#63

heads up for folks using sennheisers…

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#64

I have no experience with their bluetooth/wireless offerings, but I’m absolutely in love with my Master & Dynamic in-ears (ME05). I recently lost my pair during a trip, and ended up buying the exact model again without hesitation. Sound quality is top notch and approaches audiophile stuff, I feel.

#65

So, I picked up some DT880 Pros (semi-open) and now the idea of slipping on my ATM-50xs on my head feels really sad. Are the 770s vastly superior? Any other closed suggestions? Don’t want to break the bank, but open to >$300ish sorts of options.

Further, any suggestions for in-ear headphones? I’ve always been hesitant since they’re supposed to be bad for your hearing and they’ve never been particularly comfortable for me, but the portability and discrete appearance does have some appeal. Seems like some Sennheisers are nice, but really am unsure of even a starting point for earbuds.

Earbuds would be more for casual/travel and less for studio work. I’m working a bit more with headphones since my wife is sleeping during the day some now that she’s doing third shift.

Wisdom from the panel?

#67

Cool, yeah, I don’t really want another open pair, so those PX100s can be crossed off the list. I’m looking for a closed pair (770s maybe, but open to input of course) and then in-ear headphones that are closed.

Thanks for the thoughts! :slight_smile:

#68

Just a thought about the 770 pro. I find them excellent to record instruments (not much sound bleeding through, detailed sound, frequency range is ok and not too brutal on the high end which is why I hate the sony mdr). But for some reason I do hate them for recording vocals and I don’t think they’re worth much to mix on. About the vocals I just don’t know how to put it, I just never managed to record nice vocals with those, it fucks me up everytime and I lose my bearings, so now I go for open back headphones with a lower volume to avoid too much sound bleeding through. For mixing I guess it’s a matter of habit but I’ve always managed to get better results with audio technicas (I now use an ATH-M70X). It depends on what you need though. For mixing purpose open HP are usually better (if I could afford them I’d buy HD600s) for recording purpose it makes sense to go with closed ones. But yeah if you don’t record vocals and have other solutions to mix on I’d say the DT 770 are incredible value for the money.

#70

No earbud advice? I’ll probably pick up the DT770s - but earbuds are the first priority. Just tired of lugging big ones around for walks.

#71

The best IEMs that I’ve had, and the ones i use every day, are from Nobel Audio. Expensive though… I got them through a special deal a number of years ago.

I’ve also heard that Etymotic are generally good, and I know that lots of pros love JH Audio.

#72

I stopped using IEMs a while back but swore by FutureSonics. Well worth checking out.

#73

I have some relatively inexpensive Beyerdynamic Byron Wired earbuds that I got for travel/casual use since I wanted something I could afford to lose. They’re decent enough for me if you’re interested in something more in the $50 range.

#74

Sennheiser cx 3.00 are the best I’ve found. Great noise cancelling which lets you listen to music comfortably in busy places, nice soundstage, relatively inexpensive (I got them for 30 and the cx 1.00 you can get for 20 or so). Have had lots of problems with the connector which breaks easily, but Sennheiser’s service is great and they can fix it were you to have any problems.

#75

Hello guys !

Due to some space restrictions I’m unable to have some monitor speakers for now.
So my modular has a really great ALM HPO output to connect my Beyerdynamic DT770 80ohm.
I really love these headphones but after some period my ears are burning :expressionless:

So now I’m thinking to take an open headphone instead of this DT770

I’m hesitating between two headphones :

DT 990 pro ( 250 ohm )
Or Akg K702.

Impedance on the AKG would be better for casuals listenings outside the modular but now I’m lost !

Any recommendations here ?

Thank you in advance !

#76

I’ve been using the same pair of AT-M50s for about 6 years now - not the x, these have a permanently attached cord. The headphones are still going strong, but the ear pads crumbled and deteriorated, so I replaced them with these:

It took all of a minute to replace them, and they are a HUGE upgrade in terms of comfort - not that the originals were uncomfortable, but these feel silky and soft on my head. I think there is a tiny bit more low end than before, but memory of how something used to sound is so subjective that there is a distinct possibility the extra comfort is influencing my hearing. At one job I’m provided with a stock pair and it always makes me a little sad by comparison to my soft ones at home.

Before that I had Sennheiser HD-280s which were ok but broke after about 2 years and were somewhat uncomfortable both physically and sonically, though they
were great for isolation. I replaced those with DT770s which I did like sonically but felt so clunky on my head, and when they were stolen after a year of use I opted to try the AT instead and haven’t looked back. I’ve recommended them to quite a few friends over the years and all have been pleased.

Sonys are great soundwise, I’ve used them for work quite a bit, but at that job we did have a box full of broken ones that scared me off from every getting my own.

