#85

Stereo image is another big difference. I find with open backs you get a more natural stereo image than the extremes of closed back.

And the experience when tracking comes down to the space a LOT. One of the nice things about open back is if you’re tracking with other musicians you can hear their audible cues without talkback mics, and you can be more natural in the studio. And the 990’s don’t bleed badly if you’re using directional microphones. BUT! you’re right, some people really prefer tracking with closed backs (or need to, because they’re using wide angle or omni mics or because they’re tracking vocals and need the zone, etc.) So while I wouldn’t simplify it quite so much, it’s definitely the biggest reason to go closed vs. open.

Since I don’t have live mics in my studio, I use open backs whenever I can so I can stay “present” in the space while working. But my B cans are the 770’s and I use them for guest artists who are used to closed backs, or when I want to go bumble off and jam to something in a corner while others are using the main system, etc.

As for mixing with headphones, having a wide variety of references is essential. But I remain adamant that you can definitely get a good mix (professional, proper, however you define good) with open-back headphones as your main reference provided a) you get to know them and how they translate and b) you do the usual mix engineer duties of checking your mix frequently on other sources. But that applies to monitors as well (the NS10s and auratones are notoriously less accurate than a good set of headphones today, and many amazing mixes were made on them) and many country chart-toppers were primarily mixed in mono from a single speaker! So, what you mix on almost doesn’t matter as long as it can tell you enough of the truth and you’ve adapted your ears and mixing sense to whatever bits of the truth it’s not telling you. :slight_smile:

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#86

for sure, 100%. Probably should have just left that comment out of my post as it was off-topic and definitely a personal thing–I have a lot of trouble getting “sucked in” on headphones and I end up spending a lot of time making adjustments to things that aren’t like “priority” to helping achieve balance in a mix. Much better at staying “zoomed-out” on near-fields.

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#87

Thanks for your replies. Actually owning the DT770 80 ohm and I was thinking that DT990 could solve my problems. he best would be to test it of course !

#88

I’ve got a pair of DT1770 Pros which I think are 250 ohm. They didn’t agree with the ALM HPO very much - too little control over volume (tiny tweak would produce huge volume change). So I went back to the Erica Pico Output which is much better.

Don’t know if that’s the case with all high impedance headphones, or just some weird result due to my set up, but be worth testing if you can :slight_smile:

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#89

Thank you, it’s really a strange behavior from the HPO. I sold my pico output for it ^^
And the 32ohm version of the DT990 in silver is really…how to say…ugly for me !

#90

this is a super specific question, so not sure if anyone will be able to help.

I have been using AKG K240 Studios for ~15 years and mine are still going strong, but they’re not as comfortable as they used to be. I think the pads are wearing out and maybe my ears have grown or something, but in any case I need more depth as my ears touch the inside of the cans and they get uncomfortable pretty quickly.

has anyone replaced the pads on these or similar headphones with good results?

also, as I want to get a set of closed-backs for tracking - has anyone used both K240s and DT770s? curious if the Beyerdynamics cans are deeper or if I might have similar issues.

#91

So I’m considering the DT 770’s that would be connected to the ALM HPO too. I’m using a 64ohm set of headphones now, but am nervous that if I opt for the 250ohm 770’s that the HPO might be finicky about volume, what are the opinions on the difference between the 80ohm’s and 250ohm’s?

Somebody mentioned plushy earpads versus leathery ones, which earpads come with the 770’s?

edit: Did the equivalent of RTFM and looked up the difference between low and high impedance designs. Sometimes lazy gets the best of me.

#92

DT 770 pro 80ohm and HPO are perfect and I’m at half way for the amplification level on the HPO ( and my mixer isn’t at it’s max ) !

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#93

yes. i used a K240 600ohm from the 90s (?) daily for two years, and the pads went very flat, with the ears touching the inside as you describe. I replaced the pads with replacement ones for whatever “K240” model was current at the time and it worked alright (replacement was straightforward although it’s a tight fit). I also replaced the foam discs while i was at it. It felt as new. I gave those headphones back to their original owner which has not complained since.
Then i moved on to the DT770 which i have for ~9 years and had to replace the pads once (a third pair of pads is due in a few weeks i think, as they are becoming a bit flat again). That’s with daily use. The clamp force has obviously loosened over time but they still seal as intended. I prefer the DT770 (or mine, as each pair i tried seemed to sound a bit different) over the K240 which i find way too bright (although less harsh than the MDR7506).

