortable. Maybe you have small ears most of us dont ha ha.

Some of the Sennheisers are big and comfy.

My current best pair is the AKG K553 MKII they normally I think are 199 ish I bought current pair at GC I think 150 ish onsite? But they would have been worth what is apparently full price.

https://www.amazon.com/AKG-K553-Closed-back-Studio-Headphones/dp/B078QVKNBR

 

[brent]

I'm no headphone expert, either. I do have a couple of different types of headphones for different tasks. I have a set of in ear phones from Bose that sound fantastic for in ears. The bass response is actually quite astounding for such a small earphone. They are overall very clear. I use them mostly for when I am exercising (walking) or mowing the yard. Sometimes if I am doing chores around the house, because they stay in quite well not matter what I am doing.

I have a couple of pair of Tascam headphones that I bought on Stupid Deal of the Day from Musician's Friend. I don't remember the model number. They sound great and only cost about $30 each time on SDOTD. They were highly rated, including by someone who said he was an engineer and the whole studio used them. I guess that's good enough for me.

I also have a pair of wireless bluetooth headphones by some off Chinese brand. I don't remember the brand. They were about $100 and are supposed to be comparable to the Bose Quiet II headphones. They sound pretty close to my ear. I only had opportunity to listen to the Bose at the busy store. The ones I have do have the noise reduction feature which works quite well to isolate other sounds that might leak in. They are a little bit heavy on the bass side to my ears, but not so much that it becomes a distraction. Just double checked the brand- Cowin.

Here's a link to the Tascam Headphones I have. Apparently they are like $20 these days. I've had mine for several years. https://www.amazon.com/Tascam-TH-02...GRXZPW11136&psc=1&refRID=WGEP2PEE8GRXZPW11136

 

[Grateful_Ed]

I had never paid more than $40 for headphones in my life until a couple of years ago. I went to guitar center, they had about a dozen pair hooked up to music to sample. These were the only pair that I could tell a difference in. The price in this particular ad, beats the crud outta what I paid that day at GC. https://www.proaudiostar.com/beyerd...3KAuSk1JAYBobaEZ3ydY1ZW-w_KnE5DQaAl_JEALw_wcB
They aren't comfortable for hours at a time, but I take breaks every hour or so.
With them I can tell the difference from a CD, MP3 and if you wanna try something great (and can stand Neil Young's music, I personally love it) try his high-resolution streaming platform available for listening on https://neilyoungarchives.com/

 

[CaptainMoto]

I'm certainly no expert on headphones. Back in 1971, I bought a set of Koss Pro-4AA headphones. At that time, they were considered one of the finest headphones available and were a staple at about every radio station in the country. They were heavy, but they were the best sounding phones I could buy at the time. I had those headphones until around 2004. My oldest son was using them to practice drums and he loved them because they were closed back and had an incredible ear seal for excluding outside noise. They used a fluid filled cushion on each earpiece. Long story even longer, he managed to break them beyond repair.
I bought another pair immediately and today I still have that pair. The only issue in 16 years was when one of my dogs chewed the connector off the end of coil cord. I replaced the plug and they are sitting here right next to me, plugged into my Eleven Rack. I also ended up with another pair as a Christmas present. Considering what's out there today, there are certainly headphones that are more comfortable for long periods of time, but I have yet to find a set that actually sound better than these. The new ones no longer have fluid filled cushions, which is a shame.

Oh, how i remember listening to the local FM radio station with my Koss headphones.
My kids were just babies and i needed some alone time.
The local station would play "The Album of The Week" and I'd put a cassette into the tape deck listen and record a new album every Friday night.
As a matter of fact, I just listened to one of those tapes of the Doobie Brothers.......ahhh memories.

 

[Griff]

I have headphones ranging from under $100 to pushing $1000... and there's a difference.

The trick is this - the $1000 headphones are pretty much flat across the spectrum. If you're mixing a band or a track, that's what you might want, clarity and accuracy. I have them for that specific purpose and use them rarely, for that purpose.

Why? They don't really sound "good," they sound "accurate," and usually accurate comes across as somewhat harsh. Certainly not something you want to listen to on a regular basis.

One of the best things I ever did for my in-ear monitors that I use when performing is to learn about the Harman ideal response curve (https://jazztimes.com/reviews/products-and-gear/audio-files-the-harman-curve/ is a place to learn a bit) and EQ my in-ear mix accordingly.

Few headphones are flat on a frequency graph, and even fewer come across that way in real life. There is a (long tedious) process (involving sweeps of frequencies and various sine waves at various frequencies) that you can use to determine where the peaks and valleys are in your headphones. I've done it, it's not for the faint of heart, it took me about 2 1/2 hours with my in-ears (Shure 535) and I came back the next day to check my work after my ears had rested.

Once you "flatten" your headphones, it's dead simple to apply that ideal response curve and WOW what a difference in terms of "enjoyability."

I can now listen on headphones for a lot longer without feeling fatigued, and I actually enjoy what I am hearing.

If you are using a DAW, and have the ability to EQ your headphone mix, you can do it on nearly any set of headphones with a little patience. If you are just plugging straight in to something, notice the response of newer headphones and see that many are migrating towards that idea response curve. The closer you get, the happier you may be.

 

[snarf]

I've got a pair of AKG K240 headphones. I like them because they have a very flat response. Because of that, if I'm just sitting around listening to music, I don't use them at all. However, for recording and mixing, I think they do really well since they don't have that increased bass response that so many headphones have these days.