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#77

A quick agreement here on Audio Technicas. I have two pairs of the M50s (which is one version before and identical to the M50x, except it has an attached cable - a flaw that the M50x addressed) — The clarity of these headphones is excellent — you can master with them (my preference) and they’re durable as hell. I once sent them in to be recabled and they came back from Audio Technica with new cone pads and 1/4" adapters. Great customer service and probably the best studio headphones for honest signal clarity I’ve encountered at any price level.

(For listening for pleasure, they are great, too - as are the Grado line)

#78

Another happy user (although with the ATH-M70x which are maybe a little less forgiving and flattering on the low end but I love the M50 as well). Use them as a reference headphone for mixing and they’re very nice for that.

#79

I can’t remember if it has been covered in this thread yet but I am having to replace my headphones soon as well. They are DJ-type headphones and have been doing their job ok so far…

BUT: I am wearing spectacles and it gets really, really painful at the top of my ears where the frame touches my head after about 45 minutes to the point that I have to take a break for a while. The pain the pressure of the headphones is inflicting on my skull is all but pleasant and I would like my new headphones to be pleasant to wear despite my glasses. Any recommendations on this where great sound and comfortable wearing are somewhat compatible? Thanks…

:eyeglasses:

#80

Having had this same problem myself, I considered two routes: go with ultra soft over-ears like the Beyerdynamics (990/880/770 doesn’t really matter they all fit more or less the same, choose what suits your need and sound preference - I wear 770s (32 and 80 ohm) and 990s (250ohm) with glasses) or go for IEMs. IEMs can irritate the inside of your ears for some people after extended wearing, but won’t press at all on your outer ear.

I love the Beyerdynamics but you’re going to want to soften the headband pressure by storing them on a stack of books slightly (1-2cm) wider than your head is (as if the books were listening to them!). Over about a week or so they’ll loosen up just enough to not be painfully tight. Do this with care since you can’t tighten them again later (the spring steel will relax permanently) but it really works a treat! In the meantime, wear them at least once a day to get a feel for how tight they are and stop loosening them when you forget to take them off your head! (They really do become that comfortable!)

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#81

Cool recommendations there. I’ll definitely try what you described. Great stuff. Thank you :partying_face:

#82

Do you hear big differences between 32ohm and 80ohm one ?
And if you need to choose between DT770 and 990 ?

#83

Well 990s are open back, so that decision should be obvious - get them if you like open back cans and don’t need to isolate yourself from room noise, don’t get them if… well none of that applies. :slight_smile:

As far as the 32 ohm and 80 ohm, they sound very nearly identical, especially after you listen to either of them for more than a few minutes in a row. The only difference that’s practical between the two is that the 80 ohm comes with the plushy earpads (which I bought for the 32 ohm which comes with hot sticky leather pads that I hated) and the 32 ohm comes with a 1.5 metre cord which is WAY more practical for things like plugging into a laptop or a phone, but much less useful in a studio environment where you want to move around and not be tethered to the interface. For a handy decision chart:

  1. Do you care about how long the cord is? Short: 32 ohm 770. Long: either of the other two (990 is coiled, 770 is straight, both are ~3.3m when stretched, IIRC)
  2. Do you prefer the sound and space of open backed cans (990) or do you like the isolation and pristine solitude of closed back (770)?

If you end up getting the 32 ohm 770s I highly recommend buying the plush earpad replacements and putting them on day 1. But other than the short cord, I see absolutely no reason to care about the impedance for any of these. If you have a good headphone amp, the 80’s will sound as good as the 250s for anybody but nitpicky audiophiles who only listen and don’t bother creating. No cans are perfect, and these come as close to the ideal as any other reasonably priced high end ones.

A final note about the 880’s: they’re just like the 990’s but a little brighter with more sizzle. I personally find the 990’s compare well with mix translations to nearly any stereo or playback system, so I feel confident using them for mixing, but if your ears prefer the 880’s, then drop them in place of the 990’s. To me, the 880’s were ever so slightly fatiguing. I haven’t had that issue with the other two models. The 770s have a slightly more “pop” sound than the 990s but I’ve used them to mix and track when I don’t want to bother my studio mates and you adapt pretty quickly to the subtle differences and so I wouldn’t worry one whit about whether one is ‘better’ - choose them on the other priorities I mentioned and you’ll find a pair that will, after a little bit of listening, become just right for you.

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#84

to add on top of @equipoise’s closed vs open

tracking is really a lot easier in closed back imo. Even for DI’d electric guitar or bass, I prefer close back because it takes less volume and less fatiguing to get in the “vibe” for tracking.

I find openback headphones really enjoyable to listen to in general though (senn hd600s in my case). I feel like the space and detail you get makes music really fun. also valuable as a hi-fi, full frequency spectrum mix reference (very much a personal opinion, but not a big fan of making mix decisions for long periods with headphones of any kind, but as a reference great).

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