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#94

my dt770 250 ohm pair sounds great and gets plenty loud when plugged into the hpo.

@unity2k my 250 pair came with the fuzzy pads

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#95

As I posted just above (In search of new headphones) (and at the risk of repeating myself from there, :slight_smile: ), I’ve heavily auditioned all three 770’s and the 250 Ohm 880 / 990. I recommend the 80 Ohm 770s as they sound nearly identical to the 250 and are compatible with more gear, unless you need a short cord or can take advantage of the open back sound. I see no reason to get the 250 Ohm 770’s, honestly. There’s so little difference in the sound that it’s not worth the lower sensitivity, IMO, but if you do end up with a pair of 250’s they’ll probably work fine in nearly all cases except things that have very low power or really mismatched output impedance.

As for the pads, all models except the 32 ohm 770’s have the soft fuzzy pads. You can easily swap the black leather pads on the 32 ohm with the fuzzy ones - they are interchangeable.

1 Like
#96

I’ve had my Sony MDR-7506 since ages, and I’m happy about them, but they are bigger than my Norns :smile:
[silly request follows] Can you recommend something somewhat similar (in price too!) but a little smaller?

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#97

At the other end of the spectrum from most of this thread, can anyone recommend good earphones, ideally wireless. I find the Apple ones don’t fit my ears, and i think I’d rather some cable to tie the two ends together.

#99

does anyone have experience with quadraphonic headphones or headphones with more than 2 drivers? seems like it would be perfect for working on modular. i feel like ive seen some from the 70s or so. anyone know if theres any out there anymore?

2 Likes
#100

My singing headphones the last 20 years, or so. I don’t enjoy them so much for listening because they are so flat/honest ;), but I rarely use headphones for mixing and the 250s stay at home to be safe (my son blew up my second pair).

#101

Apologies if this was posted previously in this thread and I missed it in my scrollback search, but Sound on Sound has an excellent article on mixing with headphones with a nice little sidebar about halfway down on why a ruler-flat response for headphones is, in fact, not ideal. The compensations in most well-designed headphones provide for the differences in the way we perceive sound through our skull and ear canal when we don’t have the additional cues and modifiers provided by the outer ear and the rest of our resonant structures when receiving and processing the sound waves. As a result, you NEED certain frequency boosts and roll-offs to hear accurately - you do not want the cans themselves to have a flat frequency response for proper, accurate hearing.

Additionally, just like with monitor speakers in real rooms, there’s always a significant variance from actually-flat which mix engineers and performing artists subconsciously adjust to in each mixing and recording situation; this is unavoidable no matter how accurate the transducing equipment is. As a result, aiming for flat is a myth that doesn’t serve anybody. Get a set of cans that are comfortable, that reproduce the sound as you tend to hear it on other systems accurately enough, and use them often enough that you can both consciously and subconsciously compensate for their differences. That’s really all there is to it! :+1:

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#102

Anyone ever had a go on Stax Earspeakers?

Always been curious…

#103

They’re amazing. Utterly amazing.

But not $2500 versus $300 amazing compared to my Beyerdynamic open-backs. Maybe worth twice to three times the price tops, in my book, and in my book that’s not the kind of dosh I’m going to spend on sonic reproduction equipment, personally.

I’d rather have a killer set of Magnepans for room listening and my Beyers for the same price as a set of Stax and the right amplifier to drive them.

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#104

Realistically probably the same for me - closed back headphones need to be 80% of my headphone use and I have speakers when not using them.

I’ll try to listen to a pair at some stage though out of curiosity. Kind of love the look of them too…

#105

Has anyone try Nuraphones? I’m ally intrigued with the idea. I’d like a pair of noise canceling headphones, and the idea of tuning audio to hearing sounds like it might be a fun way to listen to